Original flash fiction · Invented characters · The honest caption
Theo had brought a beautiful plan to the room. In the margin somebody had written: “A still life was arranged to look casually abandoned.” The margin was more useful than the heading.
Instead of making a cleaner copy of the plan, Theo added a practical instruction: “Label the scene as an arranged still life.” It made the page less impressive and easier to use.
When the page was passed on, its new reader asked one clear question. The conversation could finally begin there.
Try a question
Which small choice makes the ending different from the beginning?