Surprise! It’s the culmination of this year’s 55 Fiction contest! And much like the endings of the stories that people send us, the stories are always a shock—well not always, but mostly. We’ve got love, war, murder, politics, twists, and more for you in this year’s collection of printable pieces. Our judges sifted through hundreds of entries from all around the world to come up with the almost two dozen finalists that we’re publishing in this issue. Each tells its story in 55 words or less—complete with characters, a plot, a beginning, a middle, and end. But, as with every contest, you’re the final judge. Happy reading!
—Camillia Lanham
Blue jay
He showed up early. Blue suit, no tie. Didn’t knock, helped himself to the sunflower seeds, stared at me like I owed him rent. I had to admire the confidence.
“Where’s the fridge?” he asked.
“Over there.”
He stole a tin of caviar and flew off. California scrub jay. Total menace.
James Lowe
Morro Bay
Cold plastic
“What is it?”
I almost didn’t recognize it at first. We hadn’t seen one for so long.
Wyatt picks it up and wipes the sand off its ripped label.
“It’s cold.”
He tosses it to Trevor.
“What’s inside?”
I take it from him and crack the cap off.
“We used to call this water.”
Aaron Izek
Burbank, California
License plates
His license plate theory was confirmed. After seeing LEK and PBR license plates, he avoided costly water damage by calling the plumber. Easy money, he thought, when he spotted LTR and MNY. He immediately bought 100 lottery tickets. Glee turned to dread at the mailbox. A LeTteR from the attorney. A demand for more aliMoNY.
Renne Gardner
San Luis Obispo
The beast
Panic sets in; sweat drops fall on the side of my face. My legs are aching but will not stop. My chest tightens, gasping for breath. Continuing to run for my life as this vicious beast chases me down.
“Sir! I caught her. You don’t need to run anymore!” he shouts holding a chihuahua.
Kim Toniutti
Fair Lawn High School, New Jersey
‘Holy ship!’
Nonstop rain added a hazy gray to the endless, roiling blue of the ocean.
The ship’s captain, barely able to keep his passengers from killing each other in a hunger-induced frenzy, cried out to the sky for help.
As if in answer, his first mate shouted, “Noah, darling, look! The dove is returning.”
Mitchell Hoffman
League City, Texas
Contains: milk, eggs, soy,
coconut, and freedom
Blackshirts apprehended the couple. Handcuffs cut into aging flesh.
“We gotta tip about your anti-American activity. Come with us.”
“What tip? Can we at least take our grocery bag? The mint chip’s melting.”
“Don’t try to resist. Hand over the bag! It’s evidence you support that traitor Biden!”
The bag said Trader Joe’s.
Diane Smith
Arroyo Grande
Foggy vision
I was staring at a remarkable image, similar to gazing at the universe through a planetarium telescope on a clear night. Large and small dots everywhere, spectacular nebular fog in the background. Suddenly a door opens, doctor speaks. “It’s not the universe, unfortunately. It’s your MRI results.” I was just then diagnosed with breast cancer.
Pamela Justin
San Ramon, California
Breaking news
The TV crackles, a chorus of voices exploding from the small box, her eyes are glued to the screen.
“A killer is on the loose … crazed eyes … last seen near Wall Street … ”
But if she would look up from the television, and look out the window, she’d see those crazed eyes in her reflection.
Madison Anderson
Delafield, Wisconsin
Get a hobby
People are so stupid. I was shopping at Joann’s, taking advantage of their massive going-out-of-business sale. Unbelievably, some people were crying! I’m like, get over it!
Honestly, such ridiculous drama. The world’s on fire, and they’re crying over a store closing.
OK, it was me. I was crying.
Diane Smith
Arroyo Grande
Who to ask to the prom?
I sit in the cafeteria wondering who I should ask to the prom. I have History with Mary, but I have Chemistry with Jane. No way I ask Margaret, all the Drama we share every day. Debbie’s cool, but she’s into Art. Must decide soon. Just wish I had the nerve to ask Polly (sigh).
Tom Corona
Los Osos
That’s what she said
“What happened?”
“She killed herself. She felt guilty about having an affair with you. She told me everything, and about the others.”
“Others?”
“You thought you were the only one? That’s so cute.”
“You need to call the police.”
“I will. After you kill yourself.”
“I’m not going to kill myself.”
“That’s what she said.”
Charles West
Fresno
War
The days had been long, hot, and dry. The army quickly organized and arrived. At this point, their purpose was simply provisions, water, and relief. They marched with resolve, numbering in the thousands, blackening the horizon, quite the imposing sight. Anxiety swiftly crept over me. Looking down at my list, I carefully added “ant traps.”
Tina Niebuhr
San Luis Obispo
Man in back
The pulled the plug on Bill at the 11th hour. At his funeral, many wept openly. One man in back could only smile. Later on at the tavern, the stranger ordered his final martini before disappearing into the night. Next morning, headlines declared: “Man vanishes without a trace.” In other words, Death drinks to forget.
Benjamin Welles
San Luis Obispo
Nostalgia
“Movies, music, sports, politics, traffic: name one thing that’s better today than it was 30 years ago?” lamented the jaded diner waitress as she took one of her regulars’ lunch order.
“How’s the chicken-fried steak today?”
“Better than ever,” she boasted.
Colin Jones
San Luis Obispo
A soldier’s ammo box,
an artist’s craft
Once it held bullets, stacked for war, rattling across Europe in a soldier’s Jeep. Now, decades later, it rests quietly in a sunlit studio. Inside: watercolors, soft brushes, rags. A young artist lifts the lid, unaware of its past. The box, once thunder, now explodes with color—war reborn as peace, rage transformed into beauty.
Robert J. Schmoldt
San Luis Obispo
D-Day
The amphibious landing craft approached the beach, which was littered with barricades and barbed wire. The Allied troops prepared their assault.
“Remember our mission,” the lieutenant shouted. “We are here to liberate a nation of people from the tyranny of a fascist regime.”
The bow ramp dropped, and the German soldiers stormed onto American soil.
Mark Turner
San Luis Obispo
A hard-boiled story
I sized her up as a good egg looking to get laid. After a few laughs at the hotel bar, she followed me upstairs. I flipped her over, easy on the bed. She whipped out a gat. Scrambling, I knocked it away.
“Start talkin’ sister.”
She folded like an omelet. “Benedict Frittata sent me … ”
Tom Corona
Los Osos
War
I tear across the battlefield, praying I don’t get hit on my way to better cover. I hear explosions all around me, my ears ringing. Gunshots whiz past me, hitting my fellow soldiers. I listen to their screams. Then it hits me. In my final moments I hear, “Respawn on me bro, I’ve got cover.”
Eli Neuman
Sussex, Wisconsin
A good connection
No problem if I show up early.
No problem if I show up late.
No problem if I don’t show up at all.
I have abandoned you many times, but you never leave me.
You are always there waiting for me without judgment.
My Zoom link.
Paul Hertig
Los Angeles
Egg on his face
Humpty Trumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Trumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men—wait a minute, oh, that’s right, he fired all of them—couldn’t put Trumpty together again.
Poor old Humpty Trumpty.
Barbara-Jo Osborne
Morro Bay
Ending a life
Sam has been dissatisfied with his life. He hated school because it was boring and also despised his parents since they were strict with him. He was very stressed out. He bought a rope and made a knot to end his life, which he hated. Sam is ready to move out and become a cowboy.
Ririka Hatanaka
Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
QWERTY
I sit quietly in typing class, q…w…e…r…t…y
I tremble as I type, q…w…e…r…t…y
“I’ve been struggling recently with-” q…w…e…r…t…y
I pause, choking back salty tears, q…w…e…r…t…y
“my mental health.” q…w…e…r…t…y
I pause once more, q…w…e…r…t…y
“I think I need help.” q…w…e…r…t…y
Sawyer West-Toebe
Delafield, Wisconsin
This article appears in 55 Fiction 2025.