Gone Fishing
For Paul and John's 47-Words Short Story Unofficial Challenge.
"The store is closed, because my grandma, apparently the queen of the fairies in a witness protection program, is missing, and I have to impersonate her at the Blooming Festival to prevent a civil war and potentially enter a political marriage." was too long.
So: "Gone Fishing".
About the Creator
Sasha Desideri
Philosopher, adventurer, mother, and occasionally words-lover
Keep reading
More stories from Sasha Desideri and writers in Fiction and other communities.
How about Phoenix?. Honorable Mention in Something Is Beginning, I Think Challenge.
Phoenix. When I’m feeling down, I like to imagine that I’m a phoenix. And this instinct of death that pervades me is nothing but the final phase of one of the cycles in my infinite journey.
By Sasha Desideri21 days ago in Fiction
I Had Already Given Up… But Then Something Unexpected Happened
From the outside, nothing looked too bad. I had a roof over my head, a few people around me, and dreams that once gave me purpose. But inside… it was a completely different story. I was tired. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally exhausted. I had tried so many times to improve my life. I made plans, set goals, and promised myself that “this time will be different.” But every time I tried, something went wrong. Either I failed, or things didn’t go as expected. Slowly, those failures started building a wall inside me—a wall made of doubt, fear, and disappointment. At first, I kept fighting. I told myself that failure is part of success. I watched motivational videos, read quotes, and forced myself to stay positive. But the truth is… there is a limit to how much a person can pretend to be strong. And one day, I reached that limit. I stopped trying. I stopped setting goals. I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing that anything good could happen to me. Days became empty. I would wake up without purpose and go to sleep without hope. Life felt like a routine I was forced to follow, not something I wanted to live. One night, I remember sitting alone in my room. The lights were off, and the silence felt heavy. I kept staring at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. A question kept repeating in my mind: “What’s the point of trying if I’m just going to fail again?” For the first time, I didn’t have an answer. That night, I silently gave up—not just on my goals, but on myself. The next morning, I woke up late. I had no plans, no motivation, and no reason to get out of bed. I picked up my phone just to pass time, scrolling mindlessly. And then, I saw something unexpected. A message. It was from an old friend I hadn’t talked to in months. The message was simple: “Hey… I don’t know why, but I just felt like telling you this. I believe in you. Don’t give up.” That was it. No long speech. No deep advice. Just a few words. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I even smiled a little, thinking it was random. But as I kept staring at those words, something inside me shifted. “I believe in you.” It had been a long time since I heard that. And even longer since I said that to myself. For months, I had been my own biggest critic. I kept reminding myself of my failures, my mistakes, and everything that went wrong. But I never once reminded myself of my efforts… or my potential. That small message didn’t magically fix my life. My problems were still there. My situation hadn’t changed overnight. But something else changed. My perspective. For the first time in a long time, I thought… “What if I try again? Just one more time?” Not perfectly. Not confidently. Just… honestly. So I started small. The next day, I woke up a little earlier. Not 5 AM like those perfect routines—but earlier than usual. I did one small productive task. It wasn’t much, but it was something. The day after that, I did a little more. Some days were still hard. Some days I felt the same heaviness, the same doubt creeping back in. There were moments when I wanted to quit again. But this time, I didn’t. Because now, I had a different mindset. I wasn’t trying to be perfect. I was just trying to not give up. Weeks passed, and slowly, things began to change. Not dramatically—but noticeably. I became more focused. My thoughts became clearer. I started feeling a little more in control of my life. Opportunities didn’t suddenly fall into my lap, but I started noticing them again. And one day, while reflecting on my journey, I realized something powerful: I wasn’t stuck because I failed. I was stuck because I stopped trying. Failure didn’t destroy me. Giving up did. That one message from my friend didn’t change my life directly. But it reminded me of something I had forgotten—that even in the darkest moments, there is always a small chance to start again. And sometimes, that’s all you need. A small reminder. A small step. A small decision to try again.
By Tawseef Aziz6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (4)
funny...
Clever take on the challenge.
Nice little fairy story!
First things first, hello! Second thing, thanks for entering! This was very good! Loved it!