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In Sickness And Health

a microfiction

By Matthew J. FrommPublished about a year ago 1 min read
Top Story - November 2024
In Sickness And Health
Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

I stood in front of his safe.

Tyler always bought in bulk: a crate of a hundred beers, a hundred condoms, probably would have bought a hundred tires for his hundred thousand dollar truck he bought when we barely had a hundred dollars in Cam’s college fund.

He said it made him feel manly.

I wonder, did she? Was there one? One hundred?

The safe’s cogs slid into place. The idiot never even changed the fucking combo.

The thing was heavier than I expected, but aren’t a lot of things? It’s a lesson I’m very tired of learning.

After all, he would never learn it.

Yeah, Tyler always bought in bulk.

But the funny thing about affairs is they’re like bullets…

…it only takes one.

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A/N:

WC:125. Written for DK's contest, details below:

If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. Want to read more? Below are the best of the very best of my works:

MicrofictionPsychologicalShort Storythriller

About the Creator

Matthew J. Fromm

Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.

Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).

I can be reached at [email protected]

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

Top insights

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

  1. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  2. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

  3. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  4. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  5. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

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Comments (28)

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  • WOAabout a year ago

    I went ooooooh, as I read through. 👁️👄👁️The ending I was like, 🫣damn💔.

  • Mackenzie Davisabout a year ago

    This is awesome. Very well done. I had to read it three times and I consider that an excellent thing!! Congrats on placing!

  • Congrats on placing in the challenge… well deserved 🤩✅

  • Alyssa Mussoabout a year ago

    This is so powerful. So much is said in such a simple scene. Congrats on the Top Story, making the leaderboard, and placing third in D.K.'s challenge! 🎉

  • Cindy Calderabout a year ago

    Back to say congratulations on placing second for Most Popular Stories on this week's leaderboard with this piece! Well done!

  • Testabout a year ago

    This is a great story. What a powerful ending!

  • Caroline Cravenabout a year ago

    Belter of a last line. Great top story - well done.

  • Jason “Jay” Benskinabout a year ago

    🎉 Congratulations on hitting Top Story on Vocal! 🏆 Your hard work and creativity truly shine through, and it’s so well-deserved! 🌟 Keep up the amazing storytelling—this is just the beginning of even more success! 🎈📖🙌

  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    That ending was great. Congrats on the TS.

  • Whoa! Awesome read: congratulations on your Top Story!

  • Sean A.about a year ago

    That was really, really good! Definitely deserved top story!

  • mureed hussainabout a year ago

    A haunting tale of obsession and the destructive power of unchecked desire.

  • Lamar Wigginsabout a year ago

    Nice! What you were able to do with 100 or so words, makes me wonder what you can do with 50. Awesome little vignette! Many congrats on making it to the front page on the same day!

  • Karan w. about a year ago

    Fantastic! Well written Congratulations also 💫👏💥😊

  • Testabout a year ago

    Ooooo! Matthew, that final line.... I can totally see why you got an instant TS!! Congrats btw!! This was so good!!

  • Cindy Calderabout a year ago

    Back to say 'congratulations', Matthew, on the Top Story recognition for this story! Well done.

  • Testabout a year ago

    This is a great piece of writing,

  • Paul Stewartabout a year ago

    Blimey, sir! congrats on Top Story!

  • Testabout a year ago

    This is an amazing story!

  • Excellent Top Story… such a punch in so few words✅. Will have to check out the challenge.

  • Stephen A. Roddewigabout a year ago

    Wow, not only did you meet the prompt definition, but you made it central to the plot. Definitely a strong contender. Every good microfiction needs the M. Knight Shyamalan reveal at the end for that lasting note, and you nailed it. Bonus: it brought my attention to probably one of the most well-orchestrated "unofficial" (can we come up with a better term than that?) challenges I've seen. An independent panel? Rank-choice voting? Multiple prizes? Amazing

  • D.K. Shepardabout a year ago

    Wow, Matthew!! You are a true master of the micro!! This had everything! I don’t know how you told so much of a story in so few words! I mean I see it in front of me but I’m still dumbfounded! Thank you so much for participating in the challenge and huge congratulations on Top Story! I just mentioned to Cathy in a comment how I hoped there’d be at least one entry to the challenge that would earn a Top Story and you made that dream a reality in the first 36 hours! Great work, friend!

  • JBazabout a year ago

    You shoot and hit the target with this short story that says so much.

  • Daphsamabout a year ago

    Wow, this drew me in right away. Raw frustration came through. Great writing!

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