Short Stories
The "73 Words in the 732" contest seeks original short stories that contain seventy-three words or fewer. Stories can be on any theme or topic, and a panel of library staff will select the best short stories, which will appear on the library's website.
The contest is open through the month of May every year. All ages are welcome to participate and East Brunswick residency is not required.
Gone
Candle stubs flicker on the table, wax dripping. A bottle of Cabernet stands open by one of the two place settings. A wine glass lays on the tablecloth, its contents spreading, deep blood red. In...
Lee Ann Smith
A New Love
...
Donald Carugati
Great Oak
...
Shonto Olander
History History History (Always Repeating)
Ana trudged up the muddy road with her mom. They’d left home as the bombing began. Everything abandoned. Then her mother fell, Ana saw blood coming out of her head. As she bent down by her mom,...
Joseph Rutch
Earth Odyssey TV Show
I have been watching a very interesting TV Show Called Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreye on NBC every Saturday at 10am. Earth Odyssey is a TV show about wildlife around the world. On the TV show, it...
Yan Yakirevich
Doppelganger
The boy heard his parents with them downstairs. Laughing. Schmoozing. While he lay in darkness, facing the open closet.
Silently a shadow emerged, twisting on all fours. Like a bug.
It...
Brandon Scott
A Slice of a Day
How it is difficult to maintain a peaceful mind.
A deli in the afternoon. I finally get to my turn to order as a man saunters in and goes, “A meatball sandwich with extra sauce.”
A...
Keiko James
Speeding Ticket
The State Theater performance ended at 1AM. My lovely spouse asked can you get home in 15 minutes. On Ryders Lane I picked up speed. Turning into our driveway a police car also pulled in. The...
Donald Carugati
New Normal
“Two days!”, thought Ruby frantically. She woke to a text to book a flight back home that leaves in two days. The pandemic had arrived and panic set in.
“How can I possibly pack my family’s...
Bridget Ahmed
Surprise!
Maggie swore Chris was cheating on her. She just knew it. And near her birthday no less. He suddenly went to great lengths to hide his cell phone. Stepped outside to answer it. When she managed to...
Lori Nattrass
Inner Beauty
Touching her hand to her neck, Jane thought, “The necklace must have fallen off while I was taking my walk.” As...
Lori Nattrass
Time Stands Still
Loneliness isn't simply about being alone -- some people are happy on their own. And it’s not how many people you...