Like lovers, I watched my shadows cast upon the littered pavements by unforgiving street lamps.

Like lovers, the faster I walk, the thinner they stretch.

Like lovers, I watched with every step, as they attempt to intertwine, but never really touching before they fade into the darkness of the night.

Like lovers, I was alone, so very alone.

The night crept across our feet silently, eavesdropping on the words uttered through our lips, stained with wine as cheap as it was bad. On a dingy flight of steps we sat, our knees tucked into chest; watching passers-by watching us before disappearing into cabs. The dead of the night deserved a knowing sigh.

I looked over, and across my shoulder sat a beautiful woman. Her hair was pushed back to an effortless knot, revealing a set of features that complimented one another eloquently. A polite smile hung across her lips, telling of a tale that needed to be told; a sorrow that didn’t want an audience.

“Do you remember that part in the movie,” I broke the silence, “the part where he told her that feeling fine wasn’t an emotion?”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

“Well, I’m fine.”

Ernest Hemingway once concocted a story in just six words, which reads as follows:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn”

He later dubbed it it as one of his best works. A vignette of sorts, it is now recognized as one of the iconic epitomes of its genre.

It is pretty damn incredible how six simple words – no frills, no jazz – can tell an entire story that many would have taken the length of an entire novel to write, and yet still not be able to capture the essence as aptly as Hemingway did.

“Baby shoes”, encapsulating Hemingway’s timeless writing style of short, declarative sentences, was allegedly the result of a casual bar bet.

Hence, I challenge you to script a story of just six words on love. Not one word more; not one word less.

Since your word count is already restricted; feel free to let your imagination soar. You can post your answers as a comment, on its official page or send me an email.

All the contributions, will of course, go to the Help Daniel Write a Book on Love project.

Warmest regards,
Daniel