Flash Fiction
Raging Calm
A story written on a napkin and left for someone to find.
I had just finished writing my short story on a napkin.
(Well, forgive me — it was the only thing I had at hand.)
I set the pen aside and looked at the white sheet.
Blue letters stood in uneven lines — almost like waves.
A small coffee stain had turned into a boat — a tiny vessel trying to stay afloat on the waves of my thoughts.
“Anything else?” the waiter asked.
He appeared beside my little ship like a submarine quietly rising to the surface.
“No, thank you. Just the bill.”
I folded my sea into a small white square and slipped it into the napkin holder — among other seas that had not yet been written.
While waiting for the waiter, I looked around.
The café “MEDIUM” lived its own life — a life where people constantly came and went. Some gathered in large groups, some sat alone in quiet sadness. Some wrote, others simply stared out the window.
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After paying, I glanced once more at the napkin holder. Somewhere inside it, my sea was raging — with its tiny ship.
There is something truly beautiful about not worrying whether a story will resonate with anyone.
I will simply share it with you.
Perhaps someday you’ll take a random napkin from the holder and unfold my sea.
Or maybe you’ll leave your own there.
Hint:
The table in the corner, by the window with a view of the old oak tree.
©️ Pavel Piatrou
Sometimes one napkin is enough.
If you like stories that quietly shift after the last line… you might want to read the full collection.
P.S. This story was not included in my collection of short stories.
LIFE… Short Stories
Available on Amazon.
Just life. No comments.
