by Alan E. Mayer
I awoke to searing pain all over my body. I opened my eyes and saw a nurse standing by my bed.
“Mr. Fujima,” she said. “You were lucky to have survived the bombing of Hiroshima two days ago. But you’re safe now here in this hospital.”
Weakly, I asked, “Where am I?”
“Nagasaki,” she said.
This story is from a strange and delightful book entitled The World’s Shortest Stories, edited by Steve Moss. All the stories in the book consist of exactly 55 words. There are many little gems in the book; this was one of the best.