Unusually Short Stories artwork

Unusually Short Stories

58 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago -

Filed to the Internet daily, from an undisclosed location near you. If you’re into Mamet, Chandler, or Houellebecq, this stuff might work for you. Good luck …

Drama Fiction Comedy Fiction fiction prose stories story bukowski houellebecq
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Episodes

The Elevator

October 31, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Stepping into the empty elevator shaft, his dream of becoming a writer was dashed in eleven hideous stories.

The Phone Call

October 30, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Finding no way around the problem, she decided she'd let the boys down at the NSA record a phone call they'd never forget.

The Bourbon

October 29, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

The jihadists suspected that some dark magic had saved the writer. He figured it was the bourbon keeping him limber, and got back to typing.

The Weekend

October 28, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

After a long week of closing complex deals, the Devil was really looking forward to the weekend.

The Lounge

October 27, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

He knew she carried a .38. He didn't know she'd drawn down on thirteen men in Kansas, Oregon, and Georgia. The lounge was about to get loud.

The Extraction

October 26, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Tired of the endless bills and drilling, he asked the dentist to extract them all. Six and one half hours later, he was free.

The Interrogation

October 25, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

There were several reasons why she'd done it, but the three men interrogating her would not live long enough to discover them.

The Killer

October 24, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.03 MB

The bestselling crime novel fell from the bored killer's hand. As if he, or anyone like him, needed a reason to open up someone’s neck.

The Confession

October 23, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

A famous writer found hanged in his Paris hotel room swung gently above his confession of plagiarism, presumably written in his own hand.

The Club

October 22, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

He showed me the hidden surveillance device he'd found in his car. I showed him my smartphone and welcomed him to the club.

The Heir

October 21, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

On Tuesday, Harold uttered his vow of poverty. On Wednesday, he was unexpectedly named sole heir of his deceased uncle's vast estate.

The Con

October 20, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Two con men from Savannah unwittingly marked each other on August 1st. By October 9th, both were utterly bankrupt.

The Introvert

October 19, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Ford, a known introvert, walked into the forest thirteen days ago. His note, 'I can no longer bear the weight of incessant invitation.'

The Love Story

October 18, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

He used a knife. She preferred a gun. In the end, it was definitely not love that tore them apart.

The Luck

October 17, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

He'd been running from the law, the in-laws, and at least two lawyers. His luck finally ran out thirty-seven miles north of Bakersfield.

The Plot

October 16, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

He'd written his way through the seven immortal literary plots. He could not, however, write his way out of that hideous and final one.

The Envelope

October 15, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

After thirteen years of searching, Anderson, a salesman from Los Angeles, found the envelope. It was empty.

The Novel

October 14, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

A draft of his highly anticipated third novel was found in an abandoned car. His body was found three days later, in an abandoned barn.

The Decision

October 13, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

On a hot Friday in the summer of 1992, she decided she would quit writing interesting characters and become one instead.

The Heist

October 12, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

After the heist, she bought a facelift in a Bel Air basement for $20K, and spent the rest of her forty-seven years hiding in plain sight.

The Secret

October 11, 2021 12:01 - 28 seconds - 1020 KB

Lacking a story, the writer turned to bourbon, which turned into two nights in jail and seven new stories in the bank.

The Ear

October 10, 2021 12:01 - 28 seconds - 1010 KB

It had once served someone, but there in the road, the severed ear lay deaf to our questions.

The Object

October 09, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

He'd been carrying the object for luck, with no idea that two men in Istanbul were wheels up and on their way to kill him for it.

The Tradecraft

October 08, 2021 12:01 - 27 seconds - 956 KB

It was a botched meeting in a Baghdad cafe that taught her to use reflective surfaces to her advantage.

The Bankruptcy

October 07, 2021 12:01 - 27 seconds - 958 KB

The actor spent months researching his role in the gambling dens of New Orleans. His performance was perfect. His bankruptcy is pending.

The Genius

October 06, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.03 MB

Having achieved immortality, the celebrated writer turned his genius toward the more difficult problem of paying taxes.

The Ritual

October 05, 2021 12:01 - 27 seconds - 977 KB

She had taken the Nobel Prize in Literature by chopping wood for thirty minutes before sitting down to her typewriter each day.

The Whispers

October 04, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.03 MB

He was beginning to wonder whether his many ambitions would ever make good on the promises they had whispered to him so long ago.

The Thoughts

October 03, 2021 12:01 - 25 seconds - 1.05 MB

She had many thoughts that she did not like to think about.

The Dead Drop

October 02, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.2 MB

He made the dead drop at 11:59 pm. At 12:07 am, he was dead.

The Evidence

October 01, 2021 12:01 - 30 seconds - 1.2 MB

Though he had no idea what he was doing, all evidence pointed to the fact that he was doing it very well.

The Wanted Ad

August 13, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Wanted: Moment of peace in midst of hellish war of life. A hot cup of coffee. A sandwich. A kind word in passing. Apply within immediately.

The Pursuit

August 12, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

The pursuit of literature had left him destitute. Like Rimbaud 137 years before, he decided it was time to make some fucking money.

The Truth

August 10, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

After three weeks of telling the absolute truth on the national stage, Ward's political career was over.

The "Heart Attack"

August 09, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.03 MB

A renowned tailor was found dead — along with the secrets of a powerful political client — at his table Friday afternoon. 'Heart attack.'

The Socialite

August 08, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Mr. Auteur, of Manhattan, had once been considered an important writer. He is now considered an infamous socialite.

The Raymond Chandlers

August 07, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

She was placing overstock on a very high shelf. At 7:03 pm a stack of unstable Raymond Chandlers fell, ending her.

The Trial

August 06, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

It was a few hours into the third day of representing himself at trial that Bill realized talk can actually be quite expensive.

The Email

August 05, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

The email was intercepted while passing through Swedish servers on Tuesday. On Wednesday, western civilization was on the brink of collapse.

The Plan

August 04, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Seven months and thirteen memo books later, she felt her plan for ending the world was coming along nicely.

The Three

August 03, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

A plumber, a playwright, and a politician murdered themselves last week. Bad finances, bad reviews, and bad marriage.

The Change Order

August 02, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

At twenty, he wanted to change the world. At forty, he wanted to be saved from it.

The Literary Theory

August 01, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

If her PhD in Literary Theory had taught her anything, it was that only dead writers write immortal books.

The Elevator Shaft

July 31, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Stepping into the empty elevator shaft, his dream of becoming a writer was dashed in eleven hideous stories.

The Crime Novel

July 24, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.03 MB

The bestselling crime novel fell from the bored killer's hand. As if he, or anyone like him, needed a reason to open up someone’s neck.

The Plagiarist

July 23, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

A famous writer found hanged in his Paris hotel room swung gently above his confession of plagiarism, presumably written in his own hand.

The October Surprise

July 20, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

Two con men from Savannah unwittingly marked each other on August 1st. By October 9th, both were utterly bankrupt.

The End

July 17, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

He'd been running from the law, the in-laws, and at least two lawyers. His luck finally ran out thirty-seven miles north of Bakersfield.

The Final Plot

July 16, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.22 MB

He'd written his way through the seven immortal literary plots. He could not, however, write his way out of that hideous and final one.

The Novelist

July 14, 2020 12:00 - 30 seconds - 1.05 MB

A draft of his highly anticipated third novel was found in an abandoned car. His body was found three days later, in an abandoned barn.