(Thanks for joining me on my writing adventure. This is the first of many experimental stories that I hope you enjoy. I am writing ‘off the cuff’ using writing prompts from Poets and Writers magazine. Let me know what you think.)

A Tiny Story (prompt says to write a story of a few sentences or a few words.)

‘AIAIAIAIAIAIA!’ I scream in the empty house. The awful hairy brown spider with black streaks scampers across the kitchen counter, right over the Sunday crossword I’d been working on.

My heart races. I gasp for breath. My hands shake. My coffee spills.

The bug spray is under the kitchen sink. The fly swatter is hanging by the open back door, next to the spider’s kitchen counter.

Bile rises in my throat. My head pounds. The coffee drips from the counter to the floor.

The spider can have the kitchen. Hell, it can have the house.

Izzy Cat dashes in and leaps up on the table next to me. Seconds later, she jumps to the kitchen counter and assumes her stalking pose, two feet from the spider.

The spider lifts one front leg and waves at Izzy. Izzy bats her paw. The spider hops into the air, then hits the floor and races for the open doorway. Izzy is one leap behind.

I dash across the kitchen and slam the back door. I’ll make another cup of coffee. Forget the crossword.

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Here’s the 6-word version:

Woman

Spider

Afraid

Cat

Hero

Safe