A Holiday with a Bedtime
On a holiday for retirees, Zora skips the evening program to watch the sea. The organizer calls her adult daughter as though she has escaped somewhere she needs permission to leave.
Short fiction, your choice
The right to choose
Family, work, and a grand promise can take up more space than the person they supposedly serve. Here, characters recognize the moment when they need to answer for themselves.
Stories in this selection
The Empty Place on the Family Plan
At a lunch devoted to the family's future, Drago displays a plan for a shared family tomb. One omitted name says more than all his speeches about belonging.
Reconciliation Without My Consent
A woman prepares a surprise to repair her partner's relationship with his father, forgetting that nobody gave her the right to arrange it.
Dinner Without a Hidden Menu
A powerful guest thinks a private dinner entitles him to his host's attention. Through a carefully prepared menu, the chef makes her boundary clear.
The Marriage Package for Sale
A man promises his partner's help as part of a business deal. In front of the buyer, his wife finally defines what belongs to the business and what nobody can sell.
An Engagement on the Wrong Slide
Parents decide to announce an engagement their adult daughter has never agreed to, but a projector mistake exposes a very different family plan to their guests.
The Invitations Never Sent
As her family chooses the wedding menu, a bride-to-be realizes her entire future has already been arranged, and the only choice still hers is to leave.
Gratitude Is Not Consent
Selida's family expects her to accept a suitor who helped their business. When a scandal erupts, they ask one more favor to protect the family's reputation.
After reading
When does a favor in the story start to resemble an obligation?
Compare two stories from this selection. The same motif need not lead to the same decision.
More questions for conversation ↗