Five Minutes explores five minutes of a life in one hundred words. Five minutes is edited by Susanna Baird, with editorial support from managing editor Maria s. picone, newsletter editor kate meen, and founding reader bobbi lerman, plus our rotating team of guest readers, who you can meet in the latest newsletteR. Five Minutes was founded in October 2020, with the Salem (Mass.)-based writing group Carrot Cake Writers supplying the journal’s first pieces. We’d love to read your five. Submit here

AWOL

She doesn’t have long. Has a finite time to search while her son’s surgeon does his best or, possibly, his worst. While he tries to make things whole. On impulse, she fled the ward and now here she is. In the forest. Surrounded by dripping branches, leaves, moss, mulch. Colours muted, autumnal, organic. Totally at odds with the one thing she needs. She’s hunting for plastic, cheap, hopelessly small. Hidden somewhere among ancient endless trees. She seeks the Red Knight. Casualty of an abandoned walk, a hasty Saturday rain-soaked retreat. Now missing in action. Now needed to save her boy.

Rachel Canwell is a blogger, teacher, mother, writer, and reader in any given order. She is currently working on her first novel. Find Rachel on Twitter @bookbound2019.

Amazing Hope

Toast