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

Chemistry

I always had to try something once. Just to see. I slipped the little sheet under my exam as the teacher walked back to her desk. She was an old-fashioned instructor, kind until she wasn't. The test wasn't hard, but I hadn't bothered to memorize any equations. I lifted my exam, noted the formula I needed, and put my exam back down. She saw, and immediately stood and strode toward me. My blood went cold. "Lift your exam," she said, quiet and stern. Then she removed both sheets. I sat for the remaining 40 minutes, ignoring my classmates' questioning looks.

Ben Kieran is a stay-at-home parent getting back into writing. Find Ben on Twitter @fictionfree.

Flying

One Phone Call