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

Sparks & Kisses

A burnt orange glow reflected on our cheeks, the fire warming air more accustomed to the winter chill. The flames engulfed debris that Lottie had gathered, and so became part of the fire too. Harriet knelt beside the pit mimicking a breeze with their breath. As they breathed, the sparks echoed back with the same spirit. The bark crackled within the blaze while Flossie munched marshmallows with no desire to yield them to the fire. We huddled beneath blue tartan blankets, watching it roar. My frozen heart thawed and the fire within us burned brighter than the fire around us.

Millie Capon is a freelance writer from North Devon. She enjoys being inspired by nature and by people's stories, making the ordinary seem extraordinary. Find Millie at milliebluecapon.com, and on Twitter and Instagram @milliebluecapon

Chikan

Avoidance