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

The Sting

I opened my eyes and saw a paramedic kneeling beside me. I’d been enjoying my morning cutting the long grass under the hedge, but stopped when stung by the wasp that had become caught in my sock. I’d been stung before and knew I might collapse.  “Belinda,” I called. “I’ve been stung.” She came running, bringing my EpiPen from the bathroom where it lives. “You should use it now,” she instructed. Being diabetic, she’s not bothered by needles as much as I am. “I’ll wait and see if I need it first,” I replied, then passed out. Wives know best!

Robert Ashton is an author, charity trustee, and Quaker. He graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2020 with an MA in biography and creative non-fiction. Find Robert at www.robertashton.co.uk and on Twitter and Instagram @robertashton1.

Ring Bearing

Happy Birthday