The Book of Small Things

I've wanted to write for a long time. The real goal  the one I'm working toward is something that stays with people the way the books and stories I grew up on stayed with me. I'm not there yet, and I know it, so this is me practicing in the open. I write short stories: emotion-first, usually a little strange, often with a twist in how they're told. I work a full-time job, so realistically that's about two stories a month, but I'll put as much feeling into each one as I can. A few things if you stick around: I love prompts. Hit me with weird, difficult, oddly specific challenges  a trope you want subverted, a theme, even a single word you want me to build a story around. The harder the better. One limit: no erotica. Everything else is fair game. If a story made you feel something, let me know. That's the whole reason I'm here.