"For sale, baby shoes, never worn."
This six-word story, attributed to Ernest Hemingway, is a powerful example of minimalism in writing. It leaves the reader to fill in the blanks and imagine the story behind the shoes.
Other contenders for the shortest story include:
* "The End." This one-word story is attributed to various authors.
* "He had a cough." This story, by Raymond Carver, is a bit longer but still very short.
The concept of the shortest story is subjective and depends on what qualifies as a "story." However, these examples demonstrate that even a few words can be powerful and evocative.