Burdened immortal can't reach the end

I've only read two of Hemingway's novels. I thought one was thoroughly remarkable and the other excellent but inevitably overrated. (They were The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls -- guess which was which?)

Recently I've been fascinated by this wrenching story in miniature by Papa. (And who called him Papa and why? Does anybody know?)

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

As well as this Wired collection of six word stories by other (mostly genre) writers. I really like the variety, suggestiveness, humor... Obvious point, but words are kind of fantastic in the gulf between what they are and how much they present.

My own slight attempt is above. I stayed with the speculative ficton idea, and it probably lands in the better-sentence-than-story category. Though if I keep thinking about this, more might follow.


Also, since this post mentions Hemingway, here's my favorite bit of trivia on the man: He was a fan of polydactyl cats and continues to support a population of them in Key West.