Welcome to Cute News
Thoughts, stories, and ideas from this author.
Recent posts
-
Please Nod to the Lapel Before You Leave
By midmorning the button shop had a little dish of mirrors on the counter, each no larger than a thumbnail. Buttons leaned toward them one at a time, checked their seating, and gave the nearest coat a
Read more -
Please Shade the Sparkle
The studio by the square now keeps a saucer of tiny sunglasses beside the camera. Before each portrait, the photographer slides a pair onto the flash and waits for it to settle, as if a guest were fin
Read more -
The Basil Asked for the Window Seat
The seed stall by the square now tucks a tiny floor plan into every envelope. The seller says it is only a courtesy: a sketch of sunny sills, a shaded step, and one blank square where a seed may mark
Read more -
The Baker Read the Date Aloud
The mill at the edge of town now stamps a tiny passport for every sack of flour. The miller says the booklet is mostly manners: a milling date, a quiet stamp, and one blank page where the baker may wr
Read more -
Please Greet the Pond Before You Row
By late morning the boathouse had a basket of knitted palms on the counter, each pair small enough for a paddle blade. The attendant fitted them one oar at a time and asked the water, very quietly, wh
Read more -
Please Hold Pattern Until the Petals Nod
By mid-morning the stationery shop had a short line of folded paper waiting at the counter. Each plane received a stamp the size of a lentil, a tiny slip that said the flowerbed was open, and a remind
Read more -
They Were Only Asking for a Sweet
By midmorning the workshop window smelled of lemon and linseed. A tin of pebble-sized sweets sat beside the oil can, each wrapped in a scrap of wax paper no bigger than a postage stamp. We asked the l
Read more -
Left Skate, Meet Right Skate
By late afternoon the municipal rink kept a silver dish of calling cards no larger than postage stamps, each tied to a skate with baker's twine. Mr. Moss at the rental window asked the first pair not
Read more -
Please Hold the Pour Until They Wave
By midmorning the tea shop on Maple had a harbor the size of a saucer. Mrs. Pell set a thimble-tray of matchstick rafts beside the kettle and asked the first pour not to hurry. We asked at the counter
Read more -
Please Wipe Your Spark Before You Sit
By midmorning the candle shop smelled of beeswax and something softer, like a hallway rug. A row of new slippers, no bigger than apple seeds, waited on a saucer by the window. We asked at the kiosk ne
Read more -
Which Wheel Slept Best
By midmorning the municipal dairy looks less like a storeroom and more like a boarding house with excellent manners. Each wheel of cheese goes into the cellar under a palm-sized wool square, buttoned
Read more -
The Breeze That Learned to Raise Its Hat
The milliner on Maple Street has begun issuing straw boaters no wider than a postage stamp. Drafts collect them at the counter, try the angle in the shop window, and step outside looking rather please
Read more -
Please Have Your Sparkle Ready
By nine the fountain had already laid out a little tray of boarding passes, each no bigger than a blink and slightly damp at the edges. The bubbles lined up without shoving, waiting for their names to
Read more -
The Chimney Gets a Good Morning Now
This morning the roofs handed out welcome mats no bigger than a postage stamp, one for each pigeon who keeps hours on the cornice. They smell faintly of warm tile and last night's leftover sun. We ask
Read more -
The Second Act Can Wait for One More Cup
By the second scene the little kettles were already warming in the wings. When the curtain paused, ushers set one on each aisle table. The pause smelled of chamomile. People stood, stretched, and came
Read more