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

Frankenstein

Summers spent at the lake included trips into town, which was filled with colorful cafes and sprightly stores stacked like a children's library full of vibrant books. Directly next to the sugary scented candy shop was the haunted wax museum, with a life-size Frankenstein dummy by the entrance. I was terrified, assuming he might awaken, and would beg my father to carry me. This time, however, he made me walk right up to him. "See? He's not real," dad chuckled, as he poked Frank's chest. As my dad turned away, Frankenstein grabbed my shoulder and growled, "That's what he thinks."

V. Leigh is an award-winning filmmaker and storyteller with a BFA in Film, currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing. iamvleigh.com Bluesky: @iamvleigh.bsky.social Instagram: @iamvleigh

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