Stories. Enjoy!

  • Start Here

    New to Five Minute Observations? Welcome. I’m Joe Class III, and I write stories and essays about what I notice, the encounters that reveal something true, and the moments that stick with you after they’re gone. If you’re just getting started, these three pieces will give you a sense of what this space is about:…

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  • “No, that’s normal.” Glancing through the folder on her desk and quickly scanning her computer, she trusted the file. “Especially in these cases.” A porcelain mug filled to the rim with cold coffee sat next to the computer, the closest thing she had to drink. “Mhmm,” she said into the phone, gulping down the cold…

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  • Patterson’s Letters

    “Woah, Lance, dude! Stop! Come back!” Jay’s shorts were still wet from the Pacific Ocean, sand on his feet from running to the bungalow. Lance was the mail carrier, bringing him the latest surfing magazines, skate gear catalogs, and the occasional bill. His primary occupation was web design, which afforded him more than a few…

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  • Waves rolled up the shoreline, crashing against the massive rocks, dragging lighter ones back into the deeper water. The Pacific Ocean smells of sand, salt, and fish oil hung heavy in the morning air. Lacing up his shoes, checking his watch, and sliding his sunglasses up his nose, he started to run. The sunshine and…

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  • A Nike untied and strewn across the floor, the other shoe nowhere to be seen, until he tripped over it, kicking it clear across the other side of the living room in the dark. Frightening the dog, he rubbed his big toe, heart beating in his foot. A part of him wanted to scream out…

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  • Communication = Love

    “Ugh! My freaking bank, Marcus! Sheesh. Why can’t they get things fixed?” “What is it now?” Marcus asked, glancing over the top of his laptop screen. Marcus was a screenwriter for Netflix, trying to develop a script for a pilot television show. The cursor was angrily blinking at him, not that it mattered much. He…

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  • Stories make life fun and entertaining, one of many reasons I continue writing, and listening to other tell theirs. And to those of you who read them and are entertained by the magical, fantastic journey’s I have the chance to take you on, I thank you, dear reader. Thank you for returning, some of you…

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  • “All you need is a few more dollars, and I will put you in that car myself.” His smile showed off his dingy, yellowing teeth. Jerry Brooks chewed on the end of his cheap cigar, the ones he bought from Plaid Pantry a few doors down from the dealership. He looked like you would imagine…

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  • (A segment of Bullets and Frozen Bananas) Yawning, Cami stretched and rolled over, kissing me, welcoming me into her world. I was working on drinking my second cup of coffee, so I offered to get her one. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she smiled. “That would be amazing.” We met a few weeks…

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  • Carter Calls Bianchi

    (Continuation of Bullets and Frozen Bananas) Heather Bianchi looked down from the 18th floor of 610 Newport Center, expecting a call from Alex Carter. Alex took his orders from Heather and Heather only. Sighing, Heather looked out to the Newport Harbor and the massive yachts. She knew her boss, Marco Rossi, wasn’t a patient man.…

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  • Have you ever smelled gunpowder, like the Fourth of July smell, hanging in the air, smoke still floating like a whispy ghost? Yeah, me neither. But all that changed literally five minutes ago. The wrong side of town, you might ask. Or maybe some criminal types were loitering outside a liquor store? Perhaps it was…

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