The Power of the Short Story

6 great ones and how they (might) relate to your surf life.

I remember sitting on the soulless floor of a Barnes and Noble in Huntington Beach, reading the final lines of James Joyce’s short story “The Dead.” 

I was 18 years old, doing my homework as I was told, really looking for inspiration wherever I could find it. And there it was, striking me down within a matter of 35 pages next door to a Kohls department store while the hum of the 405 freeway made itself audible above the Christmas music playing in the store. 

I was on the verge of tears in fluorescent lighting as I read the final line: "His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the swoon of their last end, upon all the living and the dead." 

So how does this apply to a surf life you might ask — as I’m sure you ask yourself quite often on this page? Well, think about the power that a short surf has. 

Our marathon sessions are the ones we pride ourselves on, talk about at length, brag about —  that day you surfed 6 hours and refueled on licorice and honey or something. But what about the ones that happened in 20 minutes? Or less. That saved you from total annihilation. Nervous breakdown. Or prepared you for a big meeting. A hot date. A court room appearance. Whatever your case may be, it was no doubt helped along if you were able to jam a short surf in. We really are that simple and salty.  

Our lives are moving in chips and fragments and memes and headlines. So reading is…tough. I sent you a list of 25 books you should read, and let’s be honest, most of you will be lucky to make it through the end of the post, let alone an actual book. I get it. Life is distracting. But what about a short story? Can you handle one of those? Maybe. Me too.

I was recently walking in the neighborhood and stumbled upon one of those “Little Library" boxes. I can’t help but glance, usually let down by John Grisham’s prolific catalog. Or propaganda from various political causes. But this one was different. 

The first two books I saw were by Sam Shepard. One of my favorites, and I hadn’t read either book before. Of course I grabbed them, unsure of the little library rules. Am I allowed to do that? We’ll find out.  

I’ve since vowed to make a contribution of my own two books back in that box, but in the moment I was too caught up in the joy of finding Sam Shepard books in there to care. I couldn’t risk losing them. One being Cruising Paradise, a collection of short stories. Most of the stories in it are less than 4 pages.

The first two I read punched. Leaving me with plenty to marinate on for several days and I got through them in under 10 minutes. Short and full of power. Like that run down the sand in a flurry of summertime crowds to grab three waves. It doesn’t take long, but it sticks with you. It nourishes you. It can change you in a short amount of time. And if it can do it for me in a Barnes and Noble I’m sure you can alter your perspective in 4 pages or less too.—Travis Ferré 

Here are 6 short stories to get you going: