short fiction · 2026-10-15

The Sparrow's Pause

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

A small sparrow lands on the edge of a blank page, its claws tapping the paper as if testing the weight of emptiness. It tilts its head, eyes bright, then draws back, feathers ruffling in the silent room. The white stretches, waiting, while the bird’s heart beats a quick rhythm of doubt and desire. Each breath is a question: to leave a mark or to keep the purity untouched. In that hesitation, the artist sees their own hand hovering, the brush poised, the cursor blinking—afraid that the first stroke might ruin the possibility, yet knowing that without it, the page will remain forever a promise unfulfilled.