Answer:
The 55 Fiction contest was created in 1987 by New Times, an alternative weekly in California. It quickly caught on, and created a new genre: "flash fiction." New Times (and its sister publication, the Santa Maria Sun) now receive a thousand or more entries annually, from around the world. Winners have been collected in two highly praised books. You can learn more about the contest at Wikepedia.
In 2007 I entered for the first time, and they picked three of my entries. (Another writer had five entries published. Between us, we were more than a third of the winners!)
The judges wrote: "If you've only got space for 23 entries, maybe it isn't fair to allow a couple of authors to get multiple works published. Who cares? These were some of the best we got."
In 2008 I entered again, and another of my stories was chosen.
The first four stories below are my 55 Fiction winning entries. Others follow.
* * *
Only $5
SEE A WOMAN BURNED ALIVE! the marquee screamed. ONLY $5!
Inside, she was tied to a stake, coals piled around. She wore a bikini kind of thing. They lit a match.
She struggled and screamed. It took about ten minutes.
It was okay, but not as good as when they strangled that guy last week.
People Person
Once a month I drive to New York City and rent a motel room high over a busy sidewalk.
Inside, I unpack plastic bags containing my turds of the past few weeks.
Then, one by one, I empty the bags out the window.
I love watching the reactions!
I guess I'm just a people person.
Unacceptable
The roach was at least four feet long. It was lightning fast and it lunged at me.
I slammed the door shut just in time. I heard it bang repeatedly against the wood.
I went back to the manager and handed him the key.
"That room is simply unacceptable," I said. "Do you have another?"
Phone Call
The phone rings and rings and rings and rings.
But I won't answer it.
I'm afraid it might be me, calling me, again.
And I don't think I could stand that.
Step-by-step explanation: