A short story by Deke
The swede was big, bigger than most, hard to skin and cut into evenly sized chunks. This was going to take some muscle.
My wet knife glistened under the kitchen light as the swede, stubborn and starchy—a root—sat like something that had seen war and refused to flinch, the weight pulling into the counter.
It was go time. I had to finish and clean up before anyone got home. “You’ve got to put the work in if you want to succeed,” I muttered. “It’s not every day you find a swede in Bangkok.”
The blade slipped once: caught on a knot of dense fiber, like bone. It kissed my thumb just enough to sting. I sucked the blood and scowled at the root, iron sharp on my tongue.
“Imported or not,” I said, “you’re stew now.”
Funny—I never called them swedes until I got here. Back home, they were rutabagas. Names change—like currents across these oceans.
The Swede short story by Deke is published in The ITZ Gazette literary category. This vignette transforms a routine task into a metaphor for resilience and identity through the lens of a retired veteran and expatriate far removed from military life and western culture.
Given its brevity, focused narrative, and emotional depth, “The Swede” can be classified as flash fiction. This classification highlights the story’s ability to convey complex themes and emotions in a concise format, making it a compelling example of the literary subgenre. The effectiveness of the narrative in such a limited space showcases the power of flash fiction to engage readers and provoke reflection.
The ITZ Gazette Literary pages strive to showcase short-form creative writing that blends originality, cultural context, and thematic depth. Each piece contributes to our mission of publishing voices that challenge, entertain, and endure.
