April 17, 2006 - Work of the Day - Chosen by Elizabeth Ellen

Another winner from Ms. Ellen, Chosen tells the tale of an adulterous couple, from the woman's historical point of view, beginning with the simple, "We met on Wednesdays."

There are many fantastic lines strewn throughout the five pages this story traverses:

"Later I realized it had nothing to do with me.  You could have taken the six pack home, sat down in front of the T.V. with her and the effect would have been the same."

"Maybe the only sin is original sin.  Everything else is merely poor planning."

"I left the questions there in that room, unspoken between us.  I preferred them unanswered, just as Hank preferred the lies I handed him to the truth."

Something that makes this story a bit different from much of Elizabeth Ellen's prior work are the references to Chosen as just that, a story.

"You're thinking I titled this story 'Chosen' to alleviate myself of responsibility in the matter."

"The truth is, I wrote this story for myself, Rick, to ease me through your absence;"

"Perhaps I've convinced myself that as long as I procrastinate; as long as I play with the prose, rewrite the story (as I've done four times now), ..."

It's an interesting twist on her prior work, making the narrator a bit more unreliable than she often does.  But, like all of her prior work, it's an excellent short story - efficient, great observations, and attention grabbing.