Here are tales of service station hold-ups, random violence in elevators, shark attacks and road fatalities. Complete narratives, with well-drawn characters and plotlines all in 200 words or less. There are short pieces about supermarkets, computers and dogfights - all packed with emotional punch. Some describe quiet but no less significant moments: a child colouring in, a seagull stealing a chip. Some show us the magic of quotidian life - on trains, buses and in backyard gardens and nature strips. We gave them a single blank square of paper to fill. They flashed it with political satire, memorable lines, mordant observations, flights of fancy and heartbreaking descriptions.