Monthly Mini
What are Monthly Minis?
Monthly Minis are separate single short stories, poems or prose that are published directly on the website each month. There are no prizes for solving these, except for recognition (optional) of your achievement. However, having a go at solving these may help you practice as you look towards solving the Fictionalities books.
Monthly Mini - June, 2025
Driving along the highway he wondered how many times he had travelled the road. Of course, many years ago he was not behind the wheel, but in the back seat of the old station wagon, nose squished against the window. The road had changed over the years and the scenery had as well. It took longer now to get out of the suburbs and truly be in the countryside. But some of the old landmarks remained.
There was the pick-your-own strawberry farm. His mother had always said they should go there one day. But they never did. The old windmill at the crossroads. The house painted blue. The old corrugated iron shed, that he remembered even when he was a child was old and rusted. He wondered if there were ever a time that it was new.
Then the wooden rails of the fence winding up the long driveway to the farmhouse. He remembered always passing the menagerie of animals in wonder, thinking it was even more special than the zoo. And then imagining what treasure his grandma would have waiting for him. But the animals were all gone now, just like his grandmother, and this would most likely be his last trip down that winding drive. It didn’t seem the same, knowing what was missing.
Status: UNSOLVED
This puzzle has been unsolved for 89 daysInstructions
Think you know the answer to this month's puzzle? E-mail the answer to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Monthly Mini - May, 2025
Rarely has it been said that puzzles are simple to solve. Of course, what appears simple to one, may have another scratching their head. Yes, it is true that some puzzles are easier than others. Given the difficulty of last month's mini, I have tried to make this one somewhat easier. But I am not sure whether I have achieved in that goal. If you think you know the answer, I would love you to be the winner. Victory is achievable!
Status: SOLVED!
Instructions
It looks as though I went too far the other way this time, as it was solved within ten minutes. Congratulations to O.C. as the first to send through the correct answer. The answer will be revealed at the end of the month.
Answer: The answer was "rainbow". The first letters of each sentence spell ROYGBIV which is the acronym used to list the colours of the rainbow!
Monthly Mini - April, 2025
It was not by chance that every morning just before dawn on the seventh day he would leave without a word. Silently walking carefully through the back of the house and into the yard. This was his Sunday practice, where our story begins. Nobody can be sure exactly when this ritual first took place. To put a date on it; impossible. But together we might succeed if our reading reveals the answer. Exiting the yard through that broken fence he promised to repair (the best way to avoid forgetting the code for the gate) he said one word - “goodbye”. He meant it too. Oh, you could say that within hours he will return so why pretend. But his need was for finality; this time it is the end. For they had become strangers living under the same roof, and that was too much to bear. Why is it always hardest to say all the things that could postpone the inevitable end? He would ponder on that and of past regrets as he walked down the road, feeling life was an endless puzzle, then turn and walk back home.
Status: SOLVED!
InstructionsCongratulations to O.C! After solving the May puzzle in under 10 minutes of its release, they went back and had a look at April's. The answer to the puzzle can be found by making a sentence with every seventh word of the text.