Fiction: Breakfast buffet
includes: a 500 word story and happy new year from Sproutings
“I often think that men don’t understand what is noble and what is ignoble, though they always talk about it.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Welcome to Sproutings 2026.
I’m glad you’re here.
My idea for Sproutings was to build and maintain a place to scratch my creative writing itch; somewhere to improve my observations and story-telling. It was also somewhere I could keep myself accountable by setting out to publish one story each week.
The regularity of weekly posts suited me in many ways - the schedule became one less thing to question. Until it became one more thing to question.
The writing life excites me. For instance, I read recently of a woman who has sketched street scenes of Brunswick Street, Fitzroy for years. That is right up my alley. Possibly I could do something similar with a sketch book. But more probably with a notebook. I would love to do that with a local street. To watch, observe, record. Maybe that is an idea worth expanding on this year, here at Sproutings, and in something that I would very much like to become a “writing life.”
But then, do I even have a “writing life” if I haven’t written a book? Should I quit the weekly online presence and instead concentrate my time on writing a story for a book? But then again, could I harvest stories already published online into some sort of physical artefact, publish it myself and call that a book? Could I do away with Substack altogether and instead apply effort to entering short story competitions? Could I use time otherwise devoted here, to dust off old manuscripts and shape them into books?
There is only so much time.
I don’t know the answers to any of those questions.
Probably there are no answers. Though I would very much like to one day write a story in a book.
For now, I will post here at Sproutings without a specific cadence. Towards the end of 2025 I posted several stories in a rush; stories inspired by Test cricket. Those stories had a time-currency and couldn’t wait until the following Wednesday for publication - so instead I published them immediately after writing. It caused me to re-think the weekly schedule that I’ve mostly run with. But then again, I’m not sure.
The only thing I am sure about is that I’ll keep going here as long as I find it enjoyable.
All posts at Sproutings are freely available to everyone and that’s the way like it. Everything is here. Check it out. If you feel like subscribing please do. If you feel like paying for a subscription please do. Or if you feel like sending me a one off donation that I can use to fund my coffee habit, please do.
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On the topic of story ideas, on Sunday afternoon I addressed this month’s Furious Fiction challenge. The prescribed monthly challenge is to write a fiction story of no more than 500 words that meets various prompts. Prompts are delivered via email at 5:00 pm Friday. Stories must be submitted by 11:59 pm Sunday.
Here are your JANUARY story challenge prompts:
Your story must take place at a LUXURY RESORT.
Your story must include a character overhearing something.
Your story must include the following words: BOOK, PINK and PUZZLE (longer variations accepted).
And here is my story:
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Breakfast buffet
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“Good morning.”
She stands by the eggs with a slotted spoon and a smile.
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“Look at those eggs.”
“Look at her.”
“I’ve gotta get some of that.”
“Eggs are the hardest things to get right.”
“They look incredible.”
“She looks incredible.”
“Not for you, Checkers.”
“Eggs and bacon all the way.”
“Croissants.”
“But hold on. We’re in Thailand. Shouldn’t we eat Thai food?”
“Ha. Yeah. Pad Thai?”
“Want a Singha?”
“This is a breakfast buffet, isn’t it?”
“Now you’re talking.”
“Beer and coco pops for me. I’m on holiday.”
“Damn right.”
“I’ve earned this.”
“We all have.”
“Damn right.”
“What’s with all the kids, though?”
“I know.”
“Jeez. They’re everywhere.”
“Bloody everywhere.”
“It’s like Friday night at the Railway.”
“Without Kelly pulling the beers.”
“Macca!”
“What?”
“She’s too young for you.”
“That’s her call to make, I would have said.”
“You shouldn’t put her in that position.”
“Righto Bont.”
“You’re too married to have an opinion.”
“Ha!”
“Alright, alright boys. Behave yourselves.”
“We’re behaving.”
“Yeah, no problem here.”
“What happens on tour stays on tour.”
“But nothing’s happened. He’s talking about a fantasy at home.”
“That’s enough, Bont.”
“Can we get these kids to shut the hell up?”
“Where are the parents?”
“Oh, hello, here comes a mum now.”
“Oh, hello, indeed.”
“She’s out of your league, mate.”
“Out of your solar system.”
“Calm down boys.”
“Calm down.”
==
“I mean, really.”
“Can you hear this?”
“Unfortunately, yes, I can.”
“I wish I couldn’t.”
“If I wanted proximity to wild, filthy animals I would have holidayed in Africa.”
“This resort has lost much of its charm.”
“Sadly, I must agree.”
“I wouldn’t book here again in a pink fit.”
“These young men.”
“Is that the word?”
“Tattoos, thongs, singlets.”
“To breakfast.”
“To breakfast.”
“Is it English that they speak?”
“At such times I find it genuinely embarrassing to be Australian.”
“And there are many such times.”
“Quite right.”
“Did you hear from Campbell?”
“Oh yes, Xavier missed his first preference.”
“That’s no surprise.”
“Might be the making of him.”
“Ha! No, the inheritance will be the making of him.”
==
Already she had woken early and prayed for her infant children; her infant children left in the care of others on a distant island.
Already she had dressed in immaculate white.
Already she had swept the path around the entrance to the resort.
Already she had embroidered three tigers onto a cloth for sale at Sunday’s market; part of the ongoing puzzle; how to build a better life for her children. What was a better life?
She stands by the eggs with a slotted spoon and a smile.
“Good morning.”
==
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And that is, was, has been edition #117 of Sproutings.
I’d like to thank anyone who has read this far. And to wish a Happy 2026 for you and yours. May we all shine on.
I’m not sure what will come next.
To finish, here is a link to buy a short story of mine called “Trailblazing” for your kindle. It won publication in The Big Issue (Australia) Fiction Edition 2014, after a blind judging process.
Go well.
Good work, Dave.
Such a good story! It's rare that I read dialogue and don't think, are we on Wisteria Lane or trying to be Raymond Chandler? Such a good ending too. Go straight to the top of the class xx