O:JA&L Flash Fiction: Short-short story
Jeff Ronan
Revival
Our manager reminds us we’re saving the American theatre. This is for my benefit since I’m the only caller who hasn’t made a sale tonight. Brush the last digit of the lead I’m dialing without pressing fully down. Hang up instead. Listen to the dial tone. Mark the lead as No Answer. Compelled to do this every few calls; an offering to some deity I don’t worship. Andy hovers in the back of my mind, judging. If I don’t make rent this shift, then why did I make such a big stink of coming in tonight?
The few people who do pick up at this hour usually only do so to yell at you for calling so late. I pull on a random arm hair and punch in the number for the next lead. As it rings, I swig more burnt coffee, stomach clenching. Force myself to chug the remainder, gagging on grounds. A superficial act of self-flagellation.
A man from Long Island picks up, ready to spar. Who am I? What do I want? Half-listening to the chanting coming from outside the window, I launch into my subscription spiel. Two dramas, a musical, and a revival of some comedy written before I was born. Ava, who sits across from me, says the same thing each time she pitches the revival: “Couldn’t we all use some laughs right now?”
After the man from Long Island hangs up on me, I grab more coffee so I can peek through the blinds overlooking 45th street. All shift, we’ve heard the protestors marching down eighth avenue, though I can’t see them from this angle. An ambulance wails in the distance, and I pray it’s unrelated.
A red smudge stains the heel of my right hand. I lick my thumb and start to scrub before deciding to leave it there. I helped Andy paint his sign earlier, an act of contrition for not joining him tonight. I understand why he left his phone at home from a practical standpoint, but I check my cell every two minutes, waiting to hear something – anything.
The next lead who picks up is a woman from Connecticut who sounds exactly like Andy’s mother. I can tell almost immediately she isn’t going to buy a subscription; she just wants to talk to someone. When I mention the revival, she emits a hoarse laugh. She saw the original production years ago, didn’t think much of it then. When she asks why we keep doing the same shows again and again, I don’t have an answer for her.
About the writer:
Jeff Ronan is a writer and actor living in Brooklyn. His stories have appeared in over a dozen publications including The Saturday Evening Post, The Bombay Literary Magazine, Philadelphia Stories, Neon Door, Matter Press, Short-Story, Twenty-Two Twenty-Eight, and Metastellar. His play Bunkmates is published and licensed by Concord Theatricals.
Image: Phonebank (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. 2026. Public domain via Midjourney AI.
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art, supports writers and artists worldwide.
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series (from OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters and its Buttonhook Press imprint) gathers acclaimed writers for concise, downloadable chapbooks that pair fresh work with candid reflections on craft. Each installment—often framed by an interview with an associate editor—opens a window onto how masters of poetry, prose poetry, flash fiction, and related hybrid forms build voice, compression, and surprise. Designed as a reader’s invitation and a writer’s toolbox, the series celebrates literary art that moves fast, cuts deep, and lingers long after the last line.
Click on the titles below to explore or download the free PDF chapbooks.
Prose Poetry and Flash Discourse
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Brian Clements on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Mark Budman on Flash Discourse
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Ray Gonzalez on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Michael Martone on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Roberta Allen on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Peter Conners on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Maxine Chernoff on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Pedro Ponce on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Kent Dixon on Flash Fiction & Nonfiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
MIixed Forms: Haibun, Haiga, & Tanka Prose
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Roberta Beary on Haibun
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
Experimental Discourse
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Jim Meirose on Experimental Discourse (XP)
With an interview by Associate Editor Warwick Newnham
Poetry: All forms & styles
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Bruce McRae
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Richard Widerkehr
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
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