Top 3 Best Medium Stories I Have Read

One of these is the best short fiction I have read anywhere, and the others are two of the 3 best Medium stories I have read.

Semper Opera House Image by S Scholz from Pixabay

What Is Top 3?

Top 3 is a publication where Medium writers support other Medium writers by promoting each other’s work. Medium members are encouraged to post three stories from other writers that they enjoyed reading.

If you want to join, please read the Write for Us Guidelines.

Before You Start

I usually read self-improvement, How-Tos, and writing essays here on Medium. Though I am not choosy about the topic if it is written by one of my favorites. And typically, I don’t read stories more than four or five minutes long.

One of these is the best short fiction I have read anywhere, and the others are two of the three best Medium stories I have read.

Before you begin this journey of three, you should probably get a box of tissue. You just might need it.

Risen

Luke Beling writes about Doris, a housemaid in South Africa, and, more importantly, a boy’s friend.

He tells about the fall and how one rises above it:

“There was an escape in these: an escape from what she knew as the fall. Since before she could walk, her father began preaching to her about it: ‘We used to be rulers in this land, Doris. Then the white man came and with him, the fall of black South Africa’.”

Luke weaves the tale so well, and finally lowers a boom that you might not have expected. You’re going to love it, I promise. Once again, keep that tissue handy.

What I Learned Loving My Husband’s Best Friend

Janie Emaus wrote about her husband’s cancer and then her husband’s best friend’s cancer. This is a very moving story that will tug at your heartstrings.

Her story starts, “A few years ago, I lived with two men, my husband, and his best friend. These guys were closer than any two people I’ve ever known, sharing everything in their lives from bourbon to bluegrass.”

This story will give you a glimpse into the “unconditional love” that is seldom found between three friends. It’s a short, short story, which is good because you might have to get another box of tissue were it any longer.

Broken Arrow

And now, the Pièce de résistance!

Dean Middleburgh wrote this story of a hitman who never missed. It is not unlike a Greek epic such as Iliad, an Indian epic such as Ramayana, an epic poem, such as Beowulf or Gilgamesh, or a tragic play like Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I shit you not! As I read this, I felt many emotions and could see it playing out in my mind as if I were in an opera house.

Hence, the feature image of Semper Opera House, the only opera I ever saw, Freischütz‘ by Carl Maria von Weber in the summer of 1985. I didn’t understand a word.

Sorry for the interruption, back to the story.

I looked at the 15-minute reading time estimated by Medium and thought, “There’s no way in hell I am going to finish this.” But the first two lines hooked me in, and I was off to the races.

Just try to pass up this stirring start:

“The thought of retirement has always terrified me. The idea that one day I would be old, withered, and useless, left on the shelf to gather dust and slowly rot, was an outcome that happened to someone else, not me.”

With just a few more words of introduction, he tells us of the profession from which the protagonist will resign, “The name of my target handed to me on a piece of ivory paper folded in four. With my goal in hand, I would stalk my prey, waiting for that precise moment before landing the fateful blow. Call me old-fashioned, but I never really enjoyed using a gun — it felt too easy, ugly and clumsy.”

I’ll leave the rest up to the worthy bard, for his words are much more delectable than mine. I’m only here to introduce this piece and let you know, it is IMHO, a must-read! You’ll likely find no better method to spend 15 minutes on Medium or anywhere else. Well, with the possible exception of coitus.

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About Me

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. He is a freelance journalist currently living in the Philippines.

You can see his portfolio here. Email thewriteresults@yahoo.com

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