A Special Kind of Short Story

I have not yet joined the ranks of the Kindled (Kindling?). I may instead wait for a newer and cheaper version, perhaps produced by someone besides Amazon, with broader options as to which books can be read.

This does not entirely exclude me from the ranks of electronic fiction readers, although it does narrow my options. I prefer browser fiction readable with Firefox rather than Adobe Acrobat, though I won't insist on that. Since I will be sitting in front of my computer the whole time, my ideal online read is shorter than your average short story. Needless to say it should be great fiction - why should I suffer for being cheap, err, largess impaired?

I've found a story that meets all those criteria, and interests me as a writer as well, because it breaks several important rules so successfully. Some of the most important moments are made into a narrative summary, rather than shown through the eyes of the protagonist, or even the narrator. Instead of saving four letter words for a point of deep emotional impact, the author opens with one. Until you read the author's biography at the end, you may wonder if this is a work of fiction or an essay. Yet it works wonderfully.

I want to thank the Rose and Thorn literary e-zine and Charles Ries for Bill the Mink

I would love to hear about any stories that fulfill most or all of my rules in the comment section.