Tell a story through a note, a list or text messages

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Not every story needs paragraphs of description. Some of the most powerful short fiction is told entirely through found documents, like letters, diary entries, shopping lists, notes on a fridge or a string of text messages. The reader has to fill in the gaps, which often makes the story hit harder. Epistolary fiction has a long history, from Dracula to modern novels told in emails

This challenge is to write a short story using only one of these formats. It might be a sticky note left on a colleague's desk, a list of things to pack, a series of texts between two siblings or a note pinned to a lamppost about a lost cat. The format should do some of the storytelling for you. What is left unsaid matters as much as what is written

My attempt is a shopping list. Milk, bread, eggs, birthday cake for Dad, seventy candles, no, seventy one, he will notice. The next line just says tissues, the big box. That is the whole story, and I think it says enough

Please mention the format you have used if it is not obvious, and feel free to experiment. A story told in a single receipt or a single voicemail transcript would be brilliant. Short pieces are perfect for this one

Which format will you use for your story? Let's see what you can do