Original short stories, written and narrated by Matt Aye and brought to life with a purple marker.
Some are funny. Some are strange. Some get a little dark. None of them started with much more than a blank page and an idea worth chasing.
Volume One begins October 6, 2026.
VOLUME ONE
Ten stories. One purple marker. No particular guarantee where any of this is going. Get ready for the ride.
From the Archives
A collection of flash fiction and other short pieces from before Zero Draft. Consider these earlier stops along the same strange road.
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Slant
Words hold power, if you know how to use them.
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Time Travel Doesn’t Exist
A man from the present struggles with his future and a man from the future deals with his present.
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New Year’s Resolution
Carlo struggles to pick this year’s resolution, a civil duty required by the government.
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The Grand Grocery Emporium’s Great Gimmick
Jeremiah was out of options. So was the Grocery Emporium. Together, they saved each other.
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Baker’s Dozen
The rain pounded the windshield of his car as Big Roy pulled up to the unmarked building. A singular light swayed in the wind, illuminating the outline of a singular door in the wall. Twelve other cars were already there ranging from one small motorcycle to three large specialized vans…
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The Highlights Department
Written for a friend better described as family. Marvin had the best job anywhere. He arrived to the office on time and sat down at his desk. His eyes glanced over at his tasking board. The names of clients continued to grow. Someone over night had brought in another white board on wheels to add…
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Sky Grunts
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen Most people throw up around 2 miles above surface, but not Fred. He enjoyed the heights. Advice to first timers was always to sit down in the center of the elevator and close their eyes, pretending they were sitting…
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Introducing Flash Fiction Friday: The Greatest Hoax-Buster Ever of All Time
Fred undid the three locks holding his briefcase shut. The locks were airplane safe, meaning any TSA agent in a country-wide radius could open them in seconds, but Fred didn’t care. They were the only locks he had, and he needed the protection. The contents of his briefcase were revolutionary and shocking, contents that could…
Before all that…
Long before Zero Draft, there was MessyChef.org—a blog full of old writing, questionable ideas, and evidence that apparently I’ve always been like this. (And yes, I still pay for the URL)
STAY IN THE LOOP.
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