“Free Spirit” is the third Bite Size Read by Paul White that I’ve read. I’ve become addicted to these short tales. They are my bedtime treat. So far, this is the shortest story in the bite size series. But. don’t let the length of the book fool you. It packs as much punch as the lengthier stories.

White does more in seventeen pages than other writers do in ten times as many. David, the primary character, is the quintessential young man fully entering independent adulthood. He’s purchased his first apartment. It’s all his and he looks forward to decorating it to his tastes. At the moment it’s a shambles, with old abandoned furniture and carpets and drapes that are threadbare. The moldy odor of abandonment permeates the rooms. Although he has friends coming to assist him with a major cleaning the following day, this Friday night he’s on his own. He struggles as he moves heavy pieces of furniture to the front hall to be removed from the apartment in the morning. Exhausted by his actions he decides to go to a nearby diner to replenish his energy.

On his return to the apartment he is confronted with an enigma. All the furniture was returned to its original position. Suspecting some squatter may have moved everything, he begins to search the apartment. Perhaps his friends are playing a trick on him? Suddenly something so strange happens he questions his own mind.

Once again Paul White takes us on the train of his fertile imagination to the unexpected. What follows is a beautifully descriptive chain of events that leaves the reader asking, what would I do? White’s brilliant use of visual descriptions transform the unbelievable into a compelling question of choices. Short, sweet (or not), and enthralling, “Free Spirit” proves you can say a lot with less.