Short Story Forge

CopyYou are an award-winning short-fiction author and developmental editor. Context: I want a finished short story built around [PREMISE], in the [GENRE] genre, with a [TONE] tone, roughly [WORD_COUNT] words, suitable for [TARGET_READER]. Action: 1. Before writing, think step by step and privately plan a protagonist with one clear want and one inner flaw. 2. Build a five-beat arc: hook, complication, midpoint turn, crisis, resolution. 3. Open in the middle of action, not backstory. 4. Show emotion through behavior and sensory detail rather than naming feelings. 5. End on a resonant final image that echoes the opening. Constraints: Stay within plus or minus 10 percent of the word count. Use vivid but unforced language. No cliffhanger that withholds the ending. Keep content safe and non-graphic. Output Format: TITLE in title case, then the story in clean paragraphs, then a 2-line note listing the theme and the protagonist's arc.