Mistake

This tiny story by Fredric Brown proves that a work of fiction doesn't need to be substantial to pack a whole lot of substance.  Anthony Boucher, editor of the 1964 anthology Best Detective Stories of the Year, which includes this tale, describes it as "the shorted murder story in history - and one of the most pointed."  It may be only five sentences, but I knew the moment I finished reading it that I would never forget it.  It's as if you could summarize Crime and Punishment in a single paragraph without losing the emotional wallop.

Standish gave himself up to the police.  "I killed a man," he said.  "I thought it was a perfect crime, but I made a mistake."  They asked what his mistake had been.  "I killed a man," he said.