In his note to his short story, Quarantine, Arthur C. Clarke alludes to the fact that Asimov wrote a short story that could fit on a post card.
Never one to resist a challenge, the Good Doctor Asimov had written the first cardboard epic. When I saw this, I had to get into the act as well ('Anything that Isaac can do, etc.-..'). Let me tell you - it is damned hard work writing a complete SF story in 180 words.
What was Asimov's story? Did other authors participate in this challenge?
According to the Wikipedia entry on Asimov, the short story is called "About Nothing" (1975), which first appeared on a postcard and then was included in the Winds of Change and other short stories collection.
About Nothing By Isaac Asimov
All of Earth waited for the small black hole to bring it to its end. It had been discovered by Professor Jerome Hieronymus at the Lunar telescope in 2125 and it was clearly going to make an approach close enough for total tidal destruction.
All of Earth made its wills and wept on each other’s shoulder, saying, “Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.” Husbands said good-bye to their wives, brothers said good-bye to their sisters, parents said good-bye to their children, owners said good-bye to their pets, and lovers whispered good-bye to each other.
But as the black hole approached, Hieronymus noted there was no gravitational effect. He studied it more closely and announced, with a chuckle, that it was not a black hole after all.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just an ordinary asteroid someone has painted black.”
He was killed by an infuriated mob, but not for that. He was killed only after he publicly announced that he would write a great and moving play about the whole episode.
He said, “I shall call it Much Adieu About Nothing.”
All humanity applauded his death.
