Well! That was a comment at the beginning of my journey in the Hive writing community. I guess, it was legitimate at the time. However, I enjoy the creative process now, without worrying too much about the length of my work. I have learned that using literary resources well determines the length of your writing, depending on the genre you are trying to write.
Regarding the story you share here, it seems to me that it has a lot of potential in case you want to explore the subject you approached: interesting and with quite original handling.
I enjoyed every word, and I'm looking forward to reading more.
Greetings.
I'm glad you came to that realization! It took me years to "throw off the shackles" of all those antiquated literary rules. It's a different time now, attention spans are incredibly small. These days we're lucky to grab a reader's attention even with short fiction. This is the main reason I haven't published a book in a few years. Unless a reader is a true fan of your work it's very difficult to sell self-promoted books.
I'm glad you enjoyed this! I may decide to expand on it a little. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!