Sunday, June 22, 2025

Narrow

Portsaid

 Tea, toast and UFOs. Why not? By then, UFOs were part of everyone's lives. They had come from a planet with an unpronounceable name, waved a lot of hellos when they landed and everyone was totally smitten. How cute, how nice, how... someone ventured the word cuddly, although no one knew how that conclusion was reached and everyone preferred not to know. When the UFO exploded, everyone rushed to help. Oh... It was a different kind of UFO. Who are these now?! Well, they were certainly not cuddly. "How is your tea, and toast, sir?" The alien waved him away.
100 Word Stories

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Webcam

Darkmoon

 The Ferris wheel was located in the middle of the park. The owners were warned. That was not safe. If an accident happened, access would be difficult, people would panic, all shown live online. The owners dismissed the warning. That's why they had contingency plans, they said. One day, the Ferris wheel started spinning out of control. Some people were thrown off from their seats. The contingency plan was activated. It worked perfectly. What didn't work perfectly was the lawsuit. A revolving door of lawyer after lawyer, fired. Apparently, the contingency plan didn't include the legal side of the problem.
100 Word Stories

Sunday, June 8, 2025

You Stink

 

Raven Lake 5


You stink. Give me your clothes. I'll wash them. Why not? You can't stay here if you stink. You're going to stink up the whole place. Give them to me. Hurry up. I don't have all day to deal with this. Well, you're going to put something else on, of course. What do you mean? Where are all your clothes, then? You what?! Why would you do that? Because it's crazy. Now, you have no clothes. Give me your clothes right now. What are you doing? No, no. Ok, keep them on, just don't...
A scream and some laughter ensued.
100 Word Stories

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Pack

Raven Lake 6

He packed a bag and grabbed the jeep. It's urgent, they said. And off he went. The terrain was rugged, the whole trip a disaster. A flat tire. The jeep started leaking oil. When it finally died, he was stranded in the middle of nowhere. What now? That's when they appeared. He had never seen them, their faces painted, their hair braided with long strings of many colors. They didn't talk, but he could hear them. Need help? He nodded. When he woke up, he got dressed, packed a bag and grabbed the jeep. He wondered. Where would they be?
100 Word Stories

Sunday, May 25, 2025

In the Movies

 

Milk Wood


That way. No, this way. And they continued to argue even though the signpost was right there. A policeman approached and asked where they were going. They stuttered. The policeman frowned. Bicycles, they said. The policeman pointed to the rent sign and waved them away. But... What if..., one of them started. The policeman rolled his eyes and jokingly asked where they hid the body. How did he know?! No more asking for directions. There was only one possible way. The End. Funny how an open-ended story can be as annoying as people who don't know where they are going.
100 Word Stories

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Reflections

Magic of Oz

A dream covered in blue. The sun spying on the curl of my soul. Twists and turns and fears and so many futures waiting, just waiting.
A dream covered in red. The sun no more. Just the rage, the blinding rage of powerlessness. And the anger and the hatred and all the gloomy futures in complete darkness, wailing in silence and waiting, just waiting.
And then, my dream covered in time. The sun again. The sky so clear. The twists and turns of my future, waiting to be sheltered in blue and blue and blue. Maybe tomorrow. Yes, maybe tomorrow...

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Mad World

 

Wintersweet

The pictures on his wall looked old. Was he ever in Paris, she asked. He shrugged. The stamp, what was it, she asked. He shrugged. And the certificate, she asked. He shrugged. I'm starting to doubt this is your home. It isn't, he replied. Her heart started racing. Why did you bring me here? He chuckled. Is it your mother's home? He lowered his eyes and pointed. The door was closed. Don't go in there, she thought. You'll understand, he said. She opened the door. The woman was sitting, her rocking chair moving gently, her mummified fingers clutching a knife.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Naked in the Snow

 

Skyeelgol

The rules are clear. No pillows, no napping, no jackets.
But it's snowing.
Yes, so?!
So, it's cold.
The root of the problem is that people are too squirmish; toughen up!
Toughen up, toughen up; my feet hurt, and besides, why no pillows?
Find your way to the castle.
And why no jackets?
Weapons, you could hide them.
And why no napping?
Because... all these questions.
Well, yes, you have a nice warm jacket; and the rules make no sense; the castle is in ruins.
OK, you can have a pillow.
You know what, get lost, you and your bloody rules.

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Budget Airline

Tierra de Fuego

Low cost. This is what you get. A hole on the side of the plane through which two people were sucked out. Three more held on to their seats, one of them with a hole on his head instead. "Transfer the money or else", they said. The company chose the "or else" obviously. Now, they had to transfer a ton of money, but to the families of the deceased. One of the relatives laughed all the way to the bank. "Transfer the money or transfer the money. From low cost to premium, plus the inheritance, that's how you do business."

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Place


Begin at the beginning and rush, rush, rush. In a hurry, in a hurry, always. Everything changes. Everything shifts. Everything ends. Then, you stop. And there's still nothing. You hoped there would be something. But the tick tock ticked tocked away, faintly. Where to? Tell me, where to? And no one cared... Your place is no more. You stopped. Your loss. Now, there's nothing you can do about it. And you're left with that hole you already had, because there was nothing there before and there is nothing there now. Hope? What is hope? Nothing. Yes, the joke's on you.