How Does That Grab You?

ChangHigh Trinity Sisters

"How does that grab you?"

Silence. Her friend shrugged, a hint of contempt dripping from his lips.

"Any other ideas?"

Her friend shrugged again.

She was on the verge of screaming and tossing all the brochures in the garbage.

"No cruise, too many germs. No camping, too many bugs. No flying, too many.. what was it again?"

Her friend sneered. She could see he was amused and that only made things worse.

"What about the show?"

He shrugged.

"Bloody hell. Just tell me what you want."

He turned and walked away.

She nodded.

"Yep, not worth it. Glad it's over."

100 Word Stories

Get a Life

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Trip, fall, get up, stand straight.

Drip, crawl, fed up, stand straight.

Drip, maul, fed up, stand.

Blip, tall, fed up, stand.

Trip, trip, drip, blip.

Sip.

Stand.

Straight.

Hate, hate, hate!

Hate...

Well, trip, stand, wait.

The tap sang this song. Drip, trip, blip. On and on.

Stand, wait, stand, wait.

The tap sang this song. On and on.

Skip, blip.

Skip, stand.

Skip, wait.

Skip, the tap sang this song, skip.

No.

Skip.

No.

Slip.

No.

Stand.

Life? What? Life?

What life?

Get a life.

Trip.

100 Word Stories

Why is Mother Crying?

Collins Land

Why is mother crying? 

Why does she not listen? 

Why is she stubborn? 

Why? 

Why does she live in the past? 

Why does she have those photos up on the wall? 

The architect. The painter. The President. 

Why? 

They tried, she said once, but she was too good for them. 

Why? 

She sneered in contempt. She was too good for them. 

Why is mother crying? 

Why? 

They never acknowledged her talent, never. 

Why? 

She shrugged away their stupidity. 

Why? 

She doesn't care. She doesn't listen. She is stubborn and will never change. 

Why is mother crying? 

That's why, that's why.

100 Word Stories

Fire

Collins Land

The fire crackled, sputtering snapping sounds. 

The evening began with a quiet conversation about something, she couldn't remember what. 

Then, slowly but surely, everything started collapsing. He snapped, venomous words, venomous sentences and venomous hatred. He sputtered spite and a storm of grudges, loading and malevolence. His skin sizzled, tiny drops of sweat popping here and there on his forehead. 

She sat in silence. The fire used to look so beautiful, so warm and welcoming. But, for some reason, it didn't today. 

Silence, the whole evening. And the fire spoke and crackled and snapped. 

The next morning, she was gone.

100 Word Stories

Target No More

Time Remains

"This is the hand that feeds you!"

The boys' silence screamed horrors of pain and misery.

There was only one way out of this. They knew it.

That evening, while the police scoped the house, all three boys, aged 5, 8 and 14, sat outside. None of them spoke, not even the 5 year old. They knew nothing. The father had walked into the woods and had never returned.

An aunt came over. The police left.

The dresser had to go. The hidden compartment, they had found long ago, came in handy after all. The body would never be found.

100 Word Stories