Twist

 

Time Remains

He twisted the cord of the phone. The sweet smell of success in a single sentence. Nothing felt better than to hear someone say "I hate you". He grinned. Hate is such a gracious way of living. He hated everyone and he was happy. No one bothered him. He bothered no one. And he was happy. The day he fell in the living-room, a sharp pain on his chest, he wasn't alone. The dark tall figure by the door grinned and said "It's time."

All he could mutter was "I hate you" but this time he was definitely not happy.

100 Word Stories

Camp NaNoWriMo Done

 

This year's April Camp was bittersweet, I must admit.

I was too ambitious. Four short stories in four weeks, considering what is going on in Real Life, was indeed very ambitious.

However, I did manage to set the basis for one (yes... only one) story. And I did reach the 20k mark I had established as a goal.

That 20k number is a mix of the amount of words written and, when no words were written but research was done, the amount of time spent, per NaNoWriMo's suggestion - every 30 mins = 500 words.

So, it's done. More in July! Well, more tomorrow. I'll continue to work on this story and get it finished before July arrives with another Camp!

Chewy

 

Milk Wood

"I like it chewy."

The man sitting by her side opened his eyes and sneered. "You have no teeth. How can you like it chewy?"

"I have teeth!"

"Yeah, OK, you have teeth."

"Look." The woman opened her mouth.

"What in the name of God is that?!"

She grinned as a set of four metal teeth slid down from inside the gum. "New thing."

"That looks frightening."

"But it's very handy." She grabbed the metal jar where a bunch of wooden spoons rested, and ripped a chunk out of it.

"Yes, handy, I bet. No more problems with cans, huh?"

100 Word Stories

Free

 

The Tower by Rebeca Bashly

Bow and bow again. No end to the bowing. No end to not looking straight in his eyes. No soul. No tears. Just bow. Bow and scream inside, because you're alive. You're alive and he thinks you're dead. He thinks you have lost your way. He thinks you are nobody. You belong to him. You're dead. So, bow. Stretch your arms defiantly and bow, again and again until he understands. It's no longer submission. It's preparation. It's knowing. It's getting ready to jump and run. And when he finally figures it all out, yes... by then, you'll be long gone.

100 Word Stories

Mice Cream

 

Collins Land

"Mice? No, no. Forget about that."

The man stood at the entrance. He hesitated. The smell was obnoxious but the hunger... oh, the hunger.

"With carrots. A carrot creamy soup. Much better than with mice."

Someone murmured in agreement.

He ventured inside. Two men were skinning mice. It was disgusting.

"Add some spices. Oh, yes? Are you hungry, my friend?"

He didn't know anymore.

"Have some soup." The man smiled.

His stomach growled, so he did. It was not that bad.

In the bowl, he found a large chunk of bone.

"Mice?"

The men looked at each other and sneered.

100 Word Stories

No Preventive Maintenance

 

Time Remains

"The landing was scheduled for eleven. What's going on?"

The voice on the phone stumbled.

"I don't care. Where are they?"

Some problem...

"Are they coming or not?"

Silence.

"If they aren't coming, I need to dispose of these samples. You know how human samples deteriorate quickly and the fridge you left here is crap."

A chuckle.

"Oh, funny, is it? You won't find it so amusing when it's your turn to do a tour here on Earth and have your crappy fridge stuffed with beers just because you don't want them to think you're an alien, which you are!"

100 Word Stories

Too Much to Bear

 

Tatty Soup

It was just too much. Pack your bags, quickly. And this urgency... This overwhelming fear... How can we choose which parts of our lives are salvageable? Photos, documents, diaries, books? Books? Which ones, because they are so heavy... Just one. Choose one, quickly. And we don't know which one to choose. I chose "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". It's small and oh, so big. And we took some seeds. Seeds are light. We need seeds to start over. The bags were placed at the door, side by side with the million steps that would take us away, for now.

100 Word Stories

Camp NaNoWriMo April 2022

 

Four Times One is the name of this year's Camp NaNoWriMo project. The idea is to write a short story each week. 20k words, about 5k per story. If Real Life decides to mess with this plan, I'll extend it to July's Camp. One week prep'ing, one week writing. Do I know what I'll write about? No. And I'm not sure this is a good plan! But... NaNoWriMo's idea is to get you out of your comfort zone, right? So, there! No preparation at all. Here we go!

Slippery Slope

 

Wonderland 2.0

I thought it was risky, but they said "this way". And we all went "this way". The problem with blindly following what others say is that we often end up in rather complicated situations. In my defense, there was a sign that clearly said "This Way". And usually, signs are supposed to be reliable. This time, this particular sign wasn't. And off we went, blissfully unaware. When we reached the end of the tunnel, they pushed us into the pit. And we had to decide whether to take the blue pill or the red... Wait a second... Alice?! Rewind. Rewind!

100 Word Stories

Hair

Time Remains

 

"What have you done?"

My sister shrugged.

"But your hair..."

She smiled and shrugged again.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and mumbled something about a sign.

"What sign?"

She was moving on, away from vanity.

Being a shampoo model had been very profitable for her.

"What about your job?"

She looked at me.

"No, no no."

My hair is now long enough for me to take her old job. I'll get my own place and I'll be filthy rich. Life is a lot simpler than we think. It just takes a bit longer when we're talking about hair.

100 Word Stories

The Books

Mistll

The books on the shelf stared at him sternly.

Feeble. Uncompromising. Late.

The titles suggested a series of events that could easily be totally uninteresting or a complete disaster. Being such a positive person, he thought they were a sign that something dreadful was about to happen.

When a car exploded outside (certainly because of some lunatic defending lunatic ideas), he grabbed the three books and ran, hoping to save himself. He was about to burn them when they arrested him. "Subversive, subversive" they shouted.

While they dragged him away, he pondered about the different meanings of the word "late".

100 Word Stories

Cliché

Saltwater

"A perfect storm," he said.

I replied "what comes around goes around".

He nodded. "If walls could talk..."

"Yup, but sometimes ignorance is bliss."

He nodded again.

There was a moment of silence while we looked at the sea.

"We must think outside the box."

I replied, "but we must be careful not to open a can of worms."

"True. Oh, well. It doesn't matter anymore. He's dead as a doornail."

I smiled. "Good things come to those who wait."

"And we did wait a long time," he said.

"We did. My finger was freezing," I replied, holding the gun.

100 Word Stories

Brownie Mix

 

Milk Wood

When the neighbor started digging holes in his garden at two in the morning, I thought I should do something about it. I took a spade and trotted across his garden. It was a body missing a finger... I put it back in the ground. Should I call the police? I had committed a crime too, trespassing on his property. When he knocked at my door the next day, I froze. He smiled. "Here, have some brownies. It's my own brownie mix recipe. I add a pinch of this and a pinch of that." I sure didn't like his sneer...

100 Word Stories

I Was Very Young

Time Remains

I wanted that horse toy so badly and my father said "you'll regret it". I shoved the toy in my pocket and ran. My father yelled "you'll regret it". 40 years later, here I am, still that 10-year old kid at heart. That toy was the beginning of my career. Every time I robbed a bank, I took the horse toy with me, the toy and my father's voice too. Today, I was arrested. My father looked at me and whispered "do you regret it now?" I shook my head and smiled. It had been one heck of a ride.

100 Word Stories

Her Little Paradise

Swayland

The asinine brochure with the inept typo managed to convince her, in a moment of complete vulnerability, she should add, to go find a beach somewhere and age happily. She did. And the beach was lovely, yes, except for the fact that the damn seagulls pooped all over her little paradise. She thought there'd be other people around. But no, nobody, not a single soul. No fish either. So, she had to practice her skills on the pooping seagulls. It was a nasty sight. And she couldn't even eat them... She had given up on meat a long time ago.

100 Word Stories

Fight Fire With Fire

Wintersweet

"I have a dragon."

"I have a dragon too."

"My dragon is bigger than yours."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Stop it," shouted the father from the living-room.

"Mine can spit fire."

"Spit? Haha. Mom says that's rude."

"No, it's not, not in dragons."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't!"

"Stop it now."

Two seconds of silence.

"Your dragon's pooping fire."

"No, it's not."

"Then... what's that?"

"It's... It's... He had chili, so there."

This time, silence lasted longer. One of the kids sulked while the other wondered if dragons really ate chili.

100 Word Stories

Pick One

Roche

"Pick one," he said, looking at the box with small dividers. "They are seeds."

Seeds always have this promise of a future in them, she thought.

"I choose these. Are they poisonous?"

"No! They are berries, I think."

She smiled again. She could fall in love with him, she thought.

"I don't know how long they'll take to grow."

She nodded.

Years later, the bush was still there. She had no idea what kind of berries they were but she never touched them.

He did. Needless is to say that he never saw the plant grow.

Temptation is a bitch.

100 Word Stories

Even

Pure Dreams

She inhaled. Ah, coffee.

The nice librarian had suggested the book "Moving On".

How appropriate. Her husband was having an affair.

When she returned the book, she found out that her husband was having an affair with none other than the nice librarian.

Good thing she had also picked up "How to Get Rid of Your Old Life". Lots of interesting advice in it, including a few radical methods of... getting rid of your old life.

Books are extraordinary, and so are libraries.

Nice librarians... not as much. At least, not this one! But even that problem had been solved.

100 Word Stories

Overexposed

Kronbelt

The lighthouse stood by the bay, small waves hitting it softly.

The carcass of a boat rocked back and forth, a warning flag still swaying in the wind.

They had been overexposed to that gas, the one coming from the barrels tossed in the water at high sea. They tried to sail away as fast as they could. But it was only a matter of seconds.

People came onboard. They said no, don't come here. But they did anyway.

And now, the lighthouse stood by the bay, small waves hitting it softly, with no one to take care of it.

100 Word Stories

Don't Push Me

 

LEA 13 Cica Ghost

I am a good mother. I always knew what was good for you. But you never accepted what I said. I always pointed out your faults. That's how you learn. I never praised you because that wouldn't teach you anything. And that day when you wanted to hug me and I was horrified. A hug? Don't push me. And you had that pathetic look on your face. I am a good mother. You came out alright, except for not accepting my orders. You were always stubborn. Now you're indifferent. And we don't talk. Yeah, it's all your fault... your fault.

100 Word Stories