Darling Terminal

Sick

She checked her ticket for the tenth time. Stop it! Yes, you have it. She wanted to start a new life without any recollections of the past.

The monitors showed line after line, sometimes too quickly for her to read. Good thing they also used the artificial voice system blaring out information. The flights went out one after the other. And then the system had a burnout moment.

Her flight was called out but to a different destination. She didn't care. That was her best decision ever. Many years later, she still remembered how he looked, standing at the terminal.

100 Word Stories

(Pick Two: Mask, Pinprick, Out of sync, Grapes, Rose, Drive, Print, Darling, Terminal)

Flay

The Tower by Rebecca Bashly

Roam the land and watch them hanging from a branch, flayed alive by animals with a human face. Kneel. Show them you are inferior. Take a risk and play the game. They will smile and disrespect you. They shaved your head and made you walk naked. They will take your submission for granted. With time, they will believe you. They will get distracted. Then, you will strike back, smiling, holding a whip in each hand. They too will hang, and they'll struggle to breathe as you did. And they will die, swinging from that branch to never hurt anyone again.

100 Word Stories

When the Lights Went Out

Roche

Late at night, no-one cared. A slow slumber took over and everyone was fast asleep quickly.

During the day, things collapsed. The lamps that had existed for several decades inside the underground survival units were vital. They illuminated every corridor, every room.

When the lights went out, Rachael desperately wanted to leave. They didn't let her. The air, the ground, you can't.

She managed to escape and went to the old hut in the middle of nowhere where she had grown up.

Only the ones who left the units survived.

When she flipped a switch again, she felt ridiculously alive.

100 Word Stories

Power

La Cittá Perduta

Walk forward. Don't give up. Even when they say you are not worth it. Power. Even if they... Power... Pow...

The robot stopped its roaming and blabbering. We all stared at it, expecting it to return to life as unexpectedly as it had started to move and talk.

“Perhaps if we walk away and come back, it'll start again,” someone suggested.

But the robot didn't move when we all did that, its arms awkwardly stretched back. We shrugged and walked away. The museum was big enough.

The robot rotated its head slowly and reprogrammed the data in everyone's chips.

100 Word Stories

Unfortunate Mug

Tierra del Fuego

The fast plane took off with ahhs and ohhs of exhilaration. It was the inaugural flight of a new model. Heads of state, ministers, members of parliament, journalists, an array of dubious reality TV personalities, even football players were invited. Each received a commemorative mug to display at home for curious visitors. When the plane crashed, a few miles short of the airport, the horror was only surpassed by the relief that there were no casualties. Except for the mugs. Nobody cared for the mugs. And no one noticed that each mug had a little spying device. Close call, huh?
100 Word Stories

(Pick Two: Mug, Unfortunate, Global, Grime, Elephant, Splat, Dread)

Quill

Vice City

The name of the exclusive, terribly expensive event was Quill. No better name than Quill for a writing event, she thought. The turn out was better than she expected. The room was full. The problems started when one of the attendees tripped and hit his head on the giant quill that was placed in the corner for decoration. He split his head. Blood all over. Everyone left in a hurry, waving their hands in the air. Well, she thought, that was easy money. She didn't even have to host the damn thing. She packed up her stuff and left town.

100 Word Stories

Chance

Winter Moon

Take a chance, she said, perhaps you'll win. And he took a chance, so full of himself. After all, he was super fit. He was given a small boat and told to row South, that he would find the beach. He did. The place was amazing. First few days were easy. Then, a terrifying storm arrived. Everything was damp. He couldn't find any food anymore. Instead of building a shelter while he was strong, he sunbathed. And then they couldn't find him. He was in the wrong beach. Take a chance... He almost died. He did win his life back.

100 Word Stories

Stab

Misali

The two men sat on the porch, looking at the inferior ones, they'd say. The porch became a symbol of power, of dominance. Only those who ruled could sit there and watch the others while they went about their lives. Ron felt like he was in jail and those two men were the guards.

One day, in a moment of lunacy, Ron took over the porch. He stabbed one of the men and knocked the other one out. He was king of the porch for 10 minutes. The best 10 minutes of his life. After that, it was all downhill.

100 Word Stories

Never Say...

Black Kite

The countdown started. 10, 9, 8... She closed her eyes and tried to come up with ways to stop it. 7, 6, 5... The place was deserted. She didn't know what to do. 4, 3, 2... It was all over. ONE. Perhaps not. It's not over till the fat lady sings, they say. ZERO. And nothing happened. She opened her eyes and remained sitting. What an anti-climatic moment... The director of the play clapped. She... she just stared at the small candle on the floor. It flickered. Never say I just love this theater company, can I join you guys?

100 Word Stories

Fired Future

Vintage Style

She sat in the water, looking at the horizon. The future promised to be as bright as the brightness of that bright summer day.

She smiled.

Perhaps what happened would not mean anything.

A few seashells swayed with the tide.

Perhaps no one would notice.

The seashells bumped against her thigh. She watched them for a moment. Then she swatted them away, just as she had swatted him away, that greasy fucker who had got her fired.

Shame she swatted him too hard...

This was such a bright day and he would never ever see another bright summer day again.

100 Word Stories

Wafer

Neverlandx

Mr. Probitas stared at the store window.

The new notice was titled Antisocial Behavior Order, an anti-sugar diatribe.

Ever since the intake of sugar became controlled by decree, Mr. Honey's store was in a financial crisis.

Mr. Probitas walked in.

“What's that all about?”

“I have to close. Or I'll be arrested...”

“Arrested?!”

Mr. Honey shrugged.

“Why?”

“For being antisocial. Here, have a wafer. Be antisocial while you can.”

It was then that Mr. Probitas and Mr. Honey started an underground movement to import wafers.

But it was not really about the wafers, was it?

100 Word Stories

Ratchet

Pixel Dreams

Rest assured. This will not happen again, you said.

Aim for the future and don't look back, hey? May those sorrows stay in the past, you said. Bury them deep. What you did cannot be undone, can it?

Time will tell, of course. Time will tell.

Call upon the meek, you must. Their sorrowful, all-forgiving smiles will free you.

Haul and cry if you must. Haul and cry. They'll forgive you.

Each new day will bring new hope, we hope. You hope.

Then, it'll be the end. Where? Right there. Find the place. Rest assured. This will not happen again.

100 Word Stories

Tip

Fae

What should I do? The green is fading away. The red is taking over. A man is hanging from the big oak, swinging horribly. His blood is pooling on the ground. And I don't know what to do. I just hide in this tree. The magic is gone. The magic is gone... The man has been there for a while. I didn't see who did it. I was hiding, hiding in this tree. And I hid for so long that I am now the tree. I am not hanging, but I am dead too. Tell me, what should I do?

100 Word Stories

A Happy Story

Il Nido

Sneezy Tom went to the bookshelf and picked up a book.

“Wanna hear a story?”

Grumpy Doc nodded.

“But read a happy story.”

“Doc, what's a happy story?”

Grumpy Doc turned to look at him, frowning.

“Something that ends well.”

“Then I have to grab another book. This won't do.”

With the second book in hand, Sneezy Tom started reading.

“... and the two lived happily ever after, her head chopped off and stored in a jar.”

“That's happy?!”

“Yes, my wife drives me crazy. It's a shame I can't do this...”

100 Word Stories

(Pick Two Prompts: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy)

Pizza

Enoshima

“This looks awful. Are you sure they have pizza here?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you find this place? There's no one else here.”

“I got an email. They sent me an 80%-off coupon.”

“80%?? Let's go. Now.”

“Why?!”

“Haven't you heard of the 80% club? They'll shrink your brain by 80%.”

“What?”

It was too late. The doors closed.

The next morning, they were found barely alive.

The number of these cases had been growing lately. No one knew how it was done, but everyone knew the consequences.

Discount coupons can be hazardous.

100 Word Stories

Organ

Westdell

When we arrived for dinner at the neighbors, a man was playing a song on an old pipe organ. One of the notes was off-key, but he played on. When the host invited us to go outside, I was happy to escape that torture. The problems started when she explained that they needed meat and that they took some of his organs . I was shocked, and was about to ask how he could even play when I felt a sharp blow to the back of my neck. Officer, do you think this scar is what I suspect it is?

100 Word Stories

Fly

Sopor Aeternum

“The photo's really bad. Where's this?!”

“I don't know. But this is where the hot air balloon is.”

“I can see that... Do you have any other irrelevant information to volunteer?!”

“There's a lighthouse on the photo.”

“I can see that too... What else?”

“Nothing... Except those red leaves.”

“Special leaves?”

“No. They're quite common.”

“Then, we have nothing.”

“Nope.”

“Why did you bring me this photo then?”

“Because at the back someone wrote the coordinates.”

“And you waited this long to tell me that?”

“I just hate negative people.”

100 Word Stories

Mr. Caramel

Matanzas

Mr. Caramel was surely the one who knew more about everyone else. He noticed every single detail regarding the neighborhood and memorized it thoroughly.

Mr. Caramel could hear his wife chatting languidly with Mr. Granite, that Mr. Granite...

Mr. Caramel decided, right there and then, that he wasn't going to do anything but enjoy the warm hours of a lazy afternoon. He slowly stretched his neck towards the sun. 

If Mrs. Caramel wanted to eat, she could go prepare things herself... or ask Mr. Granite. 

He stood on the pole and closed his eyes. Mr. Caramel was a proud seagull.

100 Word Stories

(Prompt Pick Two: Granite, Pertinent, Record, Surely, Tag, Bridge, Proud, Detective,Tarp, Caramel)

Camping

Magical Farm

“It's cold and I don't even like camping.” And Annie slammed the door behind her.

Why did Annie have the final word about everything, thought Paula.

A pair of curious eyes looked inside the house.

Why couldn't they go camping in the winter? They just needed a few extra sweaters. And besides, Paula really wanted to see that stag again.

When she turned around, he was there. She didn't dare to move. They looked at each other. And that's how the word camping took on a completely different meaning, as the stag came back for a visit every day.

100 Word Stories

Weak

Black Kite

“My stomach is weak,” she said, a tray filled with amazing food looking back at her.

At the restaurant, they were used to her moaning. But she ended up gobbling it all down.

One day, they dared her to cook. She hesitated, but she wasn't one to run away from a challenge.

When the insurance company showed up, it was impossible to identify where the kitchen was, and it was nearly absurd to even attempt to tread through the barrier of debris by the front door.

That's when they heard, “My stomach is weak and now my leg hurts...”

100 Word Stories