Form: Drabble

Exactly 100 words

Family Breakfast

Every morning for the last five years I’ve toasted two slices of bread for breakfast.   I toast it dark brown, slightly burnt, and super crispy. A pat of butter, a squeeze of honey, and I’m good to go. Until yesterday.…

Over Easy

I sat in the padded seat as customers came through the door of the little cafe. Breakfast rush. It’s filling up fast. She sat down. “Mornin’ Frankie,” said Bobby, as he flipped pancakes and turned  hash browns on the grill.…

The Man with the Oddly Bronzed Skin

The man with the oddly bronzed skin and thinning comb-over scowled into the cameras.  “Voting by mail is cheating and must be stopped. It leads to fraud and rigged elections, and unfairly favors the other party.” He scrawled his signature…

The Dragons

The Red Kingdom had many dragons.  The Blue Kingdom had no dragons. One day, the Red Kingdom’s spies arrived at the royal palace and bowed before the king. “Your Majesty, we have heard rumors that the Blue Kingdom is trying…

God’s Pleasure

Noah stepped from the ark onto dry ground and looked to the sky.  “Thank you, God, for saving me and my family and the animals.”  “My pleasure,” said the Lord. “I’ll release the animals right away to go out and…

Never Be Delicious

A dozen sheep plus two follow Noah down the ramp of the ark, blinking in the light of the sun they had not seen for a year.  A dazzling rainbow stretches across the sky. One sheep turns to another. “What…

Saved

God saved his life, they said. The Miracle on Flight PS91.  He wasn’t so sure.  Why should he be the only survivor of the plane crash that killed all on board save one? What higher purpose did God spare him…

Wally at Three

Molly feeds the squirrels at the park every day at three. They gather around her bench and scamper after the breadcrumbs she tosses their way.  A grey squirrel hops up beside her.  “Good afternoon, Wally. How’s my favorite little squirrel…

The Orange Glow

At first, it looked like dawn on the far side of the world. Another morning stirring people from their sleep, full of the laughter and promise of a new day.  Until the horizon began to burn.  As he watched it…

Human, in Progress

Writing rarely comes easy for me, but I like putting what matters into words, whether profound or banal. Even the banal is not always as dull as it first seems.  Some writers try to write beautifully. I try to write…

Out of Reach

Her skirt sways as she walks, and my heart falls into step with hers. Her perfume intoxicates me, leaving me quivering at her feet.  I ache to hold her close, gently caress her brow, and softly kiss her lips. But…

I Don’t Want to Go There

“Mom, did Jeffrey Dahmer become a born-again Christian before he died?” asked Jonny.  “He said he did,” his mother answered.   “So he went to heaven?”  “If he became a believer, then yes, I guess he did.” “Did the people he…

The Candles

I peer through the window at the dark house across the street.  “Hey, Honey, why does Mrs. Callum light candles in her window every night?”  My wife comes to my side. “I think she’s waiting for her husband to come…

The Lesson

My sixth-grade teacher, Miss Lamb, humiliated me in class, and for years, I rehearsed what I’d say if I ever saw her again. Yesterday, while visiting the nursing home, I saw her sitting alone, staring through a window. She smiled…

The Ledger

Lonnie lived his life believing he was utterly forgettable, a dullard with average grades, ordinary jobs, invisible in every crowd.   When he retired at sixty-five, he quickly got bored and volunteered at the city police station, cataloging old records.  One…

My Turn

Hudson leaned his broom against the attic support post as he spied an ancient cigar box in the dusty corner. He opened the box, tossed the tarnished jacks across the floor, and bounced the rubber ball as he resumed an…

The Promotion

Melissa closed the office door, her colleagues’ applause ringing in her ears. She took a deep breath to slow her racing heart.  Vice President. The position she’d pursued for years. Her phone buzzed. “I’m proud of you!” texted David, her…

Truth Pending

They attacked us first, or so reports said. In a split second, a suitcase nuke reduced the city to ash. We vowed to strike back 100 times harder when we found them.  Rumors exploded. Some blamed communists trying to start…

The Sound Outside

Ted muted his TV and cocked his head. “Help!” rang out from outside. There it was again. He pushed his recliner upright with a groan, grabbed his Mag-lite, and headed out the door into the moonless night.   He swept the…

Big Beautiful Ballroooms

The President of the United States said that a big, beautiful ballroom would be the most secure place to keep people safe. I agree wholeheartedly with his assertion. In a country plagued by repeated acts of gun violence and threats…

Mom’s Lament

In the living room, the TV blares a bouncy kids’ tune that dissolves into a symphony of chaos—her two young sons shrieking as they toss toys and tussle, her hungry, over-stimulated toddler daughter wailing to high heaven. In the kitchen,…

The Fix

I have an addiction It starts as a gentle itch that tickles the corner of my mind, demanding a scratch. I resist — but it persists — and grows stronger every hour. My resolve is firm. I don’t want it.…

False Dawn

A flash of light invades my closed eyelids, rudely wrenching me awake from my dreams. I prop up on my elbows and rub the sleep from my eyes. Morning already?  The clock on the nightstand says 2:47 AM. That can’t…

Slow Fade

Today, I feel less alive than yesterday,And yesterday, less than the day before.Fading, vanishing, dissolving,Unseen, unheard, unwanted. Someday soon,When I draw my last breathMy heart beats no more,And midnight claims my soul,Who will remember me? And who will know I…

The Worth of a Life

I. Knowing I know I am different. I see others walking around without a thought or care, with no self-awareness or knowledge of who they are or what they are doing, lost in their own little world. But I am…

Midnight Confession

She sat alone in a dilapidated booth at the 24-hour diner. She glanced at her watch. Nearly midnight. Where is he?  The door jangled as he walked in, a grimace replacing his usual smile. A woman followed close behind, scowling.…

My Responsibility Now

I walk through the door to my new workplace near the city center, buzzing with subdued energy I can almost feel. There are many people here, hundreds, maybe thousands, I’m unsure. From my vantage point, I can’t see them in…

First Day

Today is the first day of the new year. How did I get here so quickly? How did last year pass so fast? This year I’ll cross the Rubicon, officially old. I don’t want to be an old man, but…

A Pendulous Task Swinging

“You need to develop a writing habit,” the experts say. “Set a goal every day to write 100, 200, 500 words or more. Maybe even 1000 per day if you can, and you will write a complete novel in 60…

Right Choice Left

The air was crisp and cold in the Wisconsin woods, a hint of winter to come. On the narrow path, the young boy, lost and alone, came to a fork, with no sign showing the way home.  “Make the right…