A Story In
100 Words
Literature in Tiny Bursts.
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Frank's Permission
Frank Grumley was old school. So, Ralph, who wanted to marry Claudette, spoke to her old man...
“It's right to ask for my consent, Ralph, because marriage is a frontier, and I want to protect my daughter. But about your work…”
“You mean, quantum electrodynamics? It's at the frontier of quantum mechanics.”
“Whatever.”
“I’ve been studying high intensity fields... You know -- where empty space itself becomes radically active.”
“Huh?”
“But I'm giving it up. I have an opportunity to go into my Uncle Harry's cement business.”
“Ralph, have you seen our driveway?... You're sounding more and more like a son-in-law.”
From Guest Contributor David Sydney
For the prompt Frontier
Scarf
A silky white scarf sits on Kate’s hope chest, a gift from her mother resurfacing memories; the laughter of family and friends filling the room, the sound of voices singing happy birthday, and the gifts. The most precious, the scarf. It had been handed down by her grandmother to her mother and now Kate.
On her sick bed, Kate’s mother, with little strength, placed the scarf around her daughter’s neck and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She wiped away a tear rolling down Kate’s cheek.
As Kate places the scarf around her neck, she feels her touch.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
Long Enough
David kept asking, “Whose funeral is it?”
His daughter replied, “Mom's.”
Minutes later he said, “Whose funeral is it?”
“Mom's.” Each reply earned the same quiet nod.
When the service ended, mourners drifted away. David stepped beside the casket. He slipped off his wedding band. “You'll need this,” he whispered to the casket. “Take good care of it.”
The daughter blinked back tears.
He smiled faintly, patted the casket, and walked on. Halfway down the path, he stopped. “Whose funeral is it?”
His daughter slipped her arm through his, and they walked slowly toward home beneath silent autumn trees together.
From Guest Contributor E. Barnes
E. Barnes has work published at A Story In 100 Words, Spillwords, The Purple Pen, The Haven, and Medium.
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