A Story In
100 Words
Literature in Tiny Bursts.
You are invited to the wonderful world of microfiction. Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or one of our future robot overlords, welcome! A Story In 100 Words is a community of literature enthusiasts no matter the length, but we have a special predilection for narratives exactly 100 words in length.
Stop doomscrolling and start fiction browsing.
The Engineers Play Chess
Christos and Lieberman, veteran development engineers, played chess every lunch hour. Watson, a young engineer, joined the project, watched them play and immediately starting making unwanted comments. They put up with him for two weeks.
One day Christos briefly studied the board, then moved Knight to F4.
"That's a strange move," Watson commented.
Lieberman immediately moved rook to H6.
"That doesn't make sense. What did you do that for?" Watson demanded.
The two chess players said nothing, just stared at him.
"OK, I'm leaving," Watson finally said.
"Check," said Christos and reset his pieces.
"Mate," Lieberman added and did likewise.
From Guest Contributor Ronald Larsen
Mother Nature Always Wins
NATURE SUBMISSION:
When you push the envelope, sometimes the envelope pushes back.
The architects and the engineers were certain that their calculations were correct. The bridge would save time and effort when driving across the sound. The financing was in place after years of wrangling. The bridge was inaugurated with great fanfare.
The Williwaw was the locals’ name for the wind that came from the north. High winds were not unusual, and the designers of the bridge had accounted for them. Mother Nature didn’t know the words “vortex shedding” or “aeroelastic flutter.” But she didn’t need words, she just needed the wind.
From Guest Contributor Janice Siderius
The Science Of Engineering
No one knew what was causing the rumble in subway line Q6, but it had people scared. City council called in the engineers and scientists to determine the source before they had an accident.
The engineers took a survey to measure what environmental factors might be affecting the tunnel and quickly reached a conclusion. Groundwater was leaking into the structure and had compromised the integrity of the entire network. They ordered an immediate closure to the line and made plans for repairs.
The scientists meanwhile blamed the whole thing on climate change. No wonder the Republicans hate science so much.
Share Your Story
Want to see your story on our website? We’d love to share your work. Click the link below and follow the submission guidelines. Just make sure your story is exactly 100 words.