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.
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The Hawk
A red-tailed hawk screeched as it circled above. Grandfather pointed and said, “That is your spirit animal, my little one. You are a chosen one. It carries a message for you.”
“What do I do, Grandfather?”
“Clear your mind.”
“How will I know?”
“When your mind is clear, the message will come.”
“I’m trying to hear, but there is no message.”
“Stop trying, clear your mind.”
An eerie stillness settled in. “What will happen when they dig the new mine, Grandfather?”
The old man looked at the hawk circling and said nothing.
“We must stop them.”
The old man smiled.
From Guest Contributor NT Franklin
NT has been published in Page and Spine, Fiction on the Web, 101 Words, Friday Flash Fiction, CafeLit, Madswirl, Postcard Shorts, 404 Words, Scarlet Leaf Review, Freedom Fiction, Burrst, Entropy, Alsina Publishing, Fifty-word stories, Dime Show Review, among others.
Collect
The men stand quietly, exchanging cigarettes and glances. There is nothing to say.
A klaxon sounds. More than one man sighs with relief: the mine-cage rises from below. Two men open the cage doors, collect the dripping bones of the man who lost the draw.
“Sacrifice accepted,” the mine owner announces, as though the men can't see the evidence themselves.
The bones are buried. The widow and children will receive a fat check from the owner, and much pity for the “unpreventable accident.”
“Okay, boys,” the foreman slaps his hat on. “Go ahead and collect. Coal ain't gonna fetch itself.”
From Guest Contributor Laura Lovic-Lindsay
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