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Every story published in 100 Word Fiction. Search by title, author, or a half-remembered phrase; filter by year, tag, or contributor.
Showing 18 of 92 stories
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Footwork
In flimsy sandals and a cigarette in one hand, Tony juggles the soccer ball, popping it right foot, left foot. From his stoop, his neighbor, Will, watches, counts. Fifty times, thumping. Day in and day out. With each…
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Sly
Sly came sporting a Louisiana accent that made me feel sentimental. I asked about the tattoo on his wrist that said Vivian, the first time we met. He told me about his ex-wife who he caught cheating on him when he came…
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Cape May's Last Secret
As the retreating waves exposed a gleaming stretch of sand, she knelt and picked up a shell. Although it seemed devoid of life, it appeared to be harboring something that was breathing. She pressed it to her ear and…
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It's What We Do
Bessie is fond of westerns. Her hero is John Wayne. She can watch his films all day.I position her chair near the TV, as her poor eyesight requires.Caregivers have to be organized. It's what we do to keep a patient…
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Bologna Sandwiches
In the early 1950s, our trips were long, primarily due to our Dodge sedan overheating and poor two-lane roads. We also made roadside stops to eat. Although Mom packed delicious lunches, we loved bologna sandwiches on…
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Farmers' Market
Bins burst with color: squash, zucchini, tomatoes, berries! Normally I’m in the middle of the shoppers, but not today. Today I skirt the edges. Chemo has weakened me, and I almost didn’t come, lest anyone should say…
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Salt Runner
Bayan was a saltrunner, an illegal activity since the collapse. Shovel in hand, empty bags on either side, he’d hit a vein, fill as fast as he could, then escape, before patrols arrived. Today, Bayan decided to hit a…
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The Last Refusal
There were a few things to consider, of course. The coffin had to remain closed during the funeral. My grandmother spent her later years avoiding people, and it seemed cruel to let them gather around and look at her…
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Michigan & Chicago
Spencer sat with his knees together, his briefcase across his lap. He checked his phone: the bus was now seven minutes late, but he was too embarrassed to ask the woman on the opposite side of the backless bench if this…
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Figment
I step into my newest patient’s dream on a Friday night and despite the recent Somnology ban. Rent and groceries don’t pay themselves, and I’m still looking for him. The dream manifests as a cinema, the credits rolling…
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Good to the Last Drop
From his underground bunker, Dr. Kelly watched the global destruction on twelve monitors. He looked at his invention, The Unifier, a tear running down his cheek. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Unifier should have…
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My Bubble
I am ILII―infinitely large, infinitely intelligent. I suffer from ITD―inability to die. One night I was trying to kill myself out of boredom for the 1,256,257th time, when I found a bottle full of bubble solution. I…
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Primed by Prime Time
The perma-tanned TV chat show host grins having introduced a line-up of guests who need no introduction. He says they'd also hoped to talk to Simone Hernandez from Duluth, inventor of the first working time-travel…
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The Chase
The designer hat—gray, soft like a cloud and pricier than his last few checks, with a logo that often drew wows from others—was the gift he bought for himself the day he was finally promoted to supervisor in his old…
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Care Package
Billy hadn't done this before, and Uncle Graham had left no instructions - but the place seemed nice. He napped until footsteps woke him, then he roared. "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" The…
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One Way
Tomorrow’s the last day of our summer in Switzerland, after weeks in the Alps, the Rhine, and of enough chocolates to last lifetimes. Tonight, though, was my last chance to make her reconsider.I stuttered and stammered…
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The Warlock's Tome
The ancient book fluffed its pages, waiting. Over centuries, its contents had possessed monarchs, warriors, clergy. Together they'd wrought delicious destruction. But its paper was crumbling, its lifespan imperiled.…
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Scent
I picked up a pleasant smell, today – one of the nostalgic kinds, which brings back recollections of memories unspecified. Most people complain of never being able to place the origin of such nostalgia, when they catch…