SHORT STORY:~Friday

Boris slept like a rock. A bomb could go off, and he wouldn’t wake up.
Vanya liked to use her lipstick to draw on Boris while he slept.
He wasn’t ticklish, so she had plenty of time to draw on him.
She’d draw stick figures and bird, other animals.
Or she’d draw mountainscapes and seashore scenes.
She put a lot of effort into her work, switching to mascara brushes and eyeliner for fine details.
Her favorite was on Friday. She would write FR on Boris’ left thigh and DAY on his right thigh.
You know where she drew the I.

from The 100 Word Stories Podcast

SHORT STORY:~Petrified

When I was little, we went on a trip to see the petrified forest.
Before we left, I looked up petrified in the dictionary, and it said that it was an adjective than means scared.
I didn’t look at the other meaning, which was something that has turned to stone.
So, when we got to the forest, I did my best not to make any loud noises or sudden moves, because the forest was scared enough as it is.
It sure was boring there. Nothing but a bunch of rocks that looked sorta like trees.
“Shut up,” said my dad.

from The 100 Word Stories Podcast

SHORT STORY:~Quilt

As I get older, it takes longer for the aches and pains to subside.
Wearing out slowly, slower to recover.
My mind is slower to respond, to recall fond memories.
And the lies I have told others and to myself, are harder to tell from the memories of all I’ve done, all I’ve seen, and all I’ve been through.
Stitched together, like a quilt of disparate fabrics.
Burlap. Silk. Cotton. Paper towels.
Tug on it hard enough, and the seams fray, and it all comes apart.
And I am left naked, confused, and tired.
Sitting in the tatters of life.

from The 100 Word Stories Podcast

SHORT STORY:~Pirate Alerts

Just as there’s an Amber Alert for missing kids and Silver Alerts for missing elderly, pirates have their own alert system
The problem was naming the thing.
The Jolly Roger has only two colors on it: White and Black.
And let’s face it: announcing White and Black Alerts is a bit awkward in the 21st Century.
Pirates like Gold, but people might mistake a Gold Alert as some kind of warning to sell their Gold.
Pirates also like Silver, but there’s already a Silver Alert for the elderly.
Which isn’t a problem if the missing pirate happens to be elderly.

from The 100 Word Stories Podcast