July, 2025 Archives
Jul
Independence Day
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
It’s “Independence Day,” and I’m excited to see the fireworks show at the beach with my kids. I’ve packed a small picnic of chicken sandwiches and soda, nothing fancy and we’ll sit on the sand watching the sky light up. I want to make this day special for Charlie and Kenny since the divorce has been tough on them.
My youngest, Kenny, takes my hand and gives me a warm smile while Charlie is sitting cross legged waiting.
The sky bursts into red, green, blue and white and the look of joy on my boys’ faces is all I need.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
Jul
Bricks
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Being a responsible sort, Pig Number Three set about building a house entirely out of bricks. This was before you could go online and order bricks delivered to your door. Besides, Pig Number Three had neither a door nor an address, so he was forced to make his bricks from scratch.
The process involved mixing clay, water, sand, and straw, then shaping the material into rectangles, drying them, and baking them at high temperatures in a kiln.
Pigs Number One and Two laughed at his labors. Everyone knew the wolves in the area had been hunted into extinction years before.
Jul
Sunday Dinner At My House
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I carry the steaming pot of paprikash to the table. It’s spicy and garlicky, and my mouth waters in anticipation.
“That looks amazing,” my sister says.
“You printed this?” My mother’s nose wrinkles, and she leans back in her chair.
“Of course,” I say as my sister shifts a bowl of buttered noodles. I set the pot down.
“You kids have it so easy. In my day, we had to chop our own vegetables and simmer the chicken for hours.”
My sister and I grin at each other, but my mother doesn’t notice. She’s already spooning food onto her plate.
From Guest Contributor Julia Rajagopalan
Jul
T-Shirt Sun Tan
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“Look at your farmer’s tan.”
“We don’t call it that anymore.”
“What? Why not?”
“It’s derogatory to farmers.”
“How is it derogatory?”
“It’s mocking them for having to work in the sun all day.”
“They do work in the sun all day. Are you saying that just because they work in the sun it’s somehow undignified? That earning an honest living outdoors is not as worthy as sitting in an office?”
“You’re the one laughing at me.”
“I’m laughing at you because you look stupid, not because I have anything against farmers. Someone’s a conceited asshole and it’s not me.”
Jul
When One’s Owners Don’t Get It
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Hank, a large German Shepherd, wouldn’t hurt a fly; his owners knew he was a good dog, so they let him roam their street with a leash on, but nobody holding it.
However, Hank learned that many viewed with suspicion the apparent lack of human-affiliation that his unmanned leash seemed to signify.
Small children would take one look at him and turn to quivering jelly. Dogs on human-attended leashes preemptively barked so much, their owners had to reroute their walks.
Hank finally learned to bring the loose end of his leash to his owners whenever he wanted to walk around.
From Guest Contributor Susmita Ramani
Susmita’s work has appeared in over thirty different publications, including 100 Words, and she has a novella coming out in 2026. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two teenage daughters, and a dozen pets. See her WordPress for fiction and Instagram for poetry.
Jul
Good And Evil
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Bradley wondered what was wrong with him. Other kids may have complained about working their chores, but they enjoyed eating bacon and hamburgers, and talked excitedly about weekend hunting trips.
Bradley didn’t know anyone for whom slaughtering a cow prompted an existential crisis. There was no doubt he was the weird one in town, and his parents, his brothers and sisters, his classmates, even his teachers, all knew this to be true.
He simply couldn’t shake the feeling that just because everyone else thought eating animals was normal, there was something inherently evil about it.
From the cow’s perspective anyway.
Jul
Surprise Party
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
When I entered the restaurant with Kate, I scanned the room as everyone yelled surprise. I was stunned and stood motionless. Family and friends gathered around waiting to hug the fifty-year-old birthday boy. Balloons of different colors filled the room and small beer bottle opener party favors laid perfectly next to each place setting.
“So, honey, were you surprised?”
“Yes, and then some,” I kissed her softly on the lips.
Everyone yelled speech, speech, so I raised my glass. Before I could get any words out, I thought of how I would tell my wife I just lost my job.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
Jul
Interview
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“Why do you want to work here?”
I’ve been warned about this, the stupidest, trickiest interview question. Don’t say you, like all job seekers, need a paycheck to pay the rent. They don’t want reality, they want flattery. But don’t get personal. Don’t say it’s because the interviewer is charming. It must be something you like about the company, and it must be believable.
Easy! I give her the real reason I’m attracted to this place. The building is right next to a bus stop, so I won’t have to walk far in bad weather.
I don’t get the job.
From Guest Contributor R.K. West
Jul
After Destruction
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The prophet mutter his pronouncements to a jaded congregation that paid no attention. They didn’t need to hear the truth from the mouth of a crazed zealot to understand this time was different. The world really was coming to an end. At least all the parts that mattered.
War. Drought. Pestilence. Disease.
Everything promised had finally arrived, and the people, rather than tending to their own affairs, were content to rage and destroy and ensure that everyone would meet the same fate. Leave nothing behind.
The prophet continued to mumble for anyone who might be listening.
“After destruction comes rebirth.”
Jul
All I Ever Wanted
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
All I ever wanted was a small measure of happiness to call my own.
I’m not greedy. I’m only asking for my fair share.
Of course, what’s fair for one person may not be fair for someone else. The best among us deserve more than the worst. My share should count for more than the bloodsuckers and sociopaths who do nothing but take. I’m a hard worker, so I’ve earned more than all the lazy people looking for a handout.
If my happiness comes at the expense of all the good-for-nothings in the world, they have only themselves to blame.