‘100 Words’ Category Archives
Apr
The Cash Cow
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The Hendersons called her the cash cow. She ate grass and shit out money. Real American green. Tens, twenties, hundreds all came out in equal proportions, with unique serial numbers and the proper security features of United States currency. The cow became something of an attraction and people looked upon her as a miracle cow, of which many neighbors were forced to admit they were covetous.
No one understood how it worked but money being the root of all evil, the Hendersons didn’t pause to consider the mechanics. They immediately slaughtered the cow and ground her up for chicken feed.
Apr
Tiny Carrots
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Baby Joey watched the spectacle from safely beneath the kitchen table. His parents were measuring the brisance of hurled kitchen items and all he could think about were the two tiny carrots prominently displayed on the battlefield linoleum.
To get to them, he would have to crawl into the crossfire. The dishware made the loudest noise. The cutlery, especially the cleaver, certainly seemed the most dangerous.
But overall, from Baby Joey’s way of looking at things, the eggs and tomatoes were the most enjoyable to watch explode.
With all the distractions, he soon forgot about the tiny carrots. Stupid baby.
Apr
The Inner Sanctum
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Maggie, the newest serving girl, waited outside nervously.
“The Queen’s in one of her humours,” she was warned. “You best be careful.”
Maggie didn’t ask, but the veteran servant offered an explanation anyway. “Her alembic has disagreed with her constitution again.”
Once inside the Queen’s private chambers, Maggie had no time to be awed by the ornamentation. The Queen, in all her naked corpulence, was crouched over a chamber pot in the corner.
“So you’re the lucky subject who get’s to clean the Queen’s shit.”
Maggie smiled. She’d make a lot of money selling that shit on the black market.
Apr
The Thrill Of The Hunt
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
She sniffed the air. Their stink was everywhere, making it hard for her to pinpoint a direction. But the wind was blowing from the south, so she would start in that direction.
Her handlers urged her to take the helicopter, or failing that, allow them to zip ahead with the scout vehicles. But the glory of a successful hunt would all fall to her. It was only fair that she place herself at the greatest risk. Besides, she found the whole selcouth experience so tantalizing.
After all, hunting your own species is always the most dangerous. And the most satisfying.
Apr
An Age Of Darkness
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
As Dr. Martin approached the site, she noticed the trees showed signs of ancient pleaching. That, combined with the ring of stones barely visible beneath the clover and moss, suggested to her the location once held an apotropaic intent.
Whatever danger these druids feared had long since been forgotten, but Dr. Martin would glean what she could from the remains. Her specialty was druidic song and she was pleased to find several inscribed on the stones. They each referred to a coming blackness, a dark age that would consume the world.
It was the age in which she currently lived.
Apr
Mushrooms
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
At first, the mushrooms were viewed as a plague. Every time one sprouted, the townspeople would vigorously clean the location with the heaviest grade of industrial cleaner, the kind you have to wear masks and gloves to use safely.
They weren’t a poisonous variety, but neither did they taste very appealing. Something like a cross between grass and sandpaper. They served no good purpose, and the way they kept multiplying to the point where it seemed you were walking, sitting, and sleeping on mushrooms was creepy.
But when the town survived the alien invasion, people stopped complaining about the mushrooms.
Apr
Don’t Think Too Deeply
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
You can bet if anyone discovers your involvement, there will be hell to pay. Perhaps that’s what attracts you in the first place. The flirtation with danger. Or more likely, it’s the inevitable moment when you are caught and everyone’s expectations of you, their belief in your character, their assumptions about how far you are willing to go, will all be dashed.
Or perhaps you go along just because everyone else is doing it. You know you might get in trouble, but there’s safety in not thinking too deeply.
Whatever the case, murdering this homeless man will haunt you forever.
The Daily Theme from Figment for April 11
Think of a time in your life when, against your better judgment, you decided to give in–to temptation, to popular opinion, to someone else’s will.
Now focus in on that decision to relent. In second person, describe those moments of transition, using the distancing effects of second person to allow you to analyze your decision as if it had been someone else’s.
Apr
You Will Make Someone’s Day
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
It had seemed such a pleasant, trivial fortune: “You will make someone’s day.” Who wouldn’t want to make someone’s day? Janet cheerfully left the restaurant, ready to get back to work.
The smile left her face when she was called into Mr. Babcock’s office. He was an absolute terror to work for, and in any other economy, Janet would have quit months ago. She fully expected another tongue lashing this afternoon.
Instead, Janet went running from the office, trying desperately to cover her tears. Mr. Babcock’s final words were ringing in her ears.
“Firing you has really made my day.”
The Daily Theme from Figment for April 6
Write a fortune cookie fortune. Now write a story about a person who receives this fortune and then sees the prediction actually fulfilled.
Apr
Either Way, You’re Likely To Take A Beating
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
You are walking alone at night. The avenue is poorly lit, with violent shadows cast from the lone street lamp. You look about nervously. You’ve never been in this part of town before.
That’s when you notice a shiny gold coin in the corner of your eye.
As you are about to pick up the token, you see a gnarly old leprechaun jump out of the shadows, wielding a heavy shillelagh and threatening to beat you over the head with it.
Do you:
Stay and pick up the coin (turn to page 47)
Run like hell (turn to page 23)
The Daily Theme from Figment for April 4
You are walking alone at night and notice a trinket on the ground. It’s intriguing enough that you stop to take a closer look. You’re about to pocket it when something happens that makes you immediately throw the object back down and start to run…
Apr
Dueling Perspectives
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I stumble down the street.
Everything about that night is pretty hazy.
There’s no one around. I’m completely alone.
But I couldn’t have imagined the gunshot. If everything else was a dream, that was real.
I look down to see if I’ve been shot. There’s blood on my hands.
I don’t remember seeing a gun. They said the gun was mine, but I don’t remember having one.
I don’t know where the man came from, but he’s lying on the ground.
I didn’t know until later he was sleeping with my wife.
The man is dead.
The man was dead.
The Daily Theme from Figment for April 3, 2012
Choose a significant incident in your life. The incident should be discreet, with a beginning, middle, and end (a date, a car accident, a major embarrassment). Tell the story of the incident by moving between two points of view–your perspective at the time of the incident and your perspective now. How are these two different? How does shifting between them affect the telling? Try to use these shifts in POV to show how your feelings about the event have changed over time.