100 Word Short Stories

INTRODUCTION

Sometime during the spring of 2006, I decided to write a 100-Word Short Story every Monday for my blog. I'd been following Pete Lit's blog during his Tournament of Tunes, but he started doing something he called Micro Monday. In turn, he was inspired by these folks to write a 100-word-or-less fiction story every Monday. I rather enjoyed his first effort, and decided to do the same.

Early on something interesting happened. Remember, the idea was to have stories in length of 100 Words or Less. But after I wrote and edited the first few, they all ended up at exactly 100 words. So I decided to do them all that way. And because the title of the piece did not contribute to the word count, I had fun coming up with Sufjan Stevensish titles when I could.

So ended up doing this for six months. I missed a couple of Mondays but posted the story on the next day, and only one week did I not post a story - after I had finished a big writing project over the weekend and was creatively spent. Where I got in trouble was when I decided to do a series of stories based on the Ten Commandments. My bookkeeping was sloppy and I missed a couple and repeated one, and I made the mistake of trying to complete the series before moving on, instead of simply tossing out a Commandment story every once in a while.

But then things came to a screeching halt. Things in the real world intervened and even cut into my blogging time. Then I totally lost heart with most things writing and made an ill-conceived revision to this site (Version 7.0), which tossed aside my writing in favor of the music I was writing but wasn't sure (and still am not sure) that I would even be performing.

So when deciding to start from the ground up for this iteration, I decided that these stories would be one of the things I would salvage. Outside of the Commandments series, there's a nice mix of things... some Sci-Fi, some Romance, some Action. There's even a story that's a prequel to one that came earlier, and another that's another chapter in the saga of the the idea that won't leave me alone. As far as which is what... I'll leave that for you to decide.

Thus, here are the stories, essentially unchanged. I did tweak a title or two, and the series of stories based on the Ten Commandments I took out of Chronological Order and put into Commandment Order. I also decided not to index the stories because on looking at them all, I felt like there was almost a performance art aspect to them. That's something that I think would be ruined by a top-of-page table of contents.

And looking these over right now, well... I can tell you that in retrospect it was rather fun... and I'm thinking about doing it again...

THE STORIES

"Sin"

In retrospect, he wondered if he had made some kind of mistake in doing it. There were nights when his mind would turn over every possible consequence, anything that might come back on him for what he had done.

But in the end, nothing did.

Gradually, the waking nightmares went away, and the nocturnal ones ?Äì well, they were never really there to begin with. Pretty soon he was fine again, going through each day as if nothing had happened.

Which was the worst thing that could have happened.

Because soon he started to think: I should do it again.

June 12, 2006

"The Circus is Ending"

The circus is ending and nobody wants to go home. Except for the tattooed man. He's got a business, a dry cleaners that he bought because he knows that show business isn't going to last forever. Nowadays many women have tattoos, so the whole novelty of seeing a sinking battleship and the words Remember the Maine! inked onto a man's chest just isn't what it once was.

Besides, he left Earl to run the place, and everybody knows that Earl can't be trusted. So the tattooed man, he needs to get home. Before Earl drinks the place out of business.

June 19, 2006

"Bang"

I jumped as he fired. I felt heat cross my left side and he fumbled with the gun. An odd look crossed his face, that slack-jawed, vacant-eyed thing that people get when they realize they've just made a terrible mistake.

I looked down. My shirt was on fire. But I couldn't do anything about it, not yet.

Coming out of the jump, I twisted to one side. He was still fumbling with his gun.

That look was still plastered across his face when the pipe in my right hand slammed into the side of his head.

Then he went down.

June 26, 2006

"The Numbers Station"

The speaker crackled. The voice continued.

"Eight. Zero. Three. Nine. Four. One. Five. Six. Two. Two. Five. Three. Seven. Four. Six. One. Three. Seven. Nine. Two. Eight. Six. Nine. Two. Zero. Seven. One. Seven. Three. Two. Zero. Nine. Zero. Five. Eight."

There was a pause. Static filled the room.

Then, "Six. Three. Six. Five. One. Four. Five. Two. Zero. Four. One. Four. Two. Eight. Five. Three. Two. Nine. Zero. One. Three. Zero. Five. Thank you."

Then, nothing but static.

Jack paled as he switched off the radio. "That's it," he said.

"That's what?" asked Amy.

"The end."

July 03, 2006

"Love Song"

Every time he heard the song, he thought of her. The sparkling piano, the melody, the words all combined to put her image before him, as if she were still in his life.

Whenever the familiar strains came to his ears, no matter where he was, tears would fill his eyes.

Once he even found her number, dialed it, let it ring three times before hanging up in fear that she would be there ?Äì or wouldn?Äôt.

And then came the day when he realized that he wasn?Äôt in love with her at all. He was in love with the song.

July 10, 2006

"The View from the Edge of the World"

In spite of the warnings, he decided to go and see the edge of the world. The government had discouraged gawkers, but the edge was so large that they couldn't really patrol it all. You could get there if you knew which roads to take, and he did. He had paid a guy fifty bucks for directions.

When he got there, it was just like everyone had said. You could hear the roar of the water as it poured over the edge created by The Accident, but you couldn't see a thing. There was too much mist in the air.

July 17, 2006

"'Work was what kept me happy,' he explained."

In the end, there were a great many things he shouldn?Äôt have mentioned. Like what he did with the bodies. Like what he did when he ran out of bullets that time in Missouri. Like where he got the chemicals. Like how someone with his looks lured women like a flame calling a moth.

But of all the things he shouldn?Äôt have told them, the one thing he never, ever should have mentioned was the fact that all of his ideas came from the dry, cracked, and long molded over bowl of pudding that he kept hidden in his refrigerator.

July 24, 2006

"From the Mouth of the Master"

I took another sip and said, "I don't get it. One woman hasn't left you yet, but you already have her replacement." I looked over at Susan, now chatting with her friend, oblivious to us both. "And when you run into them, they're always so happy to see you. How do you do it?"

Engler took a long pull on his cigarette, held it, did a slow exhale. Then he leaned toward me conspiratorially. "That's the secret, my friend," he said. "Know this and learn. The trick is to make them think that they're the ones who want to leave."

July 31, 2006

"Bildungsroman"

It was one of those summers when everything changed. He knew that he was never supposed to see his father in quite the same way again. And he knew he shouldn?Äôt stay friends with Coogan because he now saw how he really was.

But in the end, Simms didn?Äôt change. He didn?Äôt allow himself to respect his father?Äôs actions, and he and Coogan would be friends until Coogan was shot in a bar by a pregnant ex-girlfriend. Because when it came down to it, Simms was just as vacuous, shallow, and egotistical as he had been before it all happened.

August 07, 2006

"The Ficklest Mistress"

"Traditionally technology makes quantum leaps in time of war," said the man in the white lab coat. "And peacetime applications followed. But we created this with no military potential whatsoever."

He paused to soak in the light from the flashbulbs and video cameras. "So now, without further delay, I present to you?Ä¶"

He threw the ceremonial switch. He kept talking, but nothing left his lips. His entire body tingled. He heard screams. And then there was water, an enormous, foaming wall of water, rushing in at them through a gaping hole from where a city had been a moment before.

August 14, 2006

"The Loneliest Task"

He didn?Äôt want to be seen. No questions. No offers of help. He slammed the blade of the shovel into the ground, stepped on the edge, then lifted up earth and threw it onto a growing pile.

I?Äôm alone again, he thought.

He chucked the shovel into the ground again, and a car approached on the narrow country road. He froze until it passed him, unseeing. Then he began again.

Scoop. Alone. Scoop. Alone.

The pile grew.

And then, with tears still streaming down his face, he knelt, cradled the dog in his arms, and laid it into the hole.

August 21, 2006

"Going to Texas #6"

He nearly wet himself when the blue and red lights started to flicker from the blackness of the rearview mirror. But then they went to one side and raced around him, leaving his heart pounding.

His hands trembled against the wheel. He looked over at her. Asleep. She had missed the whole thing.

They were safe for the moment. Maybe her folks hadn't found the note yet. It was as much as he could hope for.

The sight of her calmed him as he guided the car down the interstate, toward the million-to-one shot that was their last, best hope.

August 28, 2006

"The Love You Make"

In the end, he decided to let her go. He thought about their relationship and weighed it against the future ?Äì the tears, the annoyances, the fights, the misunderstandings, the frustrations ?Äì and decided that it wasn?Äôt worth it.

He even made it easy on her, painting himself as the villain, ignoring her tears because if he didn?Äôt it would make things worse later. He even insisted she take the Springteen CD?Äôs, even though that caused him a twinge of regret.

So he watched her go and he was happy about it all until the next morning, when he woke up alone.

September 04, 2006

"The Biology Lesson, or, The Mathematics Lesson"

The sign above the dispenser proudly announced, Kills 99.99% of All Household Germs! Wiggins didn't event think of this as he dispensed a pile of the clear gel into his palm and spread it over his hands.

Unfortunately, riding on his hand were a few of the .01% of the household germs that the gel did nothing for. And w hen Wiggins scratched his nose later that day, they made his way into his sinuses and then into his lungs, where they found it hospitable and moved in to stay.

Within 18 months, 99.99% of the world's population would be dead.

September 12, 2006

"The Lone Gun #2"

"You want me to kill who?" Elvis asked, voice trembling.

"You heard us." The grey creature had a mouth, but it didn't move. The words just appeared in Elvis' head. "He is going to be here next month. You don't even have to leave town."

"I can't. He means too much?Ä¶ to too many people."

The creature's head shifted. "You cannot disobey. We have given you so much. Do you want us to take it away?"

Tears streaked down the face of the king of rock and roll. "Why me?"

"Because you did such a wonderful job with John Kennedy."

September 18, 2006

"When the Aliens Came"

When the aliens came, we were thrilled. We weren't alone! We waited in anticipation to see what they would teach us.

From the start they asked to meet certain people, like Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford, the new American Idol. The celebs were happy to oblige, but it soon became evident that this was all the aliens wanted.

In the end they left, taking Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey with them. In return, they gave us these things that let you travel five minutes into the future. Some say we got screwed, but I disagree because they haven't been back since.

September 25, 2006

"Opportunity"

Edward was telling how bad it was going to be when the phone rang. They didn't hear at first. Talk of a government investigation, of appearing before a Senate committee, of tough new regulations on the industry, and of jail time did that to a person.

Finally Scott picked up and listened. Then he turned to the others. "Pizza's here."

Edward nodded. "Pay cash for it, will you? And get a receipt."

"Too little, too late," Scott muttered, walking out.

Edward paused, then slowly turned to the others. "All right. Everyone in favor of pinning this on Scott, signify by..."

October 02, 2006

"The Tale of Burton, The Bad Little Moth"

"Hey, watch this!"

In the moonlight, Burton fluttered down from the ceiling and onto the human's pillow. Then, carefully timing the rush of the snores, he beat his wings and plunged into the human's open mouth.

The human woke up choking and gagging. It coughed Burton out and flicked on the light. The others were laughing so hard that the human saw their shadows on the wall.

Soon they lay with crushed wings on a tile floor. And in the last moments before the cat showed up, they all agreed that it was the best thing Burton had ever done.

October 09, 2006

"The Aftermath, or, The End of All Things, or, Mr. Faust, You're Wanted On Line Two, Hollywood Is Calling"

The cynic inside of him was incapable of accepting the fact that everything turned out all right after all of that, but sure enough, that was exactly what happened. The police found the evidence they needed and believed his story. The DA, seeing the whole scope of things, dismissed all charges, and spent her time pursuing the real evil-doers. There was no conspiracy ?Äì it was just a couple of frat boys on a beer drunk, and by the time they got out of prison, they were too glad to get out to think of recrimination. Life was really, truly good.

October 23, 2006

"Eight Minutes and Thirty Seconds"

He told himself that he would wait until the last minute before calling.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on the time it took for the lack of light to reach the satellite watching from inside the orbit of Mercury. The time it took for the satellite to send the message. The fact that this message moved at the same speed as the last warming rays of the sun.

The warning reached Earth thirty-six seconds after the darkness hit. When the flash freeze came, he still had the phone to his ear, waiting for her to pick up on the other end.

October 31, 2006

The Ten Commandments Series

"The First Commandment (A Christmas Story)"

He was reaching for the first stocking when he heard the call.

"Kris!"

Then he saw him, radiant, glowing, carrying a sword with a blade made of blue-white light.

"Michael! What brings you here?"

"It's all over. You've become more important than The Boss."

"No! I never meant that to happen! You know that."

Michael nodded. "But you're a symptom. I have orders to bring you home..."

"Or else?"

"Or else."

He sighed and dropped his sack. "All right, then. But will you indulge me one last mug of cocoa? One last cookie?"

Michael sighed. "For you? Sure."

"Join me?"

December 25, 2006

"The Second Commandment"

Sounds he'd never heard before were coming out of their mouths. It was chaos. Worse yet, they were all leaving, architects, slaves, and hod carriers alike, all dispersing, not by profession, but in a seemingly random manner. Even his number two man started spouting nonsense and eventually wandered off with a water bearer, both jabbering like birds.

Nimrod looked up at the structure, now knowing that it would never be finished, would fall into ruin, and eventually crumble into dust and be forgotten.

"That does it," he told himself. "Next time, I'm not building a tower. I'm making a bomb."

December 18, 2006

"Pareidolia (The Second Commandment)"

Rather than let the Hubble fall in flames over Australia, they strapped it to a booster and shot it out of the solar system, a territory explored only by Voyager.

Twelve years later, it pointed into a part of the universe discovered by its successor ?Äì a dark patch dubbed The Place Where The Lord Hides ?Äì and began to send data.

"Will we finally see the face of God?" they joked.

But the images ultimately raised more questions than they answered. They were of a paint splatter on a fence, a stain on a cathedral wall, a burnt piece of toast?Ä¶

January 15, 2007

"The Third Commandment"

The last thing he remembered was Cleveland. Or Pittsburgh. Now this room, all white, and a single chair he sat in until the door opened.

And then, "I want to show you something," and a screen. Video of scientists looking at computers.

"What's all this?"

"It's North Korea. They're marrying their nuclear capability with their missile technology."

"What's this got to do with me?"

"We want you to stop it."

"Me? I just play the guitar."

"Because of the graffiti we see all over the world."

"What graffiti is that?"

The tap of an impatient foot. "Eric Clapton is God."

November 27, 2006

"The Fifth Commandment"

"So how did you find me?"

"I got your address through the Bureau of Missing Fathers."

"And what happens now that you've found me?"

She found a clear spot on the table and put down her bag, glad to be free of the weight inside. "By all rights, I can kill you."

He nodded. "The Bureau sent me a letter. Is that what you're going to do?"

She shook her head. "Not anymore. Now that you know I exist, it's better that you stay alive."

He sank into his chair. "Very well."

"Want to see a picture of your granddaughter?"

December 04, 2006

"The Sixth Commandment"

The chief asked what the story was.

I looked around the crime scene. "An intruder. The mother walked in to check on her son and saw someone standing over the crib, holding a pillow to the kid's face. She screamed and the guy ran out."

"She get a description this time?"

"The same funny clothes. And she said there was an odd smell in the air. Like ozone."

"That's what, three times in six months?"

"Four," I said. "Someone has it in bad for that kid."

The chief shrugged. "I can't figure it, either. They're such good people, the Hitlers."

November 20, 2006

"The Seventh Commandment"

"Did you tell her about us?"

"No."

"Why not? You promised!"

"I know. But something came up."

"Look, I swore I wouldn't go through this--"

"Calm down. It's not what you think."

"What, is she saying she's pregnant now? I'm tired of your excuses."

"She's not pregnant."

"Then why didn't you tell her?"

"I didn't have to. She ended it."

"She called it off."

"Yes."

"And she's not going to put up a fight?"

"No. "

"You seem pretty sure about that."

"I am. She doesn't even know about you."

"So what happened?"

"She found out about my wife."

November 06, 2006

"The Ninth Commandment"

The woman ranted as she watched her car hemorrhage green radiator fluid onto the asphalt. "My husband is not going to be happy. Not happy at all."

"She ran the light?" the officer asked me.

"Yeah."

"She get that shiner in the accident?"

I looked at her as she raved. The color around her eye was darker than purple, with traces of yellow through it. "I don't think so."

"My husband is going to kill me," the woman said.

"Anything else?"

I took the officer by the shoulder and led him away from the woman. "Cite me instead," I said.

November 13, 2006