Win Cash Prizes & Get Professional Feedback @ Flash Fiction Magazine
Learn More
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Volunteer

A Long Time Ending

April 3, 2024 7 Comments

By Robert Porter

“I didn’t think it’d be like this,” she said, voice splintering in the heat. They sat on the sand under a cypress tree as she drank gin straight from the bottle.

His lips cracked as he spoke, “What’d you think?”

“About?”

He nodded toward spiraling columns of steam over the ocean.

“Something more serene, I guess, like turning off the lights after a long day.”

The brilliance pressed them into the ground.

“I’d like that,” he tried to say, reaching for her hand, but the air boiled, the bottle of gin exploded, and the beach turned into a grave of glass.

Share this:

  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

The Power of Imagery with Nina Schuyler

September 12 & 13 on Zoom
Enrollment closes Thursday, September 3 at 7:00 PM Pacific

If your descriptions are vivid but your stories still feel thin, this workshop is for you.

Join award-winning author Nina Schuyler to learn the difference between description, which tells a reader what things look like, and imagery, which carries plot, character, and meaning at the same time.

In just two days, you'll learn to choose images that hold emotion without naming it, pair them so each one deepens the other, and build patterns that gather meaning as the story moves.

Learn More and Enroll

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sheri White says

    April 3, 2024 at 8:23 am

    I love apocalypse stories. This is a really good one.

    Reply
  2. Janet Wilkinson says

    April 3, 2024 at 11:28 am

    What a wonderful image–“The brilliance pressed them into the ground.” Your story is succinct and powerful!

    Reply
  3. Ekta Garg says

    April 3, 2024 at 1:39 pm

    The imagery is excellent. Great job. :>

    Reply
  4. Philonious says

    April 3, 2024 at 3:52 pm

    Love how it reveals an entire story by just showing us an ending.

    Reply
  5. Toni Brayer says

    April 4, 2024 at 12:05 am

    Short and powerful. Well done.

    Reply
  6. Raymond Sloan says

    April 6, 2024 at 12:28 am

    Great story, Robert! Well done.

    Reply
  7. Raymond J Brash says

    April 8, 2024 at 12:16 am

    Great story, Robert. Really hits at the end too.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.