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101 Word Short Stories

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A Teddy Bear in Gaza

July 7, 2024 10 Comments

By Faiqa Ali Chughtai

Amidst the debris and devastation, a famine-stricken man was tirelessly digging through the rubble, ploughing with his bare hands, desperately searching for his child, calling out his son’s name but meeting with silence. Yet, he clung to hope, knowing there can be three types of unresponsive children: mischievous, asleep, and deceased. He preferred to believe that his son was among the mischievous ones.

He unearthed a lone teddy bear, its posture askew. He remembered it belonged to his son. He pressed its belly, longing for a sound, only to be met by silence. Perhaps it was another casualty of the tragedy.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue DiStefano says

    July 9, 2024 at 6:46 pm

    Tragedy in the form of a teddy bear. There are too many teddy bears. Poignant and moving.

    Reply
  2. Bud says

    July 10, 2024 at 11:02 am

    A very tragic story very well told.

    Reply
  3. Toni Brayer says

    July 10, 2024 at 1:02 pm

    Packed with meaning and pathos. So good.

    Reply
  4. Shan says

    July 11, 2024 at 8:49 am

    So beautiful and tragic. Breaks my heart

    Reply
  5. Shaaf says

    July 11, 2024 at 10:04 am

    ??

    Reply
  6. Shaaf says

    July 11, 2024 at 10:04 am

    Heartbreaking

    Reply
  7. Minnal says

    July 11, 2024 at 1:41 pm

    What a beautifully narrated storyyy

    Reply
  8. Reemal says

    July 15, 2024 at 1:33 am

    Heart wrenching scenes from Gaza..

    Reply
  9. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    July 27, 2024 at 5:00 am

    Even the title is capable of invoking sadness. A hard hitting read.

    Reply
  10. David Berger says

    July 29, 2024 at 4:43 pm

    There are at least 20,000 stories like this in Gaza.

    Reply

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