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

Al Dente

July 20, 2023 10 Comments

By Marijean Oldham

Marta stood still and waited for the water to boil in the pot on the stove and thought of Glenn Close and the rabbit, of the pasta in the blue box on the counter that needed to be cooked al dente, and of her desire to plunge her hand into the pot and hold it there as long as she could, to feel the pain and to watch the skin peel away from the flesh. To cook herself until her husband walked in the door, late, when he’d say, “Yum! What smells so good?”, ready to lie about where he’d been.

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

Dialogue That Zings with Laura Besley - November 7 & 8

Learn dialogue from every angle, from giving each character a distinct voice to avoiding info dumps and knowing when to cut a tag.

Learn More and Enroll

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tim Goldstone says

    July 20, 2023 at 8:30 am

    Concise and powerful writing.

    Reply
  2. Betty Joyce Nash says

    July 20, 2023 at 9:23 am

    My skin is crawling!! Yikes, this is “well done!”

    Reply
  3. Joanna says

    July 20, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    Great story!

    Reply
  4. Sarah Holloway says

    July 21, 2023 at 9:38 am

    So much power in this one! Love it!

    Reply
  5. R. Bishop says

    July 22, 2023 at 7:18 am

    outstanding writing and twist

    Reply
  6. Geneviève Goggin says

    July 22, 2023 at 11:23 am

    Wow, this is amazing! It catapulted me to the end.

    Reply
  7. Julie says

    July 25, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    Wonderful!

    Reply
  8. Toni Brayer says

    July 26, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    Very effective style. Loved it

    Reply
  9. Alan Moskowitz says

    July 26, 2023 at 7:36 pm

    Really good.

    Reply
  10. Richard Mansbach says

    July 31, 2023 at 2:54 pm

    Powerful imagery and ending. Well done.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.