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

An Empty Chair and Mushy Peas

April 8, 2025 5 Comments

By Sheridan J. Wilde

I had thought I’d do fried eggs and bacon for tea, but then I discovered I’d already eaten the bacon, and the eggs had gone off days ago.

Before she passed, Sheila always took care of the shopping. She always knew exactly what we did and didn’t need. Now it’s just me—forgetting dates, forgetting meals.

Maybe I’ll go later and get fish and chips with mushy peas.

Chip-shop dinners were always Sheila’s favourite, and she especially loved the mushy peas.

Then again…maybe I’ll skip the mushy peas. They’ll only make the empty chair at the table harder to ignore.

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. Mary Anne Gorman says

    April 8, 2025 at 8:19 am

    Excellent writing capturing the pain of loss.

    Reply
  2. Sue says

    April 9, 2025 at 9:59 am

    Easily captures the loss, the emptiness, the rituals.

    Reply
  3. Sharon Murphy says

    April 9, 2025 at 2:01 pm

    A real sense of loss and how important the little everyday unremarkable things are.

    Reply
  4. Bud Pharo says

    April 10, 2025 at 9:48 am

    Heartbreaking! Excellent piece.

    Reply
  5. Ed Kratz says

    April 10, 2025 at 11:36 am

    Great way to show loss and grief. Moving.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.