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

Comeuppance

October 19, 2022 14 Comments

By Priya Gill

Zofia put on gloves as KGB General Ivanov entered her salon with his fifteen-year-old daughter. Ivanov’s reign of terror had brutalized Krakow’s citizens. Zofia recalled his laughter after he’d killed her husband and their twelve-year-old son.

“Olga wants her ears pierced.” Ivanov touched his daughter’s hair.

Zofia picked up a needle from the dresser. “Honored.”

She dipped the needle in a liquid. “To stop the pain.”

“Good woman.” Ivanov smiled.

Zofia pierced Olga’s ears and cleaned the surrounding skin with the same liquid.

Ivanov screamed as Olga convulsed and collapsed with a final breath.

Sarin, the nerve blocker, was swift, reliable.

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. Kevin says

    October 19, 2022 at 8:11 am

    Revenge is indeed a dish served cold, as this story wonderfully illustrates. Kudos.

    Reply
    • Joanie says

      October 19, 2022 at 8:41 am

      Comeuppance indeed! Raw revenge written in a few words but with a heavy punch. Well done!

      Reply
  2. Chetana Vaishnavi says

    October 19, 2022 at 8:55 am

    Very nicely written. The pain for revenge is evident

    Reply
  3. Yogita says

    October 19, 2022 at 9:16 am

    Well done..

    Reply
  4. Scott Bogart says

    October 19, 2022 at 10:25 am

    Great from beginning to end. Congrats !

    Reply
  5. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    October 19, 2022 at 11:15 am

    Congrats… Sweet revenge… Kudos…

    Reply
  6. Jennifer J. says

    October 19, 2022 at 12:04 pm

    Great story!

    Reply
  7. Michele Montgomery says

    October 19, 2022 at 1:09 pm

    Engaging story! Loved it.

    Reply
  8. Doug Jacquier says

    October 19, 2022 at 1:59 pm

    Killing an innocent 15-year-old girl for revenge is the rinse-and-repeat cycle that perpetuates savagery for eternity.

    Reply
  9. Sydney Clark says

    October 19, 2022 at 2:28 pm

    Taut and engaging. We’ll done!

    Reply
  10. Robin Dawson says

    October 19, 2022 at 4:10 pm

    Awesome Lady!

    Reply
  11. James R. Coffey says

    October 20, 2022 at 8:02 am

    Nicely dark!

    Reply
  12. Gabi Coatsworth says

    October 20, 2022 at 11:34 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
  13. Liz says

    October 21, 2022 at 2:23 am

    Revenge may be sweet. But Ivanov’s won’t be.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.