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101 Word Short Stories

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El Rio

February 14, 2022 6 Comments

By Peter Caunt

Grandma is sitting in her chair, staring into the distance. Dad calls to her, but all that she can hear is the past.

I see in her eyes the reflection of better times. Grandad used to have a fishing boat. He would take me out, to learn his skills. He thought that if a man knew how to fish he would never want for food.

But then the fish began to disappear, and the river became a dried-up bed. And we began to lose our thousands of years of the past, and the present became a car full of our belongings.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen C says

    February 14, 2022 at 7:28 am

    Climate change?

    Reply
  2. Joan Reed says

    February 14, 2022 at 7:33 am

    Insightful!

    Reply
  3. albertkatz says

    February 14, 2022 at 7:52 am

    evocative and sad. hints of the “dust bowl” and the great depression of the 20s. Great job

    Reply
  4. Peter Caunt says

    February 15, 2022 at 4:24 am

    This was based on a BBC website piece on the Colorado River which has suffered a drought since 1960 and has become a dry bed when it reaches Mexico.

    Reply
  5. Bob says

    February 16, 2022 at 5:17 pm

    Incredible last line!

    Reply
  6. Doug Jacquier says

    February 23, 2022 at 5:16 pm

    Poignant vignette.

    Reply

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