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

Escape

August 9, 2022 13 Comments

By M. E. Alberti

My husband apologized many times, but the swollen eyes and bruises on my stomach kept coming. He laughed at the idea of counseling. I waited for the day that light would shine through the dark clouds as a burst of courage to run away. That day arrived under the naked bulb of a gas station bathroom. I was pregnant. Joy inflamed my body; then it was damped by fear. Will he harm the baby?

~

One night I put sleeping tablets in his booze, my smile sweeter than normal. Flames danced across the rooftop as I drove back to my hotel room.

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. jake says

    August 9, 2022 at 3:49 am

    Congrats! Captured a life-time in a few words, which isn’t easy. And also a hopeful ending.

    Reply
    • Tom Alberti says

      August 9, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  2. Richard Temple says

    August 10, 2022 at 9:26 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
    • Tom Alberti says

      August 10, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  3. Chetana Vaishnavi says

    August 10, 2022 at 10:24 am

    Simply wonderful

    Reply
    • Tom Alberti says

      August 10, 2022 at 1:16 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
  4. Gary Earl Ross says

    August 10, 2022 at 10:57 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
    • Tom Alberti says

      August 10, 2022 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Tom Alberti says

        August 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

        Thank you

        Reply
  5. Ekta Garg says

    August 14, 2022 at 4:13 pm

    So glad she got away!

    Reply
  6. Corey says

    August 14, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    Quite the dark story for what happens way too often in reality. Justice is served

    Reply
  7. Pam says

    August 18, 2022 at 11:07 pm

    Excellent.

    Reply
  8. Justin Teopista Nagundi says

    August 23, 2022 at 10:07 am

    Flames danced. They were as joyful as she was.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.