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101 Word Short Stories

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Family Traditions

February 4, 2025 9 Comments

By Thomas Williams

The surgeon hadn’t been thinking about the task at hand. His mind was wandering as he took up his position beside the table.

The older surgeon passed him the knife with a wink.

“Thanks, Dad,” he replied.

The others in the room smiled at the interaction and watched on in silent anticipation.

The surgeon’s movements were automatic and deliberate but performed without focus. He didn’t need to concentrate. He had done this plenty of times before.

“Did you use your grandmother’s recipe for the gravy?” his mother asked.

“Of course,” responded the surgeon. “We couldn’t have a Christmas turkey without it.”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary says

    February 4, 2025 at 6:58 am

    Wonderful twist I was beginning to get worried…Wonderful writing

    Reply
    • Kelly Louisa Balliu says

      February 10, 2025 at 3:47 pm

      Me too! I was thinking about the unfortunate victim (!) Great story 😉

      Reply
  2. Tom says

    February 4, 2025 at 6:32 pm

    Neat story with a fun twist.

    Reply
  3. Janet says

    February 5, 2025 at 8:38 am

    Haha. Phew!!!

    Reply
  4. PK says

    February 5, 2025 at 9:18 am

    Cleverly crafted. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Lon Richardson says

    February 5, 2025 at 11:46 am

    I agree with everyone — nice suspense, great twist … wouldn’t have worked as well if they had been plumbers…

    Reply
  6. Ed Kratz says

    February 5, 2025 at 8:56 pm

    Great twist. Had me nervous.

    Reply
  7. Ben Dover says

    February 6, 2025 at 10:14 am

    At first i read “surgeon” as “sperm”! whoops! poem made a lot more sense after i realised…

    Reply
  8. Pat R. says

    February 6, 2025 at 12:30 pm

    Entertaining, fun read!

    Reply

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