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

Father Doesn’t Know Best

March 4, 2025 18 Comments

By Bud Pharo

As a divorced, overcompensating father, I bought my kids something they’ve always wanted—a hippopotamus. Here’s what I didn’t know:

Hippos kill more humans than any other land mammal, so don’t piss them off.

They’re more territorial than your in-laws. Once they’re in your house, good luck getting them out. And like your in-laws, hippos talk continuously—using honks, growls, and squeaks—making movie night extremely annoying. But unlike your in-laws (hopefully), hippos fling feces to mark their territory.

Hippos only mate every two years—about the same as me now that I’m living with a shit-tossing hippo with anger issues.

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. Jan says

    March 4, 2025 at 9:51 am

    So funny! So original! (I especially loved your hopefully in parentheses.)

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 4, 2025 at 12:42 pm

      Hi Jan,

      Thank you for reading.

      Bud

      Reply
  2. Shoshauna says

    March 4, 2025 at 10:27 am

    Love this lightheartedness!

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 4, 2025 at 12:40 pm

      Hi Shoshauna,

      I’m you liked it.

      Bud

      Reply
  3. Ed Kratz says

    March 5, 2025 at 7:47 am

    Lived it too. Great unique humor.

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 5, 2025 at 9:45 pm

      Thanks Ed.

      Reply
  4. David Henson says

    March 5, 2025 at 8:55 am

    Witty and imaginative. I hear rhinoceroses are even worse house guests!

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 5, 2025 at 9:52 pm

      Thanks! Yes, I suspect rhinos are also bad house guests; something to do with being perpetually horny.

      Reply
  5. Janet says

    March 5, 2025 at 10:55 am

    This is hilarious! Thanks

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 5, 2025 at 9:43 pm

      Glad you liked it.

      Reply
  6. V. says

    March 5, 2025 at 11:40 am

    Hilarious! Well done!

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 5, 2025 at 9:42 pm

      Thank you for reading my story.

      Reply
  7. Tamm Walters says

    March 5, 2025 at 4:04 pm

    That opening line is killer–and the story just keeps getting better from there! Love this!

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 5, 2025 at 9:42 pm

      Hi Tamm,

      I appreciate the kind words.

      Bud

      Reply
  8. Jo Gatenby says

    March 6, 2025 at 6:10 pm

    Very funny… and I have a hippo in the book I’m working on, so you just saved me some research on reasons not to want one, LOL.

    Reply
    • Bud says

      March 6, 2025 at 6:22 pm

      Jo,
      Glad to be of assistance.
      Bud

      Reply
  9. A.M. McKnight says

    March 7, 2025 at 8:51 pm

    Very funny. Well done!

    Reply
  10. Sue says

    March 9, 2025 at 8:47 pm

    Thank you for the smiles.
    Love the humor here.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.