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101 Word Short Stories

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Final Transmission

November 3, 2021 16 Comments

By David Lowis

Neil sat down at his monitor at NASA headquarters and eagerly opened the latest image sent by the Mars rover, Perseverance. The planet’s surface, littered with red rock, came into focus. In the distance loomed the hazy rim of the Jezero Crater. He never tired of gazing at the stark scene.

Then, something made Neil’s heart race. Standing near a clump of rocks, about a hundred meters from Perseverance, stood a shadowy, faceless shape. With bulging head and wispy limbs it looked almost human. Neil leaned in close, unaware that he was looking at the last image the rover would transmit.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Divya says

    November 3, 2021 at 7:11 am

    He never got tired…

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 8:15 am

      Thanks for commenting, Divya. ‘Never tired of’ is grammatically correct, to the best of my knowledge.

      Reply
      • Liz says

        November 11, 2021 at 2:53 pm

        yes, nothing wrong with ‘never tired of’ 🙂

        Reply
    • James Kemoli Amata says

      November 4, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Another way of saying the same thing.

      Reply
  2. Helen C says

    November 3, 2021 at 7:26 am

    With the main character being named Neil – I thought at first it was going to be something about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. It’s a brilliant flash in so few words!

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 8:16 am

      Yes, I was thinking Neil might be an appropriate name for someone who works at NASA. Thanks so much for your comment.

      Reply
  3. DeRicki says

    November 3, 2021 at 8:08 am

    Love this. So much story in so few words!

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Thanks for reading and commenting, DeRicki. I really appreciate it.

      Reply
  4. Derek McMillan says

    November 3, 2021 at 10:28 am

    I have always enjoyed Sci Fi stories and this one tells the story with an economy of words. Good work.

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 8:18 am

      Thanks, Derek, glad you enjoyed the story.

      Reply
  5. Melanie says

    November 3, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    Great story! Love the twist in th last line. Well done!

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 8:19 am

      Thanks very much for reading and commenting, Melanie.

      Reply
  6. Fliss Zakaszewska says

    November 4, 2021 at 10:11 am

    Nice, gentle start, it got you at the end. Great story, well told.

    Reply
    • David says

      November 4, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Thanks Fliss, I appreciate the comment.

      Reply
  7. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    November 5, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    A nice little tale… great imagery … the twist ending works well… kudos …

    Reply
    • David says

      November 6, 2021 at 6:54 am

      Thanks Valli. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.

      Reply

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