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101 Word Short Stories

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Fragile Symphony

February 5, 2021 5 Comments

By Yash

The bodies bobbed in the water with a raft drifting nearby, hundreds of people from the RMS Symphony struck down by Nakajima corporation Baka bombs. In the debris floating off the stern can be seen a head with curls and a hand with a toy gun. Just head and a hand. It was a tough night in the South Pacific, the bodies knocked together by the waves. They were taken to a ship’s lobby and dumped in a pile, dumped as if they were never alive. When morning arrived, the water was clotted like stewed raspberries, but the waves had calmed.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carol says

    February 5, 2021 at 7:31 am

    heartbreakingly brilliant!

    Reply
  2. David Daniel says

    February 5, 2021 at 9:47 am

    Very potent and painful description.

    Reply
  3. Cassandra Cassandra Hamilton says

    February 7, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    Several vivid images in this flash piece! This phrase intrigues me: “water … clotted like stewed raspberries”. I like how it rolls off the tongue. …Since the bodies were moved to a ship, I assume this water is seaweed. I also wonder if therein floats bits of a ship wreckage (like seeds remaining in compote). I’m curious about the identity of the “they” that moved the bodies. … I enjoyed sitting with this piece. I feel I read about a historic event.

    Reply
    • Yash Kumar says

      March 10, 2024 at 11:25 pm

      Hey Cassandra l, maybe it’s a bit late. But I’ve made an animated anthology short film based on this piece. You can know about the grey men more through this short. The anthology is titled “On the Edge of Transcendence.” Check it and here: –

      https://youtu.be/Cx3XLH54Cp4?si=rGXZtHHspdJtOUDN

      Reply
  4. Lydia Quattrochi says

    February 12, 2021 at 9:27 pm

    Goodness gracious

    Reply

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