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101 Word Short Stories

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Girl on the Edge

October 15, 2021 14 Comments

By Jeffrey M. Dean

Sara stood atop the abandoned railroad under a blood moon—the beginning of the end of times. She steadied herself on the brick parapet, gazed into a dark fall sky dotted only with Gemini’s brightest stars. They didn’t shine bright to her. She saw slight points of light struggling to exist against the surrounding emptiness, an emptiness so deep a surging river wouldn’t fill it. She was done trying to adjust. She had never been able to anyway. The street receded into the mist. Cars crept like mice in the street lamps’ hazy glow. She wondered if she would hit one.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. HelenZ says

    October 15, 2021 at 7:14 am

    So well written. I could see the scene and feel Sara’s anguish.

    Reply
    • Jeffrey M. Dean says

      October 15, 2021 at 10:23 am

      Thanks for reading, Helen!

      Reply
  2. Helen C says

    October 15, 2021 at 7:43 am

    Conveys so much in so few words!

    Reply
    • Jeffrey M. Dean says

      October 15, 2021 at 10:24 am

      Thanks, Helen. Not sure if you write, but my goodness it is difficult to trim to 101 words!

      Reply
  3. Coco says

    October 15, 2021 at 9:08 am

    Poignant. Sara’s isolation really comes through in the descriptions.

    Nicely done!

    Reply
    • Jeffrey M. Dean says

      October 15, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Thanks, Coco!

      Reply
  4. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    October 15, 2021 at 10:10 am

    Excellent read … Sara’s emotions very vividly expressed… well done…

    Reply
    • Jeffrey M. Dean says

      October 15, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Thank you, Valli!

      Reply
  5. Maxwell Roberts says

    October 15, 2021 at 10:41 am

    Wow, Jeffrey, well done. The isolation and anguish come through strongly and clearly.

    Reply
    • Jeffrey M. Dean says

      October 15, 2021 at 10:41 am

      Thanks, Maxwell!

      Reply
  6. Dhananjay Bapat says

    October 15, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    Simple yet powerful narrative, so succinctly capturing the turmoil in a troubled mind! Haunting piece, Jeffrey!!

    Reply
  7. DeRicki says

    October 17, 2021 at 11:51 am

    Poignant and vivid, Jeffrey. Great write!

    Reply
  8. Deanna Salser says

    October 18, 2021 at 12:56 pm

    Finally, something that starts, continues, and ends. Nicely done.

    Reply
  9. Richard Temple says

    October 20, 2021 at 10:57 am

    Very very powerful. It was clear where it was going, but that last line still packs a punch with it’s shockingly offhand and human realism.

    Reply

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