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101 Word Short Stories

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Going Gentle

April 28, 2025 12 Comments

By Marie Anderson

You’re sick, and there’s no cure.

My wrinkled hands cradle your head. I could pray, but to whom? I don’t know if you can believe. I stopped believing decades ago. I do know you like it when I sing, so I murmur a song I wrote just for us: You are the sun who melts the icy hush and lights a sweeter path beyond the rush. You are the sun who warms my climb out from the valley of lonesome time.

The doctor enters. As he slips the needle through your matted fur, you give me a parting gift. You purr.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Mellon says

    April 28, 2025 at 7:55 am

    Crying. I miss my kitties.

    Reply
  2. Mary Gorman says

    April 28, 2025 at 9:43 am

    Wonderful writing great twist at the end.

    Reply
  3. Margaret says

    April 29, 2025 at 10:08 am

    So sweet and beautifully written.

    Reply
  4. Sara Whittleton says

    April 29, 2025 at 11:32 pm

    Love this & how it captures such a truthful & authentic moment of love & loss…also the title!

    Reply
  5. Janet says

    April 30, 2025 at 8:49 am

    Our fur babies are so treasured. So hard to let go of. This piece captures that! Well done

    Reply
  6. PK says

    April 30, 2025 at 10:41 am

    Moving and authentic. The ending is bittersweet and delivers an emotional gut punch.

    Reply
  7. Lisa Hiserodt says

    April 30, 2025 at 2:45 pm

    Brought tears to my eyes.

    Reply
  8. Matt A says

    April 30, 2025 at 3:23 pm

    Great job capturing such a powerful scene in just 101 words!!

    Reply
  9. Charlotte E Bennardo says

    April 30, 2025 at 9:16 pm

    Oh, this hit home. I’ve had to send my kitty over the Rainbow bridge…

    Reply
  10. Dave Barlow says

    May 1, 2025 at 1:37 am

    Nice twist!

    Reply
  11. Anita Jozefiak says

    May 2, 2025 at 6:10 pm

    From the poem Waiting at the Door:

    So please be brave without me,
    one day we’ll meet once more,
    for when you pass the Rainbow Bridge,
    I’ll be Waiting at the Door.

    Reply
  12. Jane Melhuse says

    May 4, 2025 at 8:25 pm

    Short but sweet, captures the experience well. Nothing prepares you for putting down a pet.

    Reply

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