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

Gravity

January 16, 2023 22 Comments

By Deanna Salser

Nana’s eyelids flutter open. She raises her head.

“I have to go, they’re here for me.”

I look around. Empty room. “Who’s here, Nana?”

She frowns. “Papa and Samuel. Don’t you see them?”

“No one’s there, Nana.”

But she sighs, gazing off into the vacant corner.

Suddenly, she gasps, “Samuel is so young!”

I take her hand, stroke her thumb. “Nana!?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Are you going now?”

She collapses, sinking into the bed, dwindling somehow. I guess so.

“What’s it like?”

Her dimple appears, disappears. “Gravity.”

Her face is exultant. When it relaxes, I watch her light leave with two others.

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. Valli says

    January 16, 2023 at 11:32 am

    Beautifully written… chapeau …

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      Thank you so much! You must know what it means to me for you to say that.

      Reply
  2. Kevin says

    January 16, 2023 at 1:50 pm

    Exquisite piece of writing. Kudos.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      What an amazing compliment! Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Leo says

    January 16, 2023 at 2:14 pm

    Something I would never attempt to write. Truly respect your achievement in doing so.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      You are too kind! Thank you so much!

      Reply
  4. Jim Gunshinan says

    January 16, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    Well done! This reminds me of my mother’s death. You’ve captured it.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      I am so sorry for your loss. I feel it acutely as I lost my own when I was none. Thank you for your words.

      Reply
  5. Bill Tope says

    January 18, 2023 at 7:19 am

    This was an uxultant tale and, although the word is overused, a poignant one.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      Thank you! I love the ten dollar words!

      Reply
  6. Paulene says

    January 18, 2023 at 7:50 am

    Beautiful. Have seen similar. Well expressed.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:33 pm

      Lovely compliments, thank you!

      Reply
  7. Rachel Glowacki says

    January 18, 2023 at 9:35 am

    Wow, you captured loss so deeply in 101. Beautiful.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:33 pm

      I thank you from the bottom of my shriveled writer’s heart.

      Reply
  8. Paul Scott Wood says

    January 18, 2023 at 10:26 am

    Very well written. I have only witnessed one person passing. One moment my dad’s face was in agony, the next it was at peace.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 18, 2023 at 2:34 pm

      And then so was yours. Thank you and I’m so glad I could capture a moment so many seem to have shared.

      Reply
  9. Dee Lorraine says

    January 18, 2023 at 5:51 pm

    Thank you for the beautiful story of the final journey, Deanna.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 26, 2023 at 11:21 am

      Thank you, Dee for your kind words.

      Reply
  10. Doug Jacquier says

    January 18, 2023 at 6:14 pm

    So refreshing to see death written about by someone who is at peace with letting a loved one go.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 26, 2023 at 11:34 am

      Thank you, sir but I don’t know about that kind of peace. I’m too preoccupied with the piece of my heart that each and every soul has taken with them when they went. Those pieces yearn to reunite.

      Reply
  11. Patt says

    January 18, 2023 at 8:07 pm

    Beautiful picture of leave taking. I sometimes wonder who will be there for me.

    Reply
    • Deanna Salser says

      January 26, 2023 at 11:35 am

      Thank you, dear friend. Your words are appreciated, as is the time you took to say them.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.