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101 Word Short Stories

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March 22, 2024 6 Comments

By Loretta Bigg

One small mistake.

At my Catholic school, standing near the vending machine, is me. 1964. Grade One and proud of my shiny shoes.

Three braided older girls with turned-up skirts and acne. Their leader pinches me, pushes.

“Pick the right one or we’ll scuff those pumps! Who do you love best: Paul, John, George, or Ringo?”

“I’ve never heard of Saint Ringo. Was he a martyr?”

“A what?”

Their leader steps hard on my favorite foot. I cry and whine. They smirk. I lose.

I forgot what happened next, except for some inexplicable reason I have intensely disliked Beetles ever since.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stella says

    March 22, 2024 at 7:35 am

    Love this! Well done
    (Sorry I have to say it’s The Beatles not beetles. I much preferred The Rolling Stones!) ?

    Reply
    • Stella says

      March 22, 2024 at 7:36 am

      Whoops maybe it should be beetles meaning the insects.

      Reply
    • Louise says

      March 27, 2024 at 10:27 am

      it is a joke because she doesn’t like the bugs. 🙂

      Reply
  2. viperguy says

    March 23, 2024 at 10:47 pm

    Clever! Great ending–did not see it coming. Well done.

    Reply
  3. Janet Wilkinson says

    March 27, 2024 at 1:32 pm

    Wonderful how succinctly you capture the reality of bullying. The narrator’s matter-of -fact recounting of the incident–“I cry and whine. They smirk. I lose.”–rings so true. I love that the leader steps on the narrator’s “favorite foot”!

    Reply
  4. Pat R. says

    March 27, 2024 at 3:13 pm

    Very clever! Well done!

    Reply

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