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101 Word Short Stories

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I Am Maria

August 7, 2025 2 Comments

By Mark Ifanson

I focus on knowing I am Maria. Her thoughts, her memories, her feelings, her body, her history. All mine. But as I stare at my reflection in the store window, I see only a distorted image in the broad outline of me.

The longer I stare, the more distorted my face becomes. My eyes retreat into dark orifices, my nose migrates to my forehead, slightly rotated. Lips a grotesque grimace. When I pull back my hair, I can see my ears elongate, the lobes hanging to my chin. My face undulates slowly, in time with my breathing.

But, I am Maria.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa H. Owens says

    August 13, 2025 at 7:35 am

    I love the first line. It tells the whole story. Nice work!

    Reply
  2. Sharon Murphy says

    August 14, 2025 at 6:25 pm

    So human and so sad. Moving!

    Reply

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