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101 Word Short Stories

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I Guess I’m Mortal

June 11, 2023 12 Comments

By T. Francis Curran

Jennie was frantic but, at eight, she was frequently frantic. “Did you know about this?”

Since I was ten, she believed I knew things.

I assumed someone had spilled the beans about Santa. “Know about what?” I asked coyly.

“We’re going to die,” she said. “All of us.”

That’s when it hit me. Our grandmother; the old lady in the corner house; Holly, the dog our parents had before us; countless goldfish. Death was everywhere. How had I missed it?

“I, I just never thought about it,” I muttered.

“Never thought about it?” she replied. “You’re ten, you could be next!”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathryn says

    June 11, 2023 at 8:47 am

    Hello,
    Great! Nothing like a siblings to ruin one’s life.

    Reply
  2. Patricia Stott-Prince says

    June 11, 2023 at 11:13 am

    Well done.

    Reply
  3. Derek says

    June 11, 2023 at 12:40 pm

    Nobody ever told me about this. I don’t believe it.

    Reply
  4. David Higham says

    June 14, 2023 at 7:19 am

    Just wonderful.

    Reply
  5. Paulene says

    June 14, 2023 at 7:41 am

    Full to the brim with the awful everyday wonder of truth. Very well done.

    Reply
  6. Robin says

    June 14, 2023 at 7:54 am

    Love this!

    Reply
  7. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    June 14, 2023 at 8:16 am

    Nice to see a child’s take on such a conversation. Perfectly done 🙂

    Reply
  8. Lisa H. Owens says

    June 14, 2023 at 9:12 am

    Being the oldest of four kids, I felt this story to my very core. A realistic scenario told with pizzazz!

    Reply
  9. Geneviève Goggin says

    June 14, 2023 at 9:41 am

    What a fun idea!

    Reply
  10. Ekta R. Garg says

    June 14, 2023 at 11:47 am

    Out of the mouth of babes…!

    Reply
  11. Ruth Mannino says

    June 14, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    I can’t remember how I found out about death, but I’m guessing it went something like this…. Great story!

    Reply
  12. Sandra says

    June 23, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    Words from the wise. Think about it! Love it!

    Reply

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