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101 Word Short Stories

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Ignominious

October 13, 2021 11 Comments

By Ran Walker

Jayson had learned the word in school. One of the week’s ten vocabulary words. Mr. Wallace had told him if he used it three times, it would forever be his.

He started by using it to describe his aunt’s behavior, since she had gotten drunk at his cousin’s wedding reception and passed out.

Then he used it to describe the former mayor’s arrest in an FBI prostitution ring sting.

By the time he had begun to enumerate the transgressions of his pastor at Great Mount Olive Church, everyone began to fear what Jayson’s growing vocabulary would mean for them, as well.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dlherrmann says

    October 13, 2021 at 7:07 am

    Very nice. Knowledge can be a dangerous thing – especially what you don’t want anyone else to know.

    Reply
  2. Helen C says

    October 13, 2021 at 7:11 am

    Very interesting story with lots of nuance!

    Reply
  3. Charlotte says

    October 13, 2021 at 8:47 am

    This is a clever story! With a limited word count you really use the title to your advantage and convert so much meaning in so free sentences. This piece captures many ideas at once including the power of knowledge, as mentioned in another comment, and the way children gain knowledge and make the adults wonder: “what will he do with it?”
    Love this.

    Reply
  4. Ruth Mannino says

    October 13, 2021 at 11:09 am

    Great beginning, middle and end! I have to admit I had to look up ignominious!

    Reply
  5. Indra Raj Pathak says

    October 13, 2021 at 11:58 am

    Quite interesting to read and reflect. It proves- brevity is wisdom.

    Reply
  6. Derek says

    October 13, 2021 at 1:53 pm

    Great stuff. Knowledge really is power. I mean who hasn’t got an ignominious aunt and how many politicians could be called ignominious. (Possibly all of them?)

    Reply
  7. Kim Taylor Clark says

    October 13, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    Excellent! Very clever and made me laugh!

    Reply
  8. Meg says

    October 13, 2021 at 4:29 pm

    This is very clever. Deceptively simple yet the story succinctly conveys so much information and commentary on society.

    Reply
  9. Liz says

    October 14, 2021 at 2:28 am

    Clever child – clever writer!

    Reply
  10. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    October 14, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Great little tale which expresses so much with so little… chapeau…

    Reply
  11. Thompson Emate says

    October 17, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    Wow! I love this story. It’s a hilarious one.

    Reply

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