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

Letter Unsent

December 6, 2022 14 Comments

By Gary Earl Ross

Dear Dr. Desmond,

Three mentors steered me toward this moment: Dr. Okoro, my headmaster in Lagos, who said, “America.” Dr. Chance, my lit professor, who tempered my scientific thinking with humanity. Finally, you, a biochemist and, like me, a woman of color, who suggested medicine.

Today, after a moment to honor our cadavers, I unzipped a bag to begin my first dissection. The head was covered, but I recognized the half-moon scar on your left forearm. Next quarter, when I unwrap your head, I expect to see a smile. I am grateful to be the last student you teach.

Ayodele Ibazebo

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. Kristie says

    December 6, 2022 at 8:54 am

    Wow. You packed a lot into this tight little package that is very moving. Well done!

    Reply
    • Gary Earl Ross says

      December 6, 2022 at 10:18 am

      Thank you! You’ve made my day.

      Reply
  2. Derek says

    December 6, 2022 at 10:32 am

    This is a twist in the tale. Very good.

    Reply
  3. Coco says

    December 6, 2022 at 12:18 pm

    Neat idea of the last student taught.
    Nicely done!

    Reply
  4. Scott Bogart says

    December 6, 2022 at 2:15 pm

    Great story! I read it twice and it was just as good the second time.

    Reply
  5. Valli says

    December 6, 2022 at 5:27 pm

    Great read… kudos …

    Reply
  6. Yogita says

    December 7, 2022 at 2:06 am

    Awesome! Well done

    Reply
  7. Doug Jacquier says

    December 7, 2022 at 7:05 am

    Impressive. Keep going.

    Reply
  8. Patricia Stott-Prince says

    December 7, 2022 at 9:17 am

    well done!!

    Reply
  9. Gary Earl Ross says

    December 7, 2022 at 10:24 am

    Thank you all! After four Nickel City mystery novels, lately I have been writing short stories about some of the characters in the world of private investigator Gideon Rimes. Dr. Ibazebo is an ER doctor who treated Rimes after a shooting and once was a student of Rimes’s professor emeritus godfather Bobby Chance. It’s nice to know these supporting characters can be the center of their own stories.

    Reply
    • Ruth says

      December 8, 2022 at 2:29 pm

      Your talent shines throughout this short story which made me look up your bio on Amazon. Very impressive to say the least. Your Gideon Rimes Books are on my list of what to read next. Buffalo-born, I can say the city is proud to have such a gifted author and playwright in its midst.

      Reply
  10. Chetana Vaishnavi says

    December 7, 2022 at 10:26 am

    When l had dissected a cadaver several decades ago, my batchmates teased, “Be careful, it will wake up”.
    Your story reminded me of that.
    What a beautiful story!

    Reply
  11. Wendy M says

    December 7, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    Very well written, a great story

    Reply
  12. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    December 8, 2022 at 2:29 am

    The end me shiver a little. Well thought out, well written and poignant too.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.