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101 Word Short Stories

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Morning Routine

July 14, 2025 3 Comments

By S. Janaki

Dina stirred her coffee with a screwdriver. All the spoons went missing weeks ago. The generator hummed, powering the fridge just enough to keep the milk cool-ish.

Outside, groaning drifted in like wind through cracked boards. She glanced at the window. Larry, her old mailman, was bumping into the fence again. She waved out of habit. He moaned in response.

The toaster popped. Burnt. She scraped the edges with a knife and sat down, breakfast balanced on her knees, shotgun leaning nearby.

Tomorrow was laundry day. Maybe. If the creek wasn’t bloody again.

She sipped the coffee.

“Needs sugar,” she muttered.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura Amey says

    July 15, 2025 at 6:08 am

    I love this one. It’s so well written.

    Reply
  2. David says

    July 19, 2025 at 6:49 am

    An intriguing snapshot of wider sinister goings-on. I can’t decide whether I’m happy with the snippet or desperate to know more. Either way, I enjoyed reading it.

    Reply
  3. Lisa H. Owens says

    August 13, 2025 at 8:12 am

    Who doesn’t love a quick zombie fix? I laughed at the mailman bit!

    Reply

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