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

Mother Love

April 3, 2016 7 Comments

Mother Love

By Alyson Faye

Edward suspects his Mama is mad. Every afternoon they withdraw to the parlour overlooking the garden—Edward shoulder to shoulder with the pianoforte—as they jostle next to chairs arrayed for guests. No one presents calling cards at our door anymore. Papa has left for the City ‘on business.’ The servants, departed.

Mama sits, gazing at my baby brother, Ernest. “Do you think he looks a little pallid today?”

I nod sagely, “Yes, Mama. A little.”

Mama reaches over with her rouge to rub more colour into Ernest’s flaccid cheeks.

The vicar is still striving to give him a Christian burial.

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. Grady Manus says

    April 3, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Excellent.

    Reply
  2. John La Briola says

    April 3, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Victorian goth. Me likey.

    Reply
  3. Vesna McMaster says

    April 3, 2016 at 12:54 pm

    Tee hee! Brrrr…. Good one 😉

    Reply
  4. Bobby Warner says

    April 3, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    Good, creepy atmosphere made even creepier ending by that (gulp!) ending! Liked it.

    Reply
  5. Deborah Cunningham says

    April 4, 2016 at 12:12 am

    It ended too soon, I wanted more of it….its gets you interested immediately. Very good.

    Reply
  6. Nicky says

    April 4, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    You always have great twist to the end!

    Reply
  7. Robin says

    April 8, 2016 at 10:46 am

    It was fab. A shame it took a few minutes to read. Bring on more alyson

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.