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101 Word Short Stories

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Omid (A Given Name, Meaning Hope)

July 14, 2024 10 Comments

By Sarah Barnett

We whisper in our secret school, trade ideas, talk of history, art, culture.

Our hair fans free on our shoulders. We giggle. We girls must stick together! We pray Omid will come and things will change.

But the footsteps we hear are not Omid’s.

We sweep our notes under our gowns; hijabs shroud us once more. We swap our pens for needles and thread. Our philosophical debates turn to hollow gossip.

The steps retreat and we huddle in relief, chanting “Omid will come, Omid will come,” as the sun sneaks around the blackened curtain, casting light that can never be dimmed.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dart humeston says

    July 14, 2024 at 7:37 am

    Powerful.

    Reply
  2. Tom says

    July 14, 2024 at 8:29 pm

    This says so much.

    Reply
  3. Mary Anne Gorman says

    July 15, 2024 at 5:50 am

    Wonderful words. The words speak for so many people across the board of life. So well written

    Reply
  4. Greg Nooney says

    July 17, 2024 at 7:32 am

    Excellent, reminds me of Beckett: “Waiting for Godot”

    Reply
  5. Liz Gauffreau says

    July 17, 2024 at 9:16 am

    Excellent story!

    Reply
  6. Ramona Taylor says

    July 17, 2024 at 10:04 am

    Remarkable

    Reply
  7. Clare says

    July 20, 2024 at 7:30 am

    Such a big story in so few words

    Reply
  8. Caroline says

    July 20, 2024 at 7:52 am

    Emotive & powerful words…a perfect insight into a world that is rarely discussed.

    Reply
  9. Shelagh says

    July 20, 2024 at 7:41 pm

    Such a powerful theme expresses in so few words.

    Reply
  10. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    July 27, 2024 at 4:44 am

    Superbly written, with sad but hopeful undertones.

    Reply

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