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101 Word Short Stories

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Out of the Bag

June 18, 2025 6 Comments

By Judith Owa

The cat escaped from the bag.

Zay’s eyes follow its black tail as it swipes, knocks, and sends things crashing. It pauses as it comes across a ceramic figurine that her husband had given her for their first anniversary. It lifts its head to look at her—mocking—before sending it, too, to the ground. Zay stares at the broken pieces—a metaphor for her marriage—unable to stop the cat as she remains suppressed by the truth of her infidelity.

She can only wonder how much more of her life it will destroy before sneaking back into its damn bag.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon Murphy says

    June 18, 2025 at 7:17 am

    Love this. Great use of a metaphor. Really clever writing.

    Reply
  2. Kathy Carroll says

    June 18, 2025 at 9:36 am

    Very original story! Love how the cat looks at her before knocking over the figurine—so true! How do they always know? Thanks for this terrific read!

    Reply
  3. Ed Kratz says

    June 18, 2025 at 10:25 am

    Great metaphor. Excellent use of 101 words,

    Reply
  4. Christy Granger says

    June 18, 2025 at 11:27 am

    I really like the cat in this. I think everyone has had a cat like that one!

    Reply
  5. Janet says

    June 18, 2025 at 12:55 pm

    Such a great use of a metaphor and of cat-like behaviors!! Well done

    Reply
  6. Olena says

    June 19, 2025 at 6:48 am

    “back into its damn bag”.
    A great metaphor.

    Reply

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