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

Rear-View Mirror

August 14, 2017 8 Comments

By Duff Marshall

Everything was fuck this, fuck that, fuck the other thing.

And when they weren’t cursing, they were texting.

And when they weren’t cursing or texting, they were chattering.

Chattering about songs he would never understand, movies he would never see, and books he would never read.

And when they weren’t cursing, texting or chattering, they were…

Alex had 65 years of accumulated knowledge, stories, and experiences to share, but he held his tongue around them.

Then, after he dropped off the last of the students, he pulled his bus into traffic, choked back his tears, and wished he was young again.

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. Dante A Murray says

    August 14, 2017 at 9:04 am

    Profoundly simple, very touching.

    Reply
  2. Bobby Warner says

    August 14, 2017 at 9:57 am

    Good one, Duff. You described almost perfectly the Generation(s) gap. Excellent!

    Reply
  3. Ariffa says

    August 14, 2017 at 11:26 am

    Excellent! Very well done!

    Reply
  4. Joy Thomas says

    August 14, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Excellent, I know the feeling.

    Reply
  5. Max Puber says

    August 14, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    Nailed it!

    Reply
  6. Duff says

    August 14, 2017 at 8:20 pm

    Thanks, everyone, for your positive feedback. I’m grateful for the encouraging comments.

    Reply
  7. Gaye says

    August 15, 2017 at 9:28 am

    Short, sweet, and straight to the point…I loved this!!

    Reply
  8. Samantha Pilecki says

    August 15, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    Great work. I have a perfect snapshot image of this character!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.