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101 Word Short Stories

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Shaping Lives: A Circle Within a Square

March 9, 2026 6 Comments

By Rooth

I was a lone circle in a world of squares. As a curious child, I resisted the monochrome lines and dark corners, hinged by perpendiculars.

My imagination twirled in delight, spiralling to the endless heavens. There were giraffe prints in the snowbanks. Empires built by ants. When I was jeered, I joined black bears hibernating in their den, then wriggled like an earthworm under the verandah.

Sixty years later, I reach through rigid walls to fan an ember, faded like a forgotten word in my lexicon. A tiny opening reveals seeds of possibility, miracles even, waiting to be watered once again.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nina Miller says

    March 11, 2026 at 7:29 am

    Wonderful! Curiosity and life’s spark have a way of finding us at any age!

    Reply
    • Ruth Rosenhek says

      March 12, 2026 at 5:14 am

      thankfully yes, we can keep growing and healing into our later years.

      Reply
  2. Janet says

    March 11, 2026 at 9:46 am

    Loved the words “dark corners, hinged by perpendiculars”.
    So glad to hear the round peg is ready to bloom once more

    Reply
    • Ruth Rosenhek says

      March 12, 2026 at 5:14 am

      thank you. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ramona Taylor says

    March 11, 2026 at 1:36 pm

    Beautifully worded. Grow those seed in the sunlight.

    Reply
  4. Ruth Rosenhek says

    March 12, 2026 at 5:15 am

    Will do. Thank you.

    Reply

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