• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Volunteer

Shut In

April 19, 2023 18 Comments

Share56
Tweet
Email
More
56 Shares

Beth lay in bed looking out the window, listening to Mr. and Mrs. Miller arguing in the house across the street. Suddenly she heard a scream and saw a spray of red splash across their curtains.

A short time later, she watched Mr. Miller drag a large bag outside, haul it into his trunk, and then drive off.

Beth’s heart raced, but her hands lay unmoving at her side.

“Poor Ted,” her mom said days later as she cleaned Beth’s feeding tube. “He’s put flyers everywhere.”

Beth’s eyes flickered repeatedly toward the window.

“Sorry, Beth, I can’t take you outside now.”

By Jessica Brook Johnson

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nic Nanceki says

    April 19, 2023 at 7:29 am

    Three stories are embedded in these few words. If it was a movie trailer, I would be putting it on my “watch” list. Excellent!

    Reply
  2. Alan Moskowitz says

    April 19, 2023 at 7:31 am

    Well done.

    Reply
  3. Laura Besley says

    April 19, 2023 at 8:20 am

    This is very cleverly done!

    Reply
  4. Cathryn says

    April 19, 2023 at 9:01 am

    Hello Jessica,
    Well done; a flash adaptation of the movie Rear Window.

    Reply
  5. Jessica Johnson says

    April 19, 2023 at 9:34 am

    Thank you, everyone, for the kind comments. Much appreciated.

    Reply
  6. Dee Lorraine says

    April 19, 2023 at 11:33 am

    Catherine, I thought the same thing before reading the comments. Excellent execution, Jessica!

    Reply
  7. Mike King says

    April 19, 2023 at 11:34 am

    Wow!

    Reply
  8. Coco says

    April 19, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    Powerful and scary.
    At first I thought the title was lame, but after reading the story I see the double meaning of that title. Nicely done!

    Reply
  9. Rudolph Ferro says

    April 19, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    Scarily screaming for attention from Dick Tracy. I loved the fast paced building momentum ’till the unexpected conclusion. Oh, how I felt sorry for Beth…):

    Reply
  10. Ruth says

    April 19, 2023 at 2:35 pm

    Excellent! “Beth’s eyes flickered repeatedly toward the window.” I could feel Beth’s frustration!

    Reply
  11. Jim Hannon says

    April 19, 2023 at 3:44 pm

    So good! Thanks for writing.

    Reply
  12. Ekta R. Garg says

    April 19, 2023 at 6:04 pm

    Fantastic! Love the twist ending! Well done.

    Reply
  13. Tom Baldwin says

    April 19, 2023 at 9:42 pm

    I can hardly believe how much you have crammed into 101 words. Fantastic story.

    Reply
  14. Marie says

    April 19, 2023 at 10:15 pm

    Well done!

    Reply
  15. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    April 20, 2023 at 2:41 am

    Makes you squirm when you think of how powerless Beth must feel inside. It would make a great crime thriller, and I agree, it’s like a couple of stories in one. Well done 🙂

    Reply
  16. Pamela Cartlidge says

    April 21, 2023 at 7:06 am

    Well put together

    Reply
  17. Bud says

    April 21, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    Nicely done! Shades of Rear Window.

    Reply
  18. Irene Bailey says

    August 21, 2023 at 10:58 pm

    SO CREATIVE!! A full story, but with an economy of line.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.