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

Speechless

November 19, 2021 8 Comments

By J Holmes

This silence is new; one I’ve not heard before. He’s communicating in a different language. Before today, I’ve managed to translate all my husband’s silences. There are so many.

Silence of ignoring.

Muzzled boredom.

Wordless sulking.

Fingered sign language.

And the classic; storming away and feigning a loss of hearing. The deaf threat.

But this morning, I hold up that woman’s slutty message on his phone and I can’t comprehend whether his silence is telling me nothing; or whether it’s telling me everything.

His dogged muteness is echoing around the room, smothering my piercing screams, shattering the silence that I need.

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. Fliss Zakaszewska says

    November 19, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    Well told. I want to get in the character’s head, to speak to her and to find out why she CARES that her bozzo husband is having and affair, why she doesn’t use it to ‘be rid of’.

    Reply
  2. John Holmes says

    November 20, 2021 at 3:26 am

    I was trying to show the ridiculous levels of tolerance some people seem to have.

    Reply
  3. Liz says

    November 20, 2021 at 3:45 am

    Leave the bastard NOW. And without a word….

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      November 20, 2021 at 11:10 am

      Can be arranged…

      Reply
  4. Jen says

    November 24, 2021 at 11:14 am

    Ouch!
    🙂

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      November 24, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      A whispered ‘ouch’. ??

      Reply
  5. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    November 26, 2021 at 7:15 am

    Well written… I think so many women could relate to this…and even men sometimes… well done… kudos …

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      November 26, 2021 at 2:04 pm

      Wrote this about ‘silence’ – after hearing someone’s clear, loud voice.
      Thank you for your comments.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.