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

Stopped Clock

November 11, 2020 8 Comments

By Emma Wilson

Every morning she woke at 5 o’clock. Like clockwork. In the winter months, when the nights were long, she would sit at her kitchen table and sip her tea to pass the long hours until daylight.

This morning, she cupped her tea in her hands, hoping it would warm her. Across the table sat another cup, half-empty, never again to be emptied or refilled.

Her clock had stopped at 5:35. The kitchen clock read 6:22. She was fine. The other her slumped in her chair. The one who was quite dead.

No hurry. She would wait for sunrise.

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. Gia says

    November 11, 2020 at 5:21 am

    Wonderful little story. Gave me goosebumps.

    Reply
  2. Constanée Malik Hemedi says

    November 11, 2020 at 8:14 am

    Melancholy and lonely and beautifully written

    Reply
  3. rena says

    November 11, 2020 at 8:42 am

    beautiful!

    Reply
  4. Cathy Cade says

    November 11, 2020 at 10:38 am

    That was different! Well conceived.

    Reply
  5. David says

    November 11, 2020 at 10:56 am

    Weird and wonderful.

    Reply
  6. Angie says

    November 11, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    Beautiful and evocative. I read it three times. One of my all time favourite stories on here.

    Reply
  7. Jeff Taylor says

    November 11, 2020 at 3:59 pm

    A GREAT REVEAL!

    Reply
  8. Kim Harry-Young says

    November 14, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    Wow, simple but very clever.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.