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

Stranded Sorrow

October 30, 2021 21 Comments

By Stacey Potter

“Is my family coming today?” she asks.

Her blue eyes avoid the beauty of the roses as she’s wheeled around the garden.

“Did my daughter call?” she asks as I massage the swollen joints of her fingers.

Another day of unanswered questions has passed. By the glow of a streetlight, I tuck the cotton blanket around her frail body. The photos on the wall, like the creases in her skin, tell of a life well-lived. From their frames, faces I’ve met smile down. Now she has only us, an ever-changing roster of caregivers and nurses.

“Did my son call?”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

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. Sash says

    October 30, 2021 at 3:59 am

    Awesome story. Hits me close to my heart. How sad but common is this.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:21 pm

      Thank you.
      It’s a sad reality, unfortunately.

      Reply
  2. Helen C says

    October 30, 2021 at 7:04 am

    Hits me too and it is so sad there are so many people suffering like this.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      Thank you for your comment, I’m glad my piece is having an impact. It’s an awful situation that’s far too common.

      Reply
  3. Kevin says

    October 30, 2021 at 7:52 am

    Superbly observed story.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
  4. Mary A Gorman says

    October 30, 2021 at 8:24 am

    Excellent capturing of a familiar scene. I loved the ending with hope “maybe tomorrow”

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:25 pm

      Thank you.
      I’m glad you liked the ending.

      Reply
  5. Julia Tweedy says

    October 30, 2021 at 10:53 am

    As a support worker myself, sad to say this is so true. This hits home and brought tears to my eyes. Superbly told.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      Thank you.
      It was definitely one of the most difficult aspects of the work for me.

      Reply
  6. albertkatz says

    October 30, 2021 at 11:24 am

    Concise, poignant, and all too real. , Well done!

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:26 pm

      Amazing feedback. Thank you!

      Reply
  7. Michael D Brown says

    October 30, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    Awesome. Well-told and prescient.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:27 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
  8. Laura Besley says

    October 30, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    Very sad, but unfortunately a reality for so many.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:29 pm

      It really is. I struggled to witness it as a support worker, I can only imagine the loneliness the residents in these situations must feel.

      Reply
  9. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    October 30, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    Well told and emotional… I experienced this as a therapy worker in my youth… kudos …

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 8:31 pm

      Thank you.
      It’s such a difficult thing to experience, but such a rewarding field of work at the same time.

      Reply
  10. Liz says

    October 30, 2021 at 8:43 pm

    Simple, and sadly true. Well done.

    Reply
    • Stacey says

      October 30, 2021 at 9:44 pm

      Thank you very much.

      Reply
  11. James Kemoli Amata says

    November 4, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    Anxiety at work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.