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101 Word Short Stories

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Subsidence

August 20, 2025 2 Comments

By Sebastian Maguire

The cracks in the wall came before the odd bunching of the shag carpet. I did not say anything. It would not have mattered. My imagination often followed the cracks to their natural conclusion, deep in the earth’s crust.

By the time my parents noticed, we were all living in a “complete loss,” according to the inspector. Our evacuation was on the six o’clock news. Our neighbors stared in horror.

Long after, my mind continued to travel down those cracks to the hollowed-out space that had swallowed our home.  We had been living unaware of what our dreams were built on.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Raine D says

    August 20, 2025 at 8:12 pm

    This is good, thoughtful and clever and lovely language.

    Reply
    • Sebastian M says

      August 21, 2025 at 12:38 am

      Thanks!

      Reply

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