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101 Word Short Stories

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December 11, 2021 12 Comments

By Richard Otterwell

She was an actor and he was a horn player in a jazz band. He was home early. It was supposed to have been an all-night jam session, but the trombonist was sick. To avoid waking her, he crept silently up the stairs using the old cat burglars’ trick of keeping to the sides. At the bedroom door he heard a man’s voice murmuring incoherently—and her tender response.

He descended the stairs, let himself out the front door and into the night.

Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, she continued her script-reading Zoom session in preparation for her next part.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Helen C says

    December 11, 2021 at 9:17 am

    Such a lovely twist

    Reply
  2. Coco says

    December 11, 2021 at 10:03 am

    Great unexpected ending.

    Nicely done!

    Reply
  3. Nan says

    December 11, 2021 at 10:09 am

    A good reminder that things aren’t always what they seem.

    Reply
  4. Meghashri Dalvi says

    December 11, 2021 at 10:44 am

    Great story!

    Reply
  5. Michael Slagle says

    December 11, 2021 at 11:35 am

    Brilliant!

    Reply
  6. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    December 11, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    Loved it… well written and a great ending… kudos…

    Reply
  7. Kathy Carroll says

    December 11, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    Terrific story! Nice twist and use of setting.

    Reply
  8. Liz says

    December 12, 2021 at 7:45 am

    Oh! Oh…..then what?
    Splendid twist.

    Reply
  9. Richard Otterwell says

    December 14, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    Thanks for all those comments.

    Reply
  10. Susan Conrad says

    December 15, 2021 at 7:35 am

    This made me smile

    Reply
  11. Ekta Garg says

    December 15, 2021 at 2:09 pm

    Oh no! Scenes like this always make me sad for the characters.

    Reply
  12. Richard Temple says

    December 15, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    So sad

    Reply

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