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

Surrender

February 24, 2020 9 Comments

By Patryk

Raindrops tap an irregular beat on my window, punctuating the rhythm of the wasp battering against the glass to escape. The fluttering of Lilliputian wings can’t break the barrier. She is crazy about freedom—a return to her world. She knows well that she can’t win with major force, but she can’t stop fighting. Life is everything. Sunlight bursting through gray clouds, the voices of cardinals and crickets, honeysuckle nectar in the hot glades.

She surrenders, tumbles to my desk.

I slip paper beneath the trembling body, raise the glass, and release her into the rain.

Surrender doesn’t always mean losing.

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. Davena says

    February 24, 2020 at 7:09 am

    Beautiful

    Reply
  2. lisafriedlanderlicsw says

    February 24, 2020 at 8:33 am

    I love this.

    Reply
  3. Minkler Dennis says

    February 24, 2020 at 10:19 am

    Very cool…a morality story told succinctly and clearly. Nicely done.

    Reply
  4. K8Ghost says

    February 24, 2020 at 3:12 pm

    That’s beautiful. The tension is palpable. The struggle real. Thank you for a story told well.

    Reply
  5. derekmcmillan1951 says

    February 24, 2020 at 5:13 pm

    I enjoyed reading this and I liked the economy with which it was written. OTOH I don’t think anything would cause me to go anywhere near a wasp. Too many bad experiences!

    Reply
  6. Archie Iyer says

    February 24, 2020 at 11:27 pm

    So sweet..

    Reply
  7. Rosemary Johnson says

    February 25, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    Wonderful!

    Reply
  8. Christine says

    February 26, 2020 at 4:16 am

    Loved the ending

    Reply
  9. Irene Lofthouse, WriterIrene Lofthouse says

    February 27, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    Lovely – especially in these uncertain climatic times. We need all the wasps and bees we can have.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.