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

The Air That Free Men Breathe

March 23, 2025 3 Comments

By Dewey Dabbar

Jim had never found it difficult to keep his chin up.

It was thus characteristic of the man that during his first morning of incarceration, on stepping out into the prison yard, his thoughts would be dominated not by the claustrophobia of confinement, the expectation of ennui, or a fear of the unknown and the unknowable.

Rather, he considered the semi-detached house that he had left on that traffic-choked road leading to the chemical plant. Then he pondered his new home, from which wild moorland stretched out in every direction.

With chin held high, Jim sucked in a deeply satisfying breath.

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. Jim Pownall says

    March 23, 2025 at 8:24 am

    Lovely story. And good choice of name!
    Jim

    Reply
  2. David Higham says

    March 26, 2025 at 6:58 am

    A really satisfying turn.

    Reply
  3. Lisa H. Owens says

    March 26, 2025 at 9:40 am

    I love a glass is half-full kinda guy! Great little piece, not to mention three square meals a day, and in the US, a free in-house college education, if one is so inclined.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.