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101 Word Short Stories

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The Catch

June 2, 2024 13 Comments

By Rommy Torres-Nelson

Martha cleans the car, looking for evidence. Her husband’s gear and the lingering aroma of fish give him credibility.

“Told you, I was fishing alone! Saw nobody all day!”

When she finishes empty-handed, he grins, triumphant.

She questions her sanity while he shows the selfies with the lake, bragging about the bass he caught. “It was huge,” he laughs.

Martha grabs his phone. Her husband is holding the fish with both hands, proud of his catch. Martha smiles, not proud of hers. She shows him the photo.

“Tell me, dear, if you were alone on this trip, who took the picture?”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roy Dorman says

    June 2, 2024 at 11:57 am

    That Martha is a real Ellery Queen, Rommy! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Rommy Torres-Nelson says

    June 2, 2024 at 10:27 pm

    Thanks, Roy! ?

    Reply
  3. Rommy Torres-Nelson says

    June 2, 2024 at 10:28 pm

    Sorry, Roy! The question mark was supposed to be a smiley face.

    Reply
  4. Cathryn says

    June 4, 2024 at 1:06 pm

    Hell Rommy,
    Great title for a marvelous fish tale. Kudos!)

    Reply
  5. Raghunathan Kuppuswamy says

    June 5, 2024 at 7:13 am

    Enjoyed reading your post!! Thanks.

    Reply
  6. Faith says

    June 5, 2024 at 8:17 am

    Good one. Gotcha!

    Reply
  7. Dan Graves says

    June 5, 2024 at 8:38 am

    I have a little book of solve-a-crime. Your story would fit perfectly.

    Reply
  8. Toni Brayer says

    June 5, 2024 at 9:53 am

    I love surprise endings. So good!!!

    Reply
  9. Paul Scott Wood says

    June 5, 2024 at 9:54 am

    You nailed it. Fish stories do often get the fisherman into trouble.

    Reply
  10. David Higham says

    June 5, 2024 at 11:31 am

    His pride in his catch was his undoing. A great story of human folly.

    Reply
    • Noland says

      June 9, 2024 at 5:03 am

      A bit too fishy indeed! Note to self on taking selfies.

      Reply
  11. Marie says

    June 5, 2024 at 1:09 pm

    Oh, excellent! Loved it 🙂

    Reply
  12. Sue says

    June 11, 2024 at 3:11 pm

    Good one
    Catch of the day for sure.

    Reply

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