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 Great Leader

November 12, 2021 5 Comments

By Tom Baldwin

The Great Leader lay dying. He was frightened of losing power, control, and his money.

He had destroyed countless enemies, real and imagined, built worldwide businesses, and amassed a prodigious fortune on his path to power.

Toward the end, a priest was summoned. He prayed over The Great Leader and said: “Fear not, my son. In the warm light of heaven, you will be reunited with all those you have loved and those who loved you.”

The Great Leader breathed his last, and his consciousness of this world faded to nothing. “Hello?” he called into the cold darkness. “Hello? Anybody there?”

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. Alastair says

    November 12, 2021 at 8:07 am

    Timely and thought-provoking, I liked it 🙂

    Reply
  2. Michael Talledes says

    November 12, 2021 at 8:13 am

    Wow this was amazing! I loved the ending of giving hope to reunite with loved ones.

    Well done.

    Reply
  3. Rita+Riebel-Mitchell says

    November 12, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    I liked the twist at the end… you get what you earned.

    Reply
  4. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    November 12, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    The ending is clever… loved the read… kudos…

    Reply
  5. Alyce says

    November 12, 2021 at 10:40 pm

    Wow, that was powerful!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.