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101 Word Short Stories

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The Last Jar

November 7, 2025 11 Comments

By Pravy Jha

After Mom died, we found jars in the cellar—rows of them, labeled in her neat, slanted hand: First Snow; Cicada Song; Dad’s Laughter.

“He never laughed,” my sister said.

But we cracked one open, and the room filled with his deep chuckle, thunder rolling through the walls.

The jars became our grief.

Warm Bread, Midnight Rain, Goodbye.

One by one, we opened them, watched memories shimmer and dissolve like smoke, fragile as breath.

When we found the last one—Us, Before—we didn’t open it.

We buried it under the lilac bush.

Some things, we decided, are better left sealed.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sk Niji says

    November 7, 2025 at 2:08 am

    Wow.. Realllly amazing. Keep it up, you little young writer.

    Reply
  2. Nan says

    November 7, 2025 at 9:56 am

    Simply lovely.

    Reply
  3. Stella says

    November 7, 2025 at 10:25 am

    Excellent 101 words! Well done!

    Reply
  4. Alex says

    November 7, 2025 at 11:27 pm

    Moving and wonderful work. Great write, Pravy!

    Reply
  5. David says

    November 8, 2025 at 11:14 am

    Interesting concept and intriguing. I enjoyed it.

    Reply
  6. R.K. West says

    November 10, 2025 at 12:58 am

    Fabulous.

    Reply
  7. Lynn M. Rice says

    November 11, 2025 at 11:34 am

    What a cool idea!

    Reply
  8. N.E. Rule says

    November 11, 2025 at 1:11 pm

    so thought provoking – wonderful story

    Reply
  9. Giulietta Spudich says

    November 12, 2025 at 10:48 am

    So beautiful.

    Reply
  10. Karen says

    November 12, 2025 at 12:43 pm

    Haunting and beautiful. Loved it!

    Reply
  11. Cameron D Yow says

    November 12, 2025 at 2:55 pm

    A paradigm for stories of any length. A masterpiece for 101.

    Reply

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