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101 Word Short Stories

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The Whale

August 26, 2021 9 Comments

By Andreas Avraam

The car sped past, leaving us alone in the darkness.

Heinrick, owner of the nearest service station, knew where hitchhikers could stay. He offered us a ride. On the way, he made a call.

“Three. One boy. Two girls. Brunette and blonde.”

Upon arrival he took our passports and left. The God Channel was on TV. I picked up the remote. The screen flickered from static to static.

A priest went on about Jonah, locked in the whale’s stomach. I sat by the door with a bat. Wolves howled outside.

In the morning Heinrick returned with our passports. He brought croissants.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Derek says

    August 26, 2021 at 10:55 am

    A good unexpected ending. I thought the croissants were a nice touch. I wonder why he took the passports though.

    Reply
    • Lexa says

      August 26, 2021 at 3:20 pm

      Same. Also, the relevance of their hair colour.

      Reply
    • Andreas says

      August 29, 2021 at 11:53 am

      This was actually based on my last experience hitchhiking! He took the passports to ensure we didn’t damage the property….

      Reply
  2. ren says

    August 26, 2021 at 1:37 pm

    nice!

    Reply
    • Andreas says

      August 29, 2021 at 11:54 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. nancy liddle says

    August 26, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    i linked the hair colour comment to her/his feeling of impending dread, hence the bat. i liked the danger of that touch of mystery. maybe implying a trafficking ring?

    great tiny story, with croissants in the morning sun.

    Reply
    • Andreas says

      August 29, 2021 at 11:55 am

      Thank you so much Nancy! That what exactly what I was trying to portray, the fear of trusting a stranger and the miscommunication that can cause paranoia

      Reply
      • Michael says

        September 1, 2021 at 9:50 am

        You achieved that very well.

        Reply
  4. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    September 4, 2021 at 4:34 am

    Brave trio! Lucky for them there were croissants

    Reply

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