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101 Word Short Stories

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Trash

October 19, 2021 14 Comments

By John Holmes

I watch the onion peel tumble slowly into the bin. The crinkled, purple skins settle on the red roses I’d shoved in there hours earlier. The two colours sit uneasily together. Crumpled white tissues, caught on the thorns, create the perfect backdrop. There, in the trash, lies the most beautiful thing I will see today.

Twenty roses, the birthday gift that flowered longer than the romance.

Onions, purchased for two, now form part of a meal for one.

I slam down the lid on both things that left me with streaming eyes, walk over to the table, and light a candle.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathy Cade says

    October 19, 2021 at 7:33 am

    Nice idea.

    Reply
  2. Helen C says

    October 19, 2021 at 7:55 am

    A lovely telling of the heartbreak that is sometimes experienced when a relationship is over!

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      October 19, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Not based on my own experience – thankfully.

      Reply
  3. Scott Brian Blanke says

    October 19, 2021 at 9:51 am

    Excellent, short, and bittersweet.

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      October 19, 2021 at 12:36 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to comment – appreciated.

      Reply
  4. Valli Henry-Boldini says

    October 19, 2021 at 10:00 am

    I felt her emotions… lovely little story… well done …kudos…

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      October 19, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Thanks – enjoyed writing it.

      Reply
    • Christine Johnson says

      October 19, 2021 at 6:01 pm

      Interesting the assumption is this story refers to a woman. I imagined the protagonist as a man.

      Reply
      • Liz says

        October 21, 2021 at 2:34 am

        So did I.

        Reply
  5. Geja Hadderingh says

    October 19, 2021 at 10:29 am

    Such a moving story. So much in so few words. Excellent

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      October 19, 2021 at 10:59 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  6. Kathy Carroll says

    October 19, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    A beautifully visual story! Love the phrase “both things that left me with streaming eyes.”

    Reply
    • John Holmes says

      October 19, 2021 at 12:37 pm

      Glad you liked that line – it is where the story started, then I worked backwards and forwards from there.
      Thanks for the comment.

      Reply
  7. dlherrmann says

    October 20, 2021 at 9:40 am

    We can all relate.

    Reply

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