By Gillian Moran
Ugo the Elder watched as the land cracked and died for want of rain. The crops withered and there was no more game to hunt. Ugo and the other adults slaughtered the farm animals and only saved their breeding stock (for they all knew you had to save the breeding stock for your future) and still they starved. The children cried.
When winter came Ugo and the other adults slaughtered again. It was quiet, no more tears, and the adults were no longer hungry. As Ugo ate his meaty stew in silence, he mumbled, “You have to save the breeding stock.”
Very good. You made it viscerally upsetting in such few words, impressive.
Really well written, it took a moment for the penny to drop and once it did I had to pick my chin up off the floor
I love the allusion with the name! Nice! Killer story.
I had to read it twice as I couldn’t quite believe you had gone there lol. Well done!
You got me with that one! Great story, clever twist.
You got me too, I didn’t realize the twist until this response.
You’ve done well to choose your words carefully here, leaving the reader to realise what’s happened without outright saying it.
I enjoyed your dark story and the way you slid the horror into it through insinuation for a surprising twist. All in 101 words! Good job.
Good read. Upsetting but realistic in so many ways
Oooh, that was a chilling read, and quite unexpected there at the end. Love it.
Oh so chilling. I like the choice of name Ugo. Well done.
I’m a big fan of Harlan Ellison, and this reads like something he would have written. I love the key sentence: It was quiet, no more tears, and the adults were no longer hungry.
I appreciated how dark and surprising this one was. Well done!
Great visuals! Has a real melancholy vibe.
Chilling! Well written, simple language – very powerful. Loved it.
I got goosebumps reading this. Really chilling.