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

What Happens in Vegas

November 14, 2025 18 Comments

By Karen Crawford

“If I could just go home,” my mother said, and maybe if the smell of Lysol wasn’t punishing my throat, I might have had the nerve to tell her it sold, and maybe if I hadn’t brought back a few memories hoping to spark hers, like the racy Viva Las Vegas postcard I found in Dad’s old junk drawer or felt the electric shock when she snatched it from my hand, and maybe if she wasn’t fanning herself, her skin fluorescent red, eyes dreamy as an all-night chapel, maybe she might never have confessed: it was from my real father.

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. jan says

    November 14, 2025 at 10:06 am

    I love everything about this great story, the one long sentence, the more repetition with maybe, the surprise ending… just everything. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 14, 2025 at 12:57 pm

      Thanks so much for giving it a read!

      Reply
  2. David says

    November 14, 2025 at 3:05 pm

    I agree with Jan. And appreciated it even more on second reading.

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 14, 2025 at 3:20 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  3. Jim Pownall says

    November 14, 2025 at 3:28 pm

    Brilliant!

    Jim

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 14, 2025 at 4:23 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  4. Duke says

    November 14, 2025 at 10:01 pm

    Family secrets! Some surface. Some never do. Haunting!

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 14, 2025 at 11:09 pm

      True that! Thanks for giving it a read! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Duke says

    November 14, 2025 at 10:02 pm

    Family secrets! Some surface. Some never do. Haunting!

    Reply
  6. Roland Elliott says

    November 14, 2025 at 11:52 pm

    I laughed out loud when I was done reading. Ah, family secrets. What family isn’t laden with them. A very nice, well wrought piece.

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 15, 2025 at 9:58 am

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  7. Stephen B Snyder says

    November 16, 2025 at 9:20 am

    Your imagery …. We were there in the room beside you. Well done.

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 16, 2025 at 1:28 pm

      Thank you so much for reading!

      Reply
  8. TRETierney says

    November 18, 2025 at 2:18 am

    OUCH! But, every family has them. One of my sister’s wasn’t created by my father. And now with Ancestry even more are being unearthed, so to speak. Anyway, I appreciate how you can get so much “life” with your words. CONGRATS!

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 25, 2025 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you so much, Tret!!

      Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 25, 2025 at 8:50 pm

      Thank you so much, Tret!

      Reply
  9. Rhian says

    November 19, 2025 at 11:20 pm

    Loved this well crafted story!

    Reply
    • Karen Crawford says

      November 25, 2025 at 8:51 pm

      Thank you so much for giving it a read!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Search Stories

The end.