100 Word Stories

(1) TIMELESS    
By Michelle Brueger, Bennettsville, South Carolina    

I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. On road trips, we competed over who spotted the most hawks first. Our favorite competition was, upon seeing each other, who could say the words “I love you best” first. If I got him first, Dad would reply, “I’ll get you—just wait.”    

My dad died the night before my 50th birthday. The next day, Mom brought me a gift, saying, “This is from your dad. He bought it for you five years ago.” Inside was a beautiful gold pocket watch. Engraved on the inside were the words I love you best—Gotcha.    

  

  1. What is the topic or main idea of the short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. What is the significance of the gift the father picked out for his daughter?  

 

(2) LOYAL FRIEND   

Tara Shaleen Kaur Bhullar, Malaysia    

His face contorted in anguish as her life reduced to nothing but a flicker of light, fading before his eyes. He couldn’t lose her, not now. Panic-stricken, he raced to their bedroom and grabbed her branded bag, frantically searching for the device that would save her life. His heart raced, his fingers clumsily, fumbling through its depths. Nothing. Furious, he flung the bag across the room, where it landed with a sounding thud. His eyes followed the sound and, miraculously, glimpsed the elusive gadget on the opposite wall. Relieved, he grabbed the black charger and plugged it into his phone.    

  

  1. What is the topic or main idea of the short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Draw a picture of the short story.  

  

(3) DARK WATERS    
by Daryl Eigen, Portland, Oregon  

   
Night wreck diving in Micronesia is scary. One hundred feet down, the water is the blackest. Two of us dived toward a sunken ship that soon loomed large in the dark water. We felt the ghosts of the Japanese sailors who had died with this WWII freighter. Swimming deeper into the ship’s bowels, my buddy suddenly hit a layer of reflective silt, blinding us. Together we groped through the ship, breaking through the uninterrupted, silent blackness of the sea. Watching our bubbles, we rose to the surface, where I ripped off my mask to breathe the tropical air.    

  

  1. What is the topic or main idea of the short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Draw what you think the narrator will do now that he has surfaced?  

 

 

(4) BLACK CAT    
Kelly Hennigan, 
Lacona, New York   

   
A wee bit of a kitten, she meowed louder than a freight train from behind the shelter’s cage. “Can we get this one?” asked Katie, age seven. “I don’t know,” I said. “A black cat may not be good luck.” To her, I was the young live‑in girlfriend and sometimes the one claiming her dad’s attention. A week later, we picked up our loud but little black kitten and named her Jasmine. Twenty years later, Jasmine’s old and loved, and when Katie comes home to visit, she greets me with a hug. We both agree: Black cats aren’t bad luck!    

  

  1. What is the topic or main idea of the short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. What do you think happened between Katie and the live-in girlfriend  between Katie being seven years old and twenty-seven years old?  

  

(5) MONSTER PATROL    
Aaron Hampton, Seattle, Washington    
As a child, I had awful night terrors—at one point, I stopped sleeping. Then my dad’s younger brother lost his job and had to move in with us. Uncle Dave slept in the room next to mine. From then on, he was there to comfort me, sometimes even sleeping on the floor beside my bed “to keep the monsters away.”  After he landed a job, he could have moved into a nice apartment, but I begged him not to go. When my parents asked why he was staying, he smiled and replied, “Monsters.”    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate this short story.  

  

(6) EXCESS BAGGAGE    
by Eileen Dougharty, Chicago, Illinois    

“Ticket is $287. But all of that is a problem.” She’s referring to my luggage cart, stacked with suitcases, boxes, and a bag full of shoes. “One bag is free. Everything else is $100 each.” I tell her I packed my Volkswagen after discovering my boyfriend was cheating. Fried the engine. Hitchhiked to the airport in flip‑flops.   

She left her cheating husband recently, hardest decision she ever made. She checks it all, charges me nothing. As I leave, I don’t feel the crush of having no plan, only the weightlessness of being free.    

   

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Imagine how the narrator caught her boyfriend cheating by describing the what she might have seen.  

  

(7) THE ANCESTOR              

Sowmya Ramkumar, Singapore    

The blue dress fluttered tastefully. Pride decorated the village head’s face. A hundred pairs of bedazzled eyes watched. Someone opined it was black magic; another queried who is holding it? The women of the household received special attention. Kids imitated the object’s motion. Word went out to the neighboring villages. Lemonade and candy vendors cashed in on the crowd that came to witness the spectacle. The priest was called to perform special rituals. Staring at the portrait of my grandfather dating back to circa 1900, I can hardly imagine the pride of owning a ceiling fan in then India.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Explain if the ceiling fan is an important object, according to this short story.  

 

 

(8) WHAT A GREAT RIDE    
By Barbara Rocchi, Neptune Beach, Florida    

It was an archaeological dig. In cleaning out our family’s 12-year-old minivan to sell, I found LEGOs, ticket stubs, sports balls of every kind, church bulletins, a prom corsage, a lone shin guard … The heart of our married life, from the kids in their car seats to each kid in the driver’s seat flashing a learner’s permit. Our toddler’s protests as his milkshake, too cold for little hands, flew forward—whoosh—and hit the windshield—splat! Vacations in the mountains and at the beach. Doctor appointments for my sweet, aging parents. My mom-years leave with you, old van.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Explain how you determined the narrator a male or female.  

 

 

    

(9) GIVING KIDS WINGS    
By Susan Keller, Largo, Florida    

“It’s hatching!” The stage whisper floated across the classroom like a spring breeze. Noiselessly, the class of fifth graders was magnetically attracted to the screen-enclosed monarch chrysalis in the corner of the classroom. The whisperer stood silently, slack-jawed with wonder, as her classmates crowded around her. All eyes focused on the transparent chrysalis vibrating from the roof of the enclosure. The film cracked open, hair-fine legs unfolded, wet wings unfurled, a fat body stretched itself. As if on cue, 26 a cappella voices began softly singing “Happy Birthday.” I stood awestruck at my students’ wonder. This is why I teach.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Draw a picture that represents the event happening in the classroom.  

 

 

(10) THE LEAVE-TAKING    
By Paula Buchanan, Windham, New Hampshire    

We heard it before we saw it, coming closer with the squeaky brakes. My son was excited and happy with his new backpack, sneakers, and camouflage sweatshirt. As he headed off for his first day of school, I waved goodbye and tried to control my tears.    

Standing in the terminal, I remembered that day so vividly. I hugged him tightly, not wanting to ever let him go. Then he walked away, very determined and proud in his camouflage. Once again, I tried to stop the tears streaming down my face.    

I raised an American soldier.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Where do you think the boy was going to in the first paragraph, and where was he going in the second paragraph?

 

(11) I DID THAT    
By Stephanie Rogers, Rico, Colorado    

Hiking with my dog Arlo and thinking about what I was thinking about, I realized how much I judged people. The real, authentic truth was that there wasn’t anything else someone had ever done that I hadn’t done or thought of doing to a greater or lesser degree. So, I began looking for similarities instead of differences. I realized on a soul level how connected we all were. God spoke, I listened and acted on it. It is true that faith without works is dead and I have relished this gift. Thank you.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

    

(12) 48 YEARS OF ADVENTURE    
By Jean Poeschl, Apple Valley, Minnesota    

We met in 1966; two little girls. The adventures we shared in our forty-eight years are exquisite. Buying the kitten; hiding her in Denise’s bedroom for a week. We weaved tall tales at the playground. Teen angst set in; we “ran away” from home taking a Greyhound bus on a Friday night with a paper sack of clean underwear and Oreos. 1978 a road trip to California, just two naïve girls with a tin can of cash and my old car. We’re moms now; our children shake their heads as we laugh, giggle and embarrass them, grown-ups; we’re not!    

      

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

(13) WHAT I DON’T HAVE    
By Kathy Cornell, Haddam, Connecticut    

Sometimes I tend to think about what I don’t have; a house on the ocean, a big career that I could use to impress the people at my high school reunion. Then I hear his car in the driveway. I think we’ll grill tonight. Later we’ll watch some reruns of sitcoms from a long time ago that remind me of when we were young. He’ll doze off and it’s time for the day to end. We’ll say good night to the cats. We’re all still here; a miracle. When I’m very old, I will wish for a day like this.    

       

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story. 

  5. Illustrate and label this short story.  

  

(14) A LIFETIME OF LEARNING    
By Ralph Pippert, Kiel, Wisconsin    

From horsepower to moon rockets. I have learned acts of kindness changes both you and them. I pondered this: Trick? Secret force? Magic?    

While teaching in Malawi, walking at dusk along a hillside overlooking the rift valley, I saw three specks of light.    

My imagination answered my pondering: I saw a mother, babe at her breast, child at her knee, tending a meal at the fire.    

Mothers’ love explains it all: the consequence of acts of kindness, dynamism of evolution, root of all culture. Mother love, master source of all love, explains it all.    

It’s been a great 91 years.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

    

(15) MY FATHER’S TEARS    
By Nancy Abeshaus, Wakefield, Rhode Island    

Three times in my life I saw my father cry.    

The first was when his mother died. I was seven.    

The second was at the airport when my brother departed for Vietnam.    

The third was when my father was in his eighties. My mother, in late-stage Alzheimer’s, resided in a nursing home. He had visited her daily for 10 years, except for three months when he broke his foot.    

Finally he could walk again.    

“I thought Mother forgot me,” he said, “but when she saw me, she smiled and said, ‘I love you.'”    

Then my father sobbed.    

   

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

   

    

(16) FORGIVEN    
By Edna Peters, San Jose, California    

“Mom, I’m going to have heart surgery tomorrow and know I’m not going to make it. I’m just calling to tell you goodbye and ask you to forgive me for all the heartache I’ve caused. I know I’ll have the smallest funeral ever because I don’t have any friends left. Please forgive me.”    

He died three days later in prison, loved and not forgotten by friends.    

A Facebook posting resulted in his funeral not being the smallest one ever as he feared. His childhood friends, neighbors and extended family members were there and the chapel was full to the brim.    

    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

 

  

(17) SING TO ME    
By Alfred Geeson, Milledgeville, Georgia    

My grandfather had just been buried, and the grave was being filled in when, surprisingly, my dad began to sing “Danny Boy.” Later, he explained that it was family tradition to sing this song at our deceased parents’ gravesides to sing them to sleep, and that when he and Mother passed, I would be expected to do the same.    

Circumstances prevented my singing at Mother’s grave, but I did sing at my dad’s. I now live in America and have no living children; I often wonder who will sing “Danny Boy” at my funeral. Who will sing me to sleep?    

      

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story. 

  5. Illustrate and label this short story.  

  

(18) THE GIFT    
By Mary Elizabeth Paschall, Aurora, Colorado    

In the late 1950's, I rode the bus ten miles to work. I carried very little cash and only enough bus tokens to last each week. One night as I walked to the bus stop, I met a homeless man who had no legs. I stopped, opened my billfold, and discovered that I had no money and no bus tokens. I apologized profusely but, frankly, was shaken because I had no way to get home. The homeless man reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. Embarrassed, I took enough for the bus, and he said, “God bless you.”    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

(19) THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE    
By Rebekah Aman, Tallahassee, Florida    

Music is universal. I learned this while cradling a seagull unfortunate enough to swallow a hook. After calling the wildlife rescue center and learning that all its vehicles were out on other business, I carefully swaddled the wild bird in a towel and carried him to my friend’s car. The only way to keep him calm was by singing. For 30 minutes, I sang softly to the small creature until finally delivering him to those who could help. I’m not certain what happened afterward, but for that brief period, we connected—two vastly different species bridging the gap through song.    

   

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

   

    

(20) MEANT TO BE FAMILY    
By Mary Pray, Wiscasset, Maine    

“I am smart. I can draw and sing. I would be so kind to a mama and baba … Why does no one want me?” asked 12-year-old Levi in China. Levi has cerebral palsy.    

My daughter saw that post. She and her husband were adopting four-year-old Jacob. Adopting two seemed crazy, but her heart felt Levi’s pain. They listed pros and cons. The pros won!    

Was this emotion or divine intervention? Two days later, a new photo was posted showing Levi with his foster brother. It was Jacob! We knew then both boys were meant to be part of our family.    

   

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

   

    

(21) THE ROUTE TO FREEDOM    
By Thu Huynh, Honolulu, Hawaii    

My story began one morning when I fled Vietnam with my father. We headed to China, hoping for a boat to Hong Kong. One night, we tried for a boat, but it was full, leaving us behind to wander the perilous dark. Nearby, buffaloes stood fixed, dogs barked, and crickets chirped. At one point, we stumbled over a grave site, and Father kowtowed for forgiveness. Then somewhere a stranger appeared and sheltered us. Another boat became available eventually, and in the end, I disembarked into a whole new world to begin yet another story of my life    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

(22) WITHOUT   

Vinni C. Relwani, Singapore    

The traffic light turns red. Maybe to others this means stop, but to me it means go. I twist my tiny form between the cars, choosing one, and hope, pray, plead for the press of a coin on my upturned palm. I look inside and see what I long for – a family.    

The window rolls up, my fingers leaving a mark on the glass; the light turns green and the car is gone, taking my mark with it.    

Maybe if I leave enough marks on enough cars, I will be taken away from here too … one smudge at a time.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story. 

  5. Illustrate and label this short story.  

  

(23) I SAY HELLO    
By Patrick Wright, Powder Springs, Georgia    

There she was. Beautiful, gentle, funny, and kind. Hands shaking, voice cracking, I say hello. Now we are married, with a house, a dog, and an amazing two-year-old son. Piles of laundry, piles of diapers, piles of dishes, and piles of laughter are all around us. Do we really want another? Yes, we do. My wife, tired and uncomfortable from this second pregnancy, says it’s time. Hand in hand we make it to the hospital. A little while later, I see her. There she was. Beautiful, gentle, a miracle. Hands shaking, voice cracking, tears streaming, I say hello.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

    

(24) “HER CHEEKS ARE PINK!”    
By Alison Livingston, Saline, Michigan    

At 23, I had a new six-inch scar across my abdomen and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I had endured two years of end-stage kidney failure. My journey began with disbelief, shifted into determination, and culminated with my younger sister, my hero, saving my life. After a successful kidney transplant, a nurse wheeled her hospital bed into my room. My pale complexion had already changed and my sister’s first words were, “Her cheeks are pink!” Her kidney was working behind my beautiful new scar…and still is, eleven years later. Thank you, Shannon!    

   

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story. 

  

    

(25) I HELD HIS HAND    
By Erin Pope, Riverside, California    

The phone was ringing. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding. I was fearful that the recipient of my call would be angry.    

A pleasant sounding woman picked up, “Hello?”    

“Can I speak with the parents of Sgt. Jones?” I asked.    

The woman paused and then replied, “I’m sorry. He was killed in Iraq a year ago.”    

I took a deep breath and replied, “I know. I was the nurse who took care of him. I wanted to let you know that he wasn’t alone. I held his hand.”    

She wasn’t angry. I was relieved.    

    

  1. What is the topic or main idea of short story?  

  2. Identify and list the important details that support the main idea or topic of the short story.  

  3. Write synonyms for the yellow highlighted words.  

  4. Explain what the green phrases mean in the context of the short story.  

  5. Illustrate and label this short story.