100

A short, short story every day. No more than 100 words. No less.

The Rules

Only one story per day.
Only 100 words per story.
No post-publication editing, save for spelling errors.
Sudden illness, lack of internet access and emergencies only temporarily excuse the author.

100 was created by Melissah Burt but is probably not an original idea. All work is protected under a BY-NC-SA 2.5 Creative Commons License.

The author accepts challenges, which can be submitted via this form.

Interested in the process? Check out melissah.net | Writing every Sunday for author commentary and your opportunity to offer opinions and feedback.

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Mon Sep 24

The Last Panacea

He was small and frail, a pale shadow that barely made an indent on the hard hospital mattress. White blankets were pulled up to his waist, white on white. The glare was almost painful to my eyes. His family, gathered around him, awaited the inevitable. They couldn’t see me. The sight of me is the end of things.

The room was heavy with the heady aroma of sweat and near-death. He was gasping for air. I stood against the door frame, biding my time.

The man turned his head towards the door.

The woman at his side began to wail.