100-Word Fiction: ‘Secessio Plebis’

Out of the city they ran, with great speed and intent, to where the harsh rule of the little Caesars could not shackle them; where usurious debts were not counted and where all trading was banned. Rejoicing, they joined hands and soon found themselves at the foot of a sacred mountain. Climbing it, they, inContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Secessio Plebis’”

100-Word Fiction: Even As the Fireworks

Even as the children danced and eyes were filled with tears of joy; even as hearts swelled with pride; even as the crowds clapped and cheered; even as the plaudits flowed; even as the hyperbole swelled and the superlatives thundered and the fireworks lit up the sky; even as a nation rejoiced; even as theContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: Even As the Fireworks”

100-Word Fiction: ‘In the House’

They do not listen to me and I do not care. They shout amongst themselves, deaf to pleas of order, order. I have a plan. They know but hardly share their thoughts. They only vainly oppose, and meek protestations coalesce into a sticky goo. I laugh, send deputations of sneering divisiveness: a ploy. Do myContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘In the House’”

100-Word Fiction: ‘If In Doubt’

“If in doubt… leave it out. That’s what they say. They mean, if in doubt… abandon. Resist. Take your leave. Disengage. Only fight the battles you can win. History only remembers a winner. These are the maxims of success. It’s a money, time, success thing – a ratio of sorts. If there was a policyContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘If In Doubt’”

100-Word Fiction: ‘Squares: 25 X 4’

Stuffy and straightlaced, that’s a square. A word parents say, or are. Fearful, inward-looking, conservative, old-fashioned and boring. Boring most of all. That’s a square. And the box shape of houses, dotted along roads. Little boxes with hats on, regulation size and order. Boring. Terraces and semis, square gardens, rooms. Or the symmetrical flats andContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘Squares: 25 X 4’”

100-Word Fiction: ‘6 May 2010’

A light aircraft just dropped out of the sky, enmeshed, literally, in its own trail of propaganda. Over our own heads are helicopters and, down in the square below, hundreds of office workers have congregated for a fire drill. We are booking my birthday meal and discussing people’s relationships: how friends are feeling; what mightContinue reading “100-Word Fiction: ‘6 May 2010’”