“She doesn’t understand me. It’s like I’m an outcast. A freak. The only ginger in the family.”
Dylan’s neighbor Ted always had a sympathetic ear for these rants. “I don’t want to hear you talk that way about your mother.” Ted flushed crimson with anger at the boy's disrespect. Now as bald as an egg, Ted retained the temper of the fiery redhead of his youth.
“I appreciate you being here for me,” said Dylan. “You’re a good man.” Then turning back to Ted before leaving the garage. “You went to high school with her, right?”
My mother chose when, where, how and who she would share a family secret with. Always after a few drinks. That was a given. Always when there was only one person present. One of us five children. Never allowing a witness to the surprise leak of information. When I (the youngest), was the recipient…I always wished I wasn’t there. Secrets were never pleasant, and never meant to be shared with anyone. Even brothers and sisters! As I grew up, I held the secrets in my mind, only. Until the day she passed. Never realizing, how they impacted my soul.
Prompt by: Caro’s Writing Perspectives: One Hundred-Word Wonders
Prompt: A FAMILY SECRET.
“You’re kidding!” responded Katrina.
Shauna looked shocked. “You didn’t know?”
“How could I know? Why would I know? There weren't clues just lying around.”
Shauna looked at her sister.
“How did you find out?” asked Katrina.
“After mom died and dad started declining I was cleaning out mom’s drawer beside the bed. It had never been cleaned out. There was a birth certificate for Laura Jane Mueller. I asked dad about it and he confirmed that this is our sister.”
“Is she alive?” whispered Katrina.
“We will have to find out.”
“Do we want to find out?” Both shrugged uncertainty.
When I got to the shelter this afternoon Alice was sitting out front wrapped in a blanket barefoot eating a chicken Cup ‘o Noodles. Her coloring book and crayons and markers sat beside her, the crayons like a loose pile of matches and the markers stacked like little logs of lumber, her book open to a picture of a unicorn with stars and streamers that says Believe. Usually Alice sits by the curb coloring, cross-legged and muttering. The shelter for women is just two blocks away. But for some reason Alice likes it here close to where the men stay.
Love this story, Polly! You brilliantly and subtly show Alice’s inner strength and vulnerability, and leave us wondering what her choosing to stay near the men’s area means.
Thank you, Caro. Alice is a real person, and she colors in a book of fantasy creatures. I have no idea why she prefers to be near the men. She is not especially verbal. She just colors.
100-WORD STORY—PROMPT: FAMILY SECRET
TITLE: FAMILY FUNCTION
"This is a private function," my wife informed the woman and her children. "We reserved it over two months ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea. My husband reserved it a couple of months ago. Who had reserved it for you?"
"No, just please find another place for your little get-together. This one's taken."
"Well, then," the other woman said, "we have a problem."
When I arrived, my wife felt relieved, knowing I would straighten this out.
"You're all probably wondering why I called you all here. Hear me out. I love you all the same...and completely."
Ah, yes! A non-monogamous guy! “I love you all the same…” A great depiction of the tension between the two women.
In Plain Sight
“She doesn’t understand me. It’s like I’m an outcast. A freak. The only ginger in the family.”
Dylan’s neighbor Ted always had a sympathetic ear for these rants. “I don’t want to hear you talk that way about your mother.” Ted flushed crimson with anger at the boy's disrespect. Now as bald as an egg, Ted retained the temper of the fiery redhead of his youth.
“I appreciate you being here for me,” said Dylan. “You’re a good man.” Then turning back to Ted before leaving the garage. “You went to high school with her, right?”
“I did. Yes I did.”
Love this! Ted, huh? I know one or two very similar stories.
Fatherly advice😊
Love it Caro
Glad you did! Thanks!
MOTHER'S SECRETS-CNF
My mother chose when, where, how and who she would share a family secret with. Always after a few drinks. That was a given. Always when there was only one person present. One of us five children. Never allowing a witness to the surprise leak of information. When I (the youngest), was the recipient…I always wished I wasn’t there. Secrets were never pleasant, and never meant to be shared with anyone. Even brothers and sisters! As I grew up, I held the secrets in my mind, only. Until the day she passed. Never realizing, how they impacted my soul.
Wow! The emotional impact! What a burden! All that really comes through in your CNF.
Love it, Caro!! That IS a big secret!
I know, right? Thanks for loving it!
Into The Unknown?
November 20 2025
Prompt by: Caro’s Writing Perspectives: One Hundred-Word Wonders
Prompt: A FAMILY SECRET.
“You’re kidding!” responded Katrina.
Shauna looked shocked. “You didn’t know?”
“How could I know? Why would I know? There weren't clues just lying around.”
Shauna looked at her sister.
“How did you find out?” asked Katrina.
“After mom died and dad started declining I was cleaning out mom’s drawer beside the bed. It had never been cleaned out. There was a birth certificate for Laura Jane Mueller. I asked dad about it and he confirmed that this is our sister.”
“Is she alive?” whispered Katrina.
“We will have to find out.”
“Do we want to find out?” Both shrugged uncertainty.
Great story, Bill! Surprise, doubt, hope…so much in 100 words.
Believe
When I got to the shelter this afternoon Alice was sitting out front wrapped in a blanket barefoot eating a chicken Cup ‘o Noodles. Her coloring book and crayons and markers sat beside her, the crayons like a loose pile of matches and the markers stacked like little logs of lumber, her book open to a picture of a unicorn with stars and streamers that says Believe. Usually Alice sits by the curb coloring, cross-legged and muttering. The shelter for women is just two blocks away. But for some reason Alice likes it here close to where the men stay.
Love this story, Polly! You brilliantly and subtly show Alice’s inner strength and vulnerability, and leave us wondering what her choosing to stay near the men’s area means.
Thank you, Caro. Alice is a real person, and she colors in a book of fantasy creatures. I have no idea why she prefers to be near the men. She is not especially verbal. She just colors.