This weekend's challenge comes to you from one of our Written Tales members.
Mark Ready of Mark’s Substack challenges all you amazing writers to craft one hundred words (100), not including the title, illustrating a universal truth such as:
Being honest.
Happiness is often a choice.
Knowledge is power.
Choose your battles.
Optimism is better than pessimism.
Lowering your expectations can lead to happiness.
Having gratitude can contribute to happiness.
Very little in life is black and white.
You don’t have two chances to make a first impression.
Money cannot buy happiness.
Tell others what you want them to do, not how you want them to be.
If you want something in a relationship, you need to also give it.
Actions speak louder than words.
Expect the unexpected.
We are all going to die.
Who’s in? Put on your creative caps, and let’s dance. Fill your quills with ink and let the lines of universal truth flow upon your paper canvas. I can't wait to see what everyone conjures up.
And as we love to do, we’ll showcase the top challenge responses in our newsletter. And the best part is that you, our readers, decide who wins. The entries with the highest number of likes will be declared the winners. You’ll have until Sunday or Monday midnight to post your response. Once we lock the thread, you can still vote. Then, once all votes are in, we’ll reveal the writing champions and their entries! Are you up to the challenge?
One cold rainy morning at the lake, a shrieking howl echoes across the cove. A dog has fallen in the freezing water and can’t get out. I speed over in my car, finding a little old lady in a bathrobe and a workman.
"He’s never fallen in before," she says, distraught.
The workman shrugs. "I don’t have other clothes."
The dog, leaning against bulkhead is shaking, struggling to hold his head above water.
I jump in, pushing the dog up toward the workman, who pulls him out. With assistance, I crawl out, soaked and freezing.
I entered the dimly lit room once more. Caught on a merry-go-round that never stopped for respite or rest, yet I had to be here. To be present with the woman I loved more than anything. My care-giver, my protector, my friend, my Mother.
As her breathing slowed, mine quickened, heart racing. No words for weeks, just silence and the ticking of the antique clock by her bed. Suddenly, eyes flickered open, locked with mine, a faint smile projecting love and then, no more. Sleeping now, at peace, forever.
Ms. Chan's voice jolted me out of my reverie. Moving up from 5th-grade to 6th-grade spelling meant sitting with the fashionable crowd instead of the immigrant kids.
The first test I corrected was Yen's. Yen had the highest grades. She got everything right except for "judgment." She put an E after G. So I marked it with an X. When she got her imperfect exam back, she told Ms. Chan what I did.
Ms. Chan ordered me to go back to 5th-grade spelling. Later in life, I'd learn to choose my battles.
I have always found that being honest makes one feel good. Maybe it was some thing that my parents bought me up to believe in? Although not always easy to commit to sometimes it may bring rewards people think of you as a good person they cam relie on and accept your oppions.
Recently this was put to the test,a neighbour in her eighties had her hair done, who was I to tell her the straight style did not suit her? So I waited for her to decide. "You know I prefered it curly" . I agreed that curls suited.
Sallie knew she would eventually have to face her father and the Elders. She knew they had been checking up on her in the village and poking around the clearing. She knew her choice to stay with Harold was rubbing them the wrong way. It wasn’t proper fairy behavior, and she was ‘breaking’ the rules.
There was also Mable, as it was Mable’s fault for Sallie getting stuck in the tree. The more she thought about it, the more Sallie realized it had probably been done on purpose. Mable had always been jealous. Sallie had always been their father’s favorite.
Pregnancy despite all my fears was an absolute breeze. The birth happened promptly on the due date with a bit of a push and a lot of relieved smiles all round. Relatively quick. Relatively painless.
Words came early to Gabe, but they were never cross, a harsh word never uttered. The dreaded toddler tantrums just didn’t happen. At Junior school they took up the horn and always practised courteously at home, ever mindful of others. Teenage rebellion and angst certainly didn’t show itself around us.
It appeared, despite all my apprehensions during pregnancy, that my Gabriel was indeed an angel.
how do i submit my 100 word story?
Saving Willy
One cold rainy morning at the lake, a shrieking howl echoes across the cove. A dog has fallen in the freezing water and can’t get out. I speed over in my car, finding a little old lady in a bathrobe and a workman.
"He’s never fallen in before," she says, distraught.
The workman shrugs. "I don’t have other clothes."
The dog, leaning against bulkhead is shaking, struggling to hold his head above water.
I jump in, pushing the dog up toward the workman, who pulls him out. With assistance, I crawl out, soaked and freezing.
Willy’s fine.
Never give up.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
I entered the dimly lit room once more. Caught on a merry-go-round that never stopped for respite or rest, yet I had to be here. To be present with the woman I loved more than anything. My care-giver, my protector, my friend, my Mother.
As her breathing slowed, mine quickened, heart racing. No words for weeks, just silence and the ticking of the antique clock by her bed. Suddenly, eyes flickered open, locked with mine, a faint smile projecting love and then, no more. Sleeping now, at peace, forever.
Judgment
"I'm going to have you try 6th-grade spelling."
Ms. Chan's voice jolted me out of my reverie. Moving up from 5th-grade to 6th-grade spelling meant sitting with the fashionable crowd instead of the immigrant kids.
The first test I corrected was Yen's. Yen had the highest grades. She got everything right except for "judgment." She put an E after G. So I marked it with an X. When she got her imperfect exam back, she told Ms. Chan what I did.
Ms. Chan ordered me to go back to 5th-grade spelling. Later in life, I'd learn to choose my battles.
A Hairy Tale.
I have always found that being honest makes one feel good. Maybe it was some thing that my parents bought me up to believe in? Although not always easy to commit to sometimes it may bring rewards people think of you as a good person they cam relie on and accept your oppions.
Recently this was put to the test,a neighbour in her eighties had her hair done, who was I to tell her the straight style did not suit her? So I waited for her to decide. "You know I prefered it curly" . I agreed that curls suited.
Choose your battles
Sallie knew she would eventually have to face her father and the Elders. She knew they had been checking up on her in the village and poking around the clearing. She knew her choice to stay with Harold was rubbing them the wrong way. It wasn’t proper fairy behavior, and she was ‘breaking’ the rules.
There was also Mable, as it was Mable’s fault for Sallie getting stuck in the tree. The more she thought about it, the more Sallie realized it had probably been done on purpose. Mable had always been jealous. Sallie had always been their father’s favorite.
Expecting the Unexpected.
Pregnancy despite all my fears was an absolute breeze. The birth happened promptly on the due date with a bit of a push and a lot of relieved smiles all round. Relatively quick. Relatively painless.
Words came early to Gabe, but they were never cross, a harsh word never uttered. The dreaded toddler tantrums just didn’t happen. At Junior school they took up the horn and always practised courteously at home, ever mindful of others. Teenage rebellion and angst certainly didn’t show itself around us.
It appeared, despite all my apprehensions during pregnancy, that my Gabriel was indeed an angel.