Drabbles are short stories of exactly 100 words. There are some examples by well-known authors (and a bit of history) at meades.org.
If you’re interested in the form, I’d encourage you to check out the Martian Magazine, or the now-shuttered Speck Lit. (Update: Sadly, Martian Magazine has disappeared from the web. I’ve removed the links to avoid sending you to the spam site now parked at that domain…)
These are some of my favorite (freely accessible) drabble stories:
- Nicholas Was — Neil Gaiman
- Orbital Views — Gretchen Tessmer
- Todd — Jason P. Burnham
- The Reluctant Time Traveler Wears Two Watches — Wendy Nikel
- The Weave — M. Yzmore
- Double Trouble — R. Daniel Lester
- The Forest of Memory — Anna Salonen
- A Cabin to Die In — Anna Salonen
- Of Artistic Temperament — Sophie Flynn
- Redemption — Belinda Saville
You can find some of my own drabbles below.
“No More Kings”
Seto enters the capitol, leading a peasant army. On his left: Kagawa, Lord of Thieves. On his right: Taka, Iron-Fisted Monk. Like a storm, they sweep through the palace. Stone-faced, Seto beheads the evil king.
“Let us crown you in the courtyard,” Taka says.
Seto refuses. “I have done what I set out to do.”
“Who will be king?” Taka asks. “Surely not the Lord of Thieves?”
“I would make a fine king,” Kagawa says, sword drawn.
As lieutenents’ blades clash, Seto shatters the crown. He rides from the burning city. His cottage in the mountains awaits him.
A Going Away Party
The residents of the last escape ship wake up early and decide what events to attend. A Shakespeare reading or a striptease? A fistfight or a folk dance? A prayer service or a rave? An orgy or a tea ceremony? The sacred, profane and mundane are represented in equal measure.
We disable the fire suppression systems for makeshift campfires. We sing songs and eat nutrient paste s’mores. Some laugh, some weep.
Enemy ships close in, faster and more powerful than ours. We take our sedatives, and sleep in each other’s arms.
All in all, not a bad send-off for humanity.
Words Deferred 