Category: 100 Word Stories

#291 Creatures of the Night

Last night my feet disappeared. So I went to the one person I trusted to tell me the truth about what was happening to me; my mother. Then she took off her socks and rolled up her pants. She started disappearing when she was my age and her mother explained the burden of women.

We eventually disappear and go to the ‘watching place.’ It’s a sacrifice. It’s an honor. I don’t remember a funeral for my grandmother. And now I know why. She was watching. I could feel her now, squeezing my hand.

Soon my mother would be watching too.

#290 Creatures of the Night

The old man sat on their favorite bench by the riverbank counting the ripples in the water. Waiting for his love. The countless hours they spent together making future plans.

He can feel her laughter in his heart and it makes him smile. A glance at his pocket watch tells him she will be there soon. A a gift from her when they were young. He runs his finger over the inscription; MY LOVE. ALWAYS AND FOREVER.

He unclips the watch and at the stroke of noon throws it into the river. And always and forever, she throws it back.

#289 Creatures of the Night

She had to wear temporary gloves to hide what was happening to her hands as she searched the mall for the glove maker. 

She first noticed the change when she opened her front door and pulled it clear off its hinges. Her neighbor witnessed the unbelievable event and avoided her ever since.

Her hands would only get stronger and as far as she knew there was only one way to stop it. She needed to get her hands fitted for a pair of iron gloves to control her strength or risk killing the next person she got her hands on.

#288 Creatures of the Night

Buried for thousands of years where no one could find it, Sir Reginald ordered his slaves to dig fifty feet below the surface of where they stood. It was on a map marked by ancestors and handed down to the women of his family for safekeeping.

While his mother grieved the loss of her only daughter, he stole the map to uncover her dark secret.

After the slaves dug their way to the entrance they stopped. Refusing to go any further. Sir Reginald pushed past them to discover a book. His laughter was so loud it caused a massive cave-in.

#287 Creatures of the Night

She pushed her glasses up on her nose like she always does when the answer is just within reach. Locked in her basement office for three days, she vowed to never see the light of day till it was done.

With a shaky hand she held the dropper over a vial that hovered over a low flame. Just one drop was all she needed to prove her theory. Two drops could prove fatal for her and the world.

A bead of sweat appeared just above her left eyebrow. She blinked to let it fall, missing the first drop, then squeezed…

#286 Creatures of the Night

Stalking the night, it crept along places no one could see. Sharing the dark with drunks and vagrants who had no place to go.

Its routine was always the same; search the alley for the dead and dying, keep away from the light that threatens to steal it, with a stop at a local delicatessen for a saucer of milk.

But nothing could’ve prepared it for the trouble lurking at Number 13. Abandoned house it runs past everyday. Dark inside with no sign of life, suddenly turns a light on.

Frozen in fear, the cat knew the end had come.

#285 Creatures of the Night

The handshake started it all and no matter what she did, the transformation could not be undone.

Her ears were first. She heard it always starts with the ears. They grew larger, then pointier at the top. She used her long hair to hide them as much as possible. 

If you asked her, the worst part was the hair. It was everywhere every morning. She had to wake up several hours earlier just to shave it all off before work. And as she looked at herself in the mirror, straightening her wig, she wondered if it was all worth it.

#284 Creatures of the Night

The carousel in the store window spun round as people walked by. None glanced its way. Even after it was marked down from its original price many years ago.

The other toys and trinkets featured alongside it would catch the eye of a young child who begged their mum and dad to buy it for them or they’d have a tantrum. In they come, get the toy next to the carousel and leave.

Then one day a mute girl signed to her mother that she wanted a closer look at the carousel. She touched it and suddenly began to speak.

#283 Creatures of the Night

The line went down the street and wrapped around the corner. People started joining the line before dawn. Everyone wants a cup of Eugenia’s Tea. She only brews one batch per day until it’s sold out but anyone lucky enough to get a cup finds themselves having the best day of their life.

A lady near the back tries offering large sums of money to cut in line. But no one is willing to sell their spot. Not even for all the money she can offer.

The sign over the door comes on. She pours the first cup of wishes*.

*The last word can be replaced by many options I didn’t know which to use so I’m leaving the other ones I came up with here: dreams / magic / tea / luck / change. You can also insert your own word too.

#282 Creatures of the Night

Their shadows met in secret every night when no one could bear witness but the night owl. While it hooted, they discussed and plotted what to do about the newcomer.

Rumor has it, she leaves no shadow even under the noonday sun. It was foretold a day would come when shadows would become extinct.

Everyone would be forced to live in truth where no shadows would be found. Something had to be done of this shadowless walker.

Peeking through the curtain of her home, she watched the shadows approach. She turned on a light and they scattered into the night.