Today’s random word is urine

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A Drabble is a concise 100-word story that respects your busy schedule. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds so your read will count, and you won’t be among the guilty ones.

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You’re in.

This is it.

What I’ve been working toward all my life.

It was my dad’s dream.

I made it mine.

Mom took me to practice every day when I was a kid.

They said I was too small.

And not fast enough.

Here I am, about to step on the sacred dirt in my hometown.

In front of family and friends.

And Kathy. Who’s believed in me since high school.

Field of Dreams.

I won’t screw this up.

I’m ready.

“Willie, did you hear me? Go in and take the urine test. And you’ll be batting seventh today.”

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This story was written for Six-Word Story Challenge.

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What will fill up your year?

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I love April in Iowa.

Nature’s Time-Machine.

Walking through the woods, we’re prompted to look ahead.

To what we’d like to do this coming year.

And recall what we regretted not doing this past year.

Then imagine, for a moment, how we might feel next April after fulfilling what today is only potential.

The random word for today is unusual.

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A Drabble is a precise 100-word story. This Drabble was written for Fiction Shorts.

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Jim woke up feeling confident.

Unusual.

His mother said good morning to him for the first time in a week and added:

“I’ll pick you up from basketball practice.”

On the bus to school, when he looked at Mary, she met his eyes and smiled.

John asked him for his algebra homework, and Jerry laughed at his joke.

In history class, the minute hand moved every time he blinked.

While waiting in line for lunch along corridor C, Jim saw Joe and Tom pushing Bill’s wheelchair away from the boy’s room. He grabbed Jerry and John and led the charge.

Today’s random word is ruin.

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A Drabble is a work of fiction of precisely 100 words. This Drabble was written for Fiction Shorts.

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Act One: The Office of Kendra White, Marriage Counselor (She, They)

Mrs. Red and Mr. Blue are sitting silently, staring forward.

White enters.

Mrs. Red begins speaking.

“Blue and I agree. Our union is in tatters.”

Blue: “In ruin.”

White: “Let’s begin with our preferred pronouns.”

Blue: “He.”

Red: “She, of course. Should we refer to you as they?”

White: “She is fine. Let’s start with each of you turning toward your partner to ask the first question that comes to mind.”

Red: “Why have you stopped going to church?”

Blue: “Why don’t you like our new neighbors, the Rodriquez’s?”

I did yesterday. It may become a habit.

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Not often enough.

I’ll wager.

Sorry, I hope I haven’t offended you.

I’ve been doing that lately.

For example, I insulted a friend during an argument yesterday.

I called him a name.

It wasn’t a terrible name, not one of those 21st-century unacceptable names.

That my uncle used in the 1950s.

But I stamped a label on his forehead.

It was a standard 21st-century label.

Racist.

I could see the hurt in his eyes.

Hear the wound in his voice.

At first, I tried to clarify.

I didn’t mean you were a racist, only that you support a racist.

I knew the damage had been done.

Upon reflection, it’s possible to be right and wrong.

There are racists.

But guilt by association is a bridge too far.

Today, this word has become an epithet.

Like antisemite.

Progress.

However, hurtling labels at people is like painting with a broad brush.

Sloppy.

Using a cannon when a scalpel would do.

So, instead of writing words on the board, I apologized to my friend.

It felt so good.

I’ll try it on someone else today.

A conversation was overheard.

Today’s random word is tremble.

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A Drabble is a concise 100-word story that respects your busy schedule. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds so your read will count. This Drabble is written for Fiction Shorts.

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The Trembles?

Nah, that doesn’t sound right.

The Tomatoes?

Have you ever heard of a group named after a fruit?

A tomato is a vegetable. Look, here comes Sharon — name tags help.

Bingo. The other song was Here Comes My Baby. Who sang Silence is Golden and Here Comes My Baby? Let’s ask Sharon.

Maybe that’s not a good idea. Her law firm sued the school district for not spending enough money on girls’ sports.

Sharon, hi, Bob and Paul. We were on the Spaghetti dinner committee together. We can’t remember who sang Here Comes My Baby?

The Tremeloes, Boys!

Burdened by guilt.

Today’s random word is brook.

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A Drabble is a concise 100-word story that respects your busy schedule. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds so your read will count, and you won’t feel guilty. This Drabble is written for Fiction Shorts.

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Fish: You’re not from around here.

Man: I saw the brook from the bridge.

Fish: So, are you lost?

Man: I’m late for work, and my wife’s mad at me. I also need to mow the grass and call my mother, and it’s all becoming too much.

Fish: I’ve heard about guilt but don’t know it.

Man: Can I give mine to you? One tiny moment. I promise I’ll take it back.

Fish: Fin to finger for 60 seconds.

Man: Scout’s honor.

One minute lapses.

Fish: Hey, where are you floating off to?

Man: I don’t know.

Fish: I’m sorry.

Today’s random word is among.

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A Drabble is a concise 100-word story that respects your busy schedule. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds so your read will count, and you won’t be among the guilty ones. This Drabble was written for Fiction Shorts.

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Painting: Are you judging me?

Viewer: I’m not. Or any of your friends.

What are you thinking?

Why do the men have their clothes on, and you and your friend don’t?

I’m an exhibitionist.

What do you mean?

I’ve nothing to hide, especially among friends and nature.

On the wall opposite you is a naked painting of Adam and Eve before they ate the apple. Like you, there is no shame in their eyes.

God was wrong to make us ashamed of our bodies.

Are the men with you embarrassed by their bodies?

They weren’t just a few minutes ago.

Today’s random word is foundation.

A Drabble is a concise 100-word story that respects your busy schedule. Please stay on the page for 30 seconds so your read will count, and you won’t be among the guilty ones. This Drabble was written for Fiction Shorts.

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Joe strode through the door and settled into the front-row window seat. He placed his pen in the table groove.

Just before the bell, Jim slid into the desk in the back row and slumped down. His cap bill camouflaged his eyes.

Jim had sat in the back of a classroom for as long as he could remember.

Joe always felt comfortable in the front.

At parent-teacher conferences, their mother said her task was to lay the foundation for success.

Joe came two minutes earlier than Jim.

She added:

Jim will be a late bloomer. I know it.

A genetic conversation

Today’s random word is sweep.

Message to my readers: This short piece was published in Medium’s Fiction Shorts. It is a Drabble of precisely 100 words using the random word SWEEP. It is written as a “genetic conversation.”

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Look at the sweep of my hand. Isn’t it beautiful?

What will you do with your hands today?

Applaud my good intentions.

Do your plans include helping others?

Why do you care so much about others?

They are part of your little world; you might need their help someday.

I saw a wheelbarrow full of dirt in Ed’s backyard.

Grab your shovel.

But I passed him on the street yesterday, and he didn’t ask for help.

Maybe he’s like you. And doesn’t have a mirror.

Oh, I could use his ladder to clean out my gutters.

Afterwards, you can applaud.