What is a Drabble?
A drabble is a story told in precisely one hundred words. No more, and no less. Not as easy as it sounds! There are also half drabbles (50 words) and double drabbles (200 words). For more information see T-zero Xpandizine from the Writers' Village University.
A Dangerous Expedition
It Came To Life
In The Bath
Box of Delights (Half Drabble)
Rose War
Red
Betrayal
Impatience
Baby Steps
The Journey (Double Drabble)
Confusion, seeing in the dark
If I’d never been born...
Fear and Panic (Double Drabble)
A Dangerous Expedition
Incy elegantly stretched each of her long, black, hairy legs in turn, while deciding what to do next. The view across the table was stunning. Leftover food decorated every plate. Incy decided to explore this new territory first. She started creeping towards the nearest plate. As she became more exposed she quickened her pace, until she was under cover again. With practised ease she climbed over the edge of the plate. Then, just as she was beginning to examine the leftovers, a voice cried out. In a flash Incy was flicked violently from the plate, and squashed under a newspaper.
It Came To Life
Published in T-Zero Xpandizine in June 2001 [View]
In The Bath
I loved bath time; the splashy water, the yellow quackies. Me and Mummy always had great fun. Except that one time. Debbie banged her head, so Mummy had to go kiss it better. I guess she thought I was big enough to stay on my own. But when I leaned forward to grab quackie, I fell over. I tried to cry out, and water went up my nose. But it was okay, because Mummy cried for me. She pulled me out so quickly it hurt my arms. Then I cried. Very loudly. I was glad that bath time was over.
Box of Delights (Half Drabble)
Jenny’s little fingers fumbled excitedly at the bright shiny wrapping paper.
She could barely contain herself as she ripped it off to reveal the box it was
covering. When she saw the picture on the box she let out a shriek of delight.
“Baby Annie doll! Thankyou Mummy, thankyou Daddy!”
Rose War
When the car exploded, I was only a few feet away. Unsurprisingly then, I was thrown to the ground by the force. And as I was on the road, I cracked my head open. My world went fuzzy. I wasn't sure if the guns I could hear were real, or just in my ringing head. I became aware of people screaming, and the heat from the burning car was intense. I rolled my head away from it, and was surprised to find the ground sticky. I realised it was my own blood, as I slipped peacefully into the next life.
Red
Cat looked at the small red spot bulbing on her fingertip. It grew slowly, until the tension broke, and it began dripping on to the ground. Cat was not concerned that she was losing blood, but intently curious, as only a child can be. She wondered how many drops there would be, and started counting. The blood was dripping very slowly though, and after two or three drops Cat was bored with that game. Instead she turned her finger upwards, so that the blood began running down her hand. It trickled slowly towards the cuff of her clean white jumper.
Betrayal
"Go and do what you have to do," he said. I knew exactly what he meant, but it broke my heart to obey him. There was no way I could refuse, although I wished with every fibre in my body that I could. Instead I made my way out of the dwelling, and headed for the city. With every step my heart grew heavier, and I prayed that this would work out the way is was supposed to, the way he promised it would. When I arrived at the city gate, I met my contact. "Hello Judas," he said, smiling.
Impatience
Clare looked at her watch again. It felt like half an hour had passed already, but it had only been 1 minute. She sat down on the bathroom floor and hugged her knees, reading the instructions again. Pink for positive, blue for negative. She had not planned to get pregnant right now, but it was not an idea she hated. She checked her watch again. 90 seconds. She held it up to her ear and listened. 2 minutes. 2 and a half. At last it was time. She grabbed the test, then paused. Pink or blue? She opened the case...
Baby Steps
It was such a lovely day for a picnic. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze drifted over us, and the park was virtually empty. I lazed under the cool umbrage of an old oak tree, and watched Tommi take her first steps with a mother's pride. Darren held her up by her waist, her fat little legs wobbling as she tried to stand on her own. When she seemed a little steadier, he tried holding her hands instead. For 3 months old, she was doing very well! Then with a smile of delight, her legs gave way.
The Journey
Published in T-Zero Xpandizine in July 2001 [View]
Confusion, seeing in the dark
I stood on the platform, waiting nervously. A porter with a large trolley said, “Watch your back mate” as he passed. I was immediately alert. What did that mean? Was someone following me? My eyes darted about, checking faces. Everyone was watching me! They looked away, but I could tell. My heart raced. My hands became clammy. What was I going to do? I knew if I could just get outside, I could outrun them. So I screamed loudly, and launched myself through the exit. The people on the platform stared in vague curiosity, and then forgot all about me.
If I’d never been born...
If I’d never been born, I’d never have seen a sunrise or a rainbow. I’d never have heard the sweet sound of children singing, or heard anyone say ‘I love you’. If I’d never been born, I wouldn’t know what freshly cut grass smells like, or the heavenly scent of roses in bloom. I wouldn’t know the craving for chocolate, or the bitter taste of coffee. If I’d never been born, I’d never have felt the sun on my face or the wind in my hair. If I’d never been born, I’d never have lived. I’m grateful I was born.
Fear and Panic
My plan was to cook a romantic meal for our first anniversary, an evening we’d treasure. I should have known it was a bad idea. The Scorpio horoscope had warned that something I considered beautiful would turn out to be full of deceit. I wandered peacefully around my garden, intending to gather flowers for the table. I loved my garden. It provided me with a retreat full of amazing scents and colours. I bent down to smell a stunningly perfect white rose, then recoiled in terror as a spider suddenly emerged. With legs at least an inch long each, it began to stride across the delicate petals, sending fear and panic like an arrow through my heart. I rushed back inside. When Cass returned home I was still shaken, the oven cold and empty. We went to our favourite restaurant instead. It had a Wild West theme, and on the walls were old posters advertising a rodeo, a shooting contest, and of course a wanted poster. Over mexican chicken I told Cass all about my thwarted plans. As he laughed and kissed me softly on the cheek, I noticed the vase on the table held a single perfect white rose.
All stories Copyright © 2009 Tracy Seeger. All rights reserved.