Hundred word story challenge

[Margin]

Short stories do not need to be long to be powerful. Flash fiction, especially stories of exactly one hundred words, has become a popular challenge for writers. The strict limit forces you to cut every unnecessary word, which often makes the writing sharper. It is also a great way to get started if you have never written fiction before

The challenge is simple. Write a complete story in exactly one hundred words, or as close as you can manage. It should have some sense of beginning, middle and end, even if it is tiny. Any genre is fine, from comedy and romance to horror and science fiction

To make it a bit easier, here is an optional prompt. A message arrives on an old phone that has been switched off for years. What does it say, and who sent it? You are free to ignore the prompt and write whatever you like

Please only post original work. Kind feedback is welcome, and it is lovely to hear which stories other members enjoyed most. Word counts do not need to be perfect, so do not stress about the odd extra word

Let's see what everyone can do in one hundred words

[Sentinel38]

Using the prompt. The phone buzzed in the drawer, though it had not been charged since 2014. One message. Dinner at seven?

Love, Mum. I sat on the floor and cried, then laughed, because it was the last text she ever sent, delayed by a decade somewhere in the network. I replied anyway. Yes

I will be there. That evening, I cooked her lasagne recipe, set two plates and told the empty chair about my week. The phone buzzed once more. Delivered. It came out sadder than I planned

[Evan76]

Not using the prompt. The lighthouse keeper retired on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the light kept turning anyway. Nobody could explain it

By Friday, the village had stopped asking questions and started leaving biscuits at the door. The light never went out again. Lighthouses always feel slightly magical to me