100-word Tales
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Once upon a time there were three friends: Rock, Paper and Scissors. One day they began arguing over which of them was greatest. Paper said:
“Who do you think you are, you lump of rock? I can cover you up at any time and nobody would know you were there!”
“But I can shred you in an instant – clip clip clip,” said Scissors and cut Paper into slivers. That was the end of their friend Paper.
“So what about us then?” asked the Rock, and blunted the Scissors. After that the Scissors were useless, if also harmless.
Having done that, the Rock rolled off to see the world, but on his way he tumbled into a hole in the ground and could not roll out again. There he stayed and became overgrown with moss.
And that’s the end of that story.
Glassware
Once there was a shelf that was holding some glassware. A Vase, a glass Cockerel and a Drinking Glass stood side by side. The Vase said:
“I am beautiful, look at my patterns!”
“But,” the Cockerel emphatically said, “you were made for a purpose, and without it you are missing something! You were meant to hold flowers and only they make you complete. I, on the other hand, am perfect, because nothing can be added to me. I am an ornament in myself!”
The Vase had to admit that this was so, and so the Cockerel prevailed. They both looked down upon the Drinking Glass, however.
“A commonly used article,” they scoffed.
But then one day the shelf wobbled, and both the Cockerel and the Vase fell off. The Cockerel broke his neck, while the Vase shattered into a thousand pieces. The Drinking Glass was saved thanks to having been upon a table at the time. After all, it was commonly used.
The Rocking Chair
There was a clear ranking order between the chairs. At the top were the upholstered four-legged ones, then came the hard ones with four legs. There was debate as to whether stools should be allowed in their company, due to having only three legs. But a chair with two legs: now that couldn’t be any kind of chair at all.
“Can’t you see? Left by himself he can hardly stay upright. And his very job is to rock back and forth.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t taken him to the tip!”
“I can’t believe they would bring such a thing into the house.”
Even the stools joined in the mockery. Finally someone was below them!
“Does it hurt you to rock so?”
“Where is it you are trying to go?”
But the rocking chair just did his job without saying a thing.
Finally a tufted chair declared that the rocking chair must be very full of himself for being one of a kind.
“Let’s show him that the rest of us can rock too, if we want to!”
So she rocked and rocked, until she toppled over. And from there she was unable to get up by herself.
The rocking chair was one of a kind.