6th annual
101 word fiction contest
T
he 101-word fiction contest has become one of our favorite traditions here at Boulder Weekly. It’s a chance for us to read the best flash fiction from writers in Boulder County and beyond. Maybe it’s because the pandemic shut writers inside their homes and kept them in front of their computer screens for weeks, but this crop of submissions were some of the best we’ve received in the six years BW has held this contest. Here are the nuts and bolts of how we determined the top 20 entries: As in years prior, each writer was limited to five submissions — many of the writers who entered the contest submitted more than one piece this year. There were four judges who assigned a score between one and five on each entry. It was a blind process, as the name of the writer was stripped from each entry before reading. We only learned of the winning identities after tallying the scores, which is why you’ll see some writers appear more than once in the list of winners. We ended up with five winners, six honorable mentions and nine additional finalists, however, there were plenty more we wished we could have included. The top 20 finishers have been published here and online. Thanks to all who participated in this contest. We hope you enjoy this year’s selections as much as we did. We’re already looking forward to the next batch in 2021. 8
I
winners SECOND PLACE Prologue
FIRST PLACE Untitled
S
he sat on the beach. Waves washed around her feet. She was dropped off here randomly. Mangroves and seagulls surrounded her. Rolled over on the sand and watched the sunrise. Odd start to the day. Odd start to a new life. — Cyndy Van Sant
D
oralee wheeled her chair down the hall. “I’m going home,” she said. At the door, an alarm sounded and a harried attendant took the handles of the chair. “Let’s go to the dining room,” he said. “It’s almost time for lunch.” After her meal, Doralee sat by her window. She said to the nurse’s aide, “I’ll be leaving soon.” — John LeMay
THIRD PLACE The Last Animal
T
he last animal died on August 17, 2213. After years of debate, the WGO finally ruled the resources needed to maintain DeAnne the dolphin and her 9 square meter tank were no longer justifiable according to World Law. There was no formality to the euthanasia, yet it appeared ceremonious due to the massive media presence and 24-billion worldwide screen viewership. DeAnne’s body was immediately delivered to a local energy port and reutilized into the System. The site was deemed residentially viable, so construction on a 300-floor studio tower began that afternoon. —Thomas Fuller JULY 9, 2020
I
BOULDER COUNTY’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
