
She is quite ordinary.
A middle-aged, work-from-home mother of two adult children, married to her college sweetheart, living in a small rancher in small-town America, with a cat and a dog, and more debt than can be paid off in her lifetime.
She spends her days puttering around an empty home, dusting the same bookcase and vacuuming the same strip of carpet over and over. Her only excitement is earning double-digit coupon savings at the local grocery store.
Only lately, she’s been feeling a little peculiar.
Gazing into the mirror each morning, she notices that she has begun to disappear.

Oh, man, that disappearing bit is scary, isn’t it. Such a gentle intro into that gently brutal last line.
Such fun to be back reading you, Tara!
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The last line caused me to pause. I have been her. I am so loving all the “friends” I am seeing here. Thank you so much, first, for your gorgeous portrayal of losing oneself, and second, for hosting all of us crazies!!!
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Thank you, Gina. I was thrilled to see so many old friends coming out to write for the challenge.
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I hope she comes round and finds herself again.
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Me too, Ruby.
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It is so easy to lose who we are, to lose what makes us each unique and special. You have captured that dread feeling of being trapped in a tedious existance with no way out. As many have said, your closing line is a beauty! 🙂
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Thanks, Tom. It was good to see your name pop up in 100 Words too.
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That last line packed a whallop. Wow.
P.S. I feel like I’m back among friends over here!! I go into the hospital on Monday, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to move my arms, but I will definitely be back!
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I’m so glad you joined in, Tina. Good luck in the hospital.
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UH OH what happens next! Tune in next week for the next chapter, I hope!!
(Also a note re: edit needed in paragraph 2, should say “small-town America”)
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Thanks, Marian. (Thanks too for the edit… I must have read this 20 times and missed it every time.)
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Fantastic! I love your detail and the last line was incredibly powerful. Excellent piece!
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Thank you, Christa. I hope you are planning to submit your own 100 Words.
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Obviously, the last line – and all the millions of places it could take us – is th real clincher here, but I loved it all!
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You never fail to make me love your writing. I certainly relate with this character even though I don’t yet have an empty nest, I feel what she is feeling, especially in that last line. Powerful.
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Thanks, Deb. You know what they say, “all good fiction includes an element of truth.” You just have to figure out what is truth and what is fiction.
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This is a spectacular piece, Tara. The final line tensed my belly and hard. Great work.
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