1.

It went through such rapid contortions that the little bear was forced to change his hold on it
so many times he became confused in the darkness, and could not, for the life of him, tell
whether he held the sheep right side up, or upside down. But that point was decided for him a
moment later by the animal itself, who, with a sudden twist, jabbed its horns so hard into his
lowest ribs that he gave a grunt of anger and disgust.

3. She was infatuated with color. She didn't have a favorite color per se, but she did have a
fondness for teals and sea greens. You could see it in the clothes she wore that color was an
important part of her overall style. She took great pride that color flowed from her and that
color was always all around her. That is why, she explained to her date sitting across the
table, that she could never have a serious relationship with him due to the fact that he was
colorblind.

5. Have you ever wondered about toes? Why 10 toes and not 12. Why are some bigger than
others? Some people can use their toes to pick up things while others can barely move them
on command. Some toes are nice to look at while others are definitely not something you
want to look at. Toes can be stubbed and make us scream. Toes help us balance and walk.
10 toes are just something to ponder.

7. Her breath exited her mouth in big puffs as if she were smoking a cigarette. The morning dew
had made her clothes damp and she shivered from the chill in the air. There was only one
thing that could get her up and out this early in the morning.

9. "Do Not Enter." The sign made it clear that they didn't want anyone around. That wasn't going
to stop Jack. Jack always lived with the notion that signs were mere suggestions, not
actually absolute rules. That's why the moment Jack looked at the "Do Not Enter" sign, he
walked past it and onto their property.

11. She wondered if the note had reached him. She scolded herself for not handing it to him in
person. She trusted her friend, but so much could happen. She waited impatiently for word.

13. Green vines attached to the trunk of the tree had wound themselves toward the top of the
canopy. Ants used the vine as their private highway, avoiding all the creases and crags of the
bark, to freely move at top speed from top to bottom or bottom to top depending on their
current chore. At least this was the way it was supposed to be. Something had damaged the
vine overnight halfway up the tree leaving a gap in the once pristine ant highway.

15. It really doesn't matter what she thinks as it isn't her problem to solve. That's what he kept
trying to convince himself. She was trying to insert her opinion where it wasn't wanted or
welcome. He already had a plan and even though that plan didn't correspond with what she
wanted him to do or what should be done, it wasn't her decision to make. The question now
became whether he would stick to his convictions and go through with his plan knowing she
wouldn't approve.

17. To the two friends, the treehouse was much more than a treehouse. It was a sanctuary away
from the other kids where they could be themselves without being teased or bullied. It was
 their secret fortress hidden high in the branches of a huge oak that only they knew existed. At
least that is what they thought. They were more than a little annoyed when their two younger
sisters decided to turn the treehouse into a princess castle by painting the inside pink and
putting glitter everywhere.

19. Devon couldn't figure out the color of her eyes. He initially would have guessed that they were
green, but the more he looked at them he almost wanted to say they were a golden yellow.
Then there were the flashes of red and orange that seemed to be streaked throughout them.
It was almost as if her eyes were made of opal with the sun constantly glinting off of them
and bringing out more color. They were definitely the most unusual pair of eyes he'd ever
seen.

21. It all started with a random letter. Several of those were joined forces to create a random
word. The words decided to get together and form a random sentence. They decided not to
stop there and it wasn't long before a random paragraph had been cobbled together. The
question was whether or not they could continue the momentum long enough to create a
random short story.

23. You know that tingly feeling you get on the back of your neck sometimes? I just got that
feeling when talking with her. You know I don't believe in sixth senses, but there is something
not right with her. I don't know how I know, but I just do.

25. The kids were loud. They were way too loud for Jerry, especially since this was a four-hour
flight. The parents didn't seem to be able, or simply didn't want, to control them. They were
yelling and fighting among themselves and it was impossible for any of the passengers to
concentrate or rest. He thought about politely tapping on the parents' shoulders and asking
them to try and get their kids under a bit more control, but before he did he came up with a
better idea. Sure, it was a bit sinister, and he'd probably end p in a lot of trouble, but he really
didn't care at that point.

27. He hid under the covers hoping that nobody would notice him there. It really didn't make
much sense since it would be obvious to anyone who walked into the room there was
someone hiding there, but he still held out hope. He heard footsteps coming down the hall
and stop in front in front of the bedroom door. He heard the squeak of the door hinges and
someone opened the bedroom door. He held his breath waiting for whoever was about to
discover him, but they never did.

29. The boy walked down the street in a carefree way, playing without notice of what was about
him. He didn't hear the sound of the car as his ball careened into the road. He took a step
toward it, and in doing so sealed his fate.

31. Mary had to make a decision and she knew that whatever decision she made, it would upset
someone. It seemed like such a silly reason for people to get upset but she knew the minute
that she began to consider doing it that there was no way everyone in her life would be
pleased with what she ultimately decided to do. It was simply a question of who she would
rather displease most. While this had always been her parents, and especially her mom, in
the past that she tried to keep from upsetting, she decided that this time the person she was
going to please the most with her decision was herself.
33. They needed to find a place to eat. The kids were beginning to get grumpy in the back seat
and if they didn't find them food soon, it was just a matter of time before they were faced with
a complete meltdown. Even knowing this, the solution wasn't easy. Everyone in the car had a
different opinion on where the best place to eat would be with nobody agreeing with the
suggestions of the others. It seemed to be an impossible no-win situation where not
everyone would be happy no matter where they decided to eat which in itself would lead to a
meltdown. Yet a decision needed to be made and it needed to be made quickly.

35. "It's never good to give them details," Janice told her sister. "Always be a little vague and keep
them guessing." Her sister listened intently and nodded in agreement. She didn't fully
understand what her sister was saying but that didn't matter. She loved her so much that she
would have agreed to whatever came out of her mouth.

37. Time is all relative based on age and experience. When you are a child an hour is a long time
to wait but a very short time when that’s all the time you are allowed on your iPad. As a
teenager time goes faster the more deadlines you have and the more you procrastinate. As a
young adult, you think you have forever to live and don’t appreciate the time you spend with
others. As a middle-aged adult, time flies by as you watch your children grow up. And finally,
as you get old and you have fewer responsibilities and fewer demands on you, time slows.
You appreciate each day and are thankful you are alive. An hour is the same amount of time
for everyone yet it can feel so different in how it goes by.

39. He stared out the window at the snowy field. He'd been stuck in the house for close to a
month and his only view of the outside world was through the window. There wasn't much to
see. It was mostly just the field with an occasional bird or small animal who ventured into the
field. As he continued to stare out the window, he wondered how much longer he'd be
shackled to the steel bar inside the house.

41. With six children in tow, Catherine raced to the airport departing gate. This wasn't an easy
task as the children had other priorities than to get to the gate. She knew that she was tight
on time and the frustration came out as she yelled at the kids to keep up. They continued to
test her, pretending not to listen and to move in directions that only slowed them down. They
had no idea the wrath they were about to receive when Catherine made it to the gate only to
be informed that they had all missed the plane.

43. One foot in front of the other, One more step, and then one more. Jack's only thoughts were
to keep moving no matter how much his body screamed to stop and rest. He's lost almost all
his energy and his entire body ached beyond belief, but he forced himself to take another
step. Then another. And then one more.

45. The river slowly meandered through the open space. It had hidden secrets that it didn't want
to reveal. It had a well-planned strategy to appear calm, inviting, and appealing. That's how
the river lured her unknowing victims to her water's edge.

47. Lori lived her life through the lens of a camera. She never realized this until this very moment
as she scrolled through thousands of images on your computer. She could remember the
exact moment each photo was taken. She could remember where she had been, what she
was thinking as she tried to get the shot, the smells of the surrounding area, and even the
emotions that she felt taking the photo, yet she had trouble remembering what she had for
 breakfast.

49. Benny was tired. Not the normal every day tired from a hard day o work. The exhausted type
of tired where you're surprised your body can even move. All he wanted to do was sit in front
of the TV, put his feet up on the coffee table, and drink a beer. The only issue was that he had
forgotten where he lived.

51. He was aware there were numerous wonders of this world including the unexplained
creations of humankind that showed the wonder of our ingenuity. There are huge heads on
Easter Island. There are the Egyptian pyramids. There’s Stonehenge. But he now stood in
front of a newly discovered monument that simply didn't make any sense and he wondered
how he was ever going to be able to explain it.

53. All he could think about was how it would all end. There was still a bit of uncertainty in the
equation, but the basics were there for anyone to see. No matter how much he tried to see
the positive, it wasn't anywhere to be seen. The end was coming and it wasn't going to be
pretty.

55. It was going to rain. The weather forecast didn't say that, but the steel plate in his hip did. He
had learned over the years to trust his hip over the weatherman. It was going to rain, so he
better get outside and prepare.

57. There was only one way to do things in the Statton house. That one way was to do exactly
what the father, Charlie, demanded. He made the decisions and everyone else followed
without question. That was until today.

59. Should he write it down? That was the question running through his mind. He couldn't believe
what had just happened and he knew nobody else would believe him as well. Even if he
documented what had happened by writing it down, he still didn't believe anyone would still
believe it. So the question remained. Was it be worth it to actually write it down?

61. As she sat watching the world go by, something caught her eye. It wasn't so much its color or
shape, but the way it was moving. She squinted to see if she could better understand what it
was and where it was going, but it didn't help. As she continued to stare into the distance, she
didn't understand why this uneasiness was building inside her body. She felt like she should
get up and run. If only she could make out what it was. At that moment, she comprehended
what it was and where it was heading, and she knew her life would never be the same.

63. It was a scrape that he hardly noticed. Sure, there was a bit of blood but it was minor
compared to most of the other cuts and bruises he acquired on his adventures. There was no
way he could know that the rock that produced the cut had alien genetic material on it that
was now racing through his bloodstream. He felt perfectly normal and continued his
adventure with no knowledge of what was about to happen to him.

65. The bridge spanning a 100-foot gully stood in front of him as the last obstacle blocking him
from reaching his destination. While people may have called it a "bridge", the reality was it
was nothing more than splintered wooden planks held together by rotting ropes. It was
 questionable whether it would hold the weight of a child, let alone the weight of a grown man.
The problem was there was no other way across the gully, and this played into his
calculations of whether or not it was worth the risk of trying to cross it.

67. What were the chances? It would have to be a lot more than 100 to 1. It was likely even more
than 1,000 to 1. The more he thought about it, the odds of it happening had to be more than
10,000 to 1 and even 100,000 to 1. People often threw around the chances of something
happening as being 1,000,000 to 1 as an exaggeration of an unlikely event, but he could see
that they may actually be accurate in this situation. Whatever the odds of it happening, he
knew they were big. What he didn't know was whether this happening was lucky or unlucky.

69. The red ball sat proudly at the top of the toybox. It had been the last to be played with and
anticipated it would be the next as well. The other toys grumbled beneath. At one time each
had held the spot of the red ball, but over time they had sunk deeper and deeper into the toy
box.

71. I'm meant to be writing at this moment. What I mean is, I'm meant to be writing something
else at this moment. The document I'm meant to be writing is, of course, open in another
program on my computer and is patiently awaiting my attention. Yet here I am plonking down
senseless sentiments in this paragraph because it's easier to do than to work on anything
particularly meaningful. I am grateful for the distraction.

73. Twenty-five stars were neatly placed on the piece of paper. There was room for five more
stars but they would be difficult ones to earn. It had taken years to earn the first twenty-five,
and they were considered the "easy" ones.

75. MaryLou wore the tiara with pride. There was something that made doing anything she didn't
really want to do a bit easier when she wore it. She really didn't care what those staring
through the window were thinking as she vacuumed her apartment.

77. You can decide what you want to do in life, but I suggest doing something that creates.
Something that leaves a tangible thing once you're done. That way even after you're gone, you
will still live on in the things you created.

79. Finding the red rose in the mailbox was a pleasant surprise for Sarah. She didn't have a
boyfriend or know of anyone who was interested in her as anything more than a friend. There
wasn't even a note attached to it. Although it was a complete mystery, it still made her heart
jump and race a little more than usual. She wished that she could simply accept the gesture
and be content knowing someone had given it to her, but that wasn't the way Sarah did
things. Now it was time to do a little detective work and try to figure who had actually left the
red rose.

81. The choice was red, green, or blue. It didn't seem like an important choice when he was
making it, but it was a choice nonetheless. Had he known the consequences at that time, he
would likely have considered the choice a bit longer. In the end, he didn't and ended up
choosing blue.
83. There was a time when this wouldn't have bothered her. The fact that it did actually bother
her bothered her even more. What had changed in her life that such a small thing could annoy
her so much for the entire day? She knew it was ridiculous that she even took notice of it, yet
she was still obsessing over it as she tried to fall asleep.

85. He swung back the fishing pole and cast the line which ell 25 feet away into the river. The lure
landed in the perfect spot and he was sure he would soon get a bite. He never expected that
the bite would come from behind in the form of a bear.

87. "Begin today!" That's all the note said. There was no indication from where it came or who
may have written it. Had it been meant for someone else? Meghan looked around the room,
but nobody made eye contact back. For a brief moment, she thought it might be a message
for her to follow her dreams, but ultimately decided it was easier to ignore it as she crumpled
it up and threw it away.

89. Debbie put her hand into the hole, sliding her hand down as far as her arm could reach. She
wiggled her fingers hoping to touch something, but all she felt was air. She shifted the weight
of her body to try and reach an inch or two more down the hole. Her fingers still touched
nothing but air.

91. It was cloudy outside but not really raining. There was a light sprinkle at most and there
certainly wasn't a need for an umbrella. This hadn't stopped Sarah from pulling her umbrella
out and opening it. It had nothing to do with the weather or the potential rain later that day.
Sarah used the umbrella to hide.

93. She glanced up into the sky to watch the clouds taking shape. First, she saw a dog. Next, it
was an elephant. Finally, she saw a giant umbrella and at that moment the rain began to pour.

95. I love the feel of wood curls flying off the lathe as I begin to shape the log in front of me. The
sound of scraping changes based on the wetness of the wood, the speed at which the lathe
is turning, and the type of cut I am making. The smell and feel of wet wood being turned are
unique. The water is sprayed out as I cut through the different layers of wood. A log can turn
into anything one's imagination can think of with the right set of hands-on tools. I have those
hands and imagination. I use all of my senses and intuition to create a beautiful object. That
is why I enjoy turning wood.

97. There were only two ways to get out of this mess if they all worked together. The problem
was that neither was all that appealing. One would likely cause everyone a huge amount of
physical pain while the other would likely end up with everyone in jail. In Sam's mind, there
was only one thing to do. He threw everyone else under the bus and he secretly sprinted
away leaving the others to take the fall without him.

99. I checked in for the night at Out O The Way motel. What a bad choice that was. First I took a
shower and a spider crawled out of the drain. Next, the towel rack fell down when I reached
for the one small bath towel. This allowed the towel to fall halfway into the toilet. I tried to
watch a movie, but the remote control was sticky and wouldn’t stop scrolling through the
channels. I gave up for the night and crawled into bed. I stretched out my leg and felt
something furry by my foot. Filled with fear, I reached down and to my surprise, I pulled out a
raccoon skin pair of underwear. After my initial relief that it wasn’t alive, the image of a fat,
ugly businessman wearing raccoon skin briefs filled my brain. I jumped out of the bed, threw
my toothbrush into my bag, and sprinted towards my car.