One hundred words is a very small number of words with which to form a complete story. I re-remember this every time I get a prompt to do a 100-word microfiction entry in 24 hours. My prompts this time: genre – ghost story, action – picking up a coin, word – spark

The Ballad of Grey Sadie

You’ve never heard of Grey Sadie? Jilted bride, threw herself in the river, lures unsuspecting men to their deaths?

You bend down to pick up a stray coin and static sparks. With that touch, she has you. You’ll walk straight off the riverbank, your thoughts crowded out by her fury. That current is faster than it looks. And the weeds will pull you down. 

It’s just a story. Put that quarter in your pocket and listen to the river rush by. 

I’ll fall in and you’ll swim after me. It’s nice to try something different after a century or two.