The Map we Wore

I received an Honorable Mention in the first round of the 100-word Microfiction Challenge 2025! The challenge: write a historical fiction story in under 100 words that includes the word “sky” and features the action of ingesting. Here’s my story: The Map We Wore.

I’m thrilled to share that my story, The Map We Wore, received an Honorable Mention in the NYC Midnight Challenge 1st Round of the 100-word Microfiction Challenge 2025!
The genre I was assigned was Historical Fiction, with the required word sky and the required action ingesting. Here’s the story:

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The Map We Wore

We remember the first cut.

She stitched us red for the road to Nablus. Black for checkpoints. Green for olive groves they burned. White for the sky she could see during curfew.

We crossed borders in the First Intifada, on backs, in pockets, under watchful eyes. We hugged skin. We held meaning.

Now, we wrap her niece like a second skin.

Inside the camp, she holds her arm out. His eyes find us, tracing every line, soaking each stitch until it settles into his bones.

We slide past soldiers who think the fabric is silent. We were never just thread.