Harvest of Unity and Gratitude
Write a flash fiction story that uses 150 words. That is the challenge of this contest. Write a story (on any topic) using exactly 150 words. The title does not count towards the word count. Online word processor is an estimate only. We recommend the use of a computer word processor to count the words.
The autumn wind carried salt and sorrow across Plymouth’s fields. Of the women who sailed on the Mayflower, only four remained— 78% claimed by disease and hunger. Yet the survivors gathered, hearts heavy but hopeful.
Pilgrim men, women, and children set rough-hewn tables outside their modest homes. King Massasoit arrived with 90 Wampanoag warriors, their steps steady, faces proud. They brought five deer, slain in the forest, a gift of meat to share.
The feast began with prayer, giving thanks for survival, for corn and squash, for new allies. Laughter mingled with the crackle of fires. Wampanoag and Pilgrims ate together— venison, wildfowl, and harvest bounty.
They celebrated life’s fragile persistence. Amid loss and plenty, gratitude mutually bound them. The first Thanksgiving was not just a meal, but a promise to endure, together.
For three vivid days, gratitude blazed brighter than loss, binding strangers in a fierce, fleeting harmony.
Flash Fiction contest entry
The first Thanksgiving: 1621 autumn harvest feast shared by 52 English colonists (Pilgrims) and 90 members of the Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Fires roared, spitting sparks into the twilight. Pilgrims and Wampanoag feasted on sizzling meat, sweet squash, and tart berries, voices rising in prayer and song. Children darted through legs, laughter piercing the chill. For three vivid days, gratitude blazed brighter than loss, binding strangers in a fierce, fleeting harmony. It was a celebration of Thanksgiving to their Creator, not about the food.
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