• Skip to main content

Jim the Writer

a literary blog

  • About me
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • El Morro
  • 100 Words
You are here: Home / Featured / What Else You Can’t Do

What Else You Can’t Do

By Jim Anderson

 

He had no music in him, never had.

In fourth grade, before the Christmas pageant, a desperate teacher ordered him to lip-sync “The Little Drummer Boy.” Decades later, a grown man, it still made him sad.

“You can’t dance,” a woman told him over the booming bass at a grad school party. “It makes me wonder what else you can’t do.” A nasty sly smile. A mean drunk, he thought. He wanted her anyway.

He wanted to sing “Drummer Boy.” He wanted to dance. He wanted the music to lift him up and waft him away, but it never did.


I wrote this story for the 100 Word Challenge: “Music” at Thin Spiral Notebook.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Featured, Fiction Tagged With: 100 words, micro-fiction, music, short story

Blog Stats

There was an issue retrieving stats. Please try again later.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tara R. says

    April 18, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    Perhaps he should learn to play an instrument, or how to hum.

    (Good to have you back writing with the Challenge.)

    • ninnanh says

      April 18, 2017 at 9:10 pm

      What a bittersweet and sad story. Amazing in just 100 words.

      • Jim Anderson says

        April 19, 2017 at 7:39 am

        Thank you. I’ve always liked the “bittersweet.” I’m also surprised at how much writers can say, or imply, even in very few words.

    • Jim Anderson says

      April 19, 2017 at 7:37 am

      My solution is to sing anyway, even if badly. I feel like I have music in me, but it has trouble getting out.

      • Tara R. says

        April 19, 2017 at 10:29 am

        I sound amazing singing in my car. 🙂

© 2013–2025 James E. Anderson. All rights reserved.
A production of Anderfam Enterprises LLC.
  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
%d