Write a tale in exactly 100 words. For this challenge, I'll use a thematic prompt, and the winner has to tie in to it somehow. THE PROMPT: write a drabble that somehow, someway connects to Pride Month or coming out. Get creative, just stick to 100 words of prose. I'll post the winner sometime in July.

In Prose only, 100 words exactly, tell me a story. Fiction or fact, fantastical or realistic, just make it lean, mean, and punchy. No theme assigned this time, let's see what you can do without guidance. I'll choose the winner in June.

Use the above as a direct quote, or as an inspiration for your piece. Feel free to generate any kind of writing you choose, but know this: I probably won't choose poetry as the winner. I'm not a huge fan of the stuff.

As a literary device, I love cigarettes. As a real-world item, I hate them. They stink. They're expensive. They're addictive. In film or a piece of writing, though, they're silent characters with souls of their own. I love the smoky exhalation, the expectant inhale. I'm amazed at those white tendrils, reaching skyward, or the plume expelled into a face by an antagonist. I love the words and images surrounding smoking. We can twist the act any way we want. Build suspense. Create tension, or relieve it. Even find humor in the weakness of the addiction. Let me see your spin on it.