NYC Midnight 100 Word Challenge, 2026.

Round One. Genre: Comedy, Action: Visiting, Word: Understand

Place: 12th

Title: Opportunistic, Omnivorous Squirrel

My porch chairs, drenched in afternoon sunlight. Tiny visitor. 

But can I just say something? That cushioned chair is made for humans, you know? And here you are, resting on hind legs. Fuzzy white belly. Poofy S-shaped tail. Hey! Those are my pecans you’re nibbling! 

Oh!

Was that a hiccup? Do you need water? 

I understand.

Are you sure squirrels eat chicken? You must be starving, you poor thing. Is this your lunch break, too? Girl, you deserve a break! It’s imperative to take time for yourself. What’s that? Some apple slices? Crunchy peanut butter? 

Me? I’ll just… eat later. 

MY NOTES: Listen. Apparently I can only write comedy if I make animals talk. I just cringe reading this one. I wanted the narrator to step out onto her porch for a break, but she’s me, right? And she’s incapable of taking a single moment for self care without trying to save someone else. Like this squirrel. So she sacrifices everything, and she’s mad about it, but also wants to help, and all at the same time use her manners.

Tangent: It’s weird to me that squirrels are omnivores. Like where do they draw the line with what kind of meat they will eat? Will anything suffice?

Second Tangent: I tried to grow a pineapple on our front porch and I inadvertently sacrificed it to our local squirrel. He looked so cute eating a pineapple and then he DUG UP my spider plant like an absolute savage.

I was surprised to place this round, and hope to never get comedy again. Also, 100 words is HARD.