End your story with a character receiving a deeply meaningful gift they weren’t expecting.

Posted in Adults on Nov 18, 2022

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✍️ 68 stories

“Dust Collectors” by John K Adams

“You don’t get it, Fie. I don’t want anything.” Shoppers pushed by. Oblivious to his surroundings, Owen stood between shelves stacked high with Christmas décor. Looking exasperated, Fiona pointed to their surroundings. “Wake up!” He mimicked her and ended with an exaggerated yawn. “I have what I need.” He shook his head. “Look at this crap. Kitsch, kitsch, kitsch… Could have cornered the gli...

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“What Goes Around” by Ginny Moore

Assault with a deadly weapon carries a one-year minimum sentence in New York, at least according to the reputable legal advice of the Google search I complete on the taxi ride to Sam’s apartment. The question the internet can’t answer is whether a wool scarf counts as a deadly weapon. I suppose it all comes down to motivation. Sharp wind blowing down 8th Avenue grabs the ends of my pea co...

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“Elephants and Other Unexpected Gifts” by Lindsay Flo

The snow was the type you weren’t supposed to drive in, period. Especially not during the heaviest part of the storm, when white fluff was dumping at an astonishing rate. Meg was at the wheel, navigating in her minivan, which was the absolute worst type of vehicle to be in at this point. I listened to her chatter, looked over my shoulder at Beth, wondering why neither of my cousins seemed to be frightened beyond belief like I was. I was half-wishing I had gone with my father instead, safe inside his four-wheel drive SUV, confident in his ...

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“The Unexpected Gift” by April GIBSON

“The best gifts are the unexpected ones.”~Author UnknownI’m not sure who originally coined the phrase “the best gifts are the unexpected ones,” but a truer saying has never been spoken. For whatever reason, I don’t have a lot of experience with truly meaningful gifts. My adult children aren’t really gift-givers. My parents kind of approached gift-giving from a monetary standpoint, and it's been years since I really exchanged gifts with my sister or close friends. Gift giving is hard, and I think over the years my ...

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“The good we made each other” by Letícia Fernandes

I have been standing in front of the door for the past ten minutes. My hand twitches towards the handle, but it seems like an invisible force pushes it back. The tightness in my chest makes it hard to breathe and I try my best not to let the tears fall. It takes me five more minutes to gather the courage to turn the knob. Inside, everything looks exactly the way I remember: some plants scattered...

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“The Gift” by Marcus Newton-Howes

She looked into my eyes. Sad, wistful and sorry. Went up on her tiptoes in order to kiss my cheek. Then crossed the street. It was only once she was over there that she spoke again. Shouting to be heard, but also perhaps to emphasize her message by saying it to the world. ‘I love you.’I was sad and mentally numb from trying to feel out solutions and finding none.Julia picked windswept hair out of her face, and looked imploringly across the street at me. The warm wind was picking up. Su...

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“Time” by Priya D

“After crossing the valley and walking a mile surrounded by greenery everywhere, we find the famous cherry blossom trees which now give the scenery a soft pastel pink look with pinkish white blooms welcoming us to what is called as the heaven on earth.” I finish reading. But I keep looking at the beautiful pictures wondering if my words did justice to these beautiful visuals. Well..there is only one way to fin...

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“A Christmas Story ” by Patricia Jablonski

A Christmas Story “Come on, Mark. It’s Christmas. We need to celebrate.” The four of them pushed their way into the elevator and held it open for him. He stopped half-way there, fake-patted his pockets. “Go on, okay? I forgot something. I’ll be right behind you.” They booed him as the elevator doors closed. Mark turned the overhead lights off, leaving the office i...

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“Utter Chaos” by Wake Lloire

Cleo looked at her calendar for the month. It was one of those giant ones with the big boxes attached to the fridge with magnets that sometimes meant she’d hear crashing in the middle of the night to wake up in the morning to a mess of art by her children, restaurant take out menus and the business cards of people she’d meant to call all over the kitchen floor. Her calendar was full, and heavy. Both metap...

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“Sanctuary” by Gabrielle Acciaio

Monday after school came and Malcolm messaged me after we spoke today. “Hey wanna come over after dinner?” “To do homework?” “Yeah. I have this project to finish.” “Me too. I’ll ask my mom,” I turned to my mom begging her, only to be told I don’t have a ride...

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“A True Gift” by Cengiz Kıbrıslı

I still remember the day we decorated the house. I was ten and it was two weeks before Christmas. I remember that I felt like a long journey of waiting and despair will finally come to an end. A new year was about to begin, and all of the bad memories will become the past as they never happened. I was looking forward to my presents. I was about to receive not only the gifts but also the strong feeling of being loved and cared for. Since I'm the youngest in the family, all of the family members would give me a gift one way or another. Some...

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“The Pathos of Things” by Caroline Smith

Sixteen: Our gloved fingers intertwine as he steers me away from the ice patches in our path. The tinsel that shrouds the Christmas tree in the town square gives us a glittering wink as we take our cups of hot cocoa from the vendor with a grateful nod. We sit on the bench in front of Fancy’s Fudge, ignoring splinters digging into the backs of our puffy coats and the peeling green paint that bubbles beneath our jeans. We’re drunk off fumes of chocolate and pine, and from the spirit that lingers in the scene around us, laughing families win...

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“THE DELIVERY” by Susan Catucci

WARNING: Story contains detailed description of a birth.* * *Samuel Camden glared at the telephone. I don’t want you ringin’ no more ‘less you got somethin’ good to tell me, he thought. He then began exploring the few remaining options he had available. The forecast that predicted blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures had proven accurate. Where the meteorologists had gotten it wrong, unfortunately, was the duration of the storm. Nature, once again, had shown just...

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“Black coffee” by Jennifer Cameron

I always thought it meant more to write about pain, heartbreak, death… because who hasn’t felt the knots in their gut when something twists inside them and felt the fraying ropes pull apart. It resonates more because we’ve all felt it. We haven’t all felt the pure unfiltered love story that I’m about to tell you, the sort of imperfect love where you’re in your early 20s trying to navigate through a labyrinth of love and ...

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“Delivering Smiles ” by Vishal KM

Every day, I meet hundreds of people of different races and colours. To me, they strike as hungry people. While some hail abuses, some tend to recognise my hard work and some reward my services. However, today, something I never expected happened.Like any normal day, I received an order from a customer. It was a sunny morning. Bangalore is seldom humid. Otherwise, it’s a mix of all seasons, a bit higher on the colder side.I accepted the order and rode to the location, it just took me 10 minutes to ...

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End your story with a character receiving a deeply meaningful gift they weren’t expecting.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 68 stories

“Dust Collectors” by John K Adams

“What Goes Around” by Ginny Moore

“Elephants and Other Unexpected Gifts” by Lindsay Flo

“The Unexpected Gift” by April GIBSON

“The good we made each other” by Letícia Fernandes

“The Gift” by Marcus Newton-Howes

“Time” by Priya D

“A Christmas Story ” by Patricia Jablonski

“Utter Chaos” by Wake Lloire

“Sanctuary” by Gabrielle Acciaio

“A True Gift” by Cengiz Kıbrıslı

“The Pathos of Things” by Caroline Smith

“THE DELIVERY” by Susan Catucci

“Black coffee” by Jennifer Cameron

“Delivering Smiles ” by Vishal KM

🌟 Similar prompts

Coming up with a gift idea was the easy part — getting your hands on it is another thing entirely.

Write about a character going to great lengths to return an unwanted gift.

Write a story starring a store cashier, during the busy pre-holiday season.

Write a story that includes the phrase “Thank you! It’s just what I wanted.”

Contest #173

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

171

Contest entries

80

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: