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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Start your story with the line, “It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same,” and end it with, “[…] and that was all that mattered.”

Posted in Adults on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 178 stories

“Specter of Love” by Lori Riggleman

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The same pain, the same fear, the same horror. Jerran clung to Amy’s arm like a life preserver in a storm-tossed sea. Memories flooded her dried-up thoughts, crashing like waves and threatening to drown her. Her knees faltered, and she nearly crumpled to the floor. “Hang in there, Baby. I gotcha,” whispered Amy. Jerran had told her new wife it was going to be hard, but until she stepped through those doors, she couldn’t have imagined how hard. How ...

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“The Things That Remain Constant” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #68

It was hard to believe it had been twenty-four years since I had last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same when I, Penny Norwich, left Syracuse, New York, my hometown.  My mother Glenda Pierce had passed away suddenly in the care facility she was living in.  She was watching Wheel of Fortune with about a half dozen other residents when the Angel came for her.  My younger brother Dale met her at the airport.  Now as he neared fifty years old, his hairline was rapidly retreating, his friendly pooch had expanded a ...

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“A Governess Named Gretel, A Crow, And a Crone” by D.M. Ravshanov

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. It was by all accounts, still just as breathtaking as the day she had found it. Her grandmother (one of the greats-Too many greats to be listed in succession here) had recorded it all down in her diary, and that diary had been passed down from generation to generation. Weather-beaten and magical, it had led her here to this spot as a child. It was here where she had leaned her back against the solid spine of a tree, drinking in the adventures of Ha...

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“Playing Darts” by Josephine Andersen

Submitted to Contest #68

Playing DartsTwenty four years would pass before she would see the place again and see it unchanged but now Lucy came out of the tunnel and swung the van around on to the gravel road leading down to the river. It was the last week of work on the bridge and they were going to celebrate. It had been a long, difficult year, driving sixty two kilometres to work and back home every day, taking up two hours in travelling time. It was a nice drive, though and once through the tunnel you got sight of the river with its clear water, rippling and...

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“Our Final Dreams” by Jon Turner

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty four years since she`d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same, when did you last see her Daniel, as Daniel stepped back looking up at the house where he once lived with Charlotte his head slowly turned and now facing John he relied "I`d say a good 18 months" and slowly Daniel turned his head and looked at the house again and the memories that stilled in his eyes of what had been such a dear place in his heart. Daniel slowly walked backwards to purely get in all the warmth that surrounded his heart when gazin...

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“Twenty-four Years” by Gerard Watson

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. There wasn’t a need or desire to return to her hometown, but Jessica’s curiosity to see what a town looked like when it was dying. She wondered if this was a town worth saving.  As her limousine drove down Main Street, the dark tinted windows allowed her to reacquaint the area without being recognized. Jessica watched her transition team jotted down notes while exchanging information.  The account looked up from her notes and asked, “Empy...

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“Memory of a..........” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #68

Memory of a… It had been twenty-four years since she last saw the place, and it hadn’t changed at all. Her mind crawling back, in search of memories.  Her initial feeling leaving her in search of…what? She reminded herself, that that time had gone. It seemed so long ago since they’d left, and yet, only yesterday. The bird bath remained in the center of the rose garden where she had placed it, an anniversary gift from him. She could see her face reflected in the mirrored water. She noticed the changes, the facial line...

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“Suicide "Not the end ... the beginning of the end"” by Er. SIJO JOHN

Submitted to Contest #68

SUICIDE "Not the end ... the beginning of the end" Suicide is not the end., Yes suicide is not the end of a problem, it can be the beginning of the destruction of those who depend on you or those close to you. What causes a man to commit suicide (a)? Everyone's mental state and everything that happens around them makes them decide to commit suicide. Everyone in this world thinks that he has to fulfill his desires to live. Imagine how much pain he would have had if he had decided not to take his own life. It is not yet clear who created ma...

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“Lessons From Home” by Roland Bridge

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-fours years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same.  How could that be?  How could it look the same when viewed by eyes that had surely changed.  In the years since she’d been here, she had grown.  Grown up, grown tired, grown away from what she thought she would be. Coming here may have been a mistake.  Without ever really thinking about it, a part of her had felt that seeing the old house would validate what her life had become.  The opposite was true.  It was ...

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“To Do One's Duty” by Brian Perez

Submitted to Contest #68

   It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Untouched and untrammeled by the vicissitudes of time. She stared disbelievingly at the heliotropes and thaumaturgic flywheels of the conveyance. She went into the captain's quarters and found the maps, the logbook, even the captain's heavy drome-hide leather coat was still hanging on the wooden wall peg. The windows were just as clean as she remembered. She moved to the bowsprit and saw the figurehead of ...

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“Thank you, Mrs. Donaldson” by Lucy Newman

Submitted to Contest #68

It'd been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The massive building was constructed of an array of red and brown brick, contrasted by white, that lined the gleaming rectangular windows. The edges of the structure weren't sharp; instead, they were etched in like little staircases. It reminded her of the pin art she used to play with as a child. Her brother would make a contorted face and stick it into the pins, then chase her around with the horrifying 3D image.The entrance, a pointed archway, was...

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“A brush with sanity” by Sterling Kirkland

Submitted to Contest #68

  It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same, terrifying. To anyone who hadn’t been locked inside the walls of Angel Hills, the hospital appeared as serene as any other private medical facility. While the passing public marveled over the sculpted hedges and manicured lawns, she knew they contained plenty of secrets. The lush green lawn hid a variety of sensors which ensured the guards could monitor every patient when they were outside, without the need for physical patrols. The sc...

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“The Return” by Jessica Mills

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. As she drove through town she marveled at what was before her; it was as if the town had been trapped in a time warp. Other than the trees, which had grown from newly planted saplings to large sprawling branches much of the town appeared unaffected by the passing of time.  Another indication that time had passed was the obvious wear from the years to the buildings. Most had been kept up in good condition but there were a few that were showing ...

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“The End of an Era” by Joyce Van Horn

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since Molly had last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The new owners must have repainted it, although it was starting to show signs of wear. Only the flowerboxes were different, no longer raucous with impatiens and petunias, just hardened dirt and crabgrass. The blinds were drawn and there were no lights. It looked lifeless and empty. Like her life was now. Empty. Like her heart. Suddenly dizzy, she sat on the cracked concrete steps, the very three that she’d crossed hundreds of times. Maybe tho...

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“Memories of the past” by Randi W

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Ruby's eyes crinkled as she smiled fondly at the run down cabin that had been in hiding for over a decade in the middle of the woods. Ruby leaned on her cane as she slowly walked towards the cabin that had once provided her escape. She marveled over at the moss covered building, it looked as though it could collapse at any moment and yet, it looked so strong at the same time. Ruby continued to make her way over to the cabin that held so many memori...

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