Write a story about an old family secret surfacing generations later.

Posted in Adults on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 141 stories

“PURPLE HATBAND DAY” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #55

“Do we have to go? We’re helping to organize a protest. Isn’t that more important than bistec and sopa bouracha?” Sonia Abrego, thirty-seven minutes older than her twin, Daniel, took the lead in this domestic protest. “Family is more important. Heritage is more important. One day a year we all get together and be Panamanian. Is that too much of a sacrifice for you,” Hilda, their abuela asked. “Nancy, don’t you instill any pride in your children? Our families were part of the most important construction proj...

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“My Family Secrets in 2020” by Blane Britt

Submitted to Contest #55

After my great grandmother curmudgeon and ornery self finally passed away at the tender ripe old age of 113. I was asked to clean out her attic. I was somewhat apprehensive about that family assignment because attics are usually unsettling not only because of all the ghost stories that appear to me in urban legends and online but also because my penny pinching grandmother was reluctant on spending any money fixing the attic up or making it into something like a home office or spare bedroom, her attic was dreary and full of dust. In the back ...

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“Ancestral Humiliation.” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #55

Ancestral Humiliation. “I understand that you have deep dark relatives, or perhaps I should have said, ancestors? Tell me about them. I’m led to understand you are quite proud of them. Pirates weren’t they? Dastardly pirates. Real cut-throat types. Pity I can’t blackmail you about them as you sort of revere them. Have you thought of doing reprehensible things yourself? Do you plan on killing someone, or even a bunch of people? You could become a suicide bomber. Hang on though. Do you have anyone who later on can be proud of you?” “Yo...

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“The heir of haunted palace” by Laiba Noor

Submitted to Contest #55

... I , Arav Singh , the heir of this haunted palace is now standing infront of this palace. I inherit this palace from my previous generation but people says that this is haunted palace , they say that the heir of this palace couldn't live in this palace. He came out of this palace either with serious illness or dead. My parents were also not letting me come here but I'm too stubborn since childhood. No one can change my mind. I was curious about this palace since childhood but now I came here to build a hotel by tearing out this palace....

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“The Secret of the past” by Gie Garcia

Submitted to Contest #55

Hi.I'm Momo. I'm 18 years old and I don't have my parents anymore and you might wonder why I'm dragging my huge luggage with me. Well, my story starts back in the city I previously lived in. My parents past away because of a car accident back in when I was still a child so my grandmother on my mother's side was the one who took custody of me. But just a few days ago my grandmother died because of a heart attack. I was super sad since grandma was my mom, dad, sister, and my best friend. She raised me with all the love and care that she could ...

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“Take Two” by PK Spice

Submitted to Contest #55

When you die, your life doesn’t flash before your eyes, but it does happen just before you are born. The path you’re meant to follow, in all its glory, is laid out before you. The one, true plan for a life that will bring you happiness, fulfillment, and love. The trick is to make the unborn child remember it. But what if you could take it a step further? What if you could make the baby remember other things too? Like which stocks or real estate to buy and when to sell them. Which horse, sports team, or boxer to bet on. How to not only e...

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“88 Keys” by Linda Rossi

Submitted to Contest #55

My great-grandmother loved playing that old grand piano. Every night after dinner and on Sunday afternoons, she and my great-grandfather could be heard playing and singing cheery songs from the old country and even some of the newest tunes from this country. There wasn’t anything great-grandma couldn’t play. Every time we would visit, the sounds of laughter and loud off-key singing from all of us could be heard filling the overheated living areas of great-grandma’s basement apartment. &nbs...

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“Summer Vacation Secrets” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #55

That summer started out like every summer that came before it – swim lessons and bible school, followed by the obligatory three-week long August road-trip to visit our relatives in the mid-west. Those summer vacations always involved lots of sleepover parties with cousins, playing with new litters of kittens or piglets, helping with cows at milking time, riding tire swings, ping-pong matches, having ice cream sundaes for dinner and going to the movies. Our aunts, uncles and cousins were infinitely more interesting to me and my siblings tha...

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“Grandpa's Secrets” by Kasia Brie

Submitted to Contest #55

Sand squished through her toes as she walked the Anastasia Island beach with her twelve-year-old son, Jordan. Maisie had him every other week throughout the summer, and this week was their family vacation. Coming to the beach house had been a family tradition since before she was born. It was a family home her great grandparents had purchased in 1945 after their sons Stanley, Robert, and Michael had returned home from WWII. Somehow it had remained in the family despite some desires to sell it. At the death of their parents, Stanley, Rob...

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“Blood is Thicker...” by Aaron Scott

Submitted to Contest #55

Trigger warning: self harm A cut, a gash, a graze, a slice, a slit, a wound. A splash, a dribble, a trickle, a drop. There were many ways to say what it was but it didn't matter what it was. All that mattered was his blood was banished from view and that it never, ever touched the ground. It was a rule, no matter the wound, it was to be sealed immediately. It was a strict order he had to follow ever since he could walk with both feet, one that had been embedded into his brain so hard it was an automatic response to come rush...

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“Family Business” by Steve McKenney

Submitted to Contest #55

A few years ago, I was in college working towards degrees in history that would enable me to reach my long-term goal of teaching history at the collegiate level. As with any other degree program, there is a laundry list of required courses but there are also some elective course requirements too. Going into college I had determined that whenever possible, I would take an elective course that held some interest to me or made sense, rather than just taking the easiest class that I could get away with to meet the requirement and get the credits...

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“Six Thousand Days” by Sophie Marin

Submitted to Contest #55

Harlow crept down the darkened stairwell, one old, creaky step at a time. She should have known to skip the fourth step to the right and to avoid holding the banister about three feet before the ground, since it was fairly unstable, but her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Just that morning, she'd caught her grandmother speaking into thin air— and although at first she had thought that her mamma was simply speaking to herself, Harlow had gasped when she heard a second voice in the old study. But when she burst in, peppering her mamm...

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“Rita's Last Sunset” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #55

Rita’s Last Sunset Rita sat in her favorite chair outside in her backyard as she has done for the past 50 years waiting for the sun to go down. She loved the colorful sky at this time of evening. Tonight the sky was full of pinks, yellows and blues. This had to be the most incredible sunset that she had ever seen. And she had seen a lot of sunsets in her life. She had seen exactly 98 sunsets and as many sunrises. Everyone thought she was blessed. After all, her life hadn’t been bad at all. She had gotten married to her ...

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“Half Truths” by Angela Morrissey

Submitted to Contest #55

Samara looked at the address again as the taxi sped off. Her late sister’s scrawl had always been difficult to read and the name and address surrounded by love hearts at the back of her travel journal was no exception. Samara looked up at the monstrous dwelling in front of her. Had her sister really had an affair with its resident, which she had described in great detail in her travel journal? The twenty-five-year-old waited after she rang the bell before the door was opened. Samara looked up at the young man who stoo...

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“The Full Circle of Truth” by Nanci Arvizu

Submitted to Contest #55

It’s unnerving, really. To discover things that make your stomach twist about people you thought you knew and people you never met. How could someone do such a thing? My grandmother was the kindest person I knew. Which wasn’t saying much, considering the people we both knew. I think this was one of those unsaid things, about the quality of the people we called family. Even if they suck, they’re still family. If anything happened to anyone, she was the first on her feet and into the kitchen to cook because food helped everything. No mat...

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Write a story about an old family secret surfacing generations later.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 141 stories

“PURPLE HATBAND DAY” by Andrew Grell

“My Family Secrets in 2020” by Blane Britt

“Ancestral Humiliation.” by Len Mooring

“The heir of haunted palace” by Laiba Noor

“The Secret of the past” by Gie Garcia

“Take Two” by PK Spice

“88 Keys” by Linda Rossi

“Summer Vacation Secrets” by Esther Andrews

“Grandpa's Secrets” by Kasia Brie

“Blood is Thicker...” by Aaron Scott

“Family Business” by Steve McKenney

“Six Thousand Days” by Sophie Marin

“Rita's Last Sunset” by Marcia H.

“Half Truths” by Angela Morrissey

“The Full Circle of Truth” by Nanci Arvizu

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a meeting of a secret society.

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone asking, “Can you keep a secret?”

Write a story involving a conversation that’s packed with subtext; the characters aren’t quite saying what they mean.

Write a story where the readers are in on a secret that the characters are unaware of.

Contest #55

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

896

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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