Write a story that includes the phrase “This is all my fault.”

Posted in Adults on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 97 stories

“Liability in Lingotto” by Scott Christenson

🏆 Winner of Contest #165

When the police forcibly entered 43-year-old Paulina Fiore’s apartment, they found her lifeless body on the floor of the kitchen, covered in mysterious bruises. The lead detective immediately suspected homicide and ordered an autopsy. But after extensive analysis, the coroner concluded the cause of death was vitamin C deficiency.In a video appearing on social media, Stephanie Brolo, who sources confirm is a close friend of Paulina, is seen weeping and uttering, “This is all my fault.”**At the offices of my city’s largest newspaper, I sip my ...

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“Text Me Your Love” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #165

(Content Warning: Strong Language, Violence, Murder, Crude Humor.)Jake sat down at the kitchen table and admitted, “This is all my fault.”Sallie rolled her eyes and slammed a porcelain plate into the soapy suds. “You’re damn right it is!”“I’m sorry,” he said, lowering his voice an octave. “I wasn’t thinking right, and I couldn’t help myself.”“Oh, you were thinking alright,” Sallie roared, turning from the sink and pointing her soapy finger at him. “You were just using the brain between your legs, not the one in your skull!” Jake scrunch...

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“The Land of Fairytales: Where the Rainbow Ends” by Melony Beard

Submitted to Contest #165

Not so long ago, in the Land of Fairytales, Lucky, the leprechaun, lived at the end of the rainbow, in a little green house with a with a backyard full of four leaf clovers.One day, Baby Bear, Goldilocks, and Little Red Riding Hood played next door in the Rainbow Park while Lucky painted his house with green paint like he did every day.Goldilocks called out, "Lucky, why do you paint your house green every day?""Because this is where the rainbow ends," Lucky answered.On this particular day, Lucky ran out of paint, so he headed down the path t...

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“The Girl with Gossamer Hair” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #165

Warning: bullyingIt’s not easy being different. This is probably true the world over, but in my life, the hardest place not to fit in is my school: Manor Park. Here I often think there’s more than just water on tap in the corridor’s fountain; it’s dispensing your choice of still or sparkling pure liquid hate. Not everyone is filling up their bottle, but more than enough are.Do you wear glasses? Well hello bug eyes. Hand-me-down clothes are still just about good to go? Have you ever heard of…shops? Or perhaps you laugh like a donkey when the...

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“Crossing the Rubicon” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #165

That night he had lied—he wasn’t working late, he could’ve gone with them, but he went to her instead. No one should have been surprised, after all he had been a cheater his whole life. Whether it was games or cards or taxes, he always found the shortcut, the workaround, the edge. Throughout his life, he had found convenient euphemisms such as resourceful or clever to avoid identifying his duplicity. But, as the years passed, it became impossible to ignore this one undeniable truth: cheaters cheat.A melting cherry ...

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“The Angels of the War” by O. Ben-Abou

Submitted to Contest #165

He was hiding in a grove of trees near the field, one hand resting on his gun, the other tapping against his thigh. He did that when he was nervous. And he had a big reason to be nervous. According to his commander, a soldier reported movement in this field. Supposedly enemy soldiers. And who better to send than Michael Weissman to check it out. Why him, of all people? Because Michael Weissman was Jewish. And his platoon didn’t think highly of him for that reason. It didn’t matter that he didn’t wear a kipp...

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“Ronald” by Kaila Janae

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #165

The last contents of the wine bottle slipped down my scorching throat as the doorbell rang. I looked down at my legs hanging limply over the arm of the sofa. In this hazy moment, it puzzled me how these flesh stumps could carry my body weight–not that I was particularly heavy. Thin? Hell no. But obese? Far from it. Ronald would have disagreed. The doorbell rang again, this time followed by a knock. Time to put these weird things to work. I swung them to the ground. When my feet connected to the carpet, it tickled the bare skin, causing a ...

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“A Tear in the Sky” by Shawn Wier

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #165

[CW note: cursing, potentially offensive commentary on religion]I've never heard so many sirens. Sure, I've been a passerby of some pretty gnarly car wrecks - the ones that close four-lane highways and require half the emergency responders in the county - but this is something else entirely. Maybe some federal intelligence agency already has a plan or something, but we're not prepared for it, at least not here in Oklahoma. Typical of tornado alley residents, I'm on my front porch staring at it rather than figuring out whatever it is I'm...

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“Affluenza” by Daniel Legare

Submitted to Contest #165

Content Warning: References of death and substance abuse, swearing.I’ve never been in a courtroom before. It doesn’t look like the ones in those movies or shows. Just regular old office lights, the long tube ones. The room is kind of bland, no windows or anything. It’s just like a room where you have meetings and stuff. Other than that, it’s kind of empty. The only thing that looks like the movies is where the judge sits. I wonder if he’ll have that black gown-thing on and one of those old-timey white wigs. The security guard is a fatso. I c...

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“Flamingo ” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #165

This was all my fault. To be born as a disappointment, to have lived a dishonest life, and then to have died as a discontent being. Yes, this was all my fault. You see, when I was born, I was dressed in pink, and placed in a blue crib in a blue-walled room. I cried in suffocation. It was my fault. As soon as I started waddling in my diaper and started joining the dots of what people said to me, about me, and after me, I sensed I wasn’t welcomed into this world with a happy heart. I was held half-heartedly by those who would have loved to dre...

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“Not My Son” by S. Faxon

Submitted to Contest #165

Note: This story includes sensitive content, including references to murder, substance use, and child and animal abuse.My world ended when the police slipped the photos across the table to me.There was no way my son, my boy, could have committed the terrible, atrocious scenes they were showing me. The ones forever scarred into my mind. These crimes had to have been committed by someone else, anyone else, just not my son.The photographs deafened me to the questions the even-toned investigator asked. All I could hear were a thousand voices scr...

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“The Detective and The Droid” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #165

TW: Murder, swearing, shooting, David Bowie.Detective Arthas Jacques knelt to see the strangulation bruises around the victim’s neck. “It doesn’t make any sense,” said the freight hauler’s manager, Kyle. “Paul was the only one on board. He couldn’t have strangled himself, could he?” The man in the red and orange boiler suit was sweating profusely. “No. This isn’t an elaborate suicide,” said Jacques. “I...

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“The Drunk” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #165

This is all my fault. She did not try very hard. The bottle she had in her hand was vodka and very expensive (first mistake); she tried to sit between Robert and Kerwin (second); she felt upset when one of them picked it up – that very overpriced booze – to see what it was she was drinking. “Don’t touch my fucking drink!” Number three. Everyone heard that one. I heard it from the other room and slowly moved away from a girl I was chatting up to see the damage. Kerwin and Robert heard it more than most. I saw Robert put the bottle down and th...

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“Dumped” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #165

Teddy mobyBabe, hope your having a nice day.Tanya mobyYeah not bad – cant wait to see u l8r.Teddy mobyWell that’s what I’m texting you for. I’ve been talking to the boys and I think we need to cool things down.Tanya mobyYou wot?Teddy mobyI’ve enjoyed our time togevver but I’m feeling like trapped whatever so want to slow it down.Tanya mobyAre you havin a laff? It’s been two years. How slow do you want it? Is this you breaking up wiv me?Teddy mobyBabe… I want to make it work but I’m feeling like I’m in a box and need to be free.Tanya mobySo w...

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“Eddy and Tom - Part II” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #165

[This story includes gay romance.]The long black hand on the living room clock crawled, marking time as it marched past the minutes. Eddy didn’t think he’d ever seen it move this slow. Funny thing, though…hands on a clock in any of his classes seemed to race around when he took a test.He waited for the hand to set off chimes in the old grandfather clock, sitting sentry over the living room. Eddy knew it was safe to talk on the phone in here. Neither his mother nor father entered this room on any regular basis. The furniture here was formal, ...

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Ended on 23:59 - Sep 30, 2022 EST

Won by Scott Christenson 🏆

Title: Liability in Lingotto

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Write a story that includes the phrase “This is all my fault.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 97 stories

“Liability in Lingotto” by Scott Christenson

“Text Me Your Love” by Daniel R. Hayes

“The Land of Fairytales: Where the Rainbow Ends” by Melony Beard

“The Girl with Gossamer Hair” by Rebecca Miles

“Crossing the Rubicon” by Thom With An H

“The Angels of the War” by O. Ben-Abou

“Ronald” by Kaila Janae

“A Tear in the Sky” by Shawn Wier

“Affluenza” by Daniel Legare

“Flamingo ” by Suma Jayachandar

“Not My Son” by S. Faxon

“The Detective and The Droid” by Graham Kinross

“The Drunk” by Kendall Defoe

“Dumped” by PJ Aitken

“Eddy and Tom - Part II” by Mustang Patty

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with somebody getting (or taking) the blame for something they didn’t do.

Write a story where a murder occurs — and the suspects are all pointing the finger at one another.

Write a story about a corrupt politician trying to avoid blame at all costs.

Start your story with a character telling their best friend that their spouse is having an affair, only for their friend to “shoot the messenger”.

Contest #165

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

203

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: