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

“Rambutan” by Dao Huy Kien

Submitted to Contest #165

Mai was a well-known beauty blogger who was considered a KOL (key opinion leader). The 30-year-old lady lived with her Israeli husband in a luxury apartment in district 7, Saigon. Her life had been smooth until the fourth Covid wave broke out in Saigon originating from the Revival Ekklesia Mission. Like all other people, she supposed the wave would be quickly contained like the three previous ones. However, after two months, the situation was getting worse and worse, which resulted in a stricter lockdown of the city. Meanwhile, her husband w...

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“An Autumn Anniversary” by Jennifer Scribner

Submitted to Contest #165

Josh and Kelsey Manard arrived at a lovely bed and breakfast in the mountains on a crisp September day. It was their fifth wedding anniversary, and they wanted to spend the weekend away celebrating. As Josh pulled into the parking lot, he told Kelsey to stay put so he could open her door. She shook her head and laughed. She was madly in love with Josh. He's always been such a gentleman. She often wondered how she had gotten so lucky to find a man like Josh. "Your Majesty, we have arrived at your anniversary destination. May I walk you inside...

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“After the Fall” by Christine Richardson

Submitted to Contest #165

AFTER THE FALL My knees were shaking when I walked into the dining room of the Prince Charles hotel. What had possessed me to ask Gerald to meet me here? I had imagined that an initial meeting in a public place would be easier, forcing us to chat about the weather instead of tearing our guts out. Now, room service seemed much more sensible. No curious eyes would stare at me if I lost control behind my locked door. A server escorted me towards a table for two by the window. A hauntingly familiar stranger was seated ...

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“Busy Beans” by Anta Olpenn

Submitted to Contest #165

The video was unfocused and blurry. It shook around for a bit, with muffled voices coming in and out. Eventually, it evened out and refocused on a freckled face. It quickly moved back to reveal a girl in paint-splattered overalls, with a red bandana securing her auburn hair. She smiled at the camera before turning to look at someone out of frame. “Is it running?” she asked, motioning to the camera. Someone off-screen mumbled a vague affirmative, and she jumped around back to the video. “Hello! Um, My name’s Emma, and this is the very first v...

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“Fault Lines Acrostic” by John Henry

Submitted to Contest #165

“This is Officer Laramie of the Waller County Police Department. Am I speaking with Shelly Johnson?” The words sink in my stomach, churn my intestines, and run a chill down my spine. I know what he is going to say next before he even says it. This is about Jakob. I try to speak, but my lungs feel incapable of even the slightest exhale. I am petrified. “Ma’am, this is urgent. Are you Shelly Johnson?” “YES”, I somehow manage to painfully gulp out between heaving breaths. Is this what a panic attack feels like? “Ma...

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“My Roommate is a Nightmare” by Heather Spears

Submitted to Contest #165

TW: self-harm, suicide, abuse There was once a woman named Elise who thought she could get away with doing anything she wanted. She had a difficult upbringing as a child, which in no way, excused any of her behavior. She went around treating everyone like garbage. She thought that friends were only meant to be used for her convenience and then tossed aside once she was done with them. Due to her behavior it was common for her to get into arguments amongst her friend and then once the friendship was over, blame everything that happened on t...

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“The Battle of The Sectors ” by Danise Walton

Submitted to Contest #165

*Disclaimer* Depiction of Blood(This is a part of a larger novel series I'm in the process of making so please, please, please, don't steal my work)We step into the desert-like heat and start walking, the coordinates only 2,000 feet away. Ryder is walking behind me, watching my back, although nothing hazardous crosses our path. I look at the pad, anxiously watching the GPS’s red dot to see how close we are. 1,500ft, 1,499ft, 1,498ft, 1,497ft...496ft, 495ft, 493ft, 492ft…And on and on and on until Ryder taps my shoulder and gestures for me to...

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“The Light's Still On......” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #165

At last, Becky was qualified. Yes, Becky Adams was now a nurse, SRN! Thrilled, she raced with the other newbie nurses to check their first assignment in their workplace. Becky had applied to nurse in the central hospital, Smallville General. Night shift! Oh, it could have been a lot worse. She had been assigned to a rotation as a night nurse in the Orthopedic ward. Becky accepted it, and was determined to put her best foot forward. She headed off home to her unit to prepare for her flash career, finally a nurse. It was the evening of her fir...

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“The unveiling” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #165

The Unveiling George and Alice had a short courtship. That tends to happen when a baby is on the way. They were married in a simple ceremony in the park. Nothing could have been more romantic. They were together for ten years, some blissful, some less than excellent. Alice used to watch George as he slept, marveling at her good luck. She kept looking past the flaws, not knowing how deep the cracks in his personality were. Then, after a decade of living and loving and hoping, the blow fell like a palm tree in a h...

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“My Hamster Massacred My Family” by Clyde Laffan

Submitted to Contest #165

“Hey kid, no one blames you for this butchery, you know that don’t you?” The police lady speaking to Sam chews gum at a nervous rate of repetitions, picking dirt from under her painted fingernails as she does so; anything to avoid eye contact. She is as round as a beach ball, so round the top button of her khaki pants is unfastened. Her red hair is short, like the Marine sergeants Sam idolizes in war movies he and his dad stream. Marine sergeants, however, don’t wear pink lipstick. She smells too, but not like the girls Sam knows, which is j...

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“The Twins” by Tom Vandel

Submitted to Contest #165

The Twins “Jimmy . . . Jimmy! Wake up! Wake up, Jim. C’mon, I need to talk to you. Hellooo, Jimbo! Can ya hear me?” Jack waited and heard nothing. Jimmy was his younger brother, born 58 seconds after Jack. Identical twins, now 22 years old. &nbs...

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“Poop & Kitty” by Victor Eaves

Submitted to Contest #165

I imagine that choosing to adopt a cat is like having a baby. Well, I never had a baby, but how different could it be? They both require an overhaul to your daily routine; things you used to do, like bringing home food for yourself for a quiet meal become a square to defending like the big cats in the wild. Babies and cats are expensive. Just in the days before bringing him home, I spent a couple hundred dollars setting up this cat tree he hardly even climbs. I got this automatic food dish when he hardly finishes his first serving. The air p...

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“BROKEN IN THE DARK” by Del Gibson

Submitted to Contest #165

TRIGGER WARNING: SCENES OF HORROR “How much further now? We’ve been walking forever!” Serena shouts from the back of the group, who are making their way through the deep eerie forest. “Not long now team, the map says it is just over the ridge,” Greg yells back. The group of five teens and two adults, are meandering along a narrow dirt trail, their destination, Luther’s Camping Grounds. The sunshine is partially blocked by mammoth trees, spreading an ominous dark shadow across the expanse. Greg Hamilton is a new facilitator to the group...

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“The Escalator” by Lily W.

Submitted to Contest #165

Not many people would suspect that a young mother could, or would, accidentally commit a murder. Even fewer people would suspect a four-year-old boy of the same thing. And no one would suspect that either one would have done it on purpose. The mall was crowded that day, a Friday, as shoppers weaved in and out of stores, traffic piling up in front of the pretzel store, babies crying as their parents pushed them quickly in their strollers. A mother and her young son walked hand in hand through the chaos, her arm leading him as his head turned...

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“Practice Makes Perfect.” by Reema Salah

Submitted to Contest #165

Daddy's face was all wrong. The corners of his big mouth stretched, hideously slow, cutting their way upwards through his sunken cheeks. His thin, dry lips parted like curtains, and shiny, uneven teeth greeted her, square and hard as bricks. "This is a smile", she reassured herself. But daddy's eyes didn't smile. They screamed. "So, honey..", Daddy beamed, giddy with deliberate, perfected jolliness. His cheery tone was precise and pitch-perfect, with a touch of manic rage sizzling in his tongue, burning her eardrums....

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 97 stories

“Rambutan” by Dao Huy Kien

“An Autumn Anniversary” by Jennifer Scribner

“After the Fall” by Christine Richardson

“Busy Beans” by Anta Olpenn

“Fault Lines Acrostic” by John Henry

“My Roommate is a Nightmare” by Heather Spears

“The Battle of The Sectors ” by Danise Walton

“The Light's Still On......” by Julie Grenness

“The unveiling” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

“My Hamster Massacred My Family” by Clyde Laffan

“The Twins” by Tom Vandel

“Poop & Kitty” by Victor Eaves

“BROKEN IN THE DARK” by Del Gibson

“The Escalator” by Lily W.

“Practice Makes Perfect.” by Reema Salah

🌟 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: