Write about someone whose job is to help people leave their old lives behind.

Posted in Adults on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 246 stories

“The Memory Game” by Luna G

Submitted to Contest #75

TW: mentions of home invasion, gun violence “Have you thoroughly considered the risks?” “Yes.” “Have you seen a specialist and tried other avenues?” “I have,” the woman took out a manila folder and handed it to the man. “It contains my medical history and a signature from my therapist.” He took it, flipped through it, and then placed it down on the small table beside him next to the voice recorder. “Thank you, we’ll call the number to corroborate your story. Just a few more questions left.” The woman shifted in her seat, crossing and uncross...

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“Choices” by Danielle Arpon

Submitted to Contest #75

The rain battered the bright yellow umbrella on a brisk Tuesday night, placing Lettie in a trance. Rain is rare in Southern California, but when it came it was beautiful. Lettie stood with closed eyes and inhaled the saturated asphalt smell that filled the street. She could never get enough of the rain. But she had a job to do. Removing herself from the trance, she eyed the house that laid before her. It was a small creaky home with peeling yellowed cream paint and a dirt lawn encaged by a rusty chain-link fence, a small gate in front of her...

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“The New Mew” by Kat Dawson

Submitted to Contest #75

“Welcome! Please come in. Yes. Yes. Sit down. Of course. Not there… No… There. Perfect. Give me five minutes. Look around, make yourself at home. Do not touch the things you cannot name. Ideal. Patience is a virtue, maybe a cliché, but one you’ll forgive me for.” Minutes pass and your hands go numb beneath your ass as you avoid making eye-contact with the various stares that surround you. Do not touch the things you cannot name? Don’t touch anything. You could label everything, but a name can be sacred and who are you to authorize such a per...

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“Hydrophobic Fishermen” by Sarah Wilson

Submitted to Contest #75

It was a funny thing, being a saltwater fisherman who’s afraid of the sea. On Landlock Island, somewhere in the Pacific, a population of pleasant people woke up every morning to the crashing of waves and the sound of crying babies. From the moment they were born, the inhabitants of this island had a hatred of water as deep as the ocean itself. Their fear rose with the tides; their hearts pruned just like their fingers and toes whenever they had to spend any amount of time in the water. Landlock Island was their own personal hell, but how co...

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“A Memorable Reversal ” by Diyana Gurusinghe

Submitted to Contest #75

A Memorable Reversal- "I remember how the sky looked that fairy night. I was under a galaxy then. The sweet breeze carrying a hint of vanilla wasn't as gentle to be pleased with. It was a small town children, but there were indeed too many mouths to feed. It was a fortnight after Christmas when a man arrived, dressed finely. The polished shoes, brown hat, golden almond glasses and poised posture was mismatching in contrast to our little town. The way he carried himself made us gawk at him. He looked over his thin rimmed spectacles and made...

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“Last Job” by Pram Martonohadi

Submitted to Contest #75

*WARNING: Some violence, supporting character is a domestic abuse victim*Today marks the second anniversary of my starting this covert job. All my clients were runaways; most of the times, their photo ends up on the news for being wanted by the authorities, or their house (their former house, of course) would be sacked by members of the mob that were looking for them. I am actually proud of my impartiality, therefore anyone with the right amount of money can just come up to me and disappear from their old lives within days.Well, not anyone. ...

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“Death and the Dancer” by Seyna Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #75

"What's happening to me?" The woman couldn't have been older than twenty-five. She was a dancer, a ballerina. It was the latter fact that put her in my charge. It was the former fact that made me pity her. I laid a hand on her shoulder and nudged her along. It was time to begin. "I am afraid that you have died, my dear," I said in my gentlest voice, "I am here to lead you to the next place." This bit always required a bit of patience and I, with the so-called blessing of immortality and nothing else to do, rarely ever found myself with a l...

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“The SS January Sails” by Mike Burgess

Submitted to Contest #75

As a holiday, this completely sucked. At the beginning of day three, Nick was ready to bail out. Given any means of returning home, he would snap it up quicker than, well, quicker than the quickest thing you can imagine. His only chance was to steal a lifeboat and row back east. Perhaps he might fashion a pair of oars from some of those glossy brochures people kept handing out.Rarely known for his sunny disposition, what little remained when embarking had upped and went. Only the wine rendered it palatable. Even that was so bland and overpri...

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“Welcome Aboard: Conversation With a Mentor” by Stephen Jones

Submitted to Contest #75

The third beer is usually the one that does it. Do you like to drink? I used to have a taste for beers...funny to think that now. I think porters were my favorite. Those or stouts. A fresh draft of an oatmeal chocolate stout. I remember a good one in that bar down by the railroad tracks back home. Maybe the best drink of my life. Maybe it was the company. I dunno. It’s been a long time since I’ve drunk for flavor. I suppose I miss tasting the carefully brewed creations - someone’s special craft. But I drink for the alcohol ...

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“Let go" by modester oywaya” by Modester Oywaya

Submitted to Contest #75

I met her in the streets where I went to refuge after experiencing the worst part of my day. Becky was about 17 years of age I could tell from her behavior and most of all I was from the same age group.since in African streets people tend to mind their business when its approaching eight in the evening to avoid curfew,I minded my own business and sat almost two metres way from her.I was in the middle of pain so I kept on sobbing. "We can't be together and definitely I know that pregnancy isn't Mike you are friends with many guys out there ho...

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“The Patient” by Elizabeth Musgrave

Submitted to Contest #75

The soft beep of the machines continued. The room was dark, emphasizing the equipment's flashing lights as it kept track of the patient’s vitals. The patient was deathly still, unable to move, unaware of the whirring beeping and buzzing around them. This patient was not expected to live much longer. An air of reluctant expectation in the room was thicker and damper than the rain outside. It was New Year’s Eve. An ice storm was raining down outside- shutting down the city as much as the patient’s body had been shut down. The famil...

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“The Forgetting Saloon” by Sona Sethi

Submitted to Contest #75

Welcome to The Forgetting Saloon! If you are looking to forget your past then you have come to the right place. I have been in this business for ten years and not to sound boastful but I can assure you that I am rather good at what I do. I had discovered my psychic abilities at the age of 19. Unlike some in my profession I wasn’t born with these abilities, I had to cultivate them. I worked as an apprentice with several renowned psychics, and after a while I felt I was ready to hang my own shingle. What I lacked in age and experience I made...

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“Life and Pickles” by Mia Berkstresser

Submitted to Contest #75

“Come in, Ms. Fletcher.” I moved from behind the desk and pulled up the comfortable chair. “Would you like something to drink? Water, coffee, pickle wine?” I walked to the coffee bar underneath the window. The window made the wood-paneled office cheerier, but it tended to fog up at times because I still used one of the old manual coffee makers. Easier to make it to your liking, in my mind. “No, thank you.” The woman glanced around the office and sat down, not really looking at me in particular.&nbsp...

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“THE LIFE AFTER” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #75

THE LIFE AFTER Robert had been a literature teacher for twenty years and, even without being particularly convinced of it, he had been not bad with his job. It had been when he met Jean Paul that something in him got upset , and his life definitely changed. Jean Paul was a man of nearly sixty, who was employed in a funeral home. Robert met him , by chance, one night, at the card table in a friends’ house. It was not so much his current job that had impressed Robert, but rather the learning th...

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“Pinot and Paints” by Carlos L. Delgado

Submitted to Contest #75

BRUNO squirmed in the driver’s seat of his bulletproof BMW as he squeezed the wrinkled tubes in his basket of supplies, warming the paints before class, as he did every Tuesday night. He was known as an artist with violence, a savant with assassinations, but he considered himself an absolute oaf with oils. However, Pinot and Paints didn’t promise to train world-class killers. Instead, Mona promised her students a “colorful and boozy respite from the spiritual assault of the day-to-day—whether you’re in HR or the mob.” Bruno’s pager w...

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Write about someone whose job is to help people leave their old lives behind.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 246 stories

“The Memory Game” by Luna G

“Choices” by Danielle Arpon

“The New Mew” by Kat Dawson

“Hydrophobic Fishermen” by Sarah Wilson

“A Memorable Reversal ” by Diyana Gurusinghe

“Last Job” by Pram Martonohadi

“Death and the Dancer” by Seyna Elizabeth

“The SS January Sails” by Mike Burgess

“Welcome Aboard: Conversation With a Mentor” by Stephen Jones

“Let go" by modester oywaya” by Modester Oywaya

“The Patient” by Elizabeth Musgrave

“The Forgetting Saloon” by Sona Sethi

“Life and Pickles” by Mia Berkstresser

“THE LIFE AFTER” by Mara Masolini

“Pinot and Paints” by Carlos L. Delgado

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who has finally managed to succeed at a long-standing New Year’s resolution.

Start your story with one character making a vow that they never would have made the year before.

Write about someone who doesn’t remember their past — and doesn’t want to.

Write about two characters who each want to change the same thing, but resolve to go about it in very different ways.

Contest #75

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

735

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: