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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Set your story in New York, where someone’s been waiting for your character.

Posted in Adventure on Mar 17, 2023

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✍️ 39 stories

“Disguises” by Delaney Howard

Submitted to Contest #190

Disguises He chose me to ghostwrite. Eight months ago, when his agent contacted me, he’d warned—Thomas Stroud, although extremely well-known, was hard to know. So now, as I did thrice weekly, I sat outside his dressing room in the Barrymore Theater. Waiting. The hallway was lit with dim sconces, making it seem like the 1920s rather than the 2020s. So many of these old Broadway houses had never been modernized. The chill of the air surrounded me. The old theater was also drafty as hell.      He summoned me. I could ...

4 comments 4
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“The Green Blood Moon” by Charlotte Hamlett

Submitted to Contest #190

“Let me go!” shouted the man. “Don’t worry, we’re just trying to help you. We have been looking for you for the past thirty-two years.” Suddenly it all went black. It was around midnight in Manhattan, and the lights were shining bright and glimmering on the wet pavement as traffic finally started to die down for the evening. Jack Harding was walking in and out of shops and restaurants that looked interesting. He walked out of a fancy sneaker store, and a group of people in black clothing held a cloth with toxic poison in his mouth, making ...

2 comments 2
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“The Devil's Disciple” by Mark El-Ayat

Submitted to Contest #190

*This story contains sexual violence, physical violence, gore, or abuse.* Fortune and fame. Love and lust. Revenge and redemption. Humans would sell their souls for these visions, not realizing how temporary life would be. When the end is near, dread, panic, and anguish follow. Pleading and begging, hands held in the air regretting their decisions, voices wailing out for a second chance. But God was not there. He never was and He never will. Forsaken by the wicked, the selfishness and the greed of human nature are unlimited. There is never...

2 comments 2
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“Bird Brain” by Jennifer Chan

Submitted to Contest #190

I reach Rockaway Beach at first light. Even though I’ve been coming down here every year for the past two years, seeing the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean never gets old. The way the sky slowly turns golden and gradually tinges the water flaxen is like watching a master painter at work. I have no words.I only wish that you were here to witness it with me.Does it surprise you how much I’ve been thinking about you? You should know me by now. As soon as the weather turned, I unleashed all 15 inches of wingspan and flew out. I tore throug...

4 comments 4
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“Treasure Lost in Harlem” by LaSasha Robinson

Submitted to Contest #190

Treasure Lost in Harlem By: Sasha Robinson Grape Lifesavers. We have a lot in common. Nobody really likes grape lifesavers, yet they were an acquired taste to those who adored them. If someone asked for a lifesaver and you only had two left, green or grape, the person would most likely choose green. I was often overlooked, always the black sheep or the last resort. Grape was my nickname in high school. They called me that because my skin was so dark in the sunlight, I looked purple. I remember the first time I got my nickname grape. Ju...

6 comments 6
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“Soup or Salad” by Anthony Beska

Submitted to Contest #190

Soup or Salad You’ll never be short on Italian restaurants in New York. Even with plenty of them foolishly abandoning ship and heading down to Jersey, there’s still far more of them than grains of sand on the beach or pieces of trash in the subway. Regardless of how dime a dozen the joints can be, everyone has their favorite. From a crummy little hole-in-the-wall pizza joint nestled between a handful of other dying businesses in a strip mall to the more upscale Italian bistros always bustling with business. David Callader sat somewhere in th...

1 comment 1
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“PROMISES” by Carole Wilbur

Submitted to Contest #190

PROMISES The bus left Binghamton, New York, at 4:15 a.m. Denny and Jenny Skinner settled into their seats, uncertain of what awaited them in the city. One thing was true: they could not trust their father, John. The twins spoke little during the journey. Four hours and twelve minutes later, the Greyhound pulled into the Port Authority Terminal in New York City. The bus arrived at 8:27 a.m. The teenagers exited the bus, hoping to find their father waiting. Although he promised, his face was not among the multitude of faces on the platform....

3 comments 3
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“Vanished into the rain ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #190

New York City is a giant place, and even a lifer like me can still find somewhere that they’ve never been to.  A divebar tucked away among more established businesses was a dime a dozen: a place to go to meet people who were hard to meet, although I usually insist they meet me at my office.  I hoped the food was good, I was craving burger sliders.    Introductions are in order I suppose. The name’s Snickertooth - Skreet Snickertooth. I’m a private eye.  ...Also a rat if you really must know.  I ha...

2 comments 2
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“The Meeting Place” by Raymond Connor

Submitted to Contest #190

The door chime echoed around Mo’s dinner as another customer entered the busy deli. Gordon looked up from his table in anticipation. He had sat in the same spot on the same day, at the same time and waited for his friend, for what must be? Gordon had no idea how long he had been coming here. It had to be a long time, for he had seen original Mo pass his business on to his son, joey, and seen the insides of the shop change colours three times now. But he had still not seen whom he was waiting for.        &nb...

1 comment 1
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“City Storm” by Oceana Doolittle

Submitted to Contest #190

The constant clump of feet against stone, the buzz of hundreds of voices, the din of cars beeping, the wailing of sirens, and the rush of cars passing filled the air. Countless smells were swept all over, carried by occasional gusts of cool wind. Thousands of colorful lights flickered on, shining in the growing twilight. Paper scraps, deformed plastic bags, and dry leaves skittered down the pavement.  Abri bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, her eyes fixed on the red hand stopping her from crossing the road. She glanced at he...

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“Waiting on Gerome” by R W Mack

Submitted to Contest #190

 The coffee was already cold. Herb stared into the mug, no longer steaming, with another sigh. He didn't bother keeping his glasses on his nose anymore as they hung on his chest from the cord around his collar. It was the nature of the industry; dealing with journalists on the run. Not busy, per se. That would make more sense. He couldn't fathom the pernicious elements scaredy-cat writers imagined sniffing their trails. They saw the work as revelatory truths. Herb saw it for what it was: words on paper. Short-lived, ignorable and inevit...

1 comment 1
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“A New Awaiting” by Kalecia Apple

Submitted to Contest #190

The wind rushes through my red hair. “You’re all set here, miss.” he says with an outreaching hand. It felt nice and warm compared to my shaky hand. Maybe that was because my anxiety is through the roof. Anyhow, I hop out of the car with my purse in tow. “Will you be back in time?” I ask the limo driver as the car door was slammed shut. He nods “Of course. At 10 pm as promised.” With that, the driver tips his hat before the limo speeds way into the night. I pulled out my phone from my pocket. The screen flashes with the time on the lock sc...

3 comments 3
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“A Trip To New York” by Max French

Submitted to Contest #190

(Warning, Very Adult Language, Rated-R humor. Cussing.) In a city that never sleeps, the bonds of friendship can transcend the barriers of time and space. Allow me to introduce two long-lost college friends who reunite for a whirlwind tour of New York City. However, even a happy story can sometimes become twisted in… Maxwell’s Morbid World. #### Jack stood outside Vinnie's apartment building with a phone to his ear. "Hey, Vinnie! I'm here, man. Where are you?" Vinnie answered, "Ah, Jackie boy! Good to hear your voice. I'm r...

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“A Chance Encounter” by Jennifer Yadav

Submitted to Contest #190

Iris stared out the window into the pelting rain, watching trees and farmland streak by. The heat from inside the Amtrak dining car fogged up the windows, but she was grateful to be warm and dry, even if this trip was for all the wrong reasons. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around the steaming cup of coffee the attendant placed in front of her with a concerned look. You can do this. This is okay and you are fine. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, feeling her heart rate begin to slow. She relaxed her shoulders and rep...

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“Up And Down, Eight And Out” by Connor Jones

Submitted to Contest #190

I had been dating him for a month now. Everything seemed to be— okay. He had talked about bringing me to upstate New York for this Pool tournament that he was on the bill for. Eric was a god gifted pool player— I have never seen anybody play the table quite like him in all of Stinesville, Indiana.  “I had always wanted to see Coney Island,” I told him—- “Greenwich Village, the Statue of Liberty.”We sat beneath the blanket of stars that comforted the Indiana night, while sitting on the hood of my car—- planning out this new adventur...

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