Place your characters in a tough situation, where nobody wants to acknowledge the reality of what's happening.

Posted in Angst on Jul 12, 2024

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✍️ 84 stories

“Life With You Is A Miracle ” by Celsi Bash

Submitted to Contest #259

TW: violence, depression, gore, suicide ideology and suicide Trinity dropped the keys around her neck. They were those heavy, brass types lopped with a gold chain. The kind of weight you couldn’t ignore. The kind of weight you’d notice missing right away. “Trinity…” a rasped voice wailed, “I’m hungry…” “I’ll be back Miracle. I don’t wanna hear any complain’ from ya now.” She left that bright red door, heading down the stretching hallway into the kitchen, where her mother was heating up a can of pork and beans over the stove. A radio cracked...

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“The elephant” by Stefania Katz

Submitted to Contest #259

A mansion with a couple of elders, their daughter was studying abroad. It was a young couple with three kids, two boys and a little girl. They all used the comfort of her continued success and always doing whatever she dreamed of, as she was extraordinarily gifted. In their failure, they were all blaming her, and in her failure, they were always taking the piece and saying: "It's ok, we will marry you with some stupid guy!" and others like: "You will marry a billionaire and make him a millionaire!" They got married. That alters the family fo...

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“Goners” by Maisey Mansson

Submitted to Contest #259

Avi tracks the blazing stars in the sky with his eyes. He has no cares for the celestial phenomena the deep night holds. He is searching for one thing. Movement. A plane. Avi has done this for thirty-six nights. He has been here for thirty-seven days, and he only knows this because of the marks Lonnie has carved into a nearby tree. He used to carry hope in his heart, but that optimism has since dispersed into anger. He imagines each of the still stars bursting into flames. It calms him. He sees no purpose in their existence. They’re too far ...

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“Toxic?” by Diane Nelson

Submitted to Contest #259

As we all stood there in silence watching Patsy make a complete fool of herself, I couldn’t help but utter, Is anyone going to say it?This was the tenth time! No to be exact, this was the thirteenth time that Patsy, the hopeless romantic told us that she was leaving Massachusetts because she finally found her Mr. Right!Patsy, a 20 year old, tall and lanky woman with short mousy brown hair and dark brown eyes had told us this before. Patsy wasn’t unattractive and we felt that she could get any man if she didn’t appear so desperate.We all grew...

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“Faux Pas” by Cedric Herman

Submitted to Contest #259

You’re sitting on a linen sofa, looking at a painting on the wall that depicts a young boy with blond, curly hair dressed in his Sunday’s best, posing against a doorframe. His face is turned to show its left half. Surrounding you are cherry wood cupboards and stands with 19th-century lamps, windows clothed in floral curtains, an electric chandelier overhead, and to your side, a tall mirror on top of the crested hearth. Voices buzz from the adjoining room, but you’ve sequestered yourself alone in here because you wanted...

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“A Perfect Getaway” by Linda Olson

Submitted to Contest #259

The road was spacious, and busy, and forking gradually away from the interstate toward the neighboring hills. Max dug diligently under both sides of the front seat, while Kathy struggled to keep up to speed limit each time Max bumped her leg. A truck honked and veered around them. Max bumped her leg again. “Forget the map. I'll look it up again for...

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“The Moral of the Story - A Short Story by Blu J. Meadow” by J DG

Submitted to Contest #259

The Moral of the StoryA Short Story by Blu J. Meadow "You're limping a bit more today, Maggie. Knee bothering you again?" "Not feelin' on top of the world for sure." I nod and stretch a smile as he hands me the key to my regular locker. "My arthritic knee tells me a change is coming in the weather, and a not-so-pleasant change at that," I add just before I shuffle off. Despite my aching knee, I lug all one-hundred sixty pounds of myself across the room and stash my gear in the corner storage unit. After coming to the gym for as long as I ...

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“Don't you remember? ” by Abbi McDaniel

Submitted to Contest #259

As the spectral glow of the morning sun crept through the kitchen, the warm scent of vanilla and coconut overtook the air. Hm, she must’ve gotten a new perfume, I thought to myself. A feeling of familiarity, vague yet known, overtakes me. Glancing around, my gaze stumbles upon my hands. Was that scar always there? I wonder. Before I can reassure myself my wife, Nora, peeks out from the bedroom. “Hey babe, can you grab my work shirt? I don’t see it here and I’m running a bit late.” She flusters as she stands in the doorway. Makeup ...

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“THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #259

The Elephant in the Room The elephant in the room was large and somber. It stood amongst them breathing heavily, stomping its feet from time to time, yet no one chose to look it in the eye. Eduardo wiped his brow with his red handkerchief. He was hungry; he was weak, but his faith was strong and his belief in his family and his country was solid. He lived each day, each hour, each minute with hope. He firmly believed that if you had no hope, you had nothing. and Edwardo had spent most of his lifetime with nothing. He had determined the day ...

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“Stone Amnesty” by AppleJuicePunch Adam Jason Pierce

Submitted to Contest #259

Issaquah, a forced hobbling of the native word Squak after the sound that many birds living in the area made on the shoreline of the Sammamish lake. For years real growth and prosperity chose other paths when it came to the sleepy unincorporated town of Issaquah. The First Nation people who had lived there gradually moved away more by displacement than actual force. The mountainsides grew steadily more diluted over the coming years. Tiger mountain’s stripes faded as coal was removed. Cougar Mountain’s mass of fir be...

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“Underneath” by Esther Aardsma

Submitted to Contest #259

((Sensitive content: abortion, church trauma, PTSD, intrusive suicidal thoughts))I gingerly transferred another hot-pink-frosted cupcake from the box I was holding onto the tiered glass stand in front of me, holding my breath as my shaking hands threatened to smush the fragile frosting against the neighboring cupcakes.“And when you’re done with the desserts, you can do the confetti—it’s in my blue bag underneath the gift table.” Mom’s black heels clicked out a staccato rhythm on the polished hardwood as she bustled about the large church mee...

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“The Guest Room” by NS Emba

Submitted to Contest #259

Grace sighed as she picked up Emmett’s candy wrappers and popcorn crumbs littering the sofa. Wisps of hair escaped her tidy bun as she aggressively fluffed the cushions, unsuccessfully attempting to reshape the indentations that had accumulated from hours - maybe years in aggregate - of cradling his body. She wondered whether they had always had such different standards of living. The couple now had little left in common but their love for their children, Gwen and Margaret. But even in that, the fissures were evident. Grace...

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“The Air Up There” by Matt Craig

Submitted to Contest #259

The hum of the airplane engines was a constant, almost soothing backdrop to the otherwise tense atmosphere inside the cabin. I sat in my cramped seat, the seatbelt sign still illuminated above, signaling that we were in for a rough ride. The air was thick with anticipation, and something else—something I couldn't quite place. I glanced around at my fellow passengers. The elderly woman across the aisle clutched her knitting needles with white-knuckled intensity, her eyes darting nervously. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to focus on ...

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“When Silence Speaks Volumes” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #259

When I get home, Kayla is sitting on the couch biting her fingernails and staring out into space. I pause at the doorway and watch her.I have only seen her bite her nails twice since I’ve known her.Once when her mother died.The second time was when her father died.I walk into the living room and she turns her head towards me.“Hi,” I say.“Hey,” she responds.She’s looking at me with narrowed eyes.I decide to give her time to tell me what she wants to say and go to the kitchen to start putting the groceries I've bought in the fridge.“You want t...

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“I am Torch” by Sierra Kingen

Submitted to Contest #259

Content warning: death, LGBTQ, racism, and swearing The name's Torch. As you can tell by my fiery hair, hot bod, and of course my charming personality, I am a FireBorn. I was born in a quaint farming town to Kyrna and Lumina, two lesbian elves. They were very excited, but rather confused. At least that's what mother says. She says that her and Mom were surprised to see that I looked—well, like I was literally on fire. Turns out that down Mother's lineage; oh, Mother meaning Kyrna, someone banged a genie and well, guess I was the luck...

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Place your characters in a tough situation, where nobody wants to acknowledge the reality of what's happening.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Life With You Is A Miracle ” by Celsi Bash

“The elephant” by Stefania Katz

“Goners” by Maisey Mansson

“Toxic?” by Diane Nelson

“Faux Pas” by Cedric Herman

“A Perfect Getaway” by Linda Olson

“The Moral of the Story - A Short Story by Blu J. Meadow” by J DG

“Don't you remember? ” by Abbi McDaniel

“THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM” by Glenna Agnew

“Stone Amnesty” by AppleJuicePunch Adam Jason Pierce

“Underneath” by Esther Aardsma

“The Guest Room” by NS Emba

“The Air Up There” by Matt Craig

“When Silence Speaks Volumes” by Sophie Goldstein

“I am Torch” by Sierra Kingen

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about two people who aren't admitting their true feelings for one another, despite it being obvious to outsiders.

Write a story that includes the line, "Is nobody going to say it?".

In a small town, a powerful family have a dark secret that nobody wants to discuss. One day, an outsider arrives, who's not happy to simply drop it.

Set your story in a world where conversation about one particular topic is banned — but there are ways to get around the rule.

Contest #259

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

297

Contest entries

143

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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