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

“Lockie's Late” by Jesse Michael Berryman

Submitted to Contest #259

She’d been gone longer than her parents expected. As soon as that damned creak in the door sounded, they were on her with their chittering jaws and reaching fingers. But as Lockie stepped fully through the doorway, moving past her mother and father as if they were strangers seeking to turn out her pockets of their precious metals, no questions assailed her ears. In lieu of questions came gasps. She took herself in a deliberate hurry over to the fire in the hearth at the heart of the room, as if another second of not doing so might’ve killed ...

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“A Moth to the Flame” by Xiao Shan

Submitted to Contest #259

The light they followed so closely had been snuffed out. Whether this was due to outside forces, or simply because it “wanted” to, there had been no warning. Cast off into the cold, the siblings would need to see reality through a colored-lense. The world they’d been accustomed to often presented itself in gray hues. Alas, coming to acceptance wasn’t a guiding flame, but rather a fake sun. Artificially crafted to lure them in, there’d be nothing left except ashes. Who would want to admit the possibility of their father’s death?Four siblings ...

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“The Shape of a Home” by Hwee Shin Hau

Submitted to Contest #259

Content warning: This story contains depictions of death, illness, and injury. It could have been anyone’s. The poor thing was a mess after the car was through with it, not that I got a good look. I was never the sort that hungered for morbidity. * “Was it her?” Julia’s holding onto a stack of posters. She’d printed them at school yesterday, and wanted to put them up around town. She said that people ought to know we were offering a fifty dollar reward for information on Fifi. “Probably wasn’t. Looked too young from what I coul...

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“Return to Champagne Falls” by Rachel Robidoux

Submitted to Contest #259

(Story contains/curse words) Fiona tried her best not to think as she drove her rickety rental car towards Champagne Falls at a speed that was all together inadvisable. She cursed the familiar roads, the pouring rain, and most of all the unsettling quiet that followed her no matter how quickly she drove. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles shone white and she let out a frustrated sigh. No matter how hard she tried she could not escape the worry that plagued her. The town of Champagne Falls was and always had b...

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“Beyond the Dome” by Anne Athena Dura

Submitted to Contest #259

I explore the camp for the first time. I distribute water to refugees from a large trolley. Nathan hands them soup. Seconds are permitted, as confirmed by the guards, and Nathan is generous. Tents are everywhere. I didn’t know we had so many mattresses in Commonplace for the injured and sick people. I briefly wonder if they brought their own, but it’s unlikely when fleeing a war. A voice inside my head says they could have. Children play tag fearlessly between the tents. They wear basic cotton garments. Same here. All individuals have short ...

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“New Job Angst” by Bruce Hunter

Submitted to Contest #259

Today is my first day in my new job as operations manager for a national waste company. I caught a cab to the office as I was yet to pick up my company car. I had a meeting with the Branch manager Greg Barns at 8am. Sitting in reception I watched people coming and going in my own world, when a man walked into reception. “Mark?” he asked looking at me.“Yes.” I replied. I stood up and we shook hands. Greg looked to be 50 year old he was going bald and the hair he had left was grey. I followed him through the main office area where six women sa...

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“The Talk” by Nicholas Ponticello

Submitted to Contest #259

Today was the day Patty was going to leave Paul. He would walk into the apartment at five o’clock, grumble as he removed his shoes and tie, inquire curtly from the hallway what they were having for dinner, and Patty would end it right then and there. They were supposed to have pot roast tonight. It wasn’t her favorite dish, but Paul liked it. He insisted on it every Tuesday. Once she had tried surprising him with reservations to an upscale restaurant downtown. She bought a new dress and shoes for the occasion, called Paul’s office to make su...

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“A Plastic Pause” by Drew Pierce

Submitted to Contest #259

Connor stared at the humongous fish tank that severed the restaurant in two. A small treasure chest overfilled with bubbles, each rising to the surface to die. And as he watched a small school of neon tetras glide by aimlessly, Connor silently acknowledged that he would give anything to swim through the synthetic tendrils of plastic seaweed. "Do you even hear what I'm saying?" Michael asked. "Cause I'll tell you what, Con, you're running out of time, and the answer is sure as hell not in that tank." Connor wished the answer was in the tank, ...

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“This Race is a Zoo” by Jason Newman

Submitted to Contest #259

The rain had been falling for days, turning the Seattle Zoo into a blur of gray and sorrow. A flamboyant Eagle perched on a not-so-high branch in her enclosure, her multi-colored feathers ruffled as she stared at the world outside. The patter of rain against the glass was a constant reminder of the storm brewing within her, and the zoo.Alex is a transgender eagle that spent the first half of her eagle life as male fertilizing eggs of 12 different baby mamas’ producing 50 baby eaglets. She never actually went thru with the procedure and her b...

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“To Reap a Whirlwind” by Ava Wolfe

Submitted to Contest #259

*SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING:*- Mention of immoral medical experimentation To Reap a Whirlwind: The teacher wanted us to “create an advanced presentation of any kind of our admired governmental system and how it provides for us.” I decided to take advantage of the vagueness of the assignment to make my class question whether our lives under our government were so great after all. When it was my turn to present, I laid out the pieces of my presentation; a (clean) hamster ball, a miniature desk fan, a bag of dirt, and a needleless syringe. La...

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“Nobody Told Me” by Jennifer Leigh

Submitted to Contest #259

"What's wrong babe? Were you crying? I can't have you crying. I don't like it when you cry." How do you tell him? How do you explain everything that's upsetting you when you barely have the words yourself? Without making him feel bad? Or taking it personally and then having the conversation devolve into a fight? I don’t have the bandwidth for another fight. I wouldn't trade my life. I love my kids. I'm still crazy about him after over a decade together. But nobody told me. Nobody talked about what getting married and having kids would ...

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“Corporate Wellness Retreats” by Nora Thompson

Submitted to Contest #259

“We’re doing yoga!” Derrick said. Julis tried to keep his hands from shaking with rage. He knew that yoga was not code for anything, it was just yoga. What set him off was the idea of sitting in the same location as Derrick for longer than an hour, of watching his body move, twisting into impossible shapes and having to hear his voice over and over again. Julis had spent his teenage years fantasizing about Derrick’s body. Proximity, however, had caused this to wear off quickly. Lacy sat down next to him. She was late to the morning meeting, ...

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“I'm the villain” by Irving Soto

Submitted to Contest #259

Alert! The innocent citizens of Hypercity watch in total awe as entire buildings are reduced to ashes by the building-demolishing laser beams of Dr. Odysseus and his giant robot. But a noble and handsome hero heroically appears to stop the destruction. From Patagonia, comes flying the incredible (drum roll) Captain Infinity! —It’s me —said the handsome hero—, the incredible Captain Infinity. I’ve come to stop you and your robot, Dr. Odysseus. —I don’t think so “Underoos” —respond the villain grinning—. Nothing can stop my thirst for revenge ...

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“Sally And The Jungle” by Cheryl Pope

Submitted to Contest #259

SALLY AND THE JUNGLE By: Cheryl Pope It was a beautiful morning. The sky was almost turquoise and wispy clouds were tinged with pink. Birds were singing, either merrily because it was such a great summer day, or angrily because Margie hadn’t been to the store to pick up birdseed for over a week. Margie looked up at the big oak tree where all the action seemed to be taking place. “Sparrows! You aren’t very pretty, and you aren’t very nice but at least you’re consistent.” Two blocks away Beth was just pouring her coffee. B...

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“He Remembered” by Maxx Randell

Submitted to Contest #259

Shining down upon the city and in through his window, the sunlight’s gentle touch was enough to crack his eyes open, forcing him to greet the morning. Exactly like every other morning, his cat pawed at his face forcing him to move over so it could lay down in front of his pillow. He was sweating ... again. Always sweating. No matter what he did, he always awoke sweating. “Hurry up! We’ve work to do,” his father yelled. Ever since war broke out, his father had been all about duty and honour. He wanted nothing to do with it, so his father con...

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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

“Lockie's Late” by Jesse Michael Berryman

“A Moth to the Flame” by Xiao Shan

“The Shape of a Home” by Hwee Shin Hau

“Return to Champagne Falls” by Rachel Robidoux

“Beyond the Dome” by Anne Athena Dura

“New Job Angst” by Bruce Hunter

“The Talk” by Nicholas Ponticello

“A Plastic Pause” by Drew Pierce

“This Race is a Zoo” by Jason Newman

“To Reap a Whirlwind” by Ava Wolfe

“Nobody Told Me” by Jennifer Leigh

“Corporate Wellness Retreats” by Nora Thompson

“I'm the villain” by Irving Soto

“Sally And The Jungle” by Cheryl Pope

“He Remembered” by Maxx Randell

🌟 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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