Set your story at a silent retreat.

Posted in Angst on Feb 16, 2024

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✍️ 44 stories

“Five Turns of the Hourglass” by Weronika L

🏆 Winner of Contest #238

I tow my dead father with me to the scorched heart of a desert. His body guilts down my shoulders, heavier each time he doesn't tell me that I took the wrong turn, that I need to straighten my elbows, that I never do anything the right way so why does he even bother. My jeep sputters and chokes under our weight as it brings us to the parking lot in front of the hotel. Vipassana, reads the sign above the glass door, melted open at the hinges. The Silent Retreat. Heat slaps me across the face. I backpack my father around my waist and march to ...

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“The Swan Songs” by Michał Przywara

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #238

Eobald the Younger, formerly King of Tretovortania, pulled at his burlap robe to discreetly get at a particularly insistent shoulder itch. When he grunted, the abbot glared at him, and Eobald cast his eyes to the dirt path in shame. To his dirty, dirt endirted feet, covered in so much dirt and so little silk.“Be at peace, child,” said the abbot. His abbot now, because now the former king was a current Aspirant Listener of the Gentlest Wind. “The time will soon come. For now, comfort yourself with the sacred song of the swan.”As if on cue, on...

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“Enjoy the Silence” by Hazel Ide

Submitted to Contest #238

"Do they really expect us to climb that?" Karen—Kara, or maybe it's Erin?—asks, arms folded, staring up at the monstrous tree pegged with foot holds leading up to the timberline.I follow her gaze, tracing the series of ropes and wooden steps scattering the trunks and branches high into the sky. We're only at the first course; I think they said the ropes elevated 25 feet at the start, 50 toward the end.I shrug, unable to answer. Or unwilling. I guess it depends on your point of view.You see, there's a difference between being at a silent retr...

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“The River of Vipassana” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #238

I have an allergic response to woo-woo stuff, so the last thing I want to do is spend a week and a half wooing around with a bunch of woo-woos in Peru. But things are going completely off the rails. Everything is on the table.“Alexa. Brew espresso,” I say, shouting at a receiver down the hall of my luxury canal-side flat on Orsman Road in Shoreditch, London. My DeLonghi Magnifica espresso maker hums and whirs. Pulling the sheets over my head, I reach to the other side of the bed and grab my iPhone. What have we here?The notifications from th...

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“Expression” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #238

She kept pretending to look as though she wanted to talk. Everyone around her was clearly struggling, and here she was, finding no difficulty at all in staying silent. Whenever someone around her opened their month, she could see the red light registering behind their eyes. Oh no, I mustn't speak. When Charlene opened her mouth, it was only to convey an expression. Of shock. Of surprise. Of putting together a mathematical equation. It was not to speak. It was never to speak. Charlene had not spoken around other people for a few years now. On...

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“A Quiet Weekend” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #238

Giving me a conspiratorial smirk, Emma says, “If you are dating Jasmine, there’s something you need to know—”. “ — Shhh!” A Buddhist monk hushes her, a finger at his lips. Emma’s now strained smile hints at her want to have told me something of consequence. Under the watchful gaze of the monk, she drifts off toward breakfast. **Upon our arrival the prior morning, our devices and laptops were taken away by orange robed monks. Honestly, it felt as if we were in a Buddhist led mass kidnapping, rather than attending an expens...

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“The Silent Killer” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #238

Running through the woods, I was in a mad panic. Damn. Lydia was going to have my head for this, that’s for sure. I couldn’t believe I overslept on the morning of her weekly staff meeting. Get ready, girl, it’s about to hit the fan. I entered the staff building and ran down the steps two at a time saying a little prayer that I didn’t fall and break my neck.Entering the dark cramped room, I found the staff lined up in their uniforms with their hands behind their backs. Lydia, walking back and forth in front of t...

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“The Writers Workshop At Lake Manitoba ” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #238

A grin exploded across his face as Harold Jones walked through the rows of desks to the front of the class to receive his award for the best story of the day. He could be a great writer, knew he had amazing stories stacked up inside him like shelves in a library, but just couldn’t get them them. He had always known this Writers retreat, held at the historic Arts Building at the University of Manitoba, would be the key to unlocking his success, and he finally was on his way. The writers gave up technology to create stories...

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“The Fulfillment” by Nicolle C

Submitted to Contest #238

Swathes of red and blue intermittently flooded my vision. Beneath the flimsy plastic, my limbs still pulsed with adrenaline. Initially, the barrage of sirens and shouts was an audible assault, but now my thundering heart drowned most of it out. An officer loomed over me, his mouth forming words that failed to reach my ears. The paramedics seemed to retort, much to his chagrin. I cast my gaze upon the modern structure ahead, an incandescent glow piercing the night. Panels of glass stared back like watchful eyes, knowing the truth of what lay ...

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“Silence of the Full Moon” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #238

Life is full of stressors. Monotonous jobs whose days make the worker feel as if trapped in a singular moment in time, bills that reach up to your neck, and, of course, the noise. When the noise can get so loud, and so invasive, it feels as if ants are crawling over the surface of your brain. That is what Sarah felt. She had moved to the big city just over three months ago with the promise of a new job. But lately, she felt that it was all be...

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“Silent Hero” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #238

March 30th, 2024 (a.k.a. the stupidest day of my life) Dear Diary, What. The. Hell. This place is so weird. I know Dahlia wants us to 'reconnect' in time for mom's birthday (or something) but why did she have to choose a silent retreat? And if it had to be a silent retreat, why did it have to be such a weird one? The point is for us to start talking again--how can we do that if we're not allowed to talk? I've been here one afternoon, and here's just some of the stuff I've noticed: 1) The owners are named Justin and Justine. Yes, they're mar...

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“How the Carnation Bleeds” by A. L. V.

Submitted to Contest #238

She already knows what flowers she’s going to buy. She already has the cash for it down to the penny in her right pocket. She’s anticipated dirt and snow and already has her worst sweatpants on. A small bouquet is arranged by the door. Hundreds of other priced blossoms are arranged throughout the store. With the pink carnations she’s picked, countless others fly off the shelves in an instant. There’s exactly twelve in her bouquet. An older gentleman sees...

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“The Silent Symphony” by Martha Muraglia

Submitted to Contest #238

The breeze carried the whispers of the pines, weaving through the tranquil atmosphere of the silent retreat. It was a place where words were imprisoned in the depths of consciousness, where thoughts wandered freely, unspoken, and emotions danced in silent symphonies.In the heart of the retreat stood a weathered cabin, its wooden frame weathering the passage of time like a silent sentinel. Inside, a solitary figure sat cross-legged on a faded rug, eyes closed in deep meditation. This was Anna, a seeker of solace, seeking refuge from the cacop...

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“Silent torture” by Judith Green

Submitted to Contest #238

I find myself standing outside the airport, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a car that is supposed to transport me to the resort recommended by my therapist. As I observe my surroundings, I am struck by the hustle and bustle of the outside world and taken aback by the noise pollution. Arizona is definitely not a place I could envision calling home, and I am grateful that my stay here will be limited to just a few weeks - three weeks, to be more precise. I don’t think I could stand this heat long enough to consider this place home. My therapi...

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“Last Words” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #238

Trigger Warning: Miscarriage. CHLOEBefore we fell in love, Evan and I spent two months talking to each other over text and phone calls. After we fell in love we spent three more months talking over text, and all night phone calls. We spent three years talking to each other through morning breath, evening whispers, late night confessions, ordinary daytime passing remarks. Our vows took almost fifteen minutes to say a piece. If someone attempted to calculate the sheer number of minutes we have spent talking, I’m sure that it would equal years ...

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Ended on 23:59 - Feb 23, 2024 EST

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Title: Five Turns of the Hourglass

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Set your story at a silent retreat.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 44 stories

“Five Turns of the Hourglass” by Weronika L

“The Swan Songs” by Michał Przywara

“Enjoy the Silence” by Hazel Ide

“The River of Vipassana” by Jonathan Page

“Expression” by Story Time

“A Quiet Weekend” by Scott Christenson

“The Silent Killer” by Hannah Lynn

“The Writers Workshop At Lake Manitoba ” by Marty B

“The Fulfillment” by Nicolle C

“Silence of the Full Moon” by Nicholas Thomas

“Silent Hero” by Tamarin Butcher

“How the Carnation Bleeds” by A. L. V.

“The Silent Symphony” by Martha Muraglia

“Silent torture” by Judith Green

“Last Words” by ♡ Tana ♡

🌟 Similar prompts

Start or finish your story with a speaker unable to finish their sentence, perhaps overcome by emotion.

Write a story in which a conversation takes place where the true subject is only implied.

Write a story including the line “I can’t say it.”

Write a story in which an important message is cut off, leaving characters to wonder or puzzle out what was left unsaid.

Contest #238

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

98

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: