Set your story in a playground: two characters are having a serious conversation while on the seesaw/in the jungle gym/on the swings.

Posted in Angst on Apr 12, 2024

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✍️ 82 stories

“When Love Swings Back” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #246

When I sat down on a golden-stained wood park bench, my once-usual one with the backing of wrought iron ivy branches intertwined like amorous bodies in the throes of passion, I never expected a single sight to sucker-punch me in the heart. No, I had no idea that settled down by this cheery playground, I'd observe the convex blooms of daffodil the colour of lemons in clumps on the grass suddenly leaving an acrid burn on my parched tongue, that I'd be powerless as a moment of relaxation in my hometown's pocket park transformed into my own soul...

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“Before” by K.A. Murray

Submitted to Contest #246

*This story contains mention of various forms of trauma, violence, and loss.*Where we exist is a playful and play-filled place, and we like it that way. Well, I guess we like it. None of us really knew what it was to not like something. The world we knew was satisfying and joyful, and we knew nothing but contentment.There are several hundred of us, and the place where we live is breathtaking - rivers, mountains, trees, beaches, all beneath a sky that is always sparkling. Everything we need is provided for; our only purpose is to play.Each of...

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“Swingset Blues” by Heather Eldridge

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #246

The bright sun in my face, the flowers bordering the sidewalk, the birds chittering at me, all fall in stark contrast to the morbid thoughts chasing each other through my mind. It’s been less than an hour since my life, my future, came to a crashing halt, and I am struggling to understand how the world around me seems to still be carrying on like nothing has changed. It’s a six-minute walk from where I sat inside on the paper-covered table to the playground outside where my husband is waiting for me. Six minutes to think of any way at all to...

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“Coming Home” by Natalie Portera-Sickler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #246

Dusk was setting in, and everyone had gone home except for Johnny. It was the last place he wanted to be right now. Instead, he gazed at the stars that began to emerge in the indigo twilight for their debut now that the sun was taking its exit from the stage, leaving nothing but a burnished glow on the horizon.He clenched the chains of the swing as if it were a lifeline, tilting his head back further until he was looking directly up into the center of the universe, where the blue had deepened to black, and the stars all peered at him like a ...

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“Agent 127” by Cedar Barkwood

Submitted to Contest #246

Trigger Warning: Death, violence, suicide, swearing, murder, abandonmentClide was sitting on the swing set, waiting for me. I could see in his eyes that he hadn't failed this time. Slowly, I walked out of the trees, my feet didn't make a sound on the summer evening grass. Yet he knew I was there before I had gotten as close as fifty yards."It's done." He said quietly. I walked quicker now, making no attempt to hide my footsteps."That's what you said last time, we had to go back and check. He wasn’t dead yet." I said."I did it this time, watc...

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“Play Time” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #246

Perched atop the monkey bars, London and Amelia compared notes on their new teachers. Now in fourth grade, London had Amelia’s teacher last year.Amelia asked, “You like Mrs. Eval?”“She was so great. I learned a ton.”“Who knew there was so much to know?”“Yeah, this year feels kinda like reruns. Okay, I get vowels. We need them, I guess. But let’s move forward, okay?”Amelia saw their friend, Daisy, lock her bike and enter the park. As if sleepwalking, her languid pace contrasted with the screaming children running about. A kicked ball narrowly...

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“A New Normal” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #246

Morrison Middle School’s playground is a little outdated. They still have the heat conducting metal slide that you stick to as it sears off skin layer by layer. The see-saws are a million splinters held together by chewing gum, so you’re bound to get a shard of wood stuck somewhere before you’re done creaking your way towards the sound barrier. Speaking of creaking, there are the black, rubber, butt pinching swings that hang from the bent A-frame. There’s a basketball court of busted, uneven pavement with grass growing up through the cracks....

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“Dead Fred” by Bruce Callahan

Submitted to Contest #246

He was my closest friend and ally growing up, my imaginary friend. See being an only child it got boring, like watching paint dry boring. No siblings to play games within the neighborhood until the streetlights came on, the universal signal to go home for dinner. The stragglers would have their parents screeching out of front doors or open windows for them to share that family meal. No neighborhood actually. I grew up on a dead-end street next to the train yard, one of only four houses. It was a one stopli...

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“Not Quite Oedipus ” by Rachael Knight

Submitted to Contest #246

*Sensitive Content Warning: Cursing, mention of sex acts, substance abuse* “Can we stay with you for a while?” I watch my son as he teaches his cousin how to swing on her own. He patiently explains to her how to use her legs to make it move and she happily takes the instruction to heart. The playground was empty except for us. The sky was gray, but the air was warm for November. It was the perfect day to be here. “They make me think of us when we were that age,” I say. “Did you hear me?” My brother, Trent, asks and I begin to lower to the g...

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“Monkey Business ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #246

Monkey BusinessThe bell rung just after 4th period and that always meant recess. All of the kids that were itching to just run out to the playground, lined up in the hallway per the teacher's instructions to walk in a safe and orderly fashion.I walked with the others all in a line towards the playground which was beyond the dusty softball field. As soon as we were near the basketball hoops, the teachers let us disperse and we all ran to the various places in the playground like the slide, the ladders, the jungle gym and t...

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“Coco and Larson ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #246

The playground was nearly empty, and that was just the way Coco liked it. When there weren’t many other kids around, her mom let her climb on top of the monkey bars, but she wasn’t allowed to do that if it was busy. Coco kicked off her sandals and clambered up onto the jungle gym. She hoisted herself up above the monkey bars. Her friend, Larson, slipped off his socks and shoes before following behind her. Coco scooted backwards, making room for Larson to get through. Larson pulled himself up and crawled onto the bars. From this high pe...

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“A Quiet Conversation Between Rome and Julie” by Jimi Bush

Submitted to Contest #246

In a futuristic playground nestled within a neon park, the vibrant colors of the “jungle gym” and the rhythmic creaking of the swings contrasted the seriousness of the conversation unfolding. Julie and Rome, both in their early twenties, found themselves perched on the seesaw, their feet occasionally brushing against the soft rubber mulch below. Rome, with a concerned face, broke the heavy silence that hung between them. "I just don't know if I can do it anymore, Julie. The pressure, the expectations... it's suffocating." Julie's eyes mirror...

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“Teeter-Totter Tiff” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #246

Teeter-Totter Tiff(Insensitive treatment of the weight-challenged.) It stands as an integral part of the colorful history of Jefferson playground, a standoff of epic proportions, a historic test of stamina, a battle of will and wit. It was Eastwood vs. Van Cleef, the Roadrunner vs. Wile E. Coyote, Ralphie vs. the kid with green teeth, Westley vs. Prince Humperdinck, Batman vs. … well, you get the idea.Looking past the 3-seater swingset, the monkey bars, and the merry-go-round, under the fading light of the setting sun, a distant observer may...

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“Letting Go” by Jennifer Luckett

Submitted to Contest #246

I dabbed the blood dribbling from a gash on my calf, thanks to exposed wood on the battered seesaw. Once, the playground beckoned us on lazy afternoons, its sharp, sweet freshly mowed grass, the promise of freedom to play during the endless stretch of days made Summer my favorite season. Now, those placid days existed in my memory; this abandoned space looked worse for wear. Weeds outnumbered blades of manicured grass, warped and scarred structures, relics well past their prime, remained here, not unlike at least one of its ...

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“Forward and Back” by Alyssa Terese

Submitted to Contest #246

“So, he's dead, huh?” We swung side by side letting the air move us along, the dirt shifting with a crunch beneath our feet. My head hung low, but she held hers high as she faced the open field behind me. “Seems like it.” she nodded solemnly, “No show, no calls, his boss said he hasn't seen him in three weeks.” “Sounds dead to me.” The wind moved me a bit faster than her, the air harder against my back. If I looked straight ahead, I could see our old house from here. I think she was oblivious to that fact. “Does it matter?” she asked, ...

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Set your story in a playground: two characters are having a serious conversation while on the seesaw/in the jungle gym/on the swings.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 82 stories

“When Love Swings Back” by Alexis Araneta

“Before” by K.A. Murray

“Swingset Blues” by Heather Eldridge

“Coming Home” by Natalie Portera-Sickler

“Agent 127” by Cedar Barkwood

“Play Time” by John K Adams

“A New Normal” by Ty Warmbrodt

“Dead Fred” by Bruce Callahan

“Not Quite Oedipus ” by Rachael Knight

“Monkey Business ” by Patrick Druid

“Coco and Larson ” by Chelsey B

“A Quiet Conversation Between Rome and Julie” by Jimi Bush

“Teeter-Totter Tiff” by Murray Burns

“Letting Go” by Jennifer Luckett

“Forward and Back” by Alyssa Terese

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that includes the phrase “It’s all fun and games…”

Write a story about someone participating in a seemingly innocent game that suddenly takes a turn.

Write a story about someone who takes a joke way too far.

Write about a character who treats everything like a game and struggles to be serious when they most need to, or vice versa.

Contest #246

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

99

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: