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

“Forgiveness” by Jessica Sharp

Submitted to Contest #246

Dry leaves rustled in the chilly October wind, the rust colored dead leaves on the ground blew in all directions as the wind constantly shifted. Despite gray clouds in the East, the setting sun in the west turned everything a brilliant shade of gold. It was as if the weather was playing a war, trying to decide if it wanted to stay gray, dreary, and depressing or it was attempting to brighten the last moments of the day with sunshine and promise of new beginnings for the next day. Amethyst shrugged her jacket tighter around her shoulde...

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“The wandering swings ” by L Crawley

Submitted to Contest #246

(brief mention of death/loss non-graphic) It’s 11:44 PM, it’s raining, and it’s too cold to be outside, but I’m out anyway. I’m just walking. To where? Who knows? I’m just putting one foot in front of the other, hoping that I’ll end up somewhere eventually. I don’t know where I am or how long I’ve been walking. I just can’t stop myself. In a word, I’m lost in this moment and in life, but I simply don’t have the energy to care. Then, like a lighthouse in a storm, I see it. A playground just like the one I had down the street growing up. ...

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“The highiest high of the lowest low” by Raluca Vințan

Submitted to Contest #246

“This has been fun but let me down now!” he said, trying to sound playful. “No,” I said. “I’m so tired of you always avoiding this talk!” In all honesty I was tired of him, in general, tired of us. Tired of never knowing where this relationship is going, if this was a real relationship to begin with. I was tired of blurred lines defining what we have just because he didn’t want to commit, and I didn't want to let go. “So, you think keeping me stuck on this stupid seesaw, at 3 a.m., in the dark is going to solve that? I’m avoiding...

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“Teetering” by T.M. Kehoe

Submitted to Contest #246

“Where are you taking me?” Carissa stopped, not inclined to move further until she got a straight answer from Manfred.“It’s not far, just humor me, OK?” Manfred shook his sandy hair out of his eyes, big sad puppy-dog eyes, golden brown and brimming with emotion. Then he looked at her, recognized her expression, and capitulated. “I’m just taking you to the park down the street, that’s all. It’s quiet this time of night, so we’ll have privacy to talk.”Carissa tightened her lips, but moved on with no further complaints. They walked in silence, ...

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“My Worst Enemy” by Dominic Figueroa

Submitted to Contest #246

Max liked to sit alone at lunchtime on the playground, which was enclosed by wooden boards with red paint flaking off. His favorite thing to do was to listen to the rhythmic squeak of the swing as he swung back and forth. Every time that he kicked his legs out at the height of the swing, he felt free like an eagle taking flight. It was the only place that he felt free. “Here we go again,” Max murmured under his breath as two of his classmates approached. The two boys start...

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“The Break” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #246

“Higher!” I shout, as Momma pushes me. “This is plenty high!” Momma argued. I laughed and giggled as the wind grabbed hold of my pig-tailed hair and waved it back and forth, back and forth, as I floated in the air. The afternoon sun was warm on my freckled face, and I could hear birds twittering a chirp-chirp song. I wondered what they were twittering to each other, what the birds talked about in the trees at the park. Momma picked me up from school today. She only does that when the nurse calls her to come get me if I have...

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“The Family Store” by Stacey Cooper

Submitted to Contest #246

A longtime friend of the family named Olivia visits a woman named Violet to spend the day together. They grew up together, but Olivia has moved away, but returns every few years to visit. It is a beautiful spring day, and after lunch they take a walk. They walk by a park they played at as children and decide to walk through the park. The park has a few swing sets, seesaws, a jungle gym with a slide, a merry-go-round, a sandbox, and various cement structures that kids can climb over or walk through. There are also a f...

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“The Goat Bite” by Sudarshan Varadhan

Submitted to Contest #246

She was different today. It is astonishing to witness a new side of someone you have spent years knowing and living beside. You question whether you had ever known them really or had you forgotten over time to notice those subtleties. Her eyebrows were different, her eyes were tired, her neck and hands had wrinkles and maybe it was the time presenting himself in a glimpse, but she had become older than how I remembered her. She sat beside me on the park bench. The bench was cold from the night before, the grass was dew-covered while th...

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“The Secrets Told on the Swings” by Emily Howe

Submitted to Contest #246

The heavy black iron gate noisily creaks as I push into the abandoned playground. This place, my sanctuary, where I sought solace and solitude, has been invaded. The realization hits me like a wave, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. I'm irritated at the intrusion. This rusty old playground is my safe space. It's the only place where I can relax and be completely unbothered. I tell myself it's okay; I'm overreacting; it is a public park. I have no right to be angry at others for using the space. Wanting to avoid conversation, I gr...

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“If You're Reading This...” by Katariina Ruuska

Submitted to Contest #246

Trigger warning: Foul language Creak, creak, creak, goes the seesaw. Hey, you! Yes, you. I’ve got a question for you: When you get transported into a work of fiction, how the hell do you de-transport yourself? And before you ask, this is not one of those if-a-tree-falls-in-the-forest-does-it-make-a-sound type of futile musings that makes you go, Hmm, never thought about that one before, but yay philosophy, I feel like a better person today having pondered that. And since you figure that providing an actual answer probably takes a back...

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“A day to remember” by Milena SK

Submitted to Contest #246

It had been a few years since I had last seen Caroline. I had met someone at a house party, and while I wouldn’t go as far as calling it love at first sight, I did feel attracted to him as soon as I walked into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine and saw him leaning against one of the counters, talking to a friend. Our eyes met, and shortly after, he walked over and introduced himself. “I don’t think we’ve met”, he said, nice, easy smile. He told me he worked in sales, I could picture it, with his laidback, outgoing manner. Our conver...

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“The Swings of Grief” by Hannah Deegan

Submitted to Contest #246

Jules always ran ahead. Like walking, even at a fast paced, was a catastrophic delay to wherever she was going. Especially when it came to the playground. Dramatic my girl is, but hey she didn’t get it from me. Jules has already gone down the slide twice by the time I step onto the wood chips. The playground isn’t too big, so I’ve never had to worry about her going anywhere if I’m further behind. Kids will keep you on your toes far beyond their years as a teenager and I expect no less from Jules. As more kids start to invade the jungle gym, ...

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“The Sleepover Plan” by Anne Athena Dura

Submitted to Contest #246

(This story contains strong language and mentions of homophobia, sexual violence, physical violence, and abuse.)A woman in denim overalls yelled, “Just ten minutes!” Her kid of about 6 jumped at the sound of that and raced his friends to the jungle gym, their footsteps creating a lively rhythm that seemed out of place.Perhaps Jake was out of place in a seemingly ordinary world.“Can you believe we used to be that small?” Alina’s voice emerged distant.The rhythmic creaking of her swing as she moved slowly accompanied Jake’s feelings as his min...

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“A Day to Remember” by Camden Cleveland

Submitted to Contest #246

"Did you see how fast I went that time, Mommy?" yells a winded eight-year-old boy, his face still painted red from all of the excitement.His mother responds, "I did! You were going so fast I could barely see you!"The child laughs hysterically then runs off towards the jungle gym.---Two adults sit side by side on a double swing set, rocking back and forth like a pendulum on its last pass. 9 years ago, the man proposed and only 6 months later, they became man and wife. A few months after the wedding, their son was born."He's a good kid." says ...

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“Playing with Fire” by Serena Riche

Submitted to Contest #246

The abandoned playground sat nestled in the heart of the city, shrouded in darkness. Rust coated the swings and slides, and the seesaw creaked with every gust of wind. It was here amidst the eerie silence, that two unlikely figures met.Detective Elizabeth Watson sat on the decrepit seesaw; her senses heightened by the anticipation of the clandestine meeting. She received an anonymous tip about a high-profile case she was working on, and the rendezvous point was this desolate playground at midnight. As she scanned the area, her eyes caught a ...

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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

“Forgiveness” by Jessica Sharp

“The wandering swings ” by L Crawley

“The highiest high of the lowest low” by Raluca Vințan

“Teetering” by T.M. Kehoe

“My Worst Enemy” by Dominic Figueroa

“The Break” by Nina H

“The Family Store” by Stacey Cooper

“The Goat Bite” by Sudarshan Varadhan

“The Secrets Told on the Swings” by Emily Howe

“If You're Reading This...” by Katariina Ruuska

“A day to remember” by Milena SK

“The Swings of Grief” by Hannah Deegan

“The Sleepover Plan” by Anne Athena Dura

“A Day to Remember” by Camden Cleveland

“Playing with Fire” by Serena Riche

🌟 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: