Start your story with a character canceling their plans.

Posted in Angst on May 31, 2024

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✍️ 26 stories

“Something Came Up” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #253

Something Came UpYou won’t make it home for dinner tonight.Bet if anyone could choose how they'd want to die, they’d choose to die in their bed, in their sleep, wouldn’t they? Sure, anyone would. Granted, they'd leave a tangled mess for someone else to deal with. But what the hell, they'd be dead. Not their problem anymore.Maybe, at some point, if someone'd live long enough, they may become more mature and have a lawyer write up a will. They might even name an executor, make bequests, and ignore all those relatives who are hovering with thei...

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“I Wish I Could But I Can't” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #253

Nobody has ever been more disappointed. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks, Jean. Weeks. You know I love a children’s dance recital. If I could go to them every weekend, I would. When I look at the calendar, and I don’t see a children’s dance recital penciled in on either Saturday or Sunday, I just about burst into tears. The thought of not getting to spend three-to-five hours in a cramped, hot auditorium sitting on a folding chair watching a bunch of eight-year-olds attempt to do ballet fills my spirit with joy. I cannot believe I ...

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“Prior Engagement” by Josefin Björk

Submitted to Contest #253

21.13. Hey, are you coming? 21:26. Should I just wait here, or 21:45. Hey!! 18:04. Shoes, pants, dress shirt – not fully buttoned, they enjoyed projecting a slutty look – jacket. Black socks. Pops wouldn’t allow anything less. He still gave a little huff when Ezra flew around the house in their inappropriately buttoned shirt. But fine, he would relent, if only because it was important to give children space to explore and rebel. And of course, this meant that Ezra rarely had reason to rebel. It was perfectly symbiotic. They dashed into the...

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“Free at Last” by Camden Cleveland

Submitted to Contest #253

[WARNING: Suicidal & Mature Themes]-It was a cool Autumn night. A man sat on the hood of his car, alone in an empty parking lot. Raising a cellphone to his ear, he spoke softly, “Hey, ya… Listen, I’m sorry baby, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it tonight.” A women on the other end answered, “Wha- what are you talking about? We already made the reservations and got the babysitter and —” “I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s just that Eric didn’t show tonight and they have a heavy workload so they need another hand.” His wife scoffed. He i...

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“Home” by Sepp Van Gurp

Submitted to Contest #253

The sound of a knock at the door penetrates the shield of blankets Aster put up over their head. They’d tell whoever it is to go away, but they don’t have the strength. All they can do is hope whoever is there gets the hint and leaves. Chris and Elliot know to leave them alone when they feel like this, but Zeke isn’t quite old enough to understand what’s wrong with them, why sometimes they can’t get out of bed for days at a time. It breaks their heart a little every time Zeke tries to get them up on the bad days, his little face filled with ...

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“Thank God for canceled plans” by Dee Bello

Submitted to Contest #253

Jonathan huffed to himself as he tied his tie, looking down at the text bubbles that were on his phone as he waited for his girlfriend to text him back. He was dreading this luncheon. It was yet another way for her to show him off like a prized pig she won at the county fair while women who had no interest in him beyond his tall stature, muscular physique and luscious eyelashes gazed and thirsted over him like hippos at a watering hole.The text bubbles disappeared and he heard a very loud, guttural cough from the adjacent bedroom. He si...

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“Blood Orange” by Jordan Forrester

Submitted to Contest #253

Hey, Kayla, I'm sorry I can't make it to your graduation; I have a date with a coworker I've been stalking for the past two years.That probably wouldn't go over well, I thought as I sighed at my drafted text message for the third time. Of course, I never intended for the dichotomous realms of my existence to converge this way---especially on the one day I needed them to stay separate.It's worth noting that although Kayla knows what I do, her understanding is quite vague and I intend to keep it that way.Today is my sister's graduation, and co...

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“A Change of Plans” by Miller George

Submitted to Contest #253

With a voice that quivered with suppressed emotion, Gabriel spoke words he never thought would come out of his mouth - "Hi, yes, uh, I am calling to cancel my flight to, uh, Paris. It's scheduled for tomorrow. I can do that, right?" The few words hung heavy in the air, a stark resignation to the harsh reality that had just ripped through the tapestry of his entire future. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope everything is okay. Can I please have your name and booking number?" The voice on the other end spoke politely, unaware of ...

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“Beyond the Veil” by Jane Kelley

Submitted to Contest #253

Mayra 2:30pm:Robert, I’m so sorry–I'm not going to make it today. Robert 2:31pm: Ha! good one, babe! I'm waiting for you, I can't wait to finally see how beautiful you look in that dress! Mayra 2:32pm: Robert, I’m serious. I can’t come. It’s over. Robert 2:32pm ...Mayra what're you talking about?Mayra 2:33pmI don't think this is really a good time. Robert 2:33pm&nbs...

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“2008 Playlist” by Emily Miles

Submitted to Contest #253

When Amy opened the door to the apartment Kara was still there. She was sitting on the couch with her arms folded and Continuum was playing in the background. “Hey, what are you doing here, what happened to your date?” Amy questioned as she closed her flip phone, coming in from babysitting.Kara threw her head back exasperated and huffed, “Good question.”Amy dropped her Coach purse to the floor and strode over to her roommate. The second she sat down, Kara leaned on her. She sniffled a little, but Amy was sure it was allergies; Kara nev...

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“Ephemeral” by Rho Ryan

Submitted to Contest #253

Trigger for mental health, suicidal ideation, and other such themes. Every year, a parade comes to town. It was a one-day kind of deal. Some people thought that time limit was annoying, but to me, it was perfect. Since I first came to this town eight years ago, I have gone to each one. My heart raced a little when I saw the advertisements, too excited for something so mundane. It wasn’t anything special, just a few rides and stands. Mostly a place you take your children in the summer to keep them from tearing the house apart during Summer b...

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“A Plane Ride Away” by Miranda Verzola

Submitted to Contest #253

There’s a sigh at the other end of the phone. Silence stretches out over the three-thousand miles between us. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “I just can’t get on the plane tonight. There’s an emergency at work.”“I know emergencies. I’m a doctor,” he reminds me. A fact he never lets me forget. “And there are no emergencies in newspapers, Bea. There are only deadlines. It’s not like you go out in the field to write or photograph stories. You just sit in an office all day. You could do that anywhere. You could do that here.”“It’s different this time...

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“The Six” by Agnieszka Baczkowska-Maśluszczak

Submitted to Contest #253

The morning sun shone through the windows at Unusual Appraisers Ltd., illuminating tiny grains of dust drifting in the air. Situated on the eleventh floor with a view of the littered river, the office was small and unassuming. The equipment was the only thing that revealed the seriousness of the issues Unusual Appraisers handled daily—the computers, designer lamps, and audiophile stereo equipment. Reiner, a plump, balding man of sixty, reclined in his opulent, twelve-grand office chair and lost himself in the music.“Fucking Austrians. They’r...

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“Fight or Flight” by Justin Diaz

Submitted to Contest #253

Fight or flight “Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.”― Robert Tew Starring at the screen on his cell phone that was firmly held his hand, he sat there pivoting himself side to side on his desk chair, using his feet to push himself. Letting out an exhausted sigh he looked out the window and saw that it was now dark out and the sun had gone down hours ago, but he had missed the event as he remained alone in his room. Turning his attention back to the phone on his hand he read the message again. “He...

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“Something Ends, Something Begins” by Samantha Petrini

Submitted to Contest #253

“I don't want your ring, and I definitely don't want you, you stupid cheater! The wedding is off!” I shouted angrily at my now ex-fiancé before turning on my heels and rushing away from him as fast as my feet would carry me. It was a cold December day, and Christmas was drawing ever so near. It was rather late at night as I had just eaten dinner with the man I had once planned to spend the rest of my life with for what was probably the final time. I Hurriedly walked past an alley, well I was going to that is until I ...

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Start your story with a character canceling their plans.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 26 stories

“Something Came Up” by Trudy Jas

“I Wish I Could But I Can't” by Story Time

“Prior Engagement” by Josefin Björk

“Free at Last” by Camden Cleveland

“Home” by Sepp Van Gurp

“Thank God for canceled plans” by Dee Bello

“Blood Orange” by Jordan Forrester

“A Change of Plans” by Miller George

“Beyond the Veil” by Jane Kelley

“2008 Playlist” by Emily Miles

“Ephemeral” by Rho Ryan

“A Plane Ride Away” by Miranda Verzola

“The Six” by Agnieszka Baczkowska-Maśluszczak

“Fight or Flight” by Justin Diaz

“Something Ends, Something Begins” by Samantha Petrini

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a highly-strung character learning to slow down, or someone pursuing a quieter way of life.

Set your story over the course of a few minutes; no flashbacks, no flashforwards.

Write a story that contains the line, "I wish we could stay here forever."

Write about a character who has the ability to pause the passage of time.

Contest #253

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

335

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: