Write a story about a character who’s trying to fill an empty space, literally or metaphorically.

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 55 stories

“It is Done” by Viv S

Submitted to Contest #108

“Did you eat breakfast?” She asked only because he said he was tired that morning. She was just trying to help. That’s what Ruth was good at, finding solutions to everyday problems. Ruth was always in a cheerful, joyous mood. It was a superpower that she had, everything she touched would turn good. It was ironic for Ruth to think that she lights up a room when she walks in. She saw her life as an unfinished tragedy. The source of that light comes from a very dark place. Ruth comes from a series of very, very unfor...

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“The Wisdom of an Apostate, A Generational Tale” by Rebecca Moatz

Submitted to Contest #108

The Wisdom of an Apostate A Generational Tale Sebastian opened his eyes slowly. They burned and watered from the haze of acrid smoke all around him. He couldn’t hear anything but painful ringing in his ears. He wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive. He was taught that there was no Hell, but this certainly was no Paradise Earth either. In fact, he had no idea where he was or where he was supposed to go, so he just sat there for a few minutes. His throat was so raw and dry that he could barely swallow. He suddenly remembered something his fa...

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“Heartland Treasures Unlimited” by Zen Wren

Submitted to Contest #108

The thrill of this job makes my blood pump and my heart sing..! These days, kids don’t want family heirlooms. Furniture, dishes and collectibles are things that everyone just assumed would be precious keepsakes for generations to come. To the young people, and by that I mean under 50, it just seems like a bunch of old stuff that you could find at a garage sale, or on the lawn at a church bazaar. Do they want an old grandfather clock? No. How about a full set of china or real silverware? Ha. What about an Abe Lincoln bust, a George Washingt...

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“Boiling Well” by Tim Roberts

Submitted to Contest #108

He bought a bottle of ‘Boiling Well’ beer from the Brewery Tap because it was his Dad’s favourite. He’d raised one to his draining health with his brothers the afternoon he died. Indeed, they were so busy drinking to his imminent memory and planning out their shared grief like some lubricated mental spread sheet that they’d missed the actual moment of his passing. It still stuck in his craw. He sat at the bench and picked at the label of the bottled beer, every rip a pang of guilt or grief. The label told him how the ruddy brew was made fr...

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“Place Your Trust” by Aza P

Submitted to Contest #108

I was thirteen when it first appeared. Vast and vacant, and right in the middle of my abdomen where my stomach should have been. Where my organs should have been, but weren’t. It ran from underneath my breasts all the way down to my hip bones. An emptiness that should have been impossible. That day, which might have been a Wednesday, I was changing into my uniform before school. I put on my skirt, no problem. Tights, no problem. Bra, no problem. Then came the shirt. A crisp white Oxford shirt – the kind you have to button up. My fingers bu...

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“What We Can't Leave Behind” by Nadia Woods

Submitted to Contest #108

Marielle stood at the entrance to the bedroom, one hand mindlessly tapping the ivory white doorframe, the other gently grasping her lower jaw in an affectation of deep thought. The translucent lavender curtains across the room lazily flowed to the rhyme of the breeze outside. She could hear the steady beat of rain against the window, and shivered slightly as the cool late October air glided over her bare arms on its gentle journey through the one-bedroom apartment.She sighed and walked over to her bed, laying gently back on the bare, soft ma...

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“Away Message” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #108

“Hold on, let me read this email,” Ray said, which was irritating since he had called me and I didn’t particularly feel like talking to him at all. “Whoa, Nina, remember Scott?” My empty stomach flipped into my chest. Yes, I remembered Scott. I remembered his green-gray eyes, and wavy hair, and cool nonchalance that masked a quiet intensity. I remembered the exact moment he had noticed me at the party, and how quickly and deftly I had dissociated myself from Ray, who had brought me to the party. I remembere...

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“Parasite” by Michael Martin

Submitted to Contest #108

He found himself in front of the box again. Brian didn’t recall lowering the stairs to the attic. He hadn’t noticed his feet carrying him down the path his footsteps had created in the dust and insulation-covered planks. Navigating the clothes, decorations, and knickknacks - strewn about the attic floor during his impassioned rush to find the box in the moments after she’d walked out the door – didn’t register to him anymore. Yet, here he was again. Staring at the half-empty box that contained one struggling heart, his he...

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“Second Floor Apartment” by Lins E

Submitted to Contest #108

The couch had stayed. The last tenant had told Angie's friend Marta that he would not be moving it. Angie was fine with this. Sight unseen, she signed a six month lease. The couch had no legs and was very low to the ground. If Angie sat on it like a chair, her knees came up level with her tits. But she rarely sat on it. She laid down on it. Or stretched her legs out across it. She used its entire space. *** The bed sat on the floor too. It was one of the few things that they'd purchased together and therefore had to n...

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“Falling for Fiction” by Courtney Moore

Submitted to Contest #108

Falling in love with fiction is the worst type of heartbreak. She’s already on track to meet her prince charming. He’ll fall in love with her wit. He’ll be the one to tuck that piece of hair behind her ear. He’ll get to hold her in his arms and mine will still be empty. I’ll just have this book with pages and pages of her.She was written for me. The intent was the world, but it’s me she found. She feels too familiar. Blonde hair and blue eyes, with freckles all over. Brave at her worst. Content at her best. I know she’s just a character in a...

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“Bar Talk” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #108

Why were bar tops always made of some deep, dark wood with so much polish on it that one could see their sad face in crystal clear high definition as they ordered another drink? And why was the wood always so slippery? Just for barkeeps to fling drinks around like they’re in some sort of low-brow curling match? And the music… songs just played again and again. In the three hours that Ted had been at McCarson’s Corner, he had heard the same crappy pop song play at least seven times. As the high snares started up to signal the beginning of the...

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“A Monster's Love” by Virtual Chesse Emporium

Submitted to Contest #108

It’s never been easy for me to make friends. With my Mom searching for success and my Dad begrudgingly going with the plan, there’s never been time to settle down and try to make connections. My status at school was the weird artist loner who sat by herself and drew in her tattered red sketchbook. And to add insult to injury, Mom’s road to success was blocked by two obstacles: Not enough money and Dad’s inability to find a stable job. Since both parental units were busy trying to survive, they had little time to worry about me. There were no...

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“Echo” by Floria Yang

Submitted to Contest #108

CW: child abuse<I> “I think it is time for us to have a baby.” I straighten my back and took in a long steady breath before speaking. The smell of fresh flowers mixed with meat sauce and salad dressing on the table filled my nostril. My voice echoed in a room so quiet. I scooped up some salad into my mouth, wincing as I swallowed: I might put too much dressing for his liking. I hoped it wasn’t going to ruin ...

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“Making Eye Contact” by Doreen Shea

Submitted to Contest #108

Making Eye Contact Her fingers danced along the wine glass stem, as she wondered how her life got to this point. Claire sat at the dimly lit bar waiting for a stranger, wishing she ordered a whisky sour instead but didn’t want to give her age away with that choice. Her bra strap dug in, a foot wanted out of the heels, and a sticky spot on the bar stole her attention and glistened of drinks gone by. She prayed, he wasn’t a serial killer. She tapped other restless fingers on a black cloth headband resting on her thig...

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“The Wish” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #108

Spencer loved to garden and do what he called “pulling the magic weeds from the ground.” He loved to garden almost from the time he could walk outside. But, his high society loving parents didn’t think that it was a good idea for their only son to be outside kneeling in muddy dirt and wet grass besides their gardener every day. Spencer on the other hand didn’t mind the getting mud and dirt from the earth on his clothes and occasionally digging up the elusive earthworms. He loved the feeling of how the dirt caressed his little hands while dig...

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Write a story about a character who’s trying to fill an empty space, literally or metaphorically.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 55 stories

“It is Done” by Viv S

“The Wisdom of an Apostate, A Generational Tale” by Rebecca Moatz

“Heartland Treasures Unlimited” by Zen Wren

“Boiling Well” by Tim Roberts

“Place Your Trust” by Aza P

“What We Can't Leave Behind” by Nadia Woods

“Away Message” by Maria Avisal

“Parasite” by Michael Martin

“Second Floor Apartment” by Lins E

“Falling for Fiction” by Courtney Moore

“Bar Talk” by Dhruv Srivastava

“A Monster's Love” by Virtual Chesse Emporium

“Echo” by Floria Yang

“Making Eye Contact” by Doreen Shea

“The Wish” by Marcia H.

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a voyage on a boat.

Write about a person or object vanishing into thin air.

Write a story about a team tunneling down into the centre of a planet.

Start or end your story with a house going up in flames.

Contest #108

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

202

Contest entries

207

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: