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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.

Posted in Angst on May 5, 2023

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 107 stories

“Strange and Wings ” by Theresa Amante

Submitted to Contest #197

If you ask me what I am — what sort of gears and clock hands make me tick — I’m not sure I could accurately tell you. Heck, I don't even know if I have a mind or a heart, but I know I've been stuck here a long while now.I remember when magic breathed in these woods, and many a Spirit floated through the air like gossamer wind. It's embarrassing to say, but I’m not sure how I got stuck here; in this hollow tree. I mean I can leave every once and a while—do what I'm supposed to do (as a Spirit does), but recently I've found myself not really d...

2 comments 2
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“Re-righting the Future” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #197

Most people live their lives in the present: looking back on the past; trying to anticipate the future. My gift – my curse – is that I was fated to foretell what will be. But the gods have a cruel sense of humour, for they decreed that no one would believe me when I spoke of things to come.Back then, I was Cassandra: daughter of Priam; sister of Paris. To be honest, I didn’t need the gift of prophecy to see that my brother’s desire for Helen would end in tears. She was beautiful – “the face that launched a thousand ships” is how one of the p...

4 comments 4
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“Carrick's Coffee Tavern” by Julia Potter

Submitted to Contest #197

Carrick’s Coffee Tavern was the epitome of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It was a ramshackle building with peeling black paint and oddly placed windows that made one wonder if the architect had been quite sound in the head. After its first host building had collapsed in on itself, it relocated to the backwater district of Winterstown where there was next to no parking for carriages and even less space for the moderners who used automobiles. Its backyard overlooked the Chastoll Creek, which flowed for hundreds of miles down fr...

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“Dear Editor: Sorry About Your Arm” by Lisa H. Owens

Submitted to Contest #197

Dear Editor:It is nice to meet you and so interesting to hear about the series of events that led to your success (sorry about your arm!) in coding, website design and eventual creation of two creative writing websites. I believe every decision we make in life changes the course of our lives; however, in your case, it was an injury to your arm that initiated a career change. Turn left instead of right at a traffic light, or slip while attempting to put out a dumpster fire, injuring an arm in the process, and the course of one's life cou...

4 comments 4
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“Vampire Teeth” by Olivia Lake

Submitted to Contest #197

Katherine had asked Jim to pick Tiffany up after school. For Jim, this was either a sign of Katherine’s unfounded optimism, or her profound desperation. The first and only time he met Tiffany was a disaster. Katherine told him that Tiffany loved Italian food, so he took them to his favorite restaurant. Katherine and Tiffany both showed up looking disgruntled, and the tension was palpable from the moment they stepped through the door. “Sorry we’re late,” Katherine sighed as she gave Jim a hug. “She refused to change her teeth.” “Her wha...

4 comments 4
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“Aiden” by Bruce Callahan

Submitted to Contest #197

Josie’s new babysitting gig for the Harpers down the street was perfect. The latest family to move into their cul-de-sac, was a family of three. Mr. and Mrs. Harper, plus their sole child, a seven-year-old boy named Aiden. No potty training, no teenage attitude, the perfect start to her babysitting business. Do well here, and I’ll be getting work from the rest of the neighborhood, thought Josie. The Harpers hired her for only two hours of work, for some Halloween office party at Mrs. Harper`s company. Fifty buck...

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“The Eyes of a Child” by Amanda Blackwood

Submitted to Contest #197

I walked out of the door to my temporary home in Scotland with nothing in my pockets but one cigarette and a lighter. I wouldn't need more than that, I figured. I didn't have more than that. I walked the short mile to an ancient graveyard where I sat on the church steps for an hour or two, praying somebody would find me and take me inside, to tell me I would be okay and that life was worth living. Tears were shed. They soaked into the beautiful red stone steps and disappeared into the cold. I wanted to do the same. Nobody came for me. ...

11 comments 11
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“Unwelcoming Hands” by Idella Blythe

Submitted to Contest #197

I should’ve bombed this place when I had the chance. The intrusive thoughts kept me awake at night as I shrunk myself into the mattress. My blanket provided some form of comfort as I made sure the pillows would drown out my vision. I was livid. No, even more than livid. Felonious. The banging on the upstairs floor kept repeating itself. I wanted to scream at whatever was causing it, but I had a complete lack of self-control so I kept to myself. I knew confronting it would only make the situation worse. I knew my father was in one of his...

5 comments 5
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“THE CHAUFFER” by Sylvia Smoller

Submitted to Contest #197

When the air raid alarm went off on that gray September dawn of 1939, Rachel like many others believed that this was just another drill. But the large radio in the dining room was blaring out:       "The German Army has invaded Danzig. All citizens follow instructions. This is not a drill. This is not a drill."  Sofie, who was living with Rachel and Aleks in Warsaw at that time, appeared in the corridor outside Rilka’s room, and pushed the still sleeping child into the corridor.. "The gas masks, t...

11 comments 11
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“The Grand Scheme of Things” by Kang Lee

Submitted to Contest #197

“Let’s go over the topic of free will,” Professor Grimwald announced, stalking over to the whiteboard centred on the stage inside the lecture hall. “I realise that we are studying physics, not philosophy, but it’s truly incredible how much the two subjects overlap.” “Overlap?” I repeated amongst a sea of ignorant university students.  “Yes, Daegel.” He tapped his marker against the whiteboard filled to the brim with scientific jargon that I doubted anyone could understand. “In physics, the ultimate question that we are trying to answe...

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“The Lighthouse Keeper” by J. D. Lair

Submitted to Contest #197

Another body washed ashore today, hand-delivered by the sea, just like me. There was no wreckage nearby, but it is normal for broken vessels to get buried in the depths. Survivors are few out here near the Island of Abyss. When their initial lifelines sink, there is no driftwood nor buoys to cling to; not even the birds flew out this far. Most often, they sank into the deep darkness exhausted from trying to keep their head above water. Sometimes a fortunate beast happened upon them and swallowed them whole. Some would say the latter is a gre...

16 comments 16
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“A Fate Worse Than Death” by Victor Lana

Submitted to Contest #197

It felt like a sucker punch when Nick found out that he was going to die. He sat there with his mouth hanging open as the woman he had just met gasped, dropping her drink on the table and covering her mouth with her hand. “What’s wrong?” Nick asked, looking up from the grilled salmon he was eating. They were on a blind date, set up by his sister Gina who was Veronica’s best friend. She picked up her glass and then started patting the spillage with her napkin. “I…I had a vision.” Nick studied her appearance – dirty blonde hair, pale skin, ...

3 comments 3
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“A Criminal Mind Is All I've Ever Had” by John-Paul Cote

Submitted to Contest #197

George Raymond ran into the alley. The car had been following him ever since he’d left prison. At first, he thought he was paranoid, but the more he watched, the more he saw that car. A dark blue Chevy Nebula. License plate UFNT 37847.  He went for coffee. The car was there.  He went to work. The car was there.  At night, he would look out the window of his rundown apartment. The car was there. One time, he got a glimpse into the vehicle. He saw four people before the car sped away. After ten years behind bars, he felt...

2 comments 2
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“Longevity” by Rider Viv

Submitted to Contest #197

Longevity By Vivian Doolittle I used to be afraid of dying. Now? I want to die. It is my most fervent wish. It has been so for over a thousand years. Long since, I killed my only companion, Bill. But that was not my first crime. Nor was my first crime the fact that it was I who had doomed poor Bill in the first place. No, my first crime was my hubris. My second crime was killing the Seer. I know now why her warning was so dire, but I let my pride blind me to it. She counted on that, I’m sure. What I wouldn’t give for death’s swe...

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“Dopp Kit” by Andrew Fruchtman

Submitted to Contest #197

“ . . and damned if I didn’t see a guy that looked just like you on the boat. I almost went over to talk to him but didn’t want to intrude on his vacation.” “Oh, you should have. Did you get a picture of him?” “Nah, didn’t want to be a stalker.” “Would’ve loved to see him. Not everyday you get to meet your doppelgänger.” “They say everyone has one, you know, be on the lookout.”            ****** Schakudo Nizoran silenced the playback with a hand wave and half swiveled in h...

4 comments 4
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Contest #197

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This week's theme: Fate and Free Will

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Ended on 23:59 - May 12, 2023 EST

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Title: The Fate of Customer 12

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