Write a story about someone who breaks an unwritten social rule and the consequences they face as a result.

Posted in Angst on Oct 6, 2023

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✍️ 43 stories

“Sisyphus Partners” by Ben Thomas

Submitted to Contest #219

His hand feels strangely soft and hers limp and lifeless, like roadkill. If is it true that the handshake has a decisive say in the outcome of an interview, then in forty-five minutes time I expect to be lying dead, rotting, and abandoned in the gutter of the gentrified but still ultimately decrepit street outside. Please, have a seat he says, gesturing to a plush leather chair that likely costs more money than it would take to feed a family of four for a month. I slide the several-hundred pound arse-holder out from under the long glass tabl...

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“What Snitches Get” by Aaron KC

Submitted to Contest #219

Deadeye's sharpened toothbrush enters my abdomen three times in quick succession, just to the left of my navel. There are no solid organs there to worry about, but I find myself instinctually attempting a quick, impromptu ‘sniff test’ to see if he has punctured any of my bowel. If he had, an awful smell of feces would emanate from the wounds. Luckily, I don’t smell any, but it is hard to tell because I cannot contort my body quite well enough to get my nose close.Also, I'm in the process of being murdered, which is itself distracting.Snitche...

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“Yanking Good Out of the Jaws of Bad” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #219

Plagiarism–a word that should strike fear into the conscience of every aspiring author–no matter how young or lacking in experience. Society has many ways of exacting revenge on those who steal the writings of others by trying to make it their own. These penalties can range from putting a serious dent in the offender’s bank account to locking them behind bars for up to a decade. Not to mention putting an end to any ambitions in the realm of publishing. To a high school student with little exposure to the niceties of the adult leg...

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“The Unredeemed” by Connie Elstun

Submitted to Contest #219

The early October snow started blowing sideways when Walt saw the outline of lime-green neon lights flickering in the distance. His intoxication was apparent when the words OPEN BAR looked crooked. The flashing green hue created a slight nausea as Walt yelled, “Now that's just what I was looking for and didn't even know it. Fuck Linda and all the bitches like her, I can appreciate this!”As a 38-year-old recently divorced guy, he shared his woes with whoever would listen, “Linda decided she would rather whore around with everyone in Geor...

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“Knock Three Times” by Amanda Maillet

Submitted to Contest #219

Around dinner time on Beatrix’s wedding day... As the wedding tent lurched inwards without warning towards her dining guests, Beatrix knew not knocking on wood that morning had been a terrible mistake. A splintering crack rang out causing her head to jerk upwards and see the three hanging crystal chandeliers begin a manic dance. The sharp smell of eucalyptus hit her nostrils as leaves broke away from floral arrangements scattered throughout the room. The guests quickly noticed their perilous predicament and began to scramble from their se...

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“Who Pays?” by Karen Best Wright

Submitted to Contest #219

Liz kept looking at the clock, eager for the day to end. She needed to get her kids from school and take them to her parents’ house for the evening. It had been years since Liz had dated. She was as nervous as she had been on her first date at fifteen. Going out on the town was one of those things Liz could not afford on her meager preschool teacher salary. Her ex-husband had ditched her and the children a few years back. He had left her with a mortgage and a car payment she could not afford. He moved frequently from one girlfriend to anothe...

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“Shattered Illusions ” by Jolie Cleoce

Submitted to Contest #219

Shattered Illusions: Unveiling the Shadows of Desolation Trigger warning (TW): Thoughts of suicide and swearing. I feel a pang in my heart as he laughs with Avscia. How could she be so okay with… I will be leaving next year, anyway. She could have him all she wanted. If there was something I learned in my lifetime, it would be that love is a piece of fucking shit, and it does nothing but harm. I have only ever liked two people in my life, yet they both managed to break me. You know, at this point, I don’t even care. The way he says...

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“Daniel Fitzsimmons Jim Gaffigan Tribute Comic” by Gregg Punger

Submitted to Contest #219

Daniel Fitzsimmons wrenched up his face and exclaimed “Hot Pockets!” causing the small crowd of comedy seekers to explode with laughter. At that moment with the waves of laughter rolling over him, Daniel couldn’t imagine being any happier. The stage, the laughter, it was all he ever wanted, and it was perfect. # “Good morning, Dan,” said Nick as he stepped to the entrance of Daniel’s cubicle. Daniel started to say, “Good morning, Nick,” as he turned his attention from the dual monitors on his desk, but it just so happened that after he had...

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“Witch ” by Debra Demars

Submitted to Contest #219

The sound of hoofbeats were loud in the early hours of the morning. For those first few seconds, through the thick fog of sleep, Tobin Swinton thought he was dreaming the sound of a galloping horse. But, as the sound grew louder, he sat bolt upright. No one ever roused Tobin from his sleep unless they were holding someone in the Witch Jail. It had been years. Years. He had believed this was all over with. He had thought this had all ended years ago. He had prayed the last one was the last one. Until now, it seemed.&nb...

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“I Did Everything Wrong” by Vivacity Rex

Submitted to Contest #219

I guess I’m okay. I should be fine. Everyone’s acting like everything’s normal. But, looking in the mirror, I don’t recognize the face that peers back. Her pupils are deep black pits that make me dizzy. I can’t look away as I plunge deep into the pitch-black emptiness of my soul. I’m on the sidewalk by a train overpass in the dead of night. A boy hands me back my phone after he punched in a number and let it ring once. I was heading back to my boyfriend’s house. He wouldn’t answer the door, so I walked to the nearby Timmies to bo...

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“Brandy Wine” by Jfs Sevin

Submitted to Contest #219

I find it hard to accept that one friend is dead, and another is paralyzed but that is what a drunk driver does on dark rainy nights. Drunk drivers like Kelly. It is upsetting to me that Kelly barely got a scratch on her and walked away Scott-free. I also find it hard to believe that she was ever my best friend. Kelly and I were hired on the same day July2,1985. I was hired as the new junior editor and Kelly was the new assistant in the ads department at Ingraham's Times. Kelly would say "Meg if Randy wasn't your brother, I would have your...

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“The Troll People” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #219

A forty-year-old man with a blonde mustache and a farmer’s shirt took a seat in the psychology office after shaking the psychologist’s hand across the desk. Also present was a man who claimed to be a sasquatch researcher, although he didn’t show any credentials.“May we begin?” the psychologist turned on a recording device. “You were saying that during your regression therapy you came across something very startling from your past that you had forgotten. Can you tell me what that is?”“Yes, in 1973 when I was ten years old I starte...

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“Flirting with disaster” by Omar Scott

Submitted to Contest #219

Flirting with disaster Cedric’s heartbeat quickened as he took the first step in breaking the vows he held sacred. His hands caressed Michelle’s curvy hips for the first time. Her voluptuous body was soft and warm under his fingertips. Her perfume and natural body scent combined to create an intoxicating aroma. Pulling her close until their bodi...

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“Sin” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #219

It was random, Bailey reasoned, and the chances were slim that he’d be singled out for inspection. How slim, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that none of his family, friends or acquaintances had ever been the subject of a Code Black. And what was the alternative? A trip to the confession booth and more peccatum-points docked? He was already down to his last dozen, and there were still three months to go till renewal.The main problem was knowing what was covered. He switched on his comm-card and scrolled through the holo-screen looking for the re...

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“A Lone Star Church Fete” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #219

Marion had not expected that being the Ladies’ Guild hostess would be so stressful. She surveyed the table for the umpteenth time to make sure that the teacups, saucers and plates were set out just right and the cloth napkins folded neatly. Despite occasional muttering in the ranks, no one had yet dared tell Mrs. Thistlewaite how much easier it would be to use disposable cups and paper napkins. She was the widow of the late Major Horace Thistlewaite, last of the Thistlewaite family who had lived in the Manor for generations, and she was not ...

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Write a story about someone who breaks an unwritten social rule and the consequences they face as a result.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 43 stories

“Sisyphus Partners” by Ben Thomas

“What Snitches Get” by Aaron KC

“Yanking Good Out of the Jaws of Bad” by Bob Faszczewski

“The Unredeemed” by Connie Elstun

“Knock Three Times” by Amanda Maillet

“Who Pays?” by Karen Best Wright

“Shattered Illusions ” by Jolie Cleoce

“Daniel Fitzsimmons Jim Gaffigan Tribute Comic” by Gregg Punger

“Witch ” by Debra Demars

“I Did Everything Wrong” by Vivacity Rex

“Brandy Wine” by Jfs Sevin

“The Troll People” by Len Rely

“Flirting with disaster” by Omar Scott

“Sin” by PJ Town

“A Lone Star Church Fete” by Bettina Karpathian

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that includes the line “I think someone’s listening/watching.”

Set your story in a type of prison cell.

Write from the POV of a security guard on the night shift, sitting in front of a wall of CCTV feeds.

Write about someone who is shackled by fears of failure, until they break free.

Contest #219

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

254

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: