Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write a story in which a character is running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Posted in Angst on Jan 26, 2024

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 119 stories

Never Been to Paradise

Submitted to Contest #235

Author's note: This story is heavily based on the 1977 Charlene song "I've Never Been to Me". I do not own the rights to this song or its lyrics.TW: Mentions of abuse, marital sexual violence**October 7, 1978Buckle Rod, AlabamaDear Charlene (or, whatever your name is),Firstly, yes, I can finally admit it: meeting you two years ago was indeed, as you put it, fate. I must admit that I was, at first, visibly annoyed when you, looking every inch like a Golden Age film star in your Hermès scarf, approached me at the park, only for you to preach -...

40 likes 28 comments 28
Read story

La-Z-Boy

Submitted to Contest #235

Gemma's dramatic wails echo down the hallway, the tinny sound carrying like a sharpened porcupine quill, direct and unwelcome. Avery sighs, glancing briefly toward the hall where his wife cries—with the same emotional gusto as when her pick on The Bachelor doesn't win, so there's no telling how upset she actually is—then back to the credit card bill on the table.He pours a finger of scotch over ice, sinking his weary self into the old leather wingback in the darkened den. The contrast of the papers stacked on the low mahogany table is s...

33 likes 20 comments 20
Read story

Shattered Mirrors

Submitted to Contest #235

[Trigger warning: Mental health] I can never escape, she will be with me even when I'm alone. After all, who wouldn’t hate the person who killed their sister? Sweet, sweet, Laina never did anything to her. She tells me it was an accident. It was not! I know why she did it. It was because every time she heard my sister’s footsteps it made her want to scream, a little miss perfect was coming down the hall to greet her with flowers. The killer tells me over and over, again, again, she did not do it on purpose! How could you push someone of...

33 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

Just Keep Moving

Submitted to Contest #235

I’ve always hated this place…correction this place has always terrified me! The cold chill in the air does nothing to bring me comfort; just keep moving. The smell of disinfectant reminds me of the sterile mundane nature of some of the people who actively choose to be here and all they’re here for. The heavy weighted feeling of hearts who exist in either a state of shock, hope, or despair consumes me. Yet here I am…and all I feel is panic. As my mind continues to race with memories I have to remind myself that this, is not “that.” But now...

32 likes 27 comments 27
Read story

Put Me with the Cicadas

Submitted to Contest #235

I thought, for some time, that dying while holding hands with my soulmate would be romantic. It wasn't. First off, it took an awful lot of convincing, and when we finally did jump off that bridge together, I was preoccupied with ensuring our heads hit the pavement simultaneously. As for what came afterward, well, that's now, and it's just awkward. The other soul rubbing up against me is bland, well-rounded, probably whale-bound after a few more human orbits. It shudders because I'm all spikes, the type of soul who always ends up in a...

30 likes 17 comments 17
Read story

Dogs, rabbits and bears

Submitted to Contest #235

I’m pushing up Huddleston Road. It’s a hard climb. I’m into my second mile. I push till the toxins build up and it burns. Burns bad, hurts; My body is pouring acid on my muscles. It’s telling me to stop. I ignore it. It scares me that I like the pain now. I look forward to it. I know the others burn too, but I’m tougher. I like the hills. The hills pays the bills, they say and I always push going down, no free rides. Let’s face it, it’s the only thing I’m good at. I am good at running long and hard. I’ve been on the cross country team sinc...

26 likes 16 comments 16
Read story

At Hampton Court Palace

Submitted to Contest #235

The brush strokes are indeed amazing capturing my attention and halting my progress down the hallway. The portrait is huge, truly an impressive feat of artistry. A regal gaze stares out of the canvas and I am captured by the familiar face and stance, who would not recognise Henry VIII? His fleshy features surround those piercing eyes. He’s not a nice man. Powerful, proud, arrogant, yes, but not nice, yet the portrait fascinates me.With deep reluctance I move on from the painting to admire the next one. Our tour guide has drawn his ...

25 likes 24 comments 24
Read story

She's leaving home

Submitted to Contest #235

Wednesday morning5:00 o'clockShe is sitting on the edge of her bed. It has taken days to pack. A little bit at a time, carefully hiding it from her parents. Trying to decide what is important, what is fluff. How much is enough?Sitting still, being quiet, because she can't wake Mommy and Daddy, and still keeping herself awake is hard. She can hear Daddy snore through the thin wall. But Mommy says she's a light sleeper. Marjory doubts it. As often as she has come in late these past few months, Mommy never seems to have heard her.She frets. Doe...

25 likes 20 comments 20
Read story

Why Your Daughter Won't Come Home

Submitted to Contest #235

Trigger warning: This story contains mentions of physical abuse and self harm. Running is a poor man’s exercise. So why am I even doing it? Oh, yeah. Because I’m poor now. These sneakers are tight but my budget is tighter. Dad bought me these shoes before he cut me off. I mean, Dad also used to hit me before he cut me off. Sneakers for some bruises. It was a fair trade, I guess? We don’t need to think about that anymore, though. I’m free now. And broke. No gym. Just running. At least this neighborhood is safe.  Well, technically, ...

23 likes 9 comments 9
Read story

Runner in the Rye

Submitted to Contest #235

“I’m sorry Granddad. It’s just Holly Hill is… is..."“I know, expensive," I said, saying what she couldn't.“That doesn’t mean you can’t live with me and Bill.”But seeing the way Annie put her hand to her chin as she was driving in the drizzling rain, the way she averted my eyes, how she teared up, we both knew there was no space in her tiny apartment.She pulled up to the light at the entrance to the mall, the traffic all backed up, the whites and reds of car lights in the gray light, the slow slapping of our windshield wipers. I looked around...

22 likes 20 comments 20
Read story

Gone by Morning

Submitted to Contest #235

      When going downtown, say for a walk in the old park, in the early hours of the morning – especially when the sun has yet to rise – it’s never a bad idea to be aware of your surroundings; you’ll never know what else is there in the dark with you.            This public park is not unlike any other; you’ve probably seen one just like it near your home. In this particular park, a young man named Michael Wren is walking home from the night shift at the twe...

20 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

The Boy at Robins Pond

Submitted to Contest #235

The small body of water became Jean’s sacred place away from the complications and expectations of the Wicked Witch of Massachusetts. Cattails, bullfrogs, lily pads, and the cloudy, moonless sky welcomed her as she submerged into the chilly water.  It was here that she first learned of her gift. Albeit, a useless gift these days, according to Mother. Any chance she could get, the wench would find a way to knock her daughters down a peg. That weighed heavily on her mind as she thought of her little sister, Kimberly. Not even ten and Mot...

20 likes 8 comments 8
Read story

What Lies Beneath

Shortlisted for Contest #235 ⭐️

In the deep, far, far beyond where the last flicker of sunlight fades away into an inky blackness, where the cold slows heartbeats to a nearly imperceptible pulse, and the incredible pressure of the ocean above warps the bones of ancient ships that lay deathly still on the seafloor, an unseeing eye blinks sleep away. Eons had passed along the surface as the creature slept. Puffs of clay muddies the water as it slowly writhes, working out its body's stiffness from its long slumber. In the deep, something dark stirs, one thought rippling acr...

19 likes 16 comments 16
Read story

The Race to Freedom

Submitted to Contest #235

Pitter. Patter. BOOM!!! CRASH!!! A bead of sweat traced its path down my forehead as I gazed at the window, rain battering against it like endless tears. Outside, the view blurred into a mixture of sky, grass, and trees. The steady fall of rain, unexpected bursts of thunder, and blinding lights of lightning created a stormy, cold atmosphere. The "race" loomed just twenty minutes away. I desperately hoped the rain would clear, but my optimism clashed with the day-long storm predicted in the forecast. Nervously, I fiddled with the metal clips ...

19 likes 11 comments 11
Read story

Ikey

Submitted to Contest #235

IKEY “Ikey died.” I stood at the breakfast table, looking down at my parents and my sister, Susan. Their blank expressions left me wondering if they even knew who I was. “Ikey Leibowitz?” my father finally asked, and I nodded. “Ms. Lewis just called from the nursing home,” I said. “They think his heart quit during the night.” Susan leaned back in her chair and yawned. “I didn’t think he had a heart,” she said. Susan is 13 – two years younger than me and 5 years dumber. I glared at her; then I shot my parents a “do something” look. They...

18 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Adventure – 36 stories

Make a race an important element of your story.

Narrative – 44 stories

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Character – 42 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Dialogue – 64 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel