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

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 122 stories

“Ikey” by Michael Ginsberg

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...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Cacophony” by Molly Magarian

Submitted to Contest #235

I wonder sometimes what rain sounds like. I know what it looks like. I can describe every detail of how it traces window panes, and how the smallest spots of sunlight get caught in the dewdrops. The rain never travels in a straight line - drops sway this way and that, crashing into each other on their way down to collect into one perfect, peaceful form. I’ve always loved that about rain. It knows where it’s going, but it takes its own path to get there. If only. My name is Lars. It’s been a while since I’ve let my lips form that word. Lar...

4 comments 4

Read story

“The Man Who Ran Away” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #235

Caution: mention of torture and cruelty. How would you react if introduced to a potential roommate or flat mate who promptly told you lots of negative things about himself? Top marks for honesty, but no one would choose to live with someone who is rebellious and will not do as he is asked, who whinges and whines when things don’t go his way and even wants to die when a situation gets unpleasant, who is more concerned about how he appears to others than wanting to help the unpopular. The reply would not be welcoming. It would be a suggestio...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Running From Death” by Katina Azbill

Submitted to Contest #235

Death was coming for me! The air crackled with it, a deep depression that no matter how hard I fought it would win. It didn’t matter how far I ran or how long I fought, Death never lost. Since the echoes of time had brought Earth into existence, Death had been around. There was a process, a circle of life that everything that lived on this world would eventually belong to death. It was an enviable conclusion. Life was born, it lived, and then it died. But just because Death would ultimately win, didn’t mea...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Mate For Life” by Lindsay Flo

Submitted to Contest #235

I tell Emily we’re going to run because I don’t know what else to do. Her dark eyes grow wide, because she thinks we’re going for a jog, which usually means a visit to the park. I know she doesn’t really understand half of what I say to her, but she’s the only one left to talk to. Living in this house has become like living in a mausoleum. Or worse—a silent house of horrors. He barely talks to anyone, and never about Johnny. He rants and raves, but no talking. I would like to. I would like to sit in my living room in the morning, when the ...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Homesick ” by Kailey Blount

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #235

The cheapest urn cost a hundred dollars, so the mortician packs the ashes in a plastic bag and staples his business card to the front. Hold your loved ones close, it reads in blotched black ink. “In case you change your mind. My number’s on the back.” He dropped his yellow-toothed salesman smile a while ago. Right after he realized I couldn’t afford any of the empty metallic boxes standing on the shelf behind him like gentrified government buildings on a new Freedom City side street. He shoves the bag across the warped countertop tow...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Endless March ” by Sharan Sukumar

Submitted to Contest #235

The human swam furiously towards land and light. He no longer felt safe in the waters. Not with the stalking presence of the enemy. As he closed in on the shore, he thrust his head out of the water gasping for air. Relieved and disoriented in equal measure, he paddled his way across to the land. The human fell to his knees as soon as he felt solid ground under his feet. Breathless and bleary eyed, he panted hysterically. A few cycles of breaths later, he began to regain his composure. Standing up, he looked back at the seas and wondered if h...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Perfection” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #235

“I mean, we’re in marketing, right? We should know what people want!”This restaurant must have the slowest service on the planet! The waiter was attentive, but lunch needed to arrive in the next five or we’d have to split! Here we were, Bob from Wiffle Industries, the joke being that all he sold was a bunch of piffle, me, outranking anyone ‘cause I work for this huge company that everyone has heard of and wants to do business with, and Emma, the no-nonsense kitchen specialist from Kitchener. Well, not so. She lives there, in sunny Ontariario...

7 comments 7

Read story

“Nine times I ran and the one time I got away” by Kristina Aziz

Submitted to Contest #235

The first time I ran from you, I thought I was in love. We had just met maybe half an hour before, and I was late for a meeting with my English professor. I was young, eight years younger than you, and barely an adult. I broke away from our first kiss and ran so I would make the appointment. When the meeting was over, I called you to tell you where you could catch me. It felt so much like love at first sight.The second time I ran from you, I was frightened. Not of you, not yet. We were on an adventure and the railroad crossing sign was on. I...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Debt” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #235

Ryan peered over his newspaper as Jesse entered the coffee shop and walked to the counter. Hating surprises, Ryan always sat where he could see the door. ‘What’s he doing here? Does he never stop?’ Ryan knew his nemesis always appeared without warning. Though it sometimes felt there was no escape, he prided himself on always finding an out. ‘Look at him. He can go anywhere, any time, and savor a rich, extra foam cappuccino, while I pinch pennies on the go. So unfair.’ In no hurry, Jesse stood as if modeling his tailored suit, awaiting his t...

6 comments 6

Read story

“The Adventures of Hari the Gnome” by Heather Van Ness

Submitted to Contest #235

Hari was a perfectly average gnome by general gnome standards, of which there were many. He was no taller than a tree stump with a red steepled hat on his head, and his tiny legs shuffled more so than walked. But Hari was unmatched by all of his siblings, of which there were thirty-four, and considerably above average at getting himself into trouble. His curiosity was like a sugared plum, sweet on his tongue and sure to cause a headache. Hari slipped out the front door, his ruddy cheeks looked gray in the dim light of the m...

7 comments 7

Read story

“One, Two, Red Run” by Jacqueline R

Submitted to Contest #235

Stomach keen, snout sniffing. Beady eyes locate the prize. A seed, small and delightful; will end the hunger. A step. One, two, maybe three. Pause. Ear twitch. Sound? Nothing now. Confidence returns. Step three, four, and five. Scuttle here, scuttle there. Slip and weave through the long grass. The path is endless with four legs, while giants can do this with two steps. Little claws latch onto the seed and plop it past stuffed cheeks. Delightful and delicious. One, two, and three more. The hunger never ends, but it is s...

4 comments 4

Read story

“The Impersonator” by Sallie Cochren

Submitted to Contest #235

Jason and Tricia had only been running for five minutes, but it felt like it had been an hour. Their lungs were burning, and they were already out of breath. No matter how fast they ran, they couldn’t seem to get any closer to the person who was calling for help. It was nearing dusk. If they didn’t find the person soon, it would be next to impossible to find them in the dense woods, especially since there was a light fog in the forest. Tricia stopped to catch her breath for a moment. “You okay?” Jason asked. He worried about his sister....

6 comments 6

Read story

“Sinnerman” by Simeon Bingham

Submitted to Contest #235

Never had I heard such a sound so dramatic and ancient, as if it were calling from the onset of all creation. A sound that shrieked throughout the open air and rumbled through the dense earth. It cracked open the sky in a glorious display and brought forth the dead from their graves in an awful exhumation. No, never before had I heard anything quite like the horn I heard on Judgement Day.Its tune struck me in the gut and shook my spirit. Instantly, I knew. The last grain of sand of the holy hourglass had fallen, and the final leaf of life’s ...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Turnaround” by D'Spencer Luyao

Submitted to Contest #235

We’re watching a show, and you keep turning the volume up and down and up again. When they’re whispering, the volume goes up, and when they’re fighting, it goes back down. I can tell exactly when you’re going to reach for the remote, and every time you do, the volume changes in twos. 20 to 22, 22 to 24. You double tap the volume button every time, as if it’s all one movement. You didn’t always do that. I did, t...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Adventure – 37 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 – 65 stories

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Running Wild

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 02, 2024 EST

Won by Kajsa Ohman 🏆

Title: KILLER IN THE WILLOWS

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 122 stories

“Ikey” by Michael Ginsberg

“Cacophony” by Molly Magarian

“The Man Who Ran Away” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

“Running From Death” by Katina Azbill

“Mate For Life” by Lindsay Flo

“Homesick ” by Kailey Blount

“Endless March ” by Sharan Sukumar

“Perfection” by Joe Smallwood

“Nine times I ran and the one time I got away” by Kristina Aziz

“Debt” by John K Adams

“The Adventures of Hari the Gnome” by Heather Van Ness

“One, Two, Red Run” by Jacqueline R

“The Impersonator” by Sallie Cochren

“Sinnerman” by Simeon Bingham

“Turnaround” by D'Spencer Luyao

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Make a race an important element of your story.

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

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

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: