Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 320 stories

“home” by Hannah :)

Submitted to Contest #98

“I mean, they've got flesh and bones, just like us-” “But they are grown in a lab, without any real parents and they have artificial intelligence, just like any robot. Not to mention, they could do weird things.” “So they're not real. Not really.” “Exactly.” Their discussion trailed off. From my vantage point on the archway above massive doors, the steps receded and their heels trailed off the edge of my vision. I lay perched across the ledge, my side pressing onto the multicoloured glass. I stared out into the slowly rising glow tha...

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“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” by K.Z Fox

Submitted to Contest #98

“It’s been three days”A shuffle and a slap of flesh struck the concrete. Everything was cold and wet; honestly, I wouldn’t mind the cold if it weren’t for the constant drip of water that leaked from the ceiling every five minutes. I could almost predict when it would trail across those rusty pipes and fall against my head. Drip. Drip. A shiver trailed across my back. There was always the option to sit somewhere more dry. But those cold drops of water were a reminder that I am still alive and aware.A cackle of laughter bounced from the o...

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“Exiled” by Abbey Long

Submitted to Contest #98

Warm hands slip into Mary’s cold and clammy ones, awakening her from her trance. She has been staring forlornly at the passer-by’s down below for hours now, wondering how easy it could have been for her had the accident not occurred. Pulling her attention away from the carts, she stares at the small child beside her. An exact replica of her, the child has blonde, wispy hair, blue eyes the size of saucers and a petite face, always adorned wi...

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“The Forgettable” by V Sage

Submitted to Contest #98

Silence they say is not for the weak-minded. It tends to bring up memories long forgotten or suppressed. I can’t help think that they never came back because I was not worth the distinction of remembrance. I am currently lying on a stope of the back door of a fast-food restaurant waiting for a fresh batch of food remains that will be the first meal I have had since three days ago. Though of late the garbage clearance routine has changed. This is of course due to the current pandemic that has led to the people avoiding the central business di...

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“Love Comes to Everyone” by Sam Spotswood

Submitted to Contest #98

After the earthquake, I returned to find my building in shambles. I’d been up north for a bit to escape. Not that I wanted to. Think of it like a forced vacation. I had no other choice, really, when he decided to end things. What else was I supposed to do? Sit alone in my apartment and drink? No thanks. And of course, as my luck would have it, the day before I decided to return to my shoebox of an apartment was the day of Northridge 2.0. No, it wasn’t a 2.0 on the Richter Scale, nor was it as bad as it could’ve been for a 5.5. ...

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“Don’t Look Back ” by Kady H

Submitted to Contest #98

Tap..tap..tap. Comes the soft drip of rain water pouring off the roof. Gentle as a mothers touch grey light brushes my closed eyelids. I can almost hear it whisper “wake up, wake up”. Finally the sound of deep throaty coughs brings me from the pleasant sensation of half consciousness, welcoming me back into reality. “Ddthh” hissing as I sit up. The bruises from yesterday beat down screaming at me. “Beatrise, is it time to wake up?” My little sister Diana asks sleepily. “Not yet, now go back to sleep”. Ki...

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“The other place called H.O.M.E.” by Dominic Luongo

Submitted to Contest #98

"Home is a little green house in the midwest in 2001. It's a place in the past. It doesn't exist anymore." Heather said, a little uncertain. She wanted a soda. "This guy lived in a greenhouse?" Greg said, pretending not to understand. He was a robot. He understood almost everything. "Yeah, he was a plant. Didn't I tell you?" Heather replied sarcastically. She kept touching her throat as if that would help her thirst. "Is that right? It doesn't sound right." Greg said absentmindedly while typing into a computer terminal. His foot interm...

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“Terrible Twos” by Githinji Muthee

Submitted to Contest #98

David is my old man; he likes to run. I thought so. The sun had just come out, and I had just opened my store. I was standing and at the reception area, less bothered. I like to remain calm even in a storm. And this man is not a morning kind of a person. So, whenever I saw him, any time before noon, I had to be prepared for the worst. He kicked the entrance door and storm to the reception. I pretended to be busy the moment he fixed his eyes on me. Suddenly, he was standing before me. I was holding a pen, and doodling numbers on the blank pag...

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“The grass was always greener on this side.” by Chacha Jaramillo

Submitted to Contest #98

The warm breeze brushes the tall California Grass and a flock of seagulls gracefully fly by, guided by the sudden change of weather. The last solar eclipse made the seagulls hesitate about starting their migration south at the beginning of fall. They pretty much predicted the absence of food by calling the others in their flock with their screeching chilling calling while challenging the others for territory. Their heads lowering crouched up and down, like yelling at someone-their ‘mewing’ was not as often as before. Maybe the neighbours cat...

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“The Last Atlantian” by Marie McLaughlin

Submitted to Contest #98

Farion sat in his fishing boat, waiting to catch some fish in his fishing net. Farion sitting still for almost an hour and a half, combined with the gentle rocking motion of the waves of the sea combined with boredom had Farion just about to fall asleep when he felt a tremendous amount of give pulling on his net. He hoisted the net with all his might and whooped in delight and excitement when he saw all the many fishes entangled in his fishing net. Farion brought his haul back to the shores of Atlantis when his pregnant wife Stellana greeted...

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“Endless Sea” by Thahaseen Nashath

Submitted to Contest #98

With the wind bashing out on the ark that situated 5 adults but there were 4 lifeboats to escape on. One member had to stay unable to return to his family. His name is Jorion and sometimes he wonders if it is possible for him to return to his family. He watched as his 4 associates left in the four lifeboats leaving him stranded on the ark unable to call for help. Lightning struck all the four lifeboats right in front of his eyes, electrocuting his associates as they screamed in agony and pain. He considered himself lucky but the wind pushed ...

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“Going Home” by Connor Andrei

Submitted to Contest #98

The most beautiful feeling flooded into George's body, warming and tingling radiating from his heart and outwards. Carried through his blood, it washed through his veins, affecting every body part. It even got its hooks into that familiar hollow pit just north of his stomach, and suddenly he didn't feel so empty anymore. It was the feeling of going home. "Going home," he turned the words over in his mouth, tasting them. They tasted good. He fiddled with the thick card-stock note, flipping it over, making sure it was real. It had the ri...

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“Nevermore” by Samuel Bowen

Submitted to Contest #98

The lies stopped the day I set foot on the red sands of Revina. Words spelled in blood said it all. Return Nevermore! was smeared on a charred bit of cloth; It was tied to the hilt of a shattered blade firmly smothered in the ground. Soldiers brushed past me as I stood stunned by the ill omen. I shook my head as if to clear it of the tangible fear that crept from my heart. Hardly a moment later, the smell of smoke pierced through the air. Through the clatter of steel and footsteps, some fool dared to yell the forsaken truth of our fate."THEY...

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“Norikaii” by Jade L.

Submitted to Contest #98

Yenka never liked talking about Norikaii. Every time we would ask, he would turn his head away, drawing his thoughts in, sitting with his memories, and shutting us out. I was born and raised in Inknaye, a little village where everyone knew everyone else. We stood at the border of Norikaii, close enough to see some of their taller buildings against the sky, but far enough that the stories of the war and everything else became distant echoes of the past. People in our tiny village called it The Land Between Two Worlds. And that was exactly...

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“The Story of Alice Smith” by Neeta Kanen

Submitted to Contest #98

The wood creaked beneath their feet as they trudged down to the flat flooring. The sight of a messy rug decorated the two-step in front of them, dimly lit surroundings, and a table filled to the edge with fruits, pastries and wine, carefully placed for anyone who cared for it. A pattern of stools were spotted by the group of four located near a long wooden counter. The group approached it in unison. A little knock on the hard, polished wood sent a burly-looking man with a savage beard running to the strange group. Rather than welcoming, he g...

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Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 320 stories

“home” by Hannah :)

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” by K.Z Fox

“Exiled” by Abbey Long

“The Forgettable” by V Sage

“Love Comes to Everyone” by Sam Spotswood

“Don’t Look Back ” by Kady H

“The other place called H.O.M.E.” by Dominic Luongo

“Terrible Twos” by Githinji Muthee

“The grass was always greener on this side.” by Chacha Jaramillo

“The Last Atlantian” by Marie McLaughlin

“Endless Sea” by Thahaseen Nashath

“Going Home” by Connor Andrei

“Nevermore” by Samuel Bowen

“Norikaii” by Jade L.

“The Story of Alice Smith” by Neeta Kanen

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a family with a long-standing tradition, whose members all have conflicting origin stories for it.

Start your story with a character having a premonition, but no one believes them.

Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.

Set your story on (or in) a winding river.

Contest #98

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

751

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: