Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 320 stories

“Never Again” by Mary Ellen Hulburt

Submitted to Contest #98

Ellen sits at the table drinking her coffee, waiting for the mailman to arrive. At the moment it is silent, the children are at school. Ellen's thoughts are roaming at the moment, the excitement of another letter makes it impossible to do anything. With Joshua gone to fight in the military, these letters are precious. It makes life a little easier, they are the only thing that proves he is still alive and well. After the mailman, and the letter read, Ellen goes about her day. It's the usual things that keep you sane, the cleaning and ...

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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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“Collateral Damage” by Jasmine Bell

Submitted to Contest #98

AN/Warning: Deals with suicide and an internal battle between religion and science. The latter is the main focus of this story. If you are uncomfortable, please skip :). -- “Your order ma’am. Please be careful as the coffee is still very hot” Alex, deep in thought, could not mentally process the message and disregarding the barista’s warning, reached out to sip her “Black Devil, Intense Roast heated brew”. God knows what she was thinking when ordering the cafe’s notorious black devil coffee. Rumors had it, that coffee could shoot som...

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“the vision ” by Annaliese Kilzer

Submitted to Contest #98

A beautiful day in the kingdom of Everglade, looking through a window at the land below was the princess Jennifer, a beautiful sight she was, she was blonde with big green eyes. She watched through the window as she watched her father give a speech to all the people of the kingdom. Jennifer didn’t always agree with her father. The biggest disagreement that sparked was that there is something different about the land of Solis it is filled with magic, it is a land with dragons, unicorns, wizards, and witches. Jennifers father King Roma...

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“A Blood Print Trail to the Future” by Raven Nightshade

Submitted to Contest #98

The fox stares, a challenge held in its curiously silver gaze. It possesses no words, nothing verbal that can command her, but it doesn’t need to say anything, Silence, it seems, is more powerful than words, and besides, the fox knows there is nothing left for her to go back to. At least, nothing good left for her to go back to.Now it’s just her and the fox, a gangly thing with paws too large for its emaciated frame and a tail more like a rope than a brush. A strange pair to anyone observing them, if there were anyone out...

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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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“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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“Opportunity” by RIC .

Submitted to Contest #98

“If they don’t want me then fuck ‘em!” “But we have-” “Fuck. ‘Em. Alright?” They had been wandering for days in the grassy hills. No house, no horse, no gang of gunslingers to run with. It was lonely yet crowded. Empty yet full. Hungry yet food was plenty. &n...

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“PAST IS IN THE PAST” by People's Person

Submitted to Contest #98

Her eyes drifted to the post plastered on her door. Her key was jungling from her hand and her gaze was sad. She tears the notice from the door and crumples the paper throwing it on the floor. The anger in her later turns to depression. She could decide to pack her things and leave yet there was no place to go. She unlocks her door and storms in and shuts it abruptly not wanting any nosy neighbors starting a conversation with her. She throws her jacket on her sofa walking straight to the kitchen. She opens the fridge and sees some left...

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“The Dresden affair” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #98

The Dresden Affair Suzanne Marsh “Ah Georg, I have been waiting to talk to you. I have a job for you.” “Thank you Herr Schmidt, what would have me do?” “Kill Herr Rudolph Diesel. I must prevent him from selling his engine to the British. What he is doing traitorous to Germany. We have learned that he is in Antwerp, he will board the SS Dresden. Since you are techically still his apprentice; he has paid for your ticket in second class. Germany is depending on you Georg.” Georg Betz shrugged his thin shoulders, he had his a...

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“Remember the lessons of the wife of Lot” by Kathy Landes

Submitted to Contest #98

There is a story in the first book of the King James Bible. A book called Genesis. The part of the story that I am referring to is found in the 19th chapter.” The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt....

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“A Place On Earth” by Ian Mitchell

Submitted to Contest #98

Jerry took a sip of his triple caramel double espresso latte with chocolate sprinkles as he quietly regarded the painting before him. “Yeah, I don’t get it,” he said. Modern art continued to elude him. That was understandable. After all, it seemed to elude the humans as well. It just… lacked that certain something. What was it the poet had said? “In truth, beauty.” Or something like that? Yeah, it was something like that. But there was no beauty in it. And no truth. He’d been assi...

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“Smoky Memories” by Catherine Hill

Submitted to Contest #98

The empty cigarette boxes piled three high on the cafe table. He’d given a few of them away to other people at the cafe, but the rest he smoked himself. With each puff he heard his wife’s voice, “If you widow me with all these kids, I’ll kill you.” That’s why he smoked them, because they conjured her, and, maybe, if he smoked enough of them fast enough he could be with her again, and the kids. But it had been ten years and he was still fit as a fiddle. His body was surviving to spite him. When he first left America and came here, everyo...

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“Where is Home Now” by Nina March

Submitted to Contest #98

“Do you have any fears about returning to normal life?” It was a simple question but it held so much meaning. I stared vacantly at Lisa as I tried to form a sentence together that would summarise what I was feeling. The truth was there weren't enough words in the world to describe everything I was feeling in that moment. “Honestly...” I began my voice coming out in a nervous croak. “I don’t know. But I’m ready to try.” Lisa paused as if she were taking a moment to process what I was saying and deeply analyse my answer. ...

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“Uncertainly Apartheid” by Nabeel Anjum

Submitted to Contest #98

Could it be so that some Unearthly fate hits someone so hard that it becomes their only dream to get over it? No matter what and how good you did, it is not being looked upon by anyone now. Just a feeling of seeking answers to those sorts of questions must've ripped so many hearts into many pieces. Many of those kinds could be found scattered around the Globe, but Gurgaon's Homeless Shelter was a shed for many including my friend Dheeraj. "No!" shouted him, waking up from a nightmare. “Again?”I asked. "What was it this time?”...

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Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 320 stories

“Never Again” by Mary Ellen Hulburt

“The Story of Alice Smith” by Neeta Kanen

“Collateral Damage” by Jasmine Bell

“the vision ” by Annaliese Kilzer

“A Blood Print Trail to the Future” by Raven Nightshade

“Going Home” by Connor Andrei

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

“Opportunity” by RIC .

“PAST IS IN THE PAST” by People's Person

“The Dresden affair” by Sue Marsh

“Remember the lessons of the wife of Lot” by Kathy Landes

“A Place On Earth” by Ian Mitchell

“Smoky Memories” by Catherine Hill

“Where is Home Now” by Nina March

“Uncertainly Apartheid” by Nabeel Anjum

🌟 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: