Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 320 stories

“Stepping Through” by S. Closson

Submitted to Contest #98

Bryan Romel takes a hand off the steering wheel and bats the fringe of teal hair out of his half-closed eyes. He’s been driving down the interstate for sixteen—no, seventeen hours, now, the last four with the A/C wide open and the window’s down. However long it’s been, it feels like an eternity. The absence of cell service and a working radio has done little to help in his fight to remain conscious. There’s not even anything interesting to gander at, the scenery is as uniform as it is bland. The idea of pulling over for a little nap is al...

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“Him.” by Jace A. King👑

Submitted to Contest #98

Simon’s POV I wake on a Tuesday morning, my arms are wrapped around my fianceé. Her head is on my shoulder and her legs are tucked up to my abdomen. I kiss the top of her head before slipping away from her. I stretch my arms above my head, my mouth opens in a loud over exaggerated yawn. I shake my head a few times to wake myself up more and then slip my feet into my house shoes. I walk into the bathroom and look into the mirror. I see my scars on my chest, they’ve faded by now but the memories are still fresh in my mind. I slid my fingers...

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“'Nowhere to go'” by Asha Pillay

Submitted to Contest #98

Roy woke up to the sound of bells clanging in the distance and sat up straight on the cold hard floor of the prison.Every morning the cell doors opened at 4 am, and the inmates queued up outside the bathroom for their shower. After the shower and change of clothes, they would assemble in the main hall for meditation and prayers which lasted for two hours.At six, the inmates would be present in the dining hall for breakfast which consisted, three slices of dry bread and a cup of tea which was bitter and cold. Roy never mingled ...

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“You won't like me” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #98

My whole life, I’ve been a quitter. The years I’ve lived are rich with mistakes that cause me to gag whenever they flash, and they flash often. Despite my numerous attempts to numb them, the memories of my mistakes are unrelenting. They continually stab my psyche and have left me tattered and helpless. But, of course, I am to blame. I did the things that turned into memories that haunt me no matter how far removed I am from them. I forget the good times, not the bad, and try to forgive others, but I can’t forgive myself. I used to tell my fa...

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“As I Lay Here Dying ” by Kendi Karimi

Submitted to Contest #98

Day 30 Dear miss K, You are writing this in a calm state. You have a bucket list of 30 things to do in the next thirty days and what you're feeling now, at ten forty three pm is this; you're okay with death. Day 29 You ticked off the first thing on your bucket list today; call mum and say, "I love you, have a good day." Mum has been a mother to us in all the ways she could be, and while raising seven kids, her tendency to lean towards her short temperedness sometimes made you hide behind chairs, sometimes made you want to pee, and some...

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“The Thing” by Onur Yürür

Submitted to Contest #98

You disowned me. Why should I even listen to you?One finger up in the air: "Look, son. These are my last words to you."This announcement was the final straw, or so he could guess now. Slowly coming back to his senses, he noticed a sudden urgency in his body.He had to pee, and the public cabins were right on the horizon.Grandpa, go fuck yourself.He had, of course, denounced him with another finger, which now seemed more likely to be the final straw as he thought.But then, what about the first one? That pushed him back into his mind.Inside, th...

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“Against Us” by Ash W

Submitted to Contest #98

I was restless. Anytime I tried to sleep, I started thinking about how stupid the whole thing might have seemed. We couldn't go home. Not anymore. They'd kill us. Or they'd separate us. I'd rather die than be separate from Jax and Zeth. Instead of trying to sleep, I walked over to the boat, noticing Jax sitting on the ground and crying into his arms. I was never great with emotions. I didn’t like crying and it wasn’t like Jax was crying all the time either. I bet that it was about Zayden and I had no idea how to help with that. I wasn...

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“Reborn” by Giulia S.

Submitted to Contest #98

The grey clouds above Sophie’s head threatened rain at any moment, but the temperature was so pleasant that she doesn’t care. The terrace of the building where she rent her studio apartment one year back, was so big that could host 500 people at least, and yet no one of the resident ever used it. The thunder was getting closer, and the wind was more intense and cooler: the perfect weather, for her. It was the first anniversary of her arrive to London and she couldn’t believe that all that time was already passed by. Sitting there, watching ...

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“To the Desert” by Phoebe Barr

Submitted to Contest #98

Well. Here he stood, now, at the end of it all. The desert loomed wide before him, sand still radiating heat up through his boot-soles, sky shrouded in the deep blackness of new night. A great void of emptiness and thirst set to swallow him. Oliver wore loose-fitting clothes and a soft, sand-colored hood over his head. He carried a bag over one shoulder packed with food and water for a day or two. Besides that, they’d stripped him of all his possessions - not a single copper coin or even a map to guide him. Well, of course, what ...

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“A Forever Closed Door” by Morgan Douglas

Submitted to Contest #98

Getting kicked out of the house is an unfortunate reality for many young queer people after coming out to their families. Whether it is the fact that their family is religious and does not tolerate homosexuality, or just plain ignorance these are usually the cause. It is an unfair and unjust situation in which parents do not support their child and instead push them away. Neil had known that he was gay for what seemed like a long time. Never having a girlfriend all through school despite his mother’s persistence in telling him he neede...

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“"REDECORATE"” by IStole YourToast

Submitted to Contest #98

TW:// Death and Sickness.Side Note: References to some lyrics by an artist called "Yoe Mase" are prevalent but they are only there for dramatic purpose and not to steal from the artist. Use of the lyrics are completely original. Also I'd like to add that this story was inspired by the Twenty One Pilots song "Redecorate" and so a lot of themes from that song is also prevalent but the use and interpretation of the theme of the song is original.----------------------------------------------------------------"When you hear the bell, bring yourse...

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“Polyphony” by A Dead Poet .

Submitted to Contest #98

1Late at night I left, a few hours before dawn. There was no light but of the moon and dim ugly poles. I couldn’t yet grasp the notion of why I left, but I had no intentions of returning, no, I can’t return. Until I find what I seek, I will leave everything behind. In the drawer, there was a scrapbook. I held it tightly and closed my eyes tracing my fingers on it as if I was trying to memorize its texture. I put it back, hands shaking clumsily. I closed the door and another door. I was gone. I want to float. Trains come and go. Which one wil...

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“In War and Love” by Ash Brinton

Submitted to Contest #98

“No one will find us,” Arcadia promised, gently kissing Bea’s forehead as they lay on the ground of a dark cave. She pulled away just enough to put her hands on Bea’s dusty cheeks. “Hey. Look at me. Everything is going to be okay. They won’t find us. Do you trust me?” “How could I not?” Bea smiled and leaned in to kiss the other girl. “The sun will be rising soon. We should go home now, before they wake up.” Arcadia looked down, and Bea saw fear in her eyes. “The draft is growing tighter. I’m not sure how much longer I can avoid it.. I… I ...

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“Spain? Why not... Your home is where you live” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #98

So that was it. I remembered the phone number that my supervisor had given me for emergencies, that I could always call and be helped, immediately evacuated from whatever country I was in at the time — sort of like an "emergency" for a sick person. You've drawn too much attention to your personal. Enough, no more adventures, and it's time to disappear from the radar screen. The question is, where will the Speedo boots take me? That's for me and me alone to decide. Well, of course, there can be no doubt: Barcelona, the international airport E...

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“Someone to Talk To” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #98

My mother used to say, “There’s always someone who has it worse than you,” and I used to believe it. It was so long ago, but I could still see how the sun made a halo of her blonde hair around her long, pointed ears, and her large, brown eyes seemed soft like velvet. The young woman across the table held my hand. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but maybe tonight you’ll talk about it.” She was a human, maybe thirty, tops. Close-cropped dark hair, medium-brown skin and deep amber eyes. There was a mole on her left cheek that always caught ...

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Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 320 stories

“Stepping Through” by S. Closson

“Him.” by Jace A. King👑

“'Nowhere to go'” by Asha Pillay

“You won't like me” by Scott Skinner

“As I Lay Here Dying ” by Kendi Karimi

“The Thing” by Onur Yürür

“Against Us” by Ash W

“Reborn” by Giulia S.

“To the Desert” by Phoebe Barr

“A Forever Closed Door” by Morgan Douglas

“"REDECORATE"” by IStole YourToast

“Polyphony” by A Dead Poet .

“In War and Love” by Ash Brinton

“Spain? Why not... Your home is where you live” by Valery Rubin

“Someone to Talk To” by Sjan Evardsson

🌟 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 🏆

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