Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 320 stories

“My Struggle ” by Mathic M

Submitted to Contest #98

What was my home? Was my home where I lived or some other place? I Thought my home was my family, but boy was I wrong. My real home was the military or maybe I should say the battlefield was my home. I was drafted at age seventeen, a prodigy they called me. I didn’t know what that word meant, but I knew one thing for sure and that I needed to join. I needed The thrill of war because it fueled my desires. One of my favorite parts of war was having my comrades side by side with me. I do have to say my favorite memory from the war...

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“Bartender Banter ” by Phil Manders

Submitted to Contest #98

“Hey Miss! Hey, excuse me. Young Lady!” Jerry’s gruff, whiskey soaked voice echoed through the empty room.The bartender, who was holding her phone out in front of her like it was going to melt her ear off if she used it properly, turned the other way and carried on her conversation. Jerry cleared his throat dramatically.“Excuse me! What do you have to do to get a drink round here?” The bartender stopped talking, and shot Jerry a look that probably could have melted his ears off.Jerry waved a note in the air at her. She slid from her stool an...

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“Bound to Earth” by Flora Bell

Submitted to Contest #98

Raylyre - pronounced - Ray-Ly-Re Onyxixs - pronounced - Onyx-sis ----- The city was alive with the hustle and bustle of thousands of people and cars, going about their daily business. The shadow of the tree danced across the grass, the wind blowing softly, carrying the sound of the park. Chains rattled as wings stretched, the pristine white feathers glittering in the light drifting through the leaves. "It's far too bright out here for my liking," a deep voice grumbled, crouching back further into the tree trunk for shade. "I want to go back ...

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“Kind of Like Home” by Maddison Buch

Submitted to Contest #98

A.N.: Mentions of child abuse - nothing explicit or graphic, but it is there. It was hard, knowing that she couldn't go home. What was even harder was pretending that it didn't bother her. There was so much that went into it. Logically, she knew what had happened was abuse and that abuse was bad, but there was a part of her that couldn't help wondering if what happened wasn't abuse. It was the way her dad showed affection, it was for her own good, and her dad was so nice when she took it without crying. She knew it wasn't logical. She k...

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“Cookie Jar Secrets” by K.R. Switzer

Submitted to Contest #98

Crumpled in the corner of the kitchen like a dead spider, blood dripped down my father’s temple and onto the hexagon-shaped tiles. His eyes remained fixed on his feet with the absence of any life behind them. I still had a white knuckle hold around the neck of the broken whiskey bottle. I tried to wrangle my thoughts together but it seemed pointless as my head spun wildly. I dropped to the floor, with my fingers deep in the crevices of the tile, holding on for dear life. I stared at the floor and waited for the air to become thin enough to b...

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“And That's Just Sad” by Daniel Norton

Submitted to Contest #98

It was tough for me growing up. Both of my parents were very strict. Yet they would send me out to play and tell me not to come home until it was time for dinner. It was hard trying to make friends. The few I had never wanted to come over and play at my house. And I was never invited to play at their homes. While my few friends were having sleepovers I was at home by myself playing with my train set and matchbox cars until I learned to read. Then I would read and listen to the local top 40 on AM radio. Thought this was fun un...

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“THRESHOLD” by Jon R. Miller

Submitted to Contest #98

Dyodara tilted her head and peeked out from behind the rose granite column, her raised right hand keeping the sun out of her eyes. At home by the coast, such a sight always promised a good catch. Sweet oceans! I should have brought my harpoon. Like tropical fish overcrowding a shallow lagoon, the colorfully donned courtiers, clerics, foreign dignitaries, and guild masters mourned the death of Voivode Skralar, supreme ruler of Puros—her biggest catch yet. One week ago at this very plaza she hurled a spear through his throat in the middle of h...

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“The Glowing Stone” by Lia Way

Submitted to Contest #98

Ayda was running.She had no clear goal in mind, she only knew she had to get away. Just a look over her shoulder told her that she’d have to be faster. Running past houses and crossing empty streets, the footsteps behind her grew louder by every passing second.Ayda wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep running. Her lungs had started burning, and she feared her legs would soon give out. She dared another look behind her. It was too dark to see who was running after her, or how many of them, but she knew they were catching up.That was whe...

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“Lost Love !!!” by ALi Khan

Submitted to Contest #98

Ok Kids !!! Its getting late, ride on to the bus and yes Zulqarnain so finally u got the parents permission, thats more like it the teacher said Its a Bus which has made more school trips then the number of entire seats in it. The Boys sat on the right portion double seats and the Girls sat on the left portion double seats, between the portions of seats there are 3 poles at a distance from each other indicating the Bus is too old yet It had the audacity to climb on hilly roads . Saima I want the mirror side please, Marina...

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“Like Him” by ℤ ℍ☮️

Submitted to Contest #98

He would put me to bed every night. He would read, so legato that his words sounded like a melody thrumming against my ears. He would make breakfast in the morning, sizzling fried egg on a wheat toast cut into two triangles. When I walked to school each morning my bag moving to a beat, he would smile and wave. His eyes were bright and bold, his hair was thick and lively. He only put me to bed once a week, his eyes shutting periodically and his words stiff and choppy. He would barely make breakfast, I would climb up the fridge on my knobbly...

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“I Never Told Her She was Home” by Mellanie Crouell

Submitted to Contest #98

Giving his goodbyes to his love ones, he was excited to go on this new adventure that life afforded him. He walks to the depot. He hears a whining and weak crying. He continues to walk the sound gets louder. He hears men laughing, speaking his Arabic calling this her a whore, plotting for the next man turn and what they were going to do her. I tried to ignore what was being done. All I could think about is what if that was my sister. I would want someone to help her. I walked softly back to the corner where I could pick up my bags and run on...

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“Truth Be Told” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #98

“You can’t go home again? What does that mean? I know about the esoteric meaning, and all the nonsense that goes with it, but you can’t go home again, sounds like a…I don’t know what, but ominous when you think about it.” “And why would that be? I can see circumstances where you couldn’t go home, or not want to. I’ve had more than my share of times like that. But those are usually a temporary stalling mechanism until you can decide if it is safe to show yourself.” “So you were afraid of something?” “It was noth...

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“Unexpected Joy” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #98

Poppy stood outside in the moonlight, shivering a bit at the unexpected cold of the late summer weather. Pulling her shawl more tightly around her shoulders, she stared into the stone cottage before her, hidden where she stood behind the massive oak tree, its heavy branches masking her image. How she longed to enter and see the people who resided therein – how much she missed them - but she knew she could not go inside. No, she could never return home. Despite the fact that things had now turned around completely for her, and she had a home ...

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“M-I-S-S-I-N-G” by Saga Kosak

Submitted to Contest #98

Here he was, yet another night, staring down at the many houses below. The boy had his eyes fixated on one house in particular. Silhouettes of people waltzing through the rooms could be seen. The light was turned on in the kitchen and a person was moving around inside. As the familiar person looked out of the window, The boy felt an ache in his chest. For he could not go there. He could not waltz through the rooms of the house while waiting for dinner to be finished. Yet he could not help but to return to the house which had used to be his h...

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“A War Disguise” by Chloe Madeleine

Submitted to Contest #98

We got a letter in the mail today. We didn’t open it because we knew the words that would be planted on that piece of paper. Like getting a college acceptance letter. You either knew or you didn't. War. Such a short word with a powerful meaning. The letter read, “You’ve been drafted for war…” and a bunch of other information I didn't want to be reading. Why us? Why were we basically given this death sentence, sending us into a fear frenzy. Even just the thought of going to war when we were already financially struggling, made me sick to my ...

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Write a story involving a character who cannot return home.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 320 stories

“My Struggle ” by Mathic M

“Bartender Banter ” by Phil Manders

“Bound to Earth” by Flora Bell

“Kind of Like Home” by Maddison Buch

“Cookie Jar Secrets” by K.R. Switzer

“And That's Just Sad” by Daniel Norton

“THRESHOLD” by Jon R. Miller

“The Glowing Stone” by Lia Way

“Lost Love !!!” by ALi Khan

“Like Him” by ℤ ℍ☮️

“I Never Told Her She was Home” by Mellanie Crouell

“Truth Be Told” by Joe Swanson

“Unexpected Joy” by Cindy Calder

“M-I-S-S-I-N-G” by Saga Kosak

“A War Disguise” by Chloe Madeleine

🌟 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: