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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Posted in Angst on Oct 18, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 80 stories

“Giggling” by Tiago Rebelo

Submitted to Contest #273

Giggling, “Stop!” I jump over the small branches. “Where are we going?” I laugh while Anna runs ahead of me through the bushes, only seeing a glance of her golden hair. We go deep into the woods, too deep, and I look back. I don’t know where I am. I feel scared, “Ann- Anna, we- we should go back,” I feel lost, the trees don’t look familiar anymore, “Anna, it’s not funny!” I stop, and my sister stops too ahead of me, “You’re such a whiny,” I clench my fists, “I’m not a whiny!” I yell angrily, “You are whining right now,” My sister laughs.She ...

6 comments 6
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“The New Breed.” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #273

Disillusioned, Lorelei Lonergan finished emptying her fridge, and sorted the last of her humble belongings, mostly second-hand. Her former co-jockey had loaded the rest of her cardboard boxes into her quite trusty wheels. Lorelei gave her the keys, and then drove to the stable to collect her horse. She was still limping after her devastating horse-racing injury, but her physiotherapist was pleased. This was it, time to move on to a new chapter of good intentions in her individual book of life. The future had no doors, Lorelei was no quitter,...

2 comments 2
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“Can You Keep a Secret” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #273

September 1947Me and Billy had been on the road for almost two weeks as I chauffeured him to say goodbye to all his surviving friends. And for all my effort, he promised me a chest full of gold. I wasn’t sure exactly how he would deliver his promised bounty, but I wanted to see how this adventure was going to end.I had been fired from Taggart Transportation after missing a deadline in my delivery of a nuclear payload to an army test site. Instead of returning, I decided to go on this joyride with Billy Smith. He found me when ...

8 comments 8
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“Locked Away” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #273

Don’t tell anyone. I’m not supposed to be living here in the McKillop mansion. But when Mrs. Mildred McKillop invited me, an undocumented refugee, to stay in her home, what was I supposed to do? She caught me when I was at a low point, a few years ago, going door to door offering to rake and sweep leaves in the fall. “Ten bucks a pop,” I would say to whoever opened the door of each fine, gracious home in the ritziest enclave of Denver. They’d take one look at me, a sixteen-year-old kid with a bad haircut, wearing an outdated Denver Dynamite ...

8 comments 8
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“You always knew ” by Nicholas Greene

Submitted to Contest #273

Lena stared at the same page for the third time, the words blurring in front of her. The ticking of the old clock on the wall kept her company, its hands dragging toward 9:47 PM. She hated how she knew the exact time her father would walk through the door, hated that it had become a pattern—something predictable in the chaos of her home. Her mother used to sit in this very chair, years ago, reading while waiting for him. But Lena didn’t read to wait. She just needed something to hold so her hands wouldn’t shake.The front door groaned open, a...

0 comments 0
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“Deprivation ” by C. H.

Submitted to Contest #273

She’d been alone for 2,191 days, and most probably was going to die alone. How many days did she have left? She didn’t have a clue. She wasn’t physically afraid of an intruder, even though she lived in a rural wooded area. She knew she had the lord on her side, and a shotgun on the other. She would have no problem burying a few bullets into someone’s chest if their intent was to hurt her. Why would she? Would you? I don’t want to hear your reasons if you answered ‘yes’. This was no longer the time of soft thoughts. Hell, empathy had disappea...

2 comments 2
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“My Monster, My Demon” by Tammy Norman

Submitted to Contest #273

Trigger warning: Mental Health, mild violence or inference to violence. The pounding rain outside my window soothes my mind. I kneel on the floor, rag in hand, and clean the bloody mess before me.  The rhythmic splattering on cement outside washes away the constant urgency that threatens to engulf me. The smell of its freshness mixed with the smell of the bleach clears my mind.  I embrace each second, taking careful attention to scrub every inch of this white tile floor.  I never used to like the rain. Yet, its darkness and c...

2 comments 2
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“Where the Wild Places Forget” by EV Throne

Submitted to Contest #273

The rain fell lightly, pattering against the canopy of branches overhead. The forest beyond the garden was alive with whispers—the wind stirring through brittle leaves, roots shifting beneath the earth, the soft hum of distant creatures moving through the night. It should have brought Lira peace. But there was no peace to be found here, not anymore. She stood just beyond the stone wall, hidden among the vines and wildflowers that had grown unchecked along the courtyard's edges. The scent of damp earth clung to the air, and the cold mist kiss...

2 comments 2
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“The Secret in the Forest” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #273

The Secret in the Forest Trigger Warning:This story contains themes of emotional manipulation, psychological trauma, and non-physical abuse, which may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with caution. The forest was a place where Nadine’s deepest fears lurked—wild animals, looming threats hidden among the dense trees and shadowed undergrowth. The towering trees with their thick, dark leaves turned the woods into a dim maze of uncertainty. Every rustle, every whisper of wind, made her skin prickle. She wasn’t just afraid of the a...

0 comments 0
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“Somerville, Massachussets” by Zen Tremaine

Submitted to Contest #273

Age 9, LiamPercy sat on the highest platform of the playground, legs stuck under the railing so they could swing in open air. He hung onto the bars while his eyes followed Liam, who was running in circles around the swing set to annoy Jake.“Stop it, Liam! I’m going to get Mr. Davis!”“He won’t do anything; I’m not even touching you! How about you stop being a baby?”Percy laughed and called out, “Yeah, Jake! You’re a baby!”Liam looked up towards Percy and smiled.“God, leave me alone and go hang out with your boyfriend or whatever!” Jake whined...

0 comments 0
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“Don't Tell” by Tirzah Young-Miles

Submitted to Contest #273

Due to signing a non-disclosure agreement, the names in the story you're about to read have been changed. Any similarities are purely coincidental. We’ll call the central figure here Captain Casanova, or just Cap for short.During the first semester of my freshman year at a university I’m not allowed to name, I enrolled in a creative writing course taught by Captain Casanova, himself. One October morning, he invited me into his office after class to tell me how much potential he saw in me. Adjusting to life hundreds of miles away from home ha...

6 comments 6
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“Solitude behind glasses.” by Atan Solp

Submitted to Contest #273

Twilight spilled across the sky with dark ink, gradually plunging the city into darkness. The work day was over and the residents of the metropolis rushed to take seats in their cars and mass transit to quickly get to their homes, where a well-deserved dinner and rest in front of the TV awaited them. Many people were stealthily glancing at this guy. Some with condemnation, some with casual interest. But without any wonderment - no one can be shocked by pink hair sticking out in all directions and black glasses worn over his eyes, despite the...

0 comments 0
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“Hidden Confessions” by Dave Bede

Submitted to Contest #273

      “The Greyhound station was deep in the worst neighborhood in town, but aren’t they all?” I recited as Jeff poured the wine into each of our coffee mugs, the closest thing to a wine glass we had in our room. “I didn’t care. My dad’s long-discarded Chevy wasn’t going to attract any thieves, that I knew.”            “Not another story about some scumbag,” Jeff interrupted.            “Write what you k...

0 comments 0
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“A Volitional Act” by Alyssa Terese

Submitted to Contest #273

TW: self harm, cannibalism, bad therapist, blood, smoking, mentions of drugs.  Anna: I didn’t mean to. It just happened. I glanced at the time, aware of the night ticking away slowly. My job should be over, I should be glued to the couch, letting the lovely jingle of some brain-dead television knock the stress from my bones. I should be away from this desk, but I had a duty, I went to school for this, I got licensed for this. My laptop pinged again; the darkening screen lit back up– my pupils dilated.  Anna: It's habitual now, I th...

2 comments 2
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“Don't Tell Anyone” by Tim O'Brien

Submitted to Contest #273

“Don’t tell anyone,” the new guy whispered, looking over his shoulder like he expected a SWAT team to bust down the door any second. The words reeked of desperation and fear, mixing with the foul stench of the egg salad he had for lunch. This was James, the new moron—the one I had stupidly decided to take under my wing. My gut clenched. Something wasn’t right.His face was pale, his breath jittery like a man who hadn’t slept in days. I stared back at him from my chair, already regretting this whole interaction. I didn’t like being cornered.“W...

2 comments 2
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Contest #273

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Title: Venus Buried

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