Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 80 stories

“The Long Weekend” by Aimee Lavigne

Submitted to Contest #273

(Note- mild foul language in addition to scary themes and violence) Thursday “We could meet tomorrow before school,” Laura suggests.  “No, I won’t be here tomorrow. Josh and I are headed to Deschutes Lake for the weekend. The Cascades are gorgeous in the fall. His cousin has a cabin out there,” Nicole says. “Is that the cabin where Josh did some work last spring?”  “Yep! He replaced the gutters and updated the drainage system. There’s landscaping rock around the edge of the house to keep water away from the foundation. It’s really ...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The curse of the dragon’s child ” by Bogdanka Kos Ilić

Submitted to Contest #273

It was December. The wind was mercilessly swinging dry branches of the trees, whipping them against the hospital windows. On that Friday the 13th, a newborn baby's cry was heard among the faded olive-green walls of the maternity ward. Hands wrapped in surgical gloves handed her the shrunken but strong body of a screaming male child. Exhausted and sweaty from giving birth, his mother held him firmly but carefully, whispering gently into his ear: "Cry, my child... Cry out all of your tears now. Wise people say that when a c...

1 comment 1
Read story

“White Jacket” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #273

It was a Tuesday. As Melinda walked beside her guardian, she watched swifts weave their aerial paths above Castle Street, flying and feasting on their breakfast in mid-air. Someone talking rapidly distracted her. She glanced down the side street and watched a business suited man clutching a mobile phone while carrying a laptop under his other arm.With practiced ease, she disengaged, not wanting to find out what lay beneath the spikes of frustration, though envying him both gadgets. Everyone had technology at their fingertips except her.Child...

4 comments 4
Read story

“The Night of the Fire” by Christie Mack

Submitted to Contest #273

The flames were too bright to be real. For a long moment, all Anyah could do was stare, transfixed by the billowing smoke curling into the sky, spreading like dark fingers clawing at the moon. The old house was supposed to be abandoned, a forgotten relic of the past on the edge of town. With broken windows, vines overtaking its brick walls, and a sagging front porch, the place was always deserted except for them. And yet, there it was, burning. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Josh whispered, his eyes wide and locked on the flames. His...

1 comment 1
Read story

“The girl and I ” by Ky Lev

Submitted to Contest #273

“Don't tell anyone,” I whisper, to the girl in front of me. I turn around anxiously trying to make sure no one heard, as cold sweat breaks out on my skin.  She nods, slowly at first, then faster, when she sees my trembling hands. She knows I'm scared. She tries to reach out, tries to comfort me. But I pull away- I…I don't need her comfort. The rising sun peeks in and out of the swaying trees, casting fleeting shadows in my room. They dance a peculiar dance, trying to invite me into never-ending darkness, tendrils of black stre...

2 comments 2
Read story

“The Thief” by Peter Sides

Submitted to Contest #273

Theme – Don’t tell Anyone THE THIEFThey say you regret the things you could have done but didn’t. What about the things you did? Those unnecessary things, those things you shouldn’t have done. I regret those more. Lost opportunities are lost. But your past stays with you, till you die. You hope. You hope your blighted past is forgotten, never to be discovered, as its unlikely ever to be forgiven. And as all true secrets are, they are only secrets, as long as you don’t tell anyone. But of course, you cannot un-tell it to yourself. You ca...

0 comments 0
Read story

“HIS SECRET” by Kat Ginley

Submitted to Contest #273

HIS SECRETA SHORT STORY BY KAT GINLEY Nothing much is visible on a day like today. The rolling hills and countryside, shrouded in thick mist, may or may not exist at all beyond the veil. The old dark stone houses lining the street are barely visible and create a sense of mystery.  And they are trying to do just that, she muses, as her sneaker clad feet crunch on the pavement, almost the only sound to be heard in the neighborhood. Not many people venture outside on this icy cold, foggy day. Warm within those very houses, heating and ligh...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Your Head on my Wall” by Kaitlyn Krieser

Submitted to Contest #273

{TW: Abuse, and Physical Violence} There is trash everywhere, take-out boxes strewn across every surface, and beer bottles and cans, lots of them, everywhere. On the dining table, the counter, the side tables, and all over the floor. It's all I see as I open the door and step out of the basement for the first time in four years.Last night, I had been half asleep when I heard the familiar sound of the key grinding in the lock of the door. And the man, my kidnapper had come down the stairs with water and a sandwich with smelly cheese and sligh...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Taco Night” by Hope Flinchum

Submitted to Contest #273

It wasn’t supposed to end this way. That’s what everyone always said right? Somehow in the grand scheme of the universe we have all managed to live our lives with no regard for the consequences for our actions. We always assume things will work out in the end, and we always assume that the resolution will be less horrifying than the means that bring us to the bitter end. We are wrong to assume. People will fight wars and end lives in the name of peace and somehow, through it all, they still convince themselves that they are the her...

3 comments 3
Read story

“International Spy ” by Molly Alderson

Submitted to Contest #273

I've just received a letter, a letter in the mail.The letter asked thatIJoin the League of the International Spy.Yes, you heard that right. Me.A spy.Internationally.The first one in my family.What an honor, what an achievement. They've asked me to keep it a secret.So, it's important that you don't tell anyone, not a soul. If you do - I'll find out.When I'm in my next role.What's that, you ask? Well, let me tell you - I've been thinking of a plan - but keep it between us two.I will quit my job at the bank. No more bank telling for me. No tell...

1 comment 1
Read story

“I've got a secret Don't tell anyone” by Bertha Blankenship

Submitted to Contest #273

I had been working as a receptionist for a local Dentist office for the past year. The schedule being Monday through Friday working 8 am to 4 pm works perfect for me. Especially with me having weekends off and all major holidays. Plus, the staff here is amazing. During the past 2 weeks Doctor Davidson has a male Dental Assistant working with him that is so dreamy and very handsome. He is an all-around great guy from what I can tell. I would love to get to know him, but I am just so afraid of being rejected and heartbroken. I decided to speak...

0 comments 0
Read story

“Dear Diary” by Charlie Strickland

Submitted to Contest #273

Dear Diary, Go fuck yourself! Seriously. Despite all you have done for me, I am going to throw you onto a bonfire and laugh as each blackened corner of your pages burns away slowly. You were supposed to help. My parents said it. My therapist said it. Even Kate had said it. ‘Write down what’s bothering you. Writing it all down releases the pressure in your head. If you won’t talk to me, or anyone else for that matter, then why don’t you start a diary?’ Kate had insisted I buy a large one. I think she was implying that I had been thundering ar...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Vein” by Sam Hollis

Submitted to Contest #273

‘Don't tell anyone,’ Taff Wallace half-whispered to his assistant, Brienne Sykes. ‘But the Prime Minister is going to resign.’ His eyebrows bent along with his head, and the purplish vein buried deep inside his forehead’s skin looked fit to burst.   It took a moment for Brienne to take in this information, for the stale aroma of morning coffee had just wafted out of Taff's mouth and into her nostrils. They flared and she flinched, and in doing so her boss, the Head of Communications at Number 10, stepped back.  &nbsp...

0 comments 0
Read story

“The Dead Don’t Talk” by David Inkling

Submitted to Contest #273

He sits still staring at the picture. It is flat on the floor in front of him. It is a picture of three young men dressed in dark and sombre suits, plain dark ties, with their hair neatly slicked back. Underneath someone has written: Robert, Henry and Joe. They wanted to look their best. Of course they did. He barely moves. He stares at the picture. Sometimes he holds it, but mostly it sits square and flat on the floor in front of him. Nothing moves. ‘I don’t understand why he is naked though, do you?’ ‘It’s a thing. Don’t read too much int...

2 comments 2
Read story

“Don't Tell Anyone” by Peter Wallace

Submitted to Contest #273

Don’t tell anyone. That’s all he said. Don’t tell anyone. Then he turned around and walked away. He went across the street and walked into a shop. When I went over to ask what it was I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone I found that the door to the shop was locked. Upon looking in the window it appeared that the store was vacant, with nothing but cobwebs and debris occupying it.         So, what was it he wanted me to keep to myself? Maybe he didn’t want me to tell anyone that he disappeared through a...

0 comments 0
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Short Story – 69 stories

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Dramatic – 53 stories

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Short Story – 40 stories

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Dramatic – 113 stories

Contest #273

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Locked Away

$250

Prize money

355

Contest entries

162

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 25, 2024 EST

Won by Asia W 🏆

Title: Venus Buried

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢