Write about a character who always wears a mask (physical or metaphorical).

Posted in Angst on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 48 stories

“The Human under the Robe” by Brittney Hafner

Submitted to Contest #123

Pastor Jeff finished getting ready for bed before giving his kids kisses goodnight. He kissed his wife as she sat in bed reading her mystery novel. “Goodnight dear,” “goodnight, sweet dreams. I love you.” “I love you too,” he said while turning over and closing his eyes. It had been a long day for Pastor Jeff. Jeff had to deal with this young couple continuing to live in sin, and he was experiencing writer’s block with his sermon for Sunday. Didn’t take Jeff very long to get into dreamland, and when he got there, he was greeted by God. Jeff ...

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“Red Tide” by Shawn Luther

Submitted to Contest #123

I put on my mask and entered the building, the remains of my cigarette smoldering on the pavement. The midsummer sun was brutal, and within seconds my face was slick with sweat. Inside wasn't much cooler. The hallway leading to the locker room was short and claustrophobic. Old metal chairs with bent legs and dented seats lined the walls. Sagging cardboard boxes rested on top, a layer of dust testament to their age and neglect.The locker room itself wasn't much larger than the hallway, but the sense of constriction le...

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“MASKING UP” by Gloria Murray

Submitted to Contest #123

MASKING UP I opened my eyes from what seemed a deep sleep. Strangely, I was wearing, as I had been for almost two years, a Covid mask. Sometimes it seemed like an appendage, not just a covering, but a part of my face. But since I lived alone and when not in...

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“Mask Free” by Barb Brown

Submitted to Contest #123

There was a time when wearing a mask on your face when entering a bank or financial institution would raise eyebrows and get a person immediately detained by security, and almost assuredly arrested by police. Customers in the vicinity would react in fear for their own safety, likely scrambling and racing to get away from imminent danger. Someone behind a bank teller's booth would probably be pressing on a hidden panic button but panic and chaos would permeate rapidly all through the immediate area anyway. People would be cryin...

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“The Monster Behind The Mask” by Deanna Smith

Submitted to Contest #123

Trigger warning ~ (References to abuse, addiction, suicide attempts, mental health struggles) She made him a Long Island Ice Tea and he went home and told his mother he was going to marry the bartender. It was her first summer as a full time resident of the small fishing village she had visited frequently in her youth. Her children in another state for a summer visit with her ex had her enjoying a brief reprieve from full time single mom life. As for this Long Island Ice Tea drinking customer, she wasn’t...

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“Paper and Blood” by Ruth Zschoche

Submitted to Contest #123

Her favorite kind were paper. The kind that wrapped around the ears.In Asian countries, mask wearing had been normalized years ago. Swine flu, or one of these other variants, had prompted widespread usage.Masking weaved its way into the culture. Invaded fashion and legislation. It was an unambiguous way to show solidarity. “I’m sick, but I’m watching out for YOU.” Altruism and popular acceptance in one product.In addition, the mask had inadvertently become a boon for the introverted. The isolationist. The private.The relationship between cri...

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“Clocks” by Cal Fedorick

Submitted to Contest #123

He really needed to wash this thing. Jeremiah peeled off the sweaty and dirt-speckled mask, inhaling the fresh but humid air deeply. For a moment he did nothing but enjoy the feeling of his skin finally being able to breathe. He imagined it was akin to the feeling reptiles experience when they finish molting. He didn’t give himself long to revel in the relief before he started thinking about everything he needed to get done. &nb...

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“The Loud” by Nix ♞

Submitted to Contest #123

I got a mask for my birthday. I told my mom I wanted it. She said, "Masks are scary, Charlie. Do you want something else?"I said, "No, I want a mask. I like scary. I don't want something else."I was lying. She was right. Masks are scary, especially the one I got. It's a werewolf mask. She told me not to lie, but I had to. I couldn't wear the mask if I didn't.I'm scared of werewolves. I'm only 11. Lots of stuff is scary when you're 11. My mom says on the phone that she wishes she were young again and things were different. She said she wishes...

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“What Could Have Been” by Sruthi Putcha

Submitted to Contest #123

The last time I stayed up long enough to see the sunrise was before I killed Mother. She would bounce into my bed and tickle my chest and neck in the dark hours of the morning. It was very effective in waking up a child from the midst of her sugar-filled dreams. Father says I get grouchy when I don’t wake of my own accord, but that never happened with Mother. I was happy to see her beautiful face and hear her hushed giggles regardless of when or how or whatever discomfort I was feeling. “Come with me, my darling,” she would s...

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“Sunny” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #123

Her name couldn’t have been more befitting of her disposition. It was as if the gods had convened and prophetically chosen it for her. In truth, however, she was unintentionally christened when her mother, thoroughly drained after thirty-eight hours of labor, simply looked out her hospital room window and muttered, “It’s sunny.” A nurse who’d been attempting to complete a birth certificate for more than twenty minutes assumed this was the answer to the question she’d already asked three times, to no avail, and proceeded to write it d...

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“Then The Jazz Crept In ” by Mack Gage

Submitted to Contest #123

Garvey Street was a wall of writhing sound. Everywhere Atticus turned guitars bent and screamed, pianists played blocky, rollicking chords. Rock and Roll warred with the Blues from the cracks of a dozen doorways. Drunken flotsam drifted from the bright pool of one dying streetlight to the next in search of the perfect sound or the cheapest drink. And Atticus, who had killed tonight, should have been right at home. He wasn’t though. The skin hung off him loosely, more like a bad suit than a man. What passed for Atticus’s soul itched, ...

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“The Masked Officer” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #123

The ballroom filled with men in tailored suits, women in tight dresses, champagne flutes and caviar and lobster toast on silver platters served by men in white blazers, and energetic whispers about the The Masked Officer.Ronald stood in the corner of the ballroom sipping a beer and avoiding the gravitational pull of the New York elite. His thoughts split between his upcoming drive home from New York State across the bridge to New Jersey. To Jenny and the kids and their homework and bedtime. The other half of his thoughts went to the woman ...

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“It's Hard To Take The Mask Off” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #123

He could taste the salty blood as he lifted his fit but large frame from off the ropes in the corner of the ring and shake his arms about, trying to get the strength he needed to finish his opponent off. His legs felt like jelly but taking a few deep breaths while the referee held his opponent back he got a second wind and knew what he would do. Dancing around on tiptoes like a nimble gymnast he went in hard with an uppercut to the right side of the other guys face. He could tell that it was a perfect punch, it felt smooth on his glove and t...

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“Split in Two” by Tylon Pierre-Williams

Submitted to Contest #123

I was never the guy they thought i was, but i doubt anyone noticed. I went to that school due to the mere fact of distance, my old school was too far. Travelling had become a nuisance, so my mother and I decided it would be best for me to attend an institution closer to home. It was a great start in my second year of high school. Luckily a long time friend of mine from elementary, went to that school . She told everyone that i'd transferring to their school that year and she happened to be very popular, so I was welcomed with open arms. I ...

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“Thou masquerade: a performance of a lifetime” by X Rat

Submitted to Contest #123

This story contains mentions of physical and sexual violence, if said content is triggering or you do not wish to engage in it then please read another wonderful piece on this site instead. Reader discretion is advised.***To act is my only birthright; an instinct given to but creatures such as myself to survive.A gift anointed to I through hardships remains all of my power dote. An ability to shapeshift held in my measly palm. May I need to camouflage from the eyes of predators can I then contort to something more desirable to what I c...

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Write about a character who always wears a mask (physical or metaphorical).

Submissions are closed

✍️ 48 stories

“The Human under the Robe” by Brittney Hafner

“Red Tide” by Shawn Luther

“MASKING UP” by Gloria Murray

“Mask Free” by Barb Brown

“The Monster Behind The Mask” by Deanna Smith

“Paper and Blood” by Ruth Zschoche

“Clocks” by Cal Fedorick

“The Loud” by Nix ♞

“What Could Have Been” by Sruthi Putcha

“Sunny” by Esther Andrews

“Then The Jazz Crept In ” by Mack Gage

“The Masked Officer” by Michael Mackenzie

“It's Hard To Take The Mask Off” by Valerie Preston

“Split in Two” by Tylon Pierre-Williams

“Thou masquerade: a performance of a lifetime” by X Rat

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story looking down from a stage.

Begin or end your story with “Well, that was dramatic.”

Write a story about a character practising a speech in front of the mirror. What are they preparing for?

Set your story backstage at the theater.

Contest #123

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

134

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: