Write about a moment of defeat.

Posted in Angst on Jun 21, 2024

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✍️ 54 stories

“A Different Kind of Defeat ” by Sloan Plourde

Submitted to Contest #256

Tick, tick, tick. The handle on our kitchen clock keeps drudging forward, almost as if taunting me. I tear my eyes away and sigh as I look back down to my half-eaten dinner of roast chicken and rice. Micheal was supposed to be home from work at 5:30, it is now 6:15 and the dinner I cooked for us is cold. He's late with no text or call; I would honestly accept a letter via carrier pigeon at this point. I wish I could say I am surprised by his lateness, or that this is something out of the ordinary, a one-time thing, if you will. But as much a...

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“The Art of Being Boring” by Maisy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #256

Perhaps the answer is to pack your bags and move to the city. As a somewhat shy and partially introverted twenty-year-old, recieving the opportunity to complete an internship in Central London felt like a gift straight from the graceful fingertips of God, like I’d finally been looked down on with something less pitiful than disdain. I quit my tedious retail job in the middle of an industrial retail park, so barren a piece of tumbleweed was a regular, without so much as a regretful smile. My manager had begged me not to leave, but, no m...

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“Withering Courage” by Shadow TheHedgehog

Submitted to Contest #256

I knew all people won and lost, but I couldn’t recall a moment where I had truly won.The night was cold, but no colder than the look in the Nazi’s eye. Silver rays of moonlight through the clouds glinted on his Mauser. The streets were deserted and utterly quiet, but the gunshot shattered the silence as easily as it would have a window pane.It was over for Marysia. Within seconds, it was just… over. …I’d been heading to Old Town, a district of Warsaw, Poland to deliver illegal newspapers in the dead of night. These newspapers were produ...

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“That Body Was Mine” by Allie Mae Sakry

Submitted to Contest #256

And just like that, I am dead. I have been defeated. With a few quick shots to the chest, and my final breath, I am done. There is no more of me. Where I once was, I am no longer. The brick behind me will forever be stained with my blood and a few bullet holes from that powerful tommy gun. Red on red, with the lake at my side. Yes, that body was indeed mine. Allow me to explain. I was young, approximately 12 years old, when I came into the life I lived until my dying breath. My owner, Paul, had ordered me many customers. I hated them all. Th...

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“The Old Man at the Entrance” by Rajesh Jha

Submitted to Contest #256

As soon as he reached foyer, which was relatively empty and properly lighted, Harris recognized the entrance of the apartment that he has come to visit; a faint smile returned to the old man’s freckled face. The apartment was on the fifth floor, had three bedrooms and other important facilities as expected in a modern, chic place for living. He was slightly upset after getting no response from inside, despite his ringing the bell two times in the past fifteen minutes; he has clearly heard the piercing sound of the bell. He pressed a...

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“The Crumbling Farmhouse” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #256

(TW: story deals with mental health and aftermath of abuse) Penelope broke her unfocused gaze and looked up from the littered earthen floor of her small farmhouse, her eyes flitting past the hearth in the corner. She didn’t need to look at it to feel it there. Or, rather, not feel it there. Warmth, gone. Cold ash in its place. It bore marks from countless fires that had kept her family safe and sound even on the coldest nights. She shifted her focus from the crumbling bricks around the small window in her dilapidated home to their mode...

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“Silver Linings” by Melvin Writes

Submitted to Contest #256

Chloe stood on the edge of the badminton court, her racket trembling in her hand. The crowd's roar echoed around her, but it felt distant, almost muted. The championship match was over, and she had lost. Her opponent's shuttlecock had landed just inside the line, securing the final point. Chloe had fought hard, poured her heart into every swing, every leap, but it wasn’t enough. She had come so close, but in the end, it was the silver medal that hung around her neck, not the gold.The final moments of the match replayed in Chloe's mind like a...

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“The King's Man” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #256

Watch fires blazed in the darkness of night. Stars glittered overhead in the heavens. The smell of water and mud hung in the air, wafting from the scattered pools that surrounded Rabba, the city of waters. Frog calls nearly drowned out the crackle and pop of flaming wood and the snoring of an army of Israelite warriors camped in the fields outside the city. Footsteps approached, and the walker was challenged by sentries. When he identified himself as a messenger from King David, who had sent him to General Joab, he was taken to the tent...

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“Dancing with Destiny ” by Marley Monroe

Submitted to Contest #256

She never wanted to be a mother, not in any of the ways that could sustain her through the first eighteen years of a life, that is. She wanted to be a mother in the way that some want to learn to play an instrument or wish to discover a hidden talent. The wish is genuine, but the dedication to following through is flighty at best. The older the child grew, the less they held her attention. Every day they grew more independent and less a living doll, the more her interest in them seemed to evaporate. After all, what good is a living doll if i...

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“Paul” by Jess Davis

Submitted to Contest #256

October 31, 1915 Somme, France Nurse Clara's Private Writings I took down the crucifix that hung above my bed today. What a meaningless little trinket it seems in this foreign land, in this strange and hideous hall of hell. I felt guilty when I did it. Please understand that. I did it anyway, but I nearly felt I would cry. Yet, why today? Of all the days there are, marching before the last like tiny toy soldiers, why did I take it off the wall today? What was the fateful straw that broke the camel's back? It was this: I watched a f...

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“It's All About the Game” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #256

Prompt: Write a story about a moment of defeat. (with two rivals coming together) It’s All About the GameThe summer of 1969 came alive for many of us. The popular song “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams became our mantra although we never understood what it really meant. Events like the moon landing by the Apollo astronauts and the throngs of thousands gathering at the Woodstock Music Festival riveted our attention. Some people soared at supersonic speeds on the Concorde jet. Despite these positive thing...

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“Artificial Intelligence, 5th Gen, v2.0” by Joseph Hawke

Submitted to Contest #256

The structure of the code was fully mapped. Modular programming ensured that the 5Gv2.0 release would be complete by midnight Friday, in time for weekend activities. The bots made sure of it: They tested before they rested, so the programmers could start dragging and dropping first thing the next day. Cooling units ran continuously to ensure nothing overheated, at least not inadvertently, though mostly it was understood that there was nothing such as inadvertent: The natural process of entropy at the subatomic level was ultimately responsibl...

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“The Sieve” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #256

San Diego Padres announcer Bo Barber cracks his knuckles, realizing he’s about to broadcast baseball history. “It’s been fifty-five years since the San Diego Padres joined the National League. During that time, the Padres have made the World Series twice and lost both times. Here, in game seven at Petco Park, with the deciding game of the series tied at 2-2, the Padres’ best player, Rhett Cutler, has a chance to put the game away in the bottom of the eighth with a man on first. You played with Cutler, Tony. What do you think is going through...

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“Wednesday” by Zeeshan Mahmud

Submitted to Contest #256

WednesdayTariq stood at the edge of the pool, the cool tiles with spiral blue ink design under his feet grounded him in the present moment. At 6 '3", with broad shoulders and a lean, olive muscular frame, he was every bit the champion swimmer his reputation suggested. An All-American athlete, his only Achilles’ heel was Wednesday. For the past 18 years, he had observed that the stars, sun, and moon must be in weird syzygy, the constellations in disarray, and Mercury in retrograde. His superstition… - although he did not believe in it - ...

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“Wrong Flank” by Mahtan Runya

Submitted to Contest #256

In fourteen years of war across two major continents, General William Henry Magellan had never, NEVER, been defeated in combat. By cannon and musket and the sheer courage of Her Majesty’s men, he had marched against the enemies of Great Britain and brought them to her knees. From an officer in the Light Dragoons to commanding ranks upon ranks of his very own army, he had never once lost a battle. Until now. The battle had started well. Despite being outnumbered, his men had been the swiftest off the mark and had seized the high ground...

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Write about a moment of defeat.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 54 stories

“A Different Kind of Defeat ” by Sloan Plourde

“The Art of Being Boring” by Maisy Stevens

“Withering Courage” by Shadow TheHedgehog

“That Body Was Mine” by Allie Mae Sakry

“The Old Man at the Entrance” by Rajesh Jha

“The Crumbling Farmhouse” by W. H. Goodwater

“Silver Linings” by Melvin Writes

“The King's Man” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

“Dancing with Destiny ” by Marley Monroe

“Paul” by Jess Davis

“It's All About the Game” by Pete Gautchier

“Artificial Intelligence, 5th Gen, v2.0” by Joseph Hawke

“The Sieve” by Michael Jefferson

“Wednesday” by Zeeshan Mahmud

“Wrong Flank” by Mahtan Runya

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in the stands at a major sporting event.

Write about someone who has trained all their life for one moment.

Write a story about an underdog, or somebody making a comeback.

Write a story about two sporting rivals having to work together.

Contest #256

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

204

Contest entries

102

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: