A character finds a clue or object linking them to a stranger.

Posted in Character on Oct 4, 2024

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✍️ 59 stories

“The Magical Misfire” by Daniel P. Douglas

Submitted to Contest #271

The Magical MisfireBy Daniel P. Douglas Episode 1: Finnegan and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Magical Day ‘Sup, fellow muggles and meme lords! Gather ‘round for a tale that’s more twisted than your average TikTok algorithm. Our story drops into Enchantium, a city so magical it makes Hogwarts look like a Walmart clearance bin. Enter Finnegan Fizzlebottom, our protagonist and walking disaster. Picture if you will, a wizard whose wand work is about as smooth as dial-up internet. This dude’s got more eagerness than a puppy on espresso an...

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“The Old Homestead” by Doug Pickard

Submitted to Contest #271

“You know … we could so easily just turn left at these lights and head home, right?” She said these words laced with the slightest edge of humor. Olivia stared down at her freshly acquired Starbucks coffee that was gently squeezed between her legs. “I mean we could be home in just over an hour and still have time for you to watch your game…” Her husband furrowed his brows as he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Honey!” Nate said in that tone that drove Olivia nuts. “This will be fun, I...

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“The Heirloom” by W B

Submitted to Contest #271

“Would you like one?” Jos was sat on the wiry green bench, his little legs swinging back and forth, when he heard the voice. A small girl was standing outside the bakery opposite. He could just about see her small, pointed face above a mountain of fluffy cinnamon buns. Her eyes were an opalescent brown, sparkling with flecks of gold. “Hello? Would you like one? They’re about to go bad.” He spotted his nanny exiting the shop next door and hopped off the bench. “Maybe next time!” He grinned. Despite her predilection for baked goods, and frankl...

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“What if things were different?” by Bailey Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #271

Maeve rubbed her eyes as the morning light from the window began to stream in signalling dawn had broken. This time of year dawn broke at 6:30, the perfect time to wake up and start her day. Spring was awakening after a cold, long winter and the earlier morning light was a sign of good things to come. She didn’t like waking up much later than that and the winter months forced her to set an alarm. Twice a year she had the perfect sunshine alarm clock and today she sat up, hair a mess a smile plastered on her face. Conor rolled over reaching h...

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“Who Saved Me?” by Carolyn Fenzl

Submitted to Contest #271

As I came to, I was aware of a pain in my arm and looked down to see an IV taped to the skin, just where my arm would normally bend at the elbow. I blinked in the harsh fluorescent light, becoming aware that I was lying in a hospital bed. I looked around the room and noticed my clothing flung over a chair beside the gurney I lay on. Droplets of water were hitting the floor under them. Water. The flood. The sirens in town had blared just before the dam cracked under the pressure from days of rain. The hurricane had been merciless to the old f...

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“J. Weissman” by Matthew Henry

Submitted to Contest #271

Abe was several blocks away from the Art Deco theater on the Upper East Side where he had taken in that evening’s entertainment when he reached into his coat pocket to warm his hands and was surprised to feel a slip of paper brush against his fingertips. He was normally very particular about cleaning out his pockets and could have sworn he had just had the coat dry cleaned. Pinching the paper between his thumb and index finger, he pulled it out and held it up in the dim streetlight. It was lavender, though perhaps it had once been a darker h...

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“A Genie in the Bookstore” by Jocelyn Ni

Submitted to Contest #271

The most common injury in a bookstore is a paper cut. Kaiza recognizes such an instance not by the series of sounds that follow—the yelp of pain, a book thudding on the ground, and perchance, multiple muttered expletives—but by the tang of iron, striking against his nostrils. Kaiza sets down his quill, raising his head from where he hunched over his scattered countertop.“Miss, are you alright?” he calls out.“Yes! Perfectly alright,” a woman’s voice returns, clear without a hint of distress.Kaiza steps around stacks of books to reach the main...

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“Silverware” by Joshua Solanke

Submitted to Contest #271

The fork swung to and fro, dangling from the chain that hung around her neck. Ava eyed the necklace, two tables away. She’s lost in her date’s eyes, good. Still no dancing though, and they look way too comfy. Hmm, change of plans. Maybe a trip to the bathroom will suffice. Ava sent three more drinks over. Each of them sent the pair’s eyes swarming around in search of their anonymous benefactor. In time, the moment Ava patiently awaited arrived. She bolted to the bathroom the moment the woman stood. Crap. How do I do this? I can’t let her go,...

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“Portrait of Tokens to a Past” by Bill Yeagle

Submitted to Contest #271

The cabin is cold as I hurriedly dress for the trip out to the little house. Back inside, the damper opened, split wood stoked, flame blown back to life; I leave the stove door open to cast light across the floor. Water drawn, I dipped and poured from bucket to basin, from cupped hands to face, and as I reach over for the towel, I notice the mirror. The portrait in the mirror of the cabin scene behind me is a panorama of tokens of the memories of this place. As I dry the face of me centered in the reflection, the scene reminds me of my work ...

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“Good things take time” by Jovana Grujić

Submitted to Contest #271

London, outside of Heathrow Airport, Notes App, 8 AM: "Gentle smile of fate opens up my eyeAs the clock was set up to this day and timeI have launched a shooting star by following my heartGoosebumps on my forearm whisper:"Once lost is now found." EXIT the app, and LOCK the screen. "Time to get inside...Oh, I should check once again if I have everything with me," Josh excitedly mumbled to himself. He performed a quick check-up and happily concluded that everything was in perfect order. His plane will take off at 11 AM, so he has enough time f...

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“The Reef at Monocle Point” by Emily Blake

Submitted to Contest #271

The ocean is a rather unforgiving place. Below its surface, predators stalk their prey - their methods in the hunt growing more grotesque the deeper one explores. Take the Anglerfish: its luminescent fin ray lures unsuspecting souls to their deaths, allowing it to minimize its efforts in the dark Below. While, closer to the surface, the Great White Shark uses sheer brute strength and speed to claim its crown as Apex.On the surface, the waves thrashed and the swells build to a crescendo, rocking any vessel who dare interfere with its constant...

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“Ma's Scrapbooks” by Dane Yarter

Submitted to Contest #271

Ma passed away last week. It doesn’t feel real… She was always there for me my whole damn life, a single mother doing the best she could, and now she’s just… not. I know it's not my fault, but I can't help but think about how things could've been different if she didn't have to raise me all on her own. Now I’m in her house, going through her things to find out what to keep and what to toss, and every item is like a closed fist to the gut. Especially the photos. Ma loved to take photos whenever she spent time with anyone, and made what amount...

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“Surely Not. But…” by Matilda Lockwood

Submitted to Contest #271

Evelyn Thornton had made a promise to herself—she would not buy more antiques this month. Her flat was already bursting at the seams, the shelves filled with vintage pieces, decorated with a theme she referred to as artful disarray. But as she stood outside a darling little antique shop tucked between a bakery and a florist, that promise felt as fragile as one of the very pieces she swore she wouldn’t buy. The moment she crossed the threshold, her resolve shattered into a thousand tiny, glittering pieces. The moment Evelyn stepped inside, ...

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“The Note” by Mark Snoad

Submitted to Contest #271

“You never know what you’ll miss until it’s gone,” my Nana Rose used to say. And it’s true, even if it took me a few days to realise what was missing. I just had a nagging sense that something wasn’t right, like when a spice jar is missing from its place in the rack. Yes, I like things to be orderly. “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Another Nana Rose saying.My flatmates tease me about being a Monica, referring to the character from Friends. But I see it as a compliment, I loved Monica. Anyway, my feeling of unease linger...

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“Lost & Found” by Taylor Hilgart

Submitted to Contest #271

She found the first golf ball years ago on a walk with her mother and the dogs. It was not hidden in the treeline under leaves and brush like the many balls she would find a decade later, when she resumed the walks after her mother and both dogs were gone. It was sitting in the grass in their direct path as they approached, clean white and brand new. She did not play but pocketed it anyway. There was a gap through the trees not far ahead that connected to the course. “You could toss it back for them,” her mother suggested. But it was l...

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A character finds a clue or object linking them to a stranger.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 59 stories

“The Magical Misfire” by Daniel P. Douglas

“The Old Homestead” by Doug Pickard

“The Heirloom” by W B

“What if things were different?” by Bailey Kennedy

“Who Saved Me?” by Carolyn Fenzl

“J. Weissman” by Matthew Henry

“A Genie in the Bookstore” by Jocelyn Ni

“Silverware” by Joshua Solanke

“Portrait of Tokens to a Past” by Bill Yeagle

“Good things take time” by Jovana Grujić

“The Reef at Monocle Point” by Emily Blake

“Ma's Scrapbooks” by Dane Yarter

“Surely Not. But…” by Matilda Lockwood

“The Note” by Mark Snoad

“Lost & Found” by Taylor Hilgart

🌟 Similar prompts

A character crosses paths with a stranger who looks eerily familiar.

A chance encounter brings together two old friends who have changed in surprising or strange ways.

Write a story that includes the line “Have we met before?”

Two strangers discover they have a hidden connection that alters their understanding of each other and themselves.

Contest #271

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

389

Contest entries

137

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: