Center your story around a character who is obsessed with an object.

Posted in Character on Sep 23, 2024

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✍️ 66 stories

“Operation: Snowball” by Keith Menendez

Submitted to Contest #269

“Agent Bass, come in. Bass, can you hear me?” Special Agent Hinkle barked at me.“Loud and clear, boss. I can also smell your tuna sub.” I reply with bitterness. This is the third wild goose chase in three weeks. Stakeouts, no sleep, smelly hotels, fast food, and stuck in a 2008 Caprice Classic with Agent Tuna, is pushing me to the limit. This operation is a joke.“Keep the comments for the comedy club, Bass. Eyes on the prize.” Hinkle said“Yes, ma’am.” I attempt a respectful answer as I walk through Clevelan...

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“Dancing with Decisions” by Brian Fitzroy Kelly

Submitted to Contest #269

Richard was a guy who had it all, after his life got better from the accident. It wasn’t always so nice having a wife, two kids, even if they didn’t get straight A’s. But dang it, he had plenty of time to think of what he wanted, and got most of it. He was ruthless in most pursuits from sheer work: 16-hour days, undermining colleagues when needed. Power plays by will. He got things done. But only after figuring it out after making decisions that snowballed into paralyzing regret that physically stopped him. &nbsp...

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“The Ruby” by Logan Cheaves

Submitted to Contest #269

The Congolian jungle: Untouched by civilization for millions of years. One of the most dangerous places in the world. And dead in the center of it, lie the most dangerous creatures of them all. poisonous lizards and exotic birds scamper through the larger-than-life trees. Giant spiders the size of dinner plates set their webs along small clearings in the brush. On the jungle floor, a massive colony of giant ants make their home, millions scurrying along the wooded ground. For 10,000 different species, this was home. Suddenly, bre...

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“The Haunted Key of Lima” by Rachel Young

Submitted to Contest #269

Lila Kane shivered under the thin blankets of her bed, deliberately twirling the smooth key between her fingers. Another disagreement between her downstairs neighbors drowned out the sound of her radio. Her obsession with finding whatever her key unlocked kept her in a trance, blissfully ignoring her miserable conditions. This key—her key—consumed her thoughts. Years spent attempting to unlock the origins of her mystical companion are all that kept her sane in her dreary existence. Lila consumed every shred of information relevant to it...

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“ Sacrificial Madness” by Kev Guyton

Submitted to Contest #269

She was sick of the mediocrity that ran through her veins, sick of the failure that encapsulated her inner being. Pacing back and forth, the fiber beneath her feet imprinted her path of failure with each step. She let out a scream. “Fuck, fuck fuck.” She’s always dreamt of a life where she could stand on her own two feet, a life where she could look back at her nay-sayers and taunt them with her success, but maybe they were right. “Maybe it’s true and you don’t have what it takes?”. She couldn’t escape her thoughts, just falling deeper and d...

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“The Singing Needle” by Rachael Wu

Submitted to Contest #269

Beyond the seventh summit of the seven ranges stands an empty needlemaker’s hut. Many years ago, a poor needlemaker lived there—back bowed low from long nights bent over his workbench. He smithed by the light of a single taper, ignorant of the stars that traded places with the sun. One evening, a song floated through his window. “Good sir or serf, please let me inMy sight is gone, my eyes are dim,I’m broken shards split limb from limb;Good sir or serf, please let me in.” Outside lay a porcelain owl covered in sheathes of copper feathers and ...

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“Fires in the Sky” by Erodite Papapostolou

Submitted to Contest #269

Cody sat by the window of his psychiatric wardroom, rocking back and forth, his mind lost in the past. Ten years had passed since his life had been shattered. Since... He shook his head violently, trying to shake off the memories, but they clung to him like vines, wrapping around every corner of his mind. He remembered it as if it were yesterday: He was nine years old when he saw the strange light over the field. Without a second thought, he ran towards it, his heart pounding. As shooting stars streaked across the sky, he searched the field,...

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“Perfection” by May Vicent

Submitted to Contest #269

Perfection. I need perfection. It doesn’t sound perfect yet, but it will. It has to. It must be perfect. I reach out for my typewriter once again. I no longer feel the blisters, I only know they are there because of the blood on my fingers. It is a small price to pay for perfection. The clicking sound of the keys bring me comfort and anger all at once.I can see and feel the words in my head, but they don’t translate to the literary perfection I seek, the perfection I want to give the world. Each page I write is now worse than the one before....

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“The Little Purple Book” by Anne Athena Dura

Submitted to Contest #269

Warning: This story contains themes and mentions of childhood trauma, mental health, physical abuse and sexual violence against a minor, and self-harm. “My childhood was pretty normal,” I said to Jas, echoing the same words I’ve shared with all my past girlfriends. As I lay on her lap, she gently ran her fingers through my hair, soothing me. We were engrossed in a lively conversation, occasionally glancing at the movie playing in the background, which we had already seen. “Nothing noteworthy?” she questioned.I paused, allowing myself a mome...

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“Jell-oh” by Kristen D'angelo

Submitted to Contest #269

Words get stuck in my head. It’s like when the Barbie movie came out and suddenly people were singing “I’m a barbie girl” on loop, over and over and over again. That’s what it’s like when words get stuck in my head. They repeat until the word doesn’t even sound English anymore. If I’m lucky, it’ll stop at three times and I can get on with my day. Sometimes my brain gets cheeky and starts to throw in random accents while the word circles around a never ending drain. If I’m unlucky, which I am most of the time, my brain won’t stop at thr...

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“The Devil's Due” by Mimi Forster

Submitted to Contest #269

Maria Sozzo paid five hundred dollars for the head of the man who had killed her son.Hector was nineteen when he was shot in the back of the head with a large caliber pistol during a drug deal gone bad.In the cold, dehumanizing florescence of the coroner’s morgue, Maria identified her son’s body by the birthmark on his right shoulder and the puckered white-pink scar that ran halfway down his left side. He had burned himself playing with fireworks when he was eleven. ‘He always was a careless boy,’ she said to no one in particular, ...

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“Her Glock” by James Spurlock

Submitted to Contest #269

She thought it was ugly. But she liked it and it was what she wanted. The thing felt comfortable in her hands, yet cold and hard, and it was as black as a raisin. She knew it would have cost her over $600 if she had bought it at a local store; instead, she had bravely bought it for less than half that much on a street corner near a city-owned housing project. It weighed less than two pounds and had a four-inch barrel, small enough to be concealed in her handbag. Jayla Murphy had wanted the Glock 19 semiautomatic pistol after she saw a photo ...

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“For All Your Blending Needs” by Sydney Nyberg

Submitted to Contest #269

In the early days, back when their arguments were nothing more than petty squabbles, Adrian laughed about her morning smoothie, saying he knew she put extra ice in there the mornings after they fought. Leslie would smile coyly and admit satisfaction at knowing it woke him up, and he’d laugh and wrap her in kisses, being sure to add, a sharpness in his voice, “I’d never do that to you. Make all that noise when I know you’re trying to sleep.” And she’d pout, “I try so hard to be quiet.” He’d smile at her and say, “You’re lu...

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“That Animal Magnetism” by Donna Sims

Submitted to Contest #269

Our first encounter was magical. He took my breath away even though we briefly met. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I’d wake up at one a.m., my breathing intensified, and my heart racing. The energy between the two of us was fire. His hazel eyes held my eyes, and it captivated me. He seemed friendly and patient. How could I believe this about him? I don’t even know. I don’t even know him. But damn, the way he looked at me. In my last relationship, he was also friendly to everyone and protective of me, but could also be temper...

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“The Guardian Object” by David Dean

Submitted to Contest #269

One night in July, 2051, Lima, Peru, lay beneath a mist. The streets were empty, the air heavy with the scent of damp earth. In a quiet neighborhood, Dr. Carlos Biltong sat alone in his study, his hands trembling slightly as he perused old Nazca texts. The words written centuries ago spoke of the Eternals, and the powerful object they guarded—an object known as the Guardian object.The clock struck midnight when he felt the temperature in the room drop sharply, making his breath visible. Carlos stood, his pulse quickening. He had believed tha...

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Center your story around a character who is obsessed with an object.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Operation: Snowball” by Keith Menendez

“Dancing with Decisions” by Brian Fitzroy Kelly

“The Ruby” by Logan Cheaves

“The Haunted Key of Lima” by Rachel Young

“ Sacrificial Madness” by Kev Guyton

“The Singing Needle” by Rachael Wu

“Fires in the Sky” by Erodite Papapostolou

“Perfection” by May Vicent

“The Little Purple Book” by Anne Athena Dura

“Jell-oh” by Kristen D'angelo

“The Devil's Due” by Mimi Forster

“Her Glock” by James Spurlock

“For All Your Blending Needs” by Sydney Nyberg

“That Animal Magnetism” by Donna Sims

“The Guardian Object” by David Dean

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about an object that changed everything for a character.

Send your characters on an unforgettable quest to find an essential object.

Write a story about an ordinary object that becomes magical (either literally or figuratively).

Show how an object’s meaning can change as a character changes.

Contest #269

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

312

Contest entries

122

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: