‘Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.’ Use the senses to transport a character back to the past.

Posted in Character on Sep 29, 2023

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✍️ 49 stories

“Lavender and Eucalyptus” by Anna T

Submitted to Contest #218

Lavender and Eucalyptus. That was the scent that my nose picked up on that chilly autumn morning. I was in the locally owned store of the small town that I just moved into for a fresh start, standing at the entrance with my son Kai’s cold hand interlinked with my own. Lavender and Eucalyptus, the scent of the candle that my mother used to make the whole house smell good when I was a kid still living at her house. Carefree from all the craziness of the world, happy to simply be. The sce...

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“Essence” by Malcolm Twigg

Submitted to Contest #218

Essence. There was no other way to describe it: it was an explosion - a revelation. The smell that had, quite literally, stopped him in his tracks this very moment was that same smell that had eluded him for 50 years but only now, in this instant, identified. Gorse! That sweet, intoxicating perfume that was almost tangible. And it only increased in intensity in the warm spring sunshine as he trudged further up the hill towards the monastery, along with the other visitors who had disembarked from the boat with him. He had never, ever, known...

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“ Order Up” by Marc Wilks

Submitted to Contest #218

Ian nearly stopped in his tracks. The odor that had just wafted over him was one he had not absorbed for nearly twenty-five years. “It can’t be ” he said to himself. Picking up his pace, Ian used his phone to search nearby seafood restaurants. Discarding the more upscale results, he focused on three establishments. Two were within five blocks of one another and relatively close to the tourist traps. The third was removed from the center of downtown by a few blocks. According to the GPS, Ian was closest to this restaurant. He smil...

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“The Ritual” by Debra Demars

Submitted to Contest #218

The sun slid steadily through the gap in the curtains. Rita yawned loudly and stretched luxuriously, arching her back and rustling the sheets. Heaving the sheets to the side of the bed, she sat up blinking. She looked at the alarm clock and hit the button before it could go off. A heavy sleeper, Rita had deliberately purchased an alarm clock that was loud, obnoxious and discordant. An actual assault on the ears. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. Cool air hitting her bare legs, a...

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‘Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.’ Use the senses to transport a character back to the past.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“Lavender and Eucalyptus” by Anna T

“Essence” by Malcolm Twigg

“ Order Up” by Marc Wilks

“The Ritual” by Debra Demars

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin a scene with a non-visual sense. Describe a specific sound, smell, taste, etc to capture your setting, then expand the story out from there.

Start the story with the absence of a sensory detail (eg. silence when there should be noise).

Write a story that begins, ends, or changes with a song played by a busker.

‘The worst meal I’ve ever tasted.’ Imagine a zero-star TripAdvisor restaurant review: capture the customer’s evening out that compelled them to complain.

Contest #218

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

333

Contest entries

97

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: