Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.

Posted in Character on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 252 stories

“A Flag That I Love” by Conan Helsley

Submitted to Contest #51

TW: gun violence, suicide ideation Lieutenant Daniels ordered him to put her down, to pull the goddamn trigger and drop the little bitch, but Rob couldn't do it and the lieutenant went on shouting. He heard the order clearly, even over the chop of a nearby copter lifting off, understood very well what he was supposed to do, and still his finger would not perform the task it had been made for. Everyone was running, taking cover, preparing for what had come so many times before, but she was just a child. A voice broke through the haze of his r...

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“Weep For Abel ” by Eliot T.

Submitted to Contest #51

The air hung thick with the smell of boot polish, formalities on greeting cards, and formaldehyde. The drizzle came and went, circling above the collective, reminding onlookers of their existence. A square two dozen feet gathered around the freshly clod hole in the earth as the casket was lowered. Next doors son stood straight and awkward, his expression remorseful. By him the school master, aged now, more so that he was in school. He too looked sorry."Ashes to ashes" said the preacher, his words were mute against the crashing weight of the ...

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“A very odd woman” by ISmell Sarcasm

Submitted to Contest #51

Miss Scur was a very odd woman. Everyone said so and everyone agreed, but everyone also loved her. She had moved into their little town in the middle of nowhere some years back, around a decade ago, and opened her, now beloved, bookshop. She’d always welcome people warmly and she, almost single-handedly, made children want to read more books just to have an excuse to hang out in Miss Scur’s book shop. She would somehow always have some snacks ready and would spoil the children by recommending them some books and then giving it to the...

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“Here today” by Eva Dean

Submitted to Contest #51

Ella died on Friday and Ollie moved in on Monday after that. He was an angry little boy and from the first moment on it was abundantly clear that he did not want to be looked at, touched or spoken to, especially by his father. Oh, and he refused to call him “daddy” or any such term: ”Matt-”, he only said when his father went to pick him up from the airport, ”-I do not like like you.” And that was that. It was quite a while later that it occurred to Matt, that the day of their reunion was two weeks from the second anniversary of the l...

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“There Go I” by Bill VanPatten

Submitted to Contest #51

SHE WORE BITTERNESS like it had been carved into her face by a mad sculptor. Each wrinkle, each line in her advanced crow’s feet, each gin blossom bore witness to a heart that long ago must have stopped feeling anything other than resentment. Her peppered hair was untamable and unrelenting in its greasy need to flop-flop with each lumbering step. An oversized t-shirt blared “Chukchansi Casino”, and faded blue jeans hugged her double-wide hips. For a moment, I imagined her as a homeless person—straddling the gap somewhere between menopause an...

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“Rhode Island” by Caroline Eddy

Submitted to Contest #51

“It’s suspicious as hell, Fee. Don’t tell me you don’t think it’s suspicious.” “I do, okay? I do, but the only way we’re going to get to the bottom of it is to talk to the kid. He seems eager to please.” “Uh huh. And did’ya stop to think about why that is, exactly?” “What are you trying to say, Harry?” Felix sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in the dark. They’d been circling around it for hours, through dinner and a little more getting to know you chit-chat. Felix had been left to get Henry settled in the guest bedroom a...

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“Only Slightly Melancholic” by Manu B <3

Submitted to Contest #51

I. It was past midnight. Outside her bedroom window, the sky was dark and the world had long gone to bed. But not her. She tossed and turned under her sickly humid covers. Every now and then, she’d poke her head out, to gasp for air. Then, a wave of thoughts pulled her back into the suffocating tangle of blankets. Her “haven” was a scary place at night, it seemed. Just how many nights it’d been like this, she couldn’t count. Alone in her small bedroom, the only company she had was her subconscious, which spewed...

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“A Successful, Happy Life” by Magnet Marsdaughter

Submitted to Contest #51

“I’m going to have a very successful, happy life. I have a rich and loving family. I’m pretty. I always get great grades, and when I’m older I’m going to go to college and be the president of a huge company and have a boyfriend. My name is Callie, and that is why I’m going to be successful.”“You’re going to be successful because your name is Callie?” hooted Jayden from the back of the class.“Jayden, raise your hand,” said Mrs. Donahue. “Um, very good, Callie. But perhaps a little less about yourself and more about why you’re going to be succ...

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“The Monster ” by Virginia Wanner

Submitted to Contest #51

The Monster slowly settled itself over Jessa's head, enveloping her in a thick smog like film. The stench made it difficult to breathe. Jessa tried in vain to push it off. It was heavy. Super heavy. Like carrying weights around on your shoulders all the time. Just breathing was a struggle. It was obvious that the creature was settling in for a nice long stay. Jessa felt panic clawing its way up her throat. This horrible creature was planning to suck all the life out of her. It would kill her. She knew that as surely as she knew her name was...

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“Alone No Longer” by Ranya Navarez

Submitted to Contest #51

Someday, 3010… I think I don’t typically look at the stars. Actually, I’ve hated looking at the stars for as long as I can remember. When I was young, looking at the stars meant a battle was being planned, and I hated battles and war. At first, I didn’t know why my father would look at stars to plan a battle, but then I learned who our enemy was: the Akuli. My father had to look at stars to figure out the best way to attack the military forces of a planet. Then, of course, being a child, I had the next logical q...

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“Mr. Kendall” by Diane Young

Submitted to Contest #51

“Mrs. Campbell, is it all right if I go out for a bite to eat before everyone starts to arrive?” I smile at my assistant’s formality and then, once again remind myself of the three decades difference in our ages. “Go ahead, Kristen … I’m sorry, not only have I been working you to the bone but I’ve also been starving you to death!” Once alone, I enjoy the complete silence in the gallery, knowing that within an hour it will be bustling with art patrons as well as the media for the opening of my retrospective art show. I am e...

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“Pieces Before the Sign” by K.C. Dunford

Submitted to Contest #51

Trigger warning: depictions of rape Piece Number One: Three stops before the sign. There were four sheep standing in the road. Of course there were four. Allyson had woken up at 4:00 this morning even though she hadn’t planned to leave until 6. When she had gassed up her car, the total had been $44.40. Then of course, there were four containers sitting in her backseat: three shoe boxes and a mason jar. She honked her horn. Three of the sheep moved along, but the last one lingered in the road. She stared at it for a moment....

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“The Ghosts Outside the Train.” by Ashley Beeby

Submitted to Contest #51

Amber watched the water wriggling indecisively along the glass, swallowing more water as it traveled backward with the force of the wind outside. It was erratic like a wagging tail or a zig-zag. Not quite as erratic as herself, she mused as she pried her eyes away from the water and instead looked through the glass to see the landscape gently touched by the morning sun. The grassy hills almost shone gold as the sun touched the fine layer of water that covered the world, including the train she rode that barreled through the country-side. Squ...

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“Miracle In The Flesh” by Ashley Ross

Submitted to Contest #51

((TW: the story contains domestic abuse and sexual assualt)) Lacey was a sharp woman in her mid twenties. Up until now, she felt like her life had been meaningless and futile. Not many experiences she could recall were positive ones. She sat at her desk, racking her brains for words that wouldn't come. No matter how hard she tried to make headway with her novel she just couldn't manage to make any significant progress. How was she supposed to put the words together for her story to make sense when she couldnt even straighten out the things h...

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“Until we meet again” by Spirited Wings

Submitted to Contest #51

The dormitory is smouldering, the heat engulfing the air. All I can see is smoke, as I hide under the bed. But I have to save him. I can hear the screams of my infant brother from the attic downstairs. “Jack!!!” I holler. Images whirr in my head, horror dancing in front of my eyes. The other children and the mistress. Gone. I want to believe that this is a dream. But the taste of death is too real to be unreal. I dodge white-hot flames that dance on the banister of the stairs. I quicken my speed, descending to my brother’s room. I crash...

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Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 252 stories

“A Flag That I Love” by Conan Helsley

“Weep For Abel ” by Eliot T.

“A very odd woman” by ISmell Sarcasm

“Here today” by Eva Dean

“There Go I” by Bill VanPatten

“Rhode Island” by Caroline Eddy

“Only Slightly Melancholic” by Manu B <3

“A Successful, Happy Life” by Magnet Marsdaughter

“The Monster ” by Virginia Wanner

“Alone No Longer” by Ranya Navarez

“Mr. Kendall” by Diane Young

“Pieces Before the Sign” by K.C. Dunford

“The Ghosts Outside the Train.” by Ashley Beeby

“Miracle In The Flesh” by Ashley Ross

“Until we meet again” by Spirited Wings

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end.

Write about someone who returns as an adult to a place they last visited as a child.

Contest #51

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

1248

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: