Write a story about a character who finds a childhood toy that brings back memories.

Posted in Character on Jul 21, 2023

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✍️ 70 stories

“Memories in the Attic” by Hannah Austin

Submitted to Contest #208

The attic was stuffy, and Lea could feel the dust in the air with every breath making her mouth dry and throat scratchy. “I really hope we aren’t breathing in asbestos.” “I told you we should’ve worn the face masks,” Lea’s cousin Carol turned, fixing Lea with an I-told-you-so look. “Yeah, you were right. I just needed to get out of that room.” The whole family was together downstairs dressed in black; the welcoming, loving atmosphere that Lea was used to being greeted with when she’d come to visit had been replaced with a col...

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“Lost and Found” by Rose Belle

Submitted to Contest #208

Why do I have to be the one to take lunch to the captain? Sadie groaned, mentally glaring at the first mate in her head. Is this part of hazing the newbie or just outright being mean? The wooden floors creaked as she made her way to the captain’s quarters. She stole a glance over the railing. Though the occasional cloud blocked her view, the overwhelming size of the ocean could not be hidden. It wouldn’t be much longer until they settled into the water to give the dragons a needed break (and a chance to refuel). The crew scrambled around as...

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“Hello Brownie Old Friend” by Sarah Korn

Submitted to Contest #208

Brownie is her bear. His name is Brownie because when she got him, she was munching on stale brownie brittle and the crumbs got all over his soft, brown nose. It was love at first sight, since that day Brownie and her were inseparable. They would do everything together from going to swim class and accidentally dropping him into the pool to the grocery store where they would get to ride in one of those cool shopping carts that look like a toy car. In the summer they would sit down on the porch and she would get a strawberry ice cream cone tha...

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“Strawberry-Scented Sunshine ” by Alissa Williams

Submitted to Contest #208

There is a chest shoved beneath my bed that is filled with memories; scribbled crayon drawings done with smaller, clumsier hands, old assignments marked with now-peeling star stickers, even a handful of essays kept because, in my mother's words: "Throwing them away after all that hard work would be kind of a waste, wouldn't it?" I am visiting home for the first time since leaving for college when I decide to heave the chest out from its hiding place. The first thing I notice when I am actually looking at it is that it is far sm...

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“Grief” by Bakhtawar B

Submitted to Contest #208

Mama, I found my old butterfly hairclip you had gifted me on my eleventh birthday, and it took me back to the old days. Papa used to count our blessings on prayer beads at 4am, while you slept the heavy sleep that comes with two 5 mg melatonin gummies. At 6 am, I would stand in front of your door and watch you doze. You snored a little, but none of us ever told you. The fan was loud in the room, and a strand of your hair covered your face. At exactly 6.15 am you would rouse yourself from your deep sleep. Sometimes, you would spot me and s...

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“A Childhood Story” by Lancia Stewart

Submitted to Contest #208

The rain was pouring down. The rain droplets fell so hard that they beat my eye lids like percussionist sympathy. You see, one thing about beatings was whether it was just rain or life, as bad as they hurt, it made you very hesitant not to make that mistake again. In some instances, you learn, which leads you to these moments like this, me standing here, as the lighting Boltz dance crossed the sky. It took me back to my childhood, dancing around amongst the vast rows of corn fields. They stretched out as far as the eyes could see. I think I ...

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“His Love Letter” by Kathleen Spencer

Submitted to Contest #208

The alarm clock displayed 1:11. Maggie was startled awake by the thunder and lightning striking outside her window. “Not again…” she moaned. Reaching for the lamp on her nightstand next to her bed, she turned it on, but nothing happened. Climbing out of bed, she slipped into her warm pink slippers. Grabbing her white terry cloth robe wrapping herself up in it, she stumbled in the dark, almost falling over Sam to flip the light switch on the wall, but there was still no light. Meowing his disapproval, Sam ran away i...

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“Go Fish” by Sarah Bryan

Submitted to Contest #208

Trigger - Childhood Abuse is 'suggested' Go Fish It was 2.30 pm and rain was coming down heavily for a mid-July afternoon. The drops pelt on the attic walls with such venom it makes Greg shudder as she completes the ladder and closes the hatch. It must have been 18 years since she had even stepped foot up here. “Achuuuuu”, Greg’s eyes fill up as the sneeze escapes her. The crack of sunlight creeps through the clouds and into the small window piercing the atmosphere, the sun becomes a spotlight for the dust circulating the air ...

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“The Attic” by Rf F

Submitted to Contest #208

It was a long time since Dave and his dad had gone into Dave’s grandma’s attic. The last time Dave went up there he was young enough to believe the lies his older brother told him, like there was a ghost living in his grandma’s attic. That one really scared him. He didn’t dare go in her attic for years after that, but now he’d long grown out of those silly fears. He was now old enough to help his dad with groceries. And that meant it was time to go to grandma’s house, which meant going to the attic again. Climbing up the stairs, Dave f...

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“My name is Caitlín” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

Submitted to Contest #208

My name is Caitlín. I keep a lot of secrets. But I won't tell them.In elementary school, we were taught the traditional seanfhocail that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". I always wondered who came up with that phrase, and more specifically, why. Was it to comfort themselves? I never did care to further delve into its origin because, to begin with, I never did care about it. It was by far the stupidest, most untruthful proverb I had learned. I can envision how this age-old mantra might become a refuge for t...

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“Slot Car” by Brandon Chapman

Submitted to Contest #208

My feet felt as if they’d been cast in concrete. I stood motionless at the end of the walkway that lead to my family home. “Honey? Your mom is waiting inside.” “I’ll be right there.” My wife looked good in black. Her long black hair and thick lashes, the way her tan skin looked smooth against the dark fabric. I watched her walk in, and peak at me as she closed the door. She was worried. I could always tell. I didn’t want to go in. I didn’t want it to be true so I stayed looking toward the white brick house. I remember how we used to pl...

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“Mr. Montgomery, The Monkey.” by Alannah Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #208

Everything my mother had ever owned was packed neatly into twenty-seven cardboard boxes with room to spare. I was numb to noise, conversation and all of the movement around me, because I was transfixed with the twenty-seven little brown boxes that were being removed from her apartment, one by one. As my husband, my teary-eyed Aunt Helen, and her three-legged dog made their way from hallway to car - the dog more front door to the pavement, given its mobility - I remained lifeless on the couch. I woke from my trance to John gently shaking my s...

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“In the Closet” by Stevie Burden

Submitted to Contest #208

In the ClosetStevie Stephens BurdenJuly 21, 2023It’s gloomy and rainy on the coast of Oregon, despite being mid-summer. I’ve decided to make use of the forced indoor day by organizing the huge walk-in closet in my guest room. Most people have a junk drawer but me, me, I have a junk closet, a big closet. Jam packed with everything that I haven’t wanted to find a place for or get rid of, lives in there.I pour a cup of coffee and head upstairs to the closet. Opening the double doors wide and looking at the amazing amount of accumulation is a bi...

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“The House of Empty Memories” by Abby Maskell

Submitted to Contest #208

TW: Implied childhood trauma and parental neglect.Claudia stamped her feet, trying to rid herself from the cold of the frostbitten air. Her hands were shoved deep within the pockets of her coat as she waited for the agent to unlock the front door of the old weatherbeaten house. She wished she'd thought to bring her gloves and scarf."Place looks pretty abandoned." The agent tried at small talk while he jiggled the lock."Uh-huh." She didn't need to look over the rotting planks of the veranda, the cobwebbed windows to know that the house was in...

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“Raggy Maggy” by Chido Victoria Manyande

Submitted to Contest #208

“Mom, please teach me how to knit,” said Faith one rainy summer afternoon. Grace gasped as her heart skipped a beat. Lately, her daughter had avoided the basement workshop like the plague, their current cold war had lasted considerably longer than the teenager’s pre- and peri-menstrual days. Come to think of it, this one has lasted the whole bloody cycle, and counting. “Is your iPad broken?” she asked without looking at her. “No, it’s working perfectly.” “Is the Wi-Fi on?” “Yes, it is mom.” I know you did NOT just roll your ...

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Write a story about a character who finds a childhood toy that brings back memories.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 70 stories

“Memories in the Attic” by Hannah Austin

“Lost and Found” by Rose Belle

“Hello Brownie Old Friend” by Sarah Korn

“Strawberry-Scented Sunshine ” by Alissa Williams

“Grief” by Bakhtawar B

“A Childhood Story” by Lancia Stewart

“His Love Letter” by Kathleen Spencer

“Go Fish” by Sarah Bryan

“The Attic” by Rf F

“My name is Caitlín” by Maria Esther Vilar Alvarez

“Slot Car” by Brandon Chapman

“Mr. Montgomery, The Monkey.” by Alannah Kennedy

“In the Closet” by Stevie Burden

“The House of Empty Memories” by Abby Maskell

“Raggy Maggy” by Chido Victoria Manyande

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone living vicariously through someone else.

Write a story where the characters start to realize that they are, in fact, just characters.

Write a story about someone who is constantly being put into a box by others.

Set your story in a rosy-pink world where everything is rainbows and unicorns… until it isn’t.

Contest #208

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

238

Contest entries

85

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: