Write a story about someone who is losing feeling in their hands and/or fingers.

Posted in Character on Aug 25, 2023

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✍️ 46 stories

“The Porcelain Village” by Jonathan Page

🏆 Winner of Contest #213

My clay hands are becoming solid porcelain. I have always had potter’s hands. The throwing water absorbs the moisturizing oils of the skin. Leaves the hands rough. The clay paste dries and cracks the skin. Leaving it red. But now my hands are hardening. In the bisque firing, my hands harden like porous greenware. The cremated carbon and sulfur escape, exhuming my soul from the earthen clay, little by little, drawing it back to its source. The soul stews out in a boiling whistle, agitating out from...

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“Touching Darkness ” by Michelle Oliver

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #213

Darkness has never terrified me. After all, it’s all I’ve ever known. My world is a vast eternity of sensation devoid of light, but rich in texture and sound and scents. I can feel you enter the room, I can hear your breath, that surprised intake you make when you first see me. I can only assume that I am somehow different from what you expected. “Mr. Jeremy Blake?” The tentative question ricochets through the room. I hide the grimace that threatens to twist my face. How absurd, as if there was any need for you to ask. How many blind men are...

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“The Kneaded Touch” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #213

The Kneaded TouchI was thirty-nine years old when I found what I want to be when I grow up.Whereas most well-adjusted children seem to have an instinct of what they aspire to, I had no idea. In my youth the only vocations for women seemed to center around teaching, nursing or secretarial careers. None of those appealed to me particularly. Of course, there was motherhood, but that was a foregone conclusion and you had to have something else that called out to you to start out with, go to college for, or end up with after the kids were grown a...

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“Faustus' Folly” by Kevin Logue

Submitted to Contest #213

Curse the lot of them! What have I ever done to deserve this?Three days hard trek up a snow packed mountain trail with naught but a two toothed yokel to guide him, and for what? Was he, Faustus Flusterbuss, not the most perfect apprentice any Mage could ask for? Had he not always seen to his duties and those of his beloved Master Arkas above all else? It had to be the fault of that blasted Ardle, and worse yet, that cherub-faced jumped-up apprentice, Jestinia. They would get their just desserts, he would make sure of it.Faustus' grip tighten...

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“TOUCH INSENSITIVE” by Sol Caine

Submitted to Contest #213

I’m losing my touch. No, it’s no joke. It started with my feet. I used to be so ticklish that I would laugh when tickling my own feet. But now, you could run a knitting needle through them and I wouldn’t flinch. It’s been a gradual process of numbness travelling through my body. The pins and needles are the first sign. Irritating and constant, I almost feel relieved when they stop - if it wasn’t for the cold hard reality that the irritation stopping was the prelude to a lack of any feeling in that area. When my private parts started to tin...

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“Feel This ” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #213

Wear clean underwear! That’s what they tell you, right? Well, at least your mom does. And why? In case you get in an accident, of course! Well, I have a little secret. Lean in close…guess what? If you’re in an accident, you really don’t care what state your underwear is in. Chances are, it will all be a mess anyway. Like the rest of you. I won’t get into details, I’ll just leave it at that. The day of my accident, I’m pretty sure I showered that morning. I think. But, it was summer so I very well could have shrugged off the sho...

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“Uncomfortably Numb” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #213

We take so much for granted. I suppose we have to. We haven’t the time to be grateful for everything we have and all that we are. We’re a sad paradox and that inherent conflict of our existence shames us. I am closely observing my hands in the autumnal light, turning them this way and that, and I am thinking of all the time I have wasted. All the things that I could have done, but didn’t bother to do. I put so many things off and in deferring, I said no to them ever happening. I place my hand on my face and I savour the moment. Tea...

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“From Numbness to Triumph” by Doerthe Dolata

Submitted to Contest #213

Lydia was a force on the volleyball court. Her life revolved around the game. She had risen through the ranks from a local enthusiast to a professional player in one of Europe's top leagues. At only 26, she felt on top of the world, and her passion for the sport burned brighter than ever. Her skills were unmatched, and she had dreams of representing her country in international competitions. But all of that was about to change. Lydia lived with her partner, Thomas, in a little cozy apartment in the heart of a bustling European city. They had...

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“The Studio” by Mary Richards

Submitted to Contest #213

The studio was quiet and dim. Grace had not turned the lights on in weeks. Her mother’s death had completely derailed her, even though it was not unexpected. Evil cancer had stolen her beautiful, talented mother from her way before her time. Her mother’s name was Lily. Everything about her suggested light and flowers. She had the magic hands of an expert potter and had instilled the love of the clay in her daughter. The studio was filled with their expert creations, shelves lined with everything from rustic mugs to fine ceramic dishes. Grac...

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“A Touch of a Hand” by Gloria Bartone

Submitted to Contest #213

I run my hands slowly over the soft indentations and ridges of the fabric held loosely in my hands, the feel of the delicate material bringing me a little bit of comfort and security. But I know, just know, it isn't going to last. The ridges that define the quilting patterns are definitely there, the quilting tiny, even and very impressive. But deep inside I know this will change, will never be the same feeling if satisfaction and delight again. My years as a quilter come back to me in a rush of emotion-- the images crowd into each other, ru...

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“PLAYED GUNNER” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #213

PLAYED GUNNER “Why don’t you tell us something of your everyday life? Your living and working conditions; life for others around you. We know your purpose, of course, but we would all love to hear about conditions generally”. The soldier, strongly built, muscles rippling beneath his waterproof lycra top, stared at the gathering, a hundred or more cave dwellers, looking upon him with a mixture of fear, awe and hatred. Two of this community, older, were doing all the talking. “I...can’t seem to move. My fingers and toes are num...

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“A Thundering Noise from Afar” by Gerald Boisvert

Submitted to Contest #213

My wife Karen and I were watching the 6:00 pm news and focused our attention on a reported tornado path just north of us that appeared to be traveling eastward across the county just north of us. Our daughter was getting ready to head up that way to see her boyfriend, and my emphatic statement to her was, “girl, you best sit your butt down and chill, cuz you ain’t goin nowhere right now til’ that dag burn twister is out of this area!” Of course, she was madder than wet kitten after a bath, but I didn’t care at that point. Kare...

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“Where Touch and Soul Meet” by David Lasaine

Submitted to Contest #213

Does one ever think of the power of touch? It is one of the senses of the human body. It’s an assumption for most that it is as basic as breathing. For some, that relationship of touch in their hands or fingers ends at those exact points. For others, those who allow the feeling to travel along the nervous system back to the neurons in the brain, face an affliction of unpredictable events. Religious institutions and spiritual traditions believe a soul exists within us. I believe it safe to say that the soul is multi-faceted, and travels in ev...

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“Orphanage kids ” by Tsion Dawit

Submitted to Contest #213

Once there were two siblings from an orphanage, but they were not normal kids.They had powers. They don't feel any pain in their hands. As they got older, they learned that they should keep their powers a secret. Then, a really nice couple came and said they wanted to adopt two kids, and they picked Daisy and Mathew. Daisy and Mathew were so happy that they finally had a real home. But soon the couple started to get meaner, and meaner. Before, they were really kind and made the kids feel welcome, but nowadays, the parents screamed at Daisy f...

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“Into The Oakwood Flesh” by Breanna Dawn

Submitted to Contest #213

Bel, short for Jezebel, was an introverted only child who preferred her own company to a crowds. As an adult she fell deeply in love with nature and you could often find her on a forest trail, hiking in her free hours. Today was no different, she blissfully hummed to herself over the singing birds and crunching leaves beneath her feet. She had walked this trail many times, so she was familiar and well conditioned for the winding trails up the mountain slope. Her friends would often ask her if her solo trips were ever fr...

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Title: The Porcelain Village

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Write a story about someone who is losing feeling in their hands and/or fingers.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 46 stories

“The Porcelain Village” by Jonathan Page

“Touching Darkness ” by Michelle Oliver

“The Kneaded Touch” by Mary Bendickson

“Faustus' Folly” by Kevin Logue

“TOUCH INSENSITIVE” by Sol Caine

“Feel This ” by Nina H

“Uncomfortably Numb” by Jed Cope

“From Numbness to Triumph” by Doerthe Dolata

“The Studio” by Mary Richards

“A Touch of a Hand” by Gloria Bartone

“PLAYED GUNNER” by Charles Corkery

“A Thundering Noise from Afar” by Gerald Boisvert

“Where Touch and Soul Meet” by David Lasaine

“Orphanage kids ” by Tsion Dawit

“Into The Oakwood Flesh” by Breanna Dawn

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character looking closely at something, or someone. They can't quite decide if what they're looking at is natural, or man-made.

Start or end your story with a character receiving a hug or words of comfort.

Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].

Write about an AI or person trying to inject a ‘human touch’ into their work.

Contest #213

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

288

Contest entries

125

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: