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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story in which a character achieves a new level of clarity about how they’re really feeling.

Posted in Character on Dec 22, 2023

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 56 stories

“Why Bother...” by Kevin Marlow

Submitted to Contest #230

“Those bastards and bitches are so delusional they would ride their horse out of town hitched to the latest TikTok snake oil salesman's circus wagon.”I am already sick of all the glad-handing pukes on Facebook congratulating me for what I haven't even accomplished yet. What? Vomiting a bunch of words onto a page and breaking my arm patting myself on the back? I'm garbage, it's garbage. When I hand a friend a chapter of my manuscript, edited and printed with over-priced ink, they give me a bored look and eye roll pretending to read for a few ...

18 comments 18
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“Donna Makes the Grade” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #230

What would Donna do?Victor Herrera, the Business Department Chair, laughed, and said, “Wow. A 33% failure rate.” He flashed a shit-eating grin at me and leered, waiting for validation that was never going to come.“What is that,” I said, playing dumb and buying time. I had strolled into Victor’s office to brag about how I had finished grading all of my students’ finals and how well they had done. Talk about taking the wind out of my sails. Sheesh. Victor was off the damn reservation. Holy hell. He was nearly at the County Line.“Beth Michelle ...

8 comments 8
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“Sensation” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #230

Dr. Adrela says it happens to everyone.“We’ve forgotten how to feel with our bodies. We get stuck in our heads, and we try to rationalize all of our feelings. Our brain is a wonderful resource, but we are overusing ours, especially when it comes to this. It can lead to problems…”Dr. Adrela says we’ve become over-domesticated, that we’ve lost our connection to our animalistic nature. “Do you think animals in the wild are depressed? Of course not! There’s no time for depression when you are hunting for food, fighting for your life, fucking, or...

19 comments 19
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“1898 - The Lighthouse Beacon and the Baby Owl ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #230

Elsie watched her older brothers, Edward and Samuel, who were smiling while they held their spelling bee awards and stood at the front of the one-room schoolhouse. The pale winter sun came through the window and washed the room in a soft light.Heat came from the wood-burning warming stove, and the little wooden schoolhouse was cozy and toasty despite the December weather. The students could hear the rushing sound of the nearby creek flowing over the rocks. The air smelled salty from the sea, mixed with a fragrance of fir trees.Elsie smi...

8 comments 8
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“A Start” by Kristina Adams Waldorf

Submitted to Contest #230

The walk to the social work office led me down a long hallway lined with medical assistants and physicians coming in and out of exam rooms. A bustling hive of activity that I normally thrived on. Typically, I would greet several people with a smile and quick exchange of words even when I was walking at a fast clip. Not today. My peripheral vision was fading, and my usual smiling face was ashen. Uncharacteristically, I kept my head down as I walked down the hallway. The tears were already welling up and I didn’t want the medical assistants ...

9 comments 9
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“Safety Off” by Ben LeBlanc

Submitted to Contest #230

Mark was on the way to history class when it happened. As the four notes of the fourth period bell sounded over the PA system, the halls of Pioneer Valley Public School came alive with the bustle of students migrating between classes; the squeak of sneakered feet on linoleum, frenzied chatter, the random prepubertal yell or feminine squeal. Mark sighed, and the low-grade anxiety began to flutter back into his chest. He hated crowds. To him, people were merely obstacles to get around, beings whose continued existence held only the p...

2 comments 2
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“When Opposites Attract” by Mikayah Parsons

Submitted to Contest #230

I. “Your favorite novel is Lolita?” I don't miss the way her lips tug down disdainfully.  I shrug, speaking around the lollipop in my mouth. “One of many.”  “Right.” The look in her eyes tells me she doesn’t believe me, and it sets me on edge. As a matter of fact, everything about this posh, preppy princess of a girl makes me want to gouge my own eyes out with a soup spoon. She rolls her lip under her teeth before speaking. “Have you ever been down to the lake?” I roll my eyes because everyone has been down to the lake, but h...

2 comments 2
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“White As Snow” by Keith Menendez

Submitted to Contest #230

Mario marched to his room and stood in the doorway. Sandy followed. The ladies tiptoed down the hallway to eavesdrop. He said, “Sandy, how many closets are in this room? Now, look at the placement of the closets. Where are they?”  Sandy looked intently at the wall. “Three. One is at a forty-five degree angle on the left. The next two are parallel to each other on a flat wall.” Mario pointed. “On the right side, the wall again changes to another forty-five degree angle.” “I’m getting a headache.” Sandra complained and caressed ...

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“A New Level of Clarity and COURAGE” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #230

The first day of school is just loaded with emotion, joy to see friends that weren’t around all summer, curiosity about the couple of new kids in the class. Stanley and his classmates entering Junior High were now in a completely new building, meeting new teachers they’d never seen before, and would soon be taking on new classes that generated anxiety for all. Stanley quickly connected with his two best buddies, Mike and Harry. They were thrilled to have the same schedule, they would have lockers close together, and would star...

2 comments 2
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“Ballygilmore” by Raymond Derouin

Submitted to Contest #230

                                            Ballygilmore "There's no reason for optimism." That's what Donald told me when I asked him where our relationship was headed. His rejoinder won him a gold star for honesty and me an empty apartment. Thus ended seventeen months of sharing my bed and meager budget with a wannabe ac...

7 comments 7
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“The Widow” by Elizabeth Sloughter

Submitted to Contest #230

       I didn’t expect to see him here.              I fumble awkwardly with the buttons on my sweater. I’m wearing a pale silver cashmere cardigan with Swarovski crystals. I’d considered wearing black; what is the rule in the South? How long does a widow wear black?              My daughter forced me to come here, back to the home of her fond childhood memories, her grandparents...

4 comments 4
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“My Portrait: Why John “Ono” Lennon” by Ashi Olshan

Submitted to Contest #230

”The only truth you have is your own experience.”- John Ono Lennon.As a loving fan of John's and loving him as my contemporary artistic mentor in the 1960s to 1970s, I had hopes of some day getting to meet him - but not as some star struck fan, but rather as an accomplished sculpting artist in my own right; I had envisioned myself becoming the next Rodin.One night during the last week of November, 1980, I had the following profound dream. It left me touched and taught me something I have never forgotten. In the dream I was actually in J...

1 comment 1
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“Twenty Questions” by Clark Redmond

Submitted to Contest #230

Twenty Questions The obligation of visiting my father on a Sunday and him taking me in for the day always came to an end around seven. The return journey was often executed two hours later when my father finally decides to take me home on his own accord. I’d like to believe that he did this to spend more time with me whilst knowing that it was mostly to spite the dictation of my mother who had six days of custody.  Each evening I would clock watch while admittedly being poor at telling the time from an analogue clock. I had mastered h...

0 comments 0
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“Rethinking Freedom” by Sue Bozkus

Submitted to Contest #230

Elmer sat in front of the large office desk, rhythmically drumming his fingers against his thigh, matching the steady yet anticipatory beat of his heart. Dust particles danced around him in the still air, seemingly sharing his excitement. His gaze was fixed on the folder before him, containing his resignation letter. A grin, perhaps an unusual response in such a situation, spread across his face. It was the thrill of reclaiming his freedom, paired with the exhilarating thought of leaving for uncharted possibilities—possibilities that include...

3 comments 3
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“The Call of the Stage” by L.G. Basallote

Submitted to Contest #230

A male nurse escorted Luscinia around the snaking sterile hallways, the latter’s pink dress as visible as a blotch of blood on a clean gauze. Luscinia’s eyes focused solely on the heels of the nurse’s sneakers. When those heels stopped, they stood before a door made of a solid piece of wood. The sign on its right read Room 214. The nurse raised a fist to knock on the wooden door, but Luscinia grabbed his wrist before he could make a sound. She dismissed the nurse and thanked him, smiling perfunctorily when he asked for her number.Left alone,...

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Contest #230

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Ended on 23:59 - Dec 29, 2023 EST

Won by Ethan Zimmerman 🏆

Title: The Lop-it-off-a-me List

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