Write a story inspired by the phrase “The short end of the stick.”

Posted in Character on Apr 14, 2023

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✍️ 27 stories

“Searching for Immortality” by Robert Lee

Submitted to Contest #194

“I hate you! You’re nothing but a liar. I’m glad you’re dying.”“But J3, I never meant—”“I don’t care,” the boy screamed, reaching for his mother with one hand while wiping away tears with the other.“He doesn’t mean it, Dad,” John Jr. assured his father. “He does mean it, and he’s right,” Jonathan replied, turning back towards the window so his son wouldn’t see him cry. Jonathan Farmer never intended to lie to his grandson, but then again, he never expected to move in with his son. He was an unremarkable man who had lived an unremar...

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“Like the Skin of a Snake” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #194

Gunshots, then a loud crash, then the doors to the casino flew open, a man ran out, gun in hand, three men in pursuit, then more gunshots, the man crumbling into a shivering heap on the wet pavement under the yellow streetlight, rain mixing with dark blood, then the heap stopped shivering, and that was that.Not my problem.My deal with the Agency is I only take cases involving good people. Well, the better ones, anyway — no-one’s all good.Inside the casino, I headed to the Night Guard’s office.“What’s the rumpus?” I said.The Night G...

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“Efcharistó” by Chris Miller

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #194

Anyone who thinks ‘the short end’ is the shitty end of the stick ain’t never been hit with a stick. Well, I’ve been hit, and I can tell you, it’s the long end you want to dodge. You ever seen a sword? Lady Justice, she holds a sword. She doesn’t dispense justice with the stubby little handle, does she? It’s the long end she swings, straight and true. Not exactly a stick, but you take my meaning. But then Archimedes, he wanted the long end, didn’t he? And he should know. “Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth,” or someth...

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“Prompts” by John Jones

Submitted to Contest #194

"How many likes have you gotten on your latest Prompts story? I've got 10 already." "Must be nice for you. For me, not so much. You can't get likes until they post your story." "You're kidding, they haven't approved it yet? It's Tuesday." "Tell me about it. You always seem to get yours approved early. This is like the third one in ...

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“Downward Spiral” by Bernie Rhodes

Submitted to Contest #194

Cora was faced with the harsh reality of living permanently on the streets. Her life and her chance to return to normalcy were long gone. To make her plight even worse, Cora had discovered cocaine. At first, she resisted it but was told it would help her forget all her troubles. Contrary to a girl who set out to trample underfoot everyone to prevail, Cora’s confidence was virtually zero level. She spent the night at a rescue mission the night before but was awakened at 5:00 am. She checked in the day before, which included...

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“It Takes Two to Tango ” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #194

I’m sitting down with Wordle and a plate of nachos for dinner, when my mobile rings. An unknown number, but I answer. It might be an opportunity to play games with a telemarketer while I eat. My three rescue cats, Erudite, Musical and Justice, are also eating their dinner under the table next to me.A female voice asks, “Fred Anderson?” “That’s me.” I take a nacho and scoop refried beans from the paper plate.”Alberta's scrabble champion?”“This is correct.” Crunching on the chip, I wonder could this be a reporter?“This is Jen,” she says. ...

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“Health Care Less” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #194

Jen opened her grandmother's screen door and stepped into the kitchen. Marie glanced up from her rocker between the stove and the window and continued crocheting. "'I'm not going." "Gran, please? You have to go for a checkup if you want to refill your pills. The ones for your blood pressure are important." "I haven't taken them for six months or more, so I guess I don't need them since I'm still here, doing what I do and feeling fine." "Gran, you said you had a headache last week, and that could be because your blood pressure is too hi...

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“Unwanted Chatterbox” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #194

Worn boots trudged through the fresh mud. It clung to the laces and wiggled its way into the hole near Barnaby’s left sole. He tried his best to ignore the raindrops striking at his face and tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Beads of water ran down his glasses. They returned seconds later, no matter how much he tried to swipe them away. He didn’t dare complain, though. His mother would scold him if she heard another peep out of his mouth. Barnaby could only grit his teeth, hoist his pack over his shoulder, and continu...

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“The Short End of the Stick” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #194

Benny has just handed his lottery ticket to the cashier of the local grocery store, hoping that he will hear the magic word ‘gagnant’ signifying that he has won. Instead he hears the more usual and woeful ‘pas de cadeau,’ telling him that he has lost yet again.. I am standing behind him in line, and when he turns to face me, I know what I am going to hear. “No surprise. Again I have been handed th...

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“Gort Gets The Short End Of The Stick” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #194

Gort Gets The Short End Of The Stick(Crude humor) Ming: “I have another special assignment for you, Gort. It’s an important part of my plan to conquer the Universe. I pulled your name out of a hat, so you get the first shot at this great honor. It’s hardly brain surgery, so even you should be able to pull it off.”Great, lucky me.Ming: “But it could be dangerous. Are you willing to volunteer for the job?”Volunteer? The last time I didn’t volunteer for something I spent a year in the stockade.Gort: “Of course, Merciless One. It is an honor to ...

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“The Day’s Not Over Until I Get Hit On The Head With Another Boat” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #194

“It’s simple, really, all you have to do is fall.” If there is anything Brick Boylan had learned from working in three films with self-absorbed sixty-eight-year-old director Desmond Ford Wilder, it was that Desmond viewed stunt people as disposable and their contributions to film as negligible. The portly director with the bad toupee called people bubala and acted like everyone’s favorite jolly uncle, but Brick knew Desmond would sacrifice his family for a good take. Brick has broken thirty-five bones, including six ribs, had twelve concus...

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“E. A. and Me” by Richard E. Gower

Submitted to Contest #194

In keeping with the old saw that if two or more people agree about a rumor, it must be true, it is strongly emphasized here that this is a work of fiction, and any and all references and/or resemblance to persons or events of the past are fictional, and therefore are covered by artistic license. REGH.Journal entry20 August,1888Today I was accosted in the sanctuary of the Century Association clubhouse by P., the literary critic for The New-York Times.And I was flabbergasted.He publicly accused me of single-handedly lowering the exalted standa...

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“The Lottery Office” by Christie Nicholson

Submitted to Contest #194

The Lottery Office It was the first of the month again. Lucy woke up and dressed in the same old drab clothes she wore every other day of the month. How many times was she going to trudge down to the Lottery Office, praying that this time – for once – her name would get drawn? She had to lie and tell her friend Ben that she stopped going there. If he found out that she was still trying to go, he would make her feel even worse than she already did. Her father had been gone for ...

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“Housebound” by Aerin-kate Dolan

Submitted to Contest #194

Isolation becomes viscous once days roll into weeks. The dog and I had spent the first mornings poised toward the front door, as though at any moment the handle would tug down and there you’d be — smiling through a soaked hood, shaking off your umbrella before stamping your boots on the mat, “Well, that took a little longer than I expected.” I wanted it to be homely for your return. The over-anxious welcome of the dog scratching at your shins. The comforting kiss from your wife after a long day. But there were no late callers. ...

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“As Promised by Raja” by Irum Sarfaraz

Submitted to Contest #194

“Abba[1] when are we going to get our goat? It’s so close to Eid-ul-Adha [2]now,” Majeed’s three children ran up to him excitedly as soon as he entered the house. Over the past two weeks their insistence on getting a qurbani[3] animal had gained momentum as Eid-ul-Adha drew near. “Yes, we’ll get it soon enough. Let me catch my breath first,” Majeed replied as he slumped into the three-seater sofa in the simply furnished family room. “But Abba, it’s getting very late,” Sameer, his fourteen-year-old son sat at...

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Write a story inspired by the phrase “The short end of the stick.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 27 stories

“Searching for Immortality” by Robert Lee

“Like the Skin of a Snake” by Geir Westrul

“Efcharistó” by Chris Miller

“Prompts” by John Jones

“Downward Spiral” by Bernie Rhodes

“It Takes Two to Tango ” by Scott Christenson

“Health Care Less” by Patricia Merewether

“Unwanted Chatterbox” by Sue Hunter

“The Short End of the Stick” by John Steckley

“Gort Gets The Short End Of The Stick” by Murray Burns

“The Day’s Not Over Until I Get Hit On The Head With Another Boat” by Michael Jefferson

“E. A. and Me” by Richard E. Gower

“The Lottery Office” by Christie Nicholson

“Housebound” by Aerin-kate Dolan

“As Promised by Raja” by Irum Sarfaraz

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story inspired by the phrase “It’s hardly brain surgery.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “I’ll eat my hat.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “The plot thickens.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “Back to square one.”

Contest #194

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

211

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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