Write about a character doing something they’ve done hundreds of times — only this time, it’s taken on a new meaning.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 148 stories

“The Superannuated man” by Bob Seshadri

Submitted to Contest #101

The Superannuated Man Tomorrow was going to be the last day at work. It was so pleasantly announced over a private lunch yesterday. It took a while to sink in. For the last decade, I had worked in this organization, thinking I was this organization, so what makes the gent say I was not required, was just that I had crossed 60 years of age and the law of the land stated I was to be retired, to make room for the youngsters. I drove up to my place of work in the company-owned Citroen C5, the top end. The engine purred beautifully, the smell ...

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“Blinding lights ” by Mireille Nasief

Submitted to Contest #101

“For the millionth time, turn off the lights, they’re blinding!” To him, it was unbearable how dumb they were. They were short on money and not so short on all the bills. If they wanted to survive, they’d have to cut down on the expenses a bit. More like… if they’d wanted him to survive, he knew that they probably wished him dead by now. He knew he deserved it and he knew how he acted, he is a grown 50-year-old after all. But he hated seeing that look in their eyes and in order to not have the time to see it, he’d shout. He’d scream. Whateve...

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“A guess in the reflection” by John Fanidis

Submitted to Contest #101

Wakey, wakey, Mr.Black. It's time for tonight's guessing game. As he slowly opens his eyes, Alex takes a moment to let these eerie words echo in his mind and reflect back to the shadows where they came from. Alex: Alright, I am coming alright. Today I am going to beat you, you know. Shadow: I hope so, Mr.Black. You still have a lot of work to do, though, if you want to beat me in our little game. So please, get up, and come to me. You have to make a new guess tonight. Alex rises from the cold bed, taking a glance at the beautiful l...

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“Bloom” by Victor Ateka

Submitted to Contest #101

Michael stifled a yawn as hey lay in bed. The sun’s faint glow through the curtains was his alarm. He rolled over and got out of his side; careful not to wake Joy up. “You wake up too early.” a groggy voice murmured Mike chuckled, “Early bird tendencies.” “Yeah, yeah.” came the playful response “I’m off to whip up breakfast, love. Any requests?” “Hmmm” Joy momentarily sat up and weighed her options, “Let’s have some pancakes.” He smiled, “Sure thing.” After a quick shower and change of clothes, Michael gave Joy a peck and head...

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“Mother of Pearl” by Iris Franckheim

Submitted to Contest #101

Mother of PearlPROLOGUE Deep down in the ocean where lights and darkness play endlessly on corals, sand and stones, there once was a sea shell, living in a forest of seaweed. One might have thought it was like all those others that were living beside it in the currents: they were all covered with crusts of algae and sea pox, breathing sea water in and out until they would die one day and be washed out and forgotten, but life follows its own paths even down in the sea and so it turned out things were to be differe...

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“Made with Love” by A K

Submitted to Contest #101

I place the sugar next to the rest of the ingredients. Milk and eggs, cold from the fridge, join them. Prepping the ingredients was a calming process, one I was familiar with. My feet slap down against the tile, echoing with each step. I preheat the oven. 350 as the recipe instructs. How to make a cake is handwritten in a curly font across the top. I almost laugh. What kind of pastry chef needs to learn how to make a cake? But this wasn’t any cake. Although I have them memorized by heart, I read over the ingredients. They w...

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“Don't let go ” by Madeeha Alvi

Submitted to Contest #101

"I knew already, something would came up whenever we're going there. What we will dow now sister? Young child asked with a sad pout. "I don't know let's get unready, we won't be able to visit aunt today." said the elder one being disappointed. A sudden voice intruppted their conversation. " why are you guys so eager to go there? They don't even care about you" " Not now mon, I know you hate them with all your heart but she's my aunt and I love her more than anything and I know she loves me too. I'm already tired from living with you all. The...

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“More Than Gray” by Caroline Min

Submitted to Contest #101

On a sultry July day, Jon returns home to the third floor of the tall red-bricked apartment on Brecon street, his arm wrapped around a stiff paper bag containing banana bread and pastries. He lives alone, spending his days and nights surrounded by piles: piles of books and newspapers that crowd his desk, piles of dirty dishes that litter the sink. During the day, worn and unworn clothes sit in a lump on his futon bed, which at night is transferred to his desk to make room for his body while he sleeps. He is a heavy sleeper, not a noi...

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“Life” by Anushka Gaikwad

Submitted to Contest #101

It was 7:30 in the morning, and I heard someone singing “Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear''. I opened my eyes and it was my dad who came to wish me as it was my 20th birthday and like every year he came to wake me up singing happy birthday songs for me. Like every year, this year too I went to the temple together with my mom and dad. Then we went to shopping together then my dad dropped me at cafe cause we all friends were going to gather them for celebrating my birthday. I spent my all day with my friends we...

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“Mutually Assured Destruction” by Nicola Cates

Submitted to Contest #101

0400, December 14th 1984 at US Army Base 14-N located one hour outside of Augsburg, Germany. The nuclear warning alarm goes off waking up Minute Man Group 24 as they prepare for retaliation. “God, do they have to run these drills so fucking early? Don’t the damn Soviets sleep?” “You don’t know this is a drill Roswell'' Another soldier nervously whines tying his boots “We've never run one before 0600 this doesn’t make sense” Pulling on his fatigues Roswell starts reassuring his fellow Minute Men though his sincerity is questionab...

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“Quest of sunny winter morning ” by Donatello S

Submitted to Contest #101

Before closing my eyes, I felt relieved. I did it right for the first time. I was curious. When he cried in front of me, he made me think deep and hard about it. I remember sitting on the cement sidewalk inside the college premises and relaxing after a heavy day. The sky was blue and full of fluffy clouds. He came and sat next to me and just sighed heavily. I looked casually him and asked what happened to him. Him: I don’t know mam, why is love so painful? “WHAT? I am not used to this. This is not where my mind works. It is out of my experti...

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“Marigolds at the End of the World” by Lisa Lacey

Submitted to Contest #101

Throughout her lifetime, Maggie had planted thousands of seeds that had grown into hundreds of gardens. During the early years of her marriage, she had planted them for her family to help put food on the table during the lean times. Years later when her daughters went off to college, one of them suggested she turn her green thumb into a small business. With her husband’s support, she quit her job at the local grocery store and began to sell her landscaping services. The business proved quite profitable and she found work planting flowers for...

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“THE SAME OLD SUNSET ” by Vedviyas Sridhar

Submitted to Contest #101

It is never a good sign when the sound of your body creaking is louder than the dry leaves under your feet. Yet, one step forward after another, the journey must go on. For this time, it was more important than all the previous hundred times that I had been here. The trek up this mountain was never easy. Not when I was seven, not now at forty. “But anything that is of any worth is not so easy to get” my old man used to tell me every single time we climbed up. This was our special sacred ritual from the time I was a little kid. Our way of s...

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“The Windsor Knot” by Spears Flowers

Submitted to Contest #101

As Lewis stood in the bathroom mirror tying his tie, a single tear rolled down his face. Then another, and another, and another. His silent tears dampened his cheek; the saltiness would be palpable to Daisy’s soft lips, but he didn’t swipe them away. He let the tears continue, some even dribbled down to his tie. He had tied his tie hundreds of times in his life, but this was the first time the task had ever made him cry. He was having such a hard time calming his nerves. His fingers shook and were unsteady, and his pal...

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“Mollycoddling” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #101

5:47 AM Golden beams of summer sunlight filtered through the window and splashed all over Deirdre’s bed. Specks of dust were illuminated over her and twinkled like the stars of the night sky. She had awoken to silence, an atypical experience for most new mothers, like herself. She rolled out of bed and glanced over to the baby monitor, sitting silently on her bedside table. She inhaled deeply, and launched herself out of bed. Recently, Deirdre had needed very little motivation to rise on each new dawn. The joy of caring for precious Oriana ...

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Write about a character doing something they’ve done hundreds of times — only this time, it’s taken on a new meaning.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 148 stories

“The Superannuated man” by Bob Seshadri

“Blinding lights ” by Mireille Nasief

“A guess in the reflection” by John Fanidis

“Bloom” by Victor Ateka

“Mother of Pearl” by Iris Franckheim

“Made with Love” by A K

“Don't let go ” by Madeeha Alvi

“More Than Gray” by Caroline Min

“Life” by Anushka Gaikwad

“Mutually Assured Destruction” by Nicola Cates

“Quest of sunny winter morning ” by Donatello S

“Marigolds at the End of the World” by Lisa Lacey

“THE SAME OLD SUNSET ” by Vedviyas Sridhar

“The Windsor Knot” by Spears Flowers

“Mollycoddling” by William Hargrove

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character who fails to understand something until they have the full context.

Write a story in which the same line recurs three times.

Write a story about a character who always repeats themselves.

Write a story that involves a reflection in a mirror.

Contest #101

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

728

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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