Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Directory
Contests
Magazine
FAQ

Write about a character who would have complete happiness, if it weren’t for that one thing.

Posted in Character on Mar 3, 2023

Submissions are closed

Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or use an email address:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 63 stories

La Terrible Madre

Submitted to Contest #188

Themes of violence and self-harm At 8:30 AM the alarm clock went off, her cell phone buzzed and she saw the dead man on the floor.   Edipa blinked against the sunlight pouring in from the window of the front room. She was nauseous, and her head rang with a vibrant ache.  She put her head back down on the couch, only a dream-  She abruptly sat up, she was on the couch, in her fiancé's house. She had to pick him up at the airport, and -    Her eyes squeezed shut. She twisted her head and then opened her...

15 likes 9 comments 9
Read story

THAT FACE

Submitted to Contest #188

THAT FACE Paul was an accomplished architect. He had designed much-admired, much praised buildings as museums and churches not only in his country. He also had a beautiful family with his wife Milena and their children Peter and Simona. And he did not lack a circle of interesting and inspiring friendships and acquaintances. At thirty-eight he could say to be a fulfilled even happy man. And yet there was ….SOMETHING that undermined his satisfaction, that prevented him from being happy. It would be better to say that there was...

15 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Wonder

Submitted to Contest #188

  Functions and Design These digital eyes always beam. It has too many colors. Red, blue, and green are what it is. The tv screen attached to my face cannot be removed, nor can it be changed. I try to blink, but I don’t really blink. My little pixelated eyes can only make an impression of what blinking is. I try to think about it, but I don’t really think either. I can easily gather any information in a matter of 000000.8 seconds. I like it. It is good to have knowledge. I often imagine what it would be like to have a norm...

15 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Perfetc.

Submitted to Contest #188

“It was a perfect day.” For a nanosecond, I think it’s an auditory hallucination.Part of the blood on his face, his arms, the Jimi Hendrix tee, is his. Only people with tubes and pipettes and machines will be able to distinguish that that isn’t.The blood on my fingers, my “Keep The Immigrants/Deport the Racists” tee, is of the same composition, though as the minutes pass, the blend richens with fresh arterial. My skin is unbroken, but whatever perfection he found in this day is now draining onto the sidewalk and soaking through my shirt.**No...

14 likes 17 comments 17
Read story

Life Will Go On

Submitted to Contest #188

————————————————————————————————————— It was winter. The room was dry and cool. That one tiny window in her apartment was opened, letting in breezes of the crisp air outside. The sound of New York City bustling. The old wallpaper had already begun to peel at its corners. The low sun shone in through the window and created a daze of orange light. She stared at it. Her eyes watching it, peeking up from the top of her laptop screen. The sun reflecting off of it. The black piano. It was upright; its white and black keys relaxed. Quiet. Like ...

14 likes 4 comments 4
Read story

Eddie Goes A-Courting ~A Spring Romance~

Submitted to Contest #188

Eddie Goes A-Courting~A Spring Romance~“He-elp! He-elp!”Breaking the tranquility of a March morning, a desperate cry rings across the valley. No man runs to assist, nor even a woman lifts a finger to dial 9-1-1. Here and there a lip twitches. An eyebrow raises. Perhaps a chuckle or a sigh escapes. “He-elp!”Again the call resounds. Looks are exchanged, acknowledgements murmured.“There’s Eddie! You can tell spring is coming.”Down the road, Eddie searches for the one thing that would give him complete happiness. The One who would...

14 likes 15 comments 15
Read story

Almost Perfect

Submitted to Contest #188

[Contains homophobia] Today was like every other day. Sunny, warm, content. Every day was like this in my town. A comfortable and safe place where everyone could prosper.  “Lila!” A tender voice called out as I turned to be greeted by the widest smile known to man. Charlie.  “Hey Charlie!” I called out in a cheery tone, making sure to shorten the distance between us. Charlie then took my hand in hers, the two of us heading to school. It was always like this, our fingers intertwined as she hummed and skipped down the paved streets. ...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Everything but myself.

Submitted to Contest #188

It wasn't the sound of birds in the tree chirping or the wind that caressed Mary Ann's window that caused her to peel her eyes open slowly, but the blaring of her alarm that's been put on snooze for the 3rd time today. Mary Ann was a plain girl really, her life was uneventful and commonly the same every day. she'd be faced with another day of judgment and criticism. She woke up, brushed her teeth, went to school, and put up with her friends being jerks to her just so she could keep them. She was the type of friend that was kept in the back o...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Hidden chamber in the brain.

Submitted to Contest #188

-"How many of you ever watched porn?" the religion teacher asked. There were about twenty boys in the classroom, whose minds were already on their lunch break.  Suddenly everything in the dusty classroom seemed tense. Wary of a trap, the boys looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. Did the teacher expect the boys to answer honestly? And what would be the consequences if they did? Mr. Mars got a little impatient and frowned, "Come on, up in the air with those hands." He was a middle-aged man, with black hair that turned grey ...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Skeletons in the Closet

Submitted to Contest #188

          I have the exact job I set out for with better pay than I ever could have imagined. A perfect girlfriend whose equal parts beauty, intellect and humor. I have a house, my dream house, and a car that would make anyone jealous. I'm happy, I wish I could say my life was perfect, and it very well would be- if I didn't see the apparition of Molly, the girl I murdered. I sit in my kitchen for breakfast, Laura cooking me something with  an aroma so tantalizing my mouth is watering wit...

12 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

OneThing

Submitted to Contest #188

All my life I have felt held back by something, MYSELF. I have struggled with being overweight for as long as I can remember. it started out as me gaining an interest in food especially sweets like candies, ice cream, cake, cookies...etc. Me as a kid didn't really understand gaining weight, I had never thought it was a problem. my family never said anything when I had just started eating more than my body could handle. it was always. aww sweetie it's just "baby fat." or "your just big-boned you will grow out of it." "Your just thick"... my f...

12 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

It Was Never the Place

Submitted to Contest #188

Nigel was an only child brought up in the suburbs of St Louis. His parents were both college educated, successful in their vocations, and devoted to his growth and enjoyment of life. He played soccer and, later, basketball; although he wasn't particularly interested in either sport. Both of his parents, even after they divorced, attended his games and school events, cheering him on enthusiastically. Nigel was in the 70th percentile for intelligence in his grade, but everyone knew he was smarter than most. Still, by most accoun...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

He was way too good!

Submitted to Contest #188

Zac the Mac was ready. His name was really Zacchary MacDonald. He was in his final year of Deadbeat High School, in some leafy green suburb. He was the only son of his single mother, a nurse. She had brought Zac up to be a good Christian lad. He had stepped up to the plate to be the prayer leader of his local youth group at his church. Unfortunately for Zac the Mac, as he was nicknamed by his classmates, he was the shortest guy in their last year of high school. He had found it hard to compete in football and other sports. But he was a nifty...

12 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Love Makes You Blind

Submitted to Contest #188

I always wanted to be a blues singer, but there was one problem. I was happy. I had my own home, two cars in the garage, three lovely kids, and a beautiful wife. I had a wonderful life! What more could I ask for? I’ll give you a clue. A great blues singer I knew by the name of Blind Lemon Pledge once said, “Love makes you blind, but marriage, it’s an eye opener.” No wiser words were ever spoken.Last Saturday, for instance. It was a warm sunny day and I decided to go golfing. I put on my golfing clothes and loaded up the trunk of my car with ...

12 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Used Customer Service

Submitted to Contest #188

  “Isn’t this the best? It’s what I have always dreamed of.”   Joseph smiled and nodded at Anja.   “Put the open sign in the window.” Anja handed the open sign to Joseph who took two steps and then put it in the window.   “No, this side. See? Then you can turn the little sign on the door to say open, too. So, we got the big sign on this side, and the little sign on that side. See?”   Joseph smiled and nodded.   “Okay, let me go through it all first. We’re go...

12 likes 5 comments 5
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that starts with the line “So, what’s the catch?”

Dialogue – 95 stories

Write a story about someone who is determined to not have their day spoiled — but the universe is trying their patience.

Funny – 47 stories

Write about someone who thinks they just got a great deal on something, only for them to realize…

Mystery – 32 stories

Write about a character who’s attending a dinner thrown in their honor, but deeply embarrasses themself during their speech.

Funny – 19 stories

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

How to Write a Novel