Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.

Posted in Character on Dec 23, 2022

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✍️ 47 stories

“Marie Antoinette” by Molly Kelash

🏆 Winner of Contest #178

Squat, beige and Soviet, the Marie Antoinette Apartments stood against the stale gray Minneapolis sky. Irony of the worst kind, he thought, blandly ugly and unconscious. He would take exquisitely self-aware irony any day over this three-story architectural monstrosity, “classed up” with tacked on ionic Greek columns, harsh blue LED Christmas lights wrapped inexpertly around them, canned Christmas classics pumping through the air.God, this place was only better than minimum security prison by a hair. But it was all he could afford now, so he’...

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“The Evidence of Things Not Seen” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #178

If you knew you were going blind tomorrow, what would you make an effort to see today? An eagle soaring? Or maybe waves crashing on the beach? Certainly you would drink in the smiles of your children, memorizing their faces to help you through the dark days to come. Billy had no such warning, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have had any such list. Billy was the son of an unwed mother who died in childbirth. He had spent the first thirteen years of his life in forgettable foster homes and most of the next seventeen years on th...

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“Happy Valhallidays!” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #178

CW: sacrilege/irreverence.The snowstorm raged outside the little cottage, and a smaller storm raged within. The wife saw her husband rooted in his faded green armchair, glowering at the roaring fire. At his right hand stood a small table with a glass full of amber whisky. On the floor lay a half-filled bottle, and another beside it – empty.She knew better than to disturb him on this night but it still took all her effort not to step in and say something.The kids will call when they call, she might have said, and he’d grunt, Ingrates.The peop...

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“Whispers from Pygmalion” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #178

Cyrus looked out of his window and rubbed his eyes. The marble statue of his dead wife had, amazingly, grown a recumbent child at her feet. He rubbed his eyes again. Still there. Either a miracle had occurred or he had drunk an inordinate amount of cheap wine last night. He hastily threw on a coat and some shoes, tramping outside to determine which hypothesis was correct. Neither, as it turned out. Cyrus bent down and touched the figure. It was an actual human, but one near death. Her skin was as cold as the marble she was draped over and he...

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“A Day of Lark” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #178

"Twas the night before Christmas, And you know the rest, Hence why I am here standing In this frilly-silly vest!" At first glance, one would assume that Charlie Lark was drunk, but he hadn't even sipped once from the wine glass; the full cup teetered and tottered wherever his hand swayed, but not one drop spilled out. The red liquid danced with its partner, the lanky bookkeeper who was reluctantly chosen to give a speech to the rest of the employees. His khaki slacks flapped as well, being a size bigger than his waist and legs with...

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“Seven Cliches Over Christmas” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #178

[DRAFT] At the Mud Creek Saloon in Eagle River, I see American flags on the walls, pitchers of beer on the bar, and drawn-out guitar solos ring in my ears. From what I've seen on TV, this is the type of place where they kick the shit out of gay characters. Or shoot them dead in the parking lot.Not my idea of a good time. So to blend in, I pretend to enjoy the song that's playing-Sweet Home Alabama. We’re in Northern Wisconsin but it's a crowd favorite.“Don’t let anyone in Wisconsin know you stan Taylor Swift,” my coworker Justin said in...

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“Happy 1992” by Grace Solo

Submitted to Contest #178

[Contains mild sensitive language and poor state of mental health.] I sat before the quiet river just before midnight clocked. It was as still as my thoughts, and yet, couldn’t emit anything else kindred other than the cold rush of its constant flow that had only the sense of tranquillity wrapped around it. It was me and the perfect nature. Free from all the loud places that we have derived from taking away from the earth, its rights, and privileges. I was away from all the demands of what life is set to be. I could feel the sound of air aro...

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“Soar” by Rama Shaar

Submitted to Contest #178

Dearest Catherine,I set out to scam you. “Swindle” is the going term I believe. There! I’ve said it. I am a vulture that predates on prey that range from dead to weak.If this were me, I’d throw this letter away after that first line, but I know you won’t. You need answers, so here goes! This is a long letter, full of what one might deem digressions, but bear with me. Consider it a last –and first, for that matter– request.When I saw your Tinder profile, you seemed like the perfect target: introverted, doe-eyed, a little desperate (or so I th...

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“Magnet in the Air” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #178

Sheila tapped the right heel of her brown pump on the cold floor of the corridor outside 6B. Her hands were freezing. It was five minutes past the bell. The cacophony inside the classroom with the young art teacher shouting, “Okay, that’s enough. Wind up! Those who have not finished, please complete it at home!” refused to subside. The 11-year-old marauders continued to work with a frenzy on their masterpieces by snatching the supplies from each other.Sheila glanced at the second hand on her watch ticking away for another minute and took a d...

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“Trigger Warning” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #178

CW: References to substance abuse, violence, child endangerment, promiscuity, racial slurs, fat shaming, candy canes and gum drops. Bob lit his cigarette while loading his pistol. He kept dropping bullets in the process. ‘Better than dropping the smoke,’ he mused. ‘No fires.’ The shells bounced and rolled. Some went over the edge. Their staccato rattling attracted Bob’s granddaughter, baby Brooklyn. She crawled under the table in search of the curious objects. “What happened to my shells?” Bob asked the universe. Despite starting with a f...

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“Self Care for Christmas” by Mindy Hyatt

Submitted to Contest #178

I’ve always loved the snow. There’s something so calming about the silence that descends when the world turns white. Until you drive in it. It’s not even the added challenge of driving in the snow that breaks the cocoon of Zen I find myself in during the winter months. It’s the other drivers. The people in their big trucks who think that because they have bigger tires or sit higher up, they are immune to the risks of black ice. The people who rev their engines at every intersection splattering the odd passersby with slus...

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“Christmas Canoe Escape To Amawbia” by P. T. Golden

Submitted to Contest #178

The real-time escape of a would-be scammer began on Christmas Eve. (Names changed to protect the innocent under threat of death.)Two AM, December 29, 2022, in the darkest snake-filled bush in Nigeria, a would-be scammer fled for his life from his worst mistake. Chijoke had lived in the bush alone since he was ten. At fourteen, just weeks ago, he had joined one of the most expansive gangs in the region. Chijoke moved stealthily through the bush till he reached a path and took off at an all-out run. If he could get to the river, he might ...

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“Gifted ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #178

Joe Delante did not like Christmas. As a matter of fact, his friends would say he was more of a Grinch than Ebenezer Scrooge. Whether this was true or not, it did not make any difference since Joe loathed all the fuss his friends made about the holidays. Secret Santas and mistletoe just made the season intolerable as far as he was concerned. Listening to carols on the radio station as he drove his Mustang was enough to put him into a bad mood which could lead him to a good road rage if the cards fell a certain ...

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“Timing is Everything” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #178

55 year-old Carolyn: Why won’t people just leave me alone! I enjoy my own company. I have everything I need. And what I don’t have, I can live without. I’ve had a long line of losers teach me how. What makes people think they know me, and what I need, better than I do? I don’t need anybody; I don’t want anybody. It’s been years since I willingly answered my door. Leave your business outside and maybe I’ll get to it. I doubt you have anything I can use anyway. I had to have the doorbell un...

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“A Solstice Gift” by Rafaela Hernandez

Submitted to Contest #178

For weeks, Sera had paid little mind to the red and gold decor lining the streets of her city. Until it was at her door. The green paint of her apartment walls had peeled more and more every day. Withered by age– it was the oldest complex around. Inhabited by those like her, who did not wish for much company. So, it was a surprise when she beheld the pine-wreath that hung from her front door, left bare for her to decorate. Sera merely snorted before she threw it out. The encounter was enough to remind her, though, of the holida...

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Title: Marie Antoinette

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Write about a cynical character realizing they do have something to celebrate after all.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 47 stories

“Marie Antoinette” by Molly Kelash

“The Evidence of Things Not Seen” by Thom With An H

“Happy Valhallidays!” by Michał Przywara

“Whispers from Pygmalion” by Delbert Griffith

“A Day of Lark” by Steffen Lettau

“Seven Cliches Over Christmas” by Scott Christenson

“Happy 1992” by Grace Solo

“Soar” by Rama Shaar

“Magnet in the Air” by Suma Jayachandar

“Trigger Warning” by John K Adams

“Self Care for Christmas” by Mindy Hyatt

“Christmas Canoe Escape To Amawbia” by P. T. Golden

“Gifted ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Timing is Everything” by Susan Catucci

“A Solstice Gift” by Rafaela Hernandez

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a family (biological or found) coming together for Christmas.

Write a story that takes place over the eight nights of Hannukah.

Set your story at a work holiday party,

Write a story about an unconventional holiday tradition.

Contest #178

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

183

Contest entries

62

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: