Write about how a single event affects a seemingly unrelated area of a character’s life (their friendships, career, romantic relationships, etc.)

Posted in Character on Jun 16, 2023

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✍️ 35 stories

“Echelon” by Kris Hawkins

🏆 Winner of Contest #203

Leaning against a tarnished railing aboard a ferry, Katherine watched ocean waves curl into themselves. Close to her chest, she held a pewter urn containing her mother’s cremated remains. She breathed deeply, the taste of brine caking her tongue like damp ash. The midday sun reflected in droplets that quavered on the balusters, then trickled down like little rivulets, only to reappear from the periodic spray of waves breaking against the prow. Other ferry goers chattered around her, though Katherine was only vaguely aware of them. Her though...

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“Lost in Darkness” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #203

(Content Warning: Mild Language and Violence.) Laura Watson awoke from a restless sleep and batted her eyes at the morning sun. She couldn’t see the beautiful beaming rays infiltrating her window, but the warmth cascading on her skin was undeniable. There was no doubt another morning had come her way. Laura didn’t have to worry about adapting to the world because she was born into a life of darkness. She sat up, placed her feet on the hardwood floor, and smiled. Soft whispers from her late mother reminded her that being blind had i...

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“Dead man” by Richard Seven

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #203

August heat swaddled me as I made my way home from the community swimming pool. A damp towel hung from my neck. My trunks, reeking of chlorine, drooped from my narrow hips as I shuffled on dime-store plastic flipflops.I was 11, shirtless, recklessly sunburned, and alone. That’s how I rolled as a kid in Eugene, Oregon, back in the mid-60s. My family was so large, and our house was so cramped that I grew up like a feral cat, roaming and poking around trouble without fretting about consequences.The pool was five or six minutes from our house. H...

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“Salt and Pepper” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #203

Benjamin Pendergast-Manifold had been waiting seemingly forever for an opportunity like this to drop into his lap. Or more accurately, his hands. Just typical, wasn’t it. He kept his LinkedIn profile pristine and up-to-date, only to be rewarded only with thousands of nonsense emails a week. He attended recruitment fairs where reps seemed thrown if you dared ask them about anything about their companies other than to ask for one of keyrings they were handing out. He attended parties in the hopes of networking, when he’d rather be lying on t...

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“Harrowing evening” by John Siddham

Submitted to Contest #203

The sparkles hit her nose as she drew the glass to her lips. With a naughty smile, Amy sipped the drink and sighed —no life without gin and tonic. The bubbles from the drink burst on her tongue, releasing tangy flavours. She stared at Richard, who stood tall next to her. He was a perfect catch. Her lips widened, pushing the cheeks to reveal a dimple. We’re gonna have a great time. Her fingers caressed the stubble on his chin of the charming man she had met a few days ago. The venue was buzzing with loud music and after-work chatter. She sat ...

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“Fallin' Apart at the Seams” by John Werner

Submitted to Contest #203

Walking through the halls of West Wherever High School was never one of my favorite things. I was big enough to not get bullied, most of the time. I was brash enough for people to be wary of, most of the time. I was solitary enough for people to wonder why.While most people walked through the halls to meet up with friends and share a two-minute laugh between classes, I raced through them to avoid those encounters. I’d enter a classroom, find my seat early, open my books, appear ready for class, and hope that those efforts would divert my tea...

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“Club of the Grotesque” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #203

Flea markets: the Mecca of antiquarians and hoarders alike. The first search for underpriced antiques hiding among the worthless junk. The latter uses them like a drug addict uses needles, the hunt and acquisition of more stuff gives them a high. Lying in the middle of these extremes are average people: the garage seller, the poor, the stingy, the bored. However, there is a minuscule amount of people who can’t be put into any category. A group that shouldn’t even exist in polite society. Chad McDoon belonged to this group. A rear breed of gr...

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“Comfort and Joy” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #203

I reluctantly opened my eyes, acutely aware that I had fallen asleep in the recliner and as a result, the urgent jog to the bathroom would be less than easy. The house was darker than usual, and I immediately suspected a storm rapidly approaching causing the cloud cover to block out the southern summer sun. Awkwardly, I trotted down the hall, my aching hips and lower back reminding of my bedtime faux pas with every attempted stride. Personal business complete, coffee brewing and pets fed and cared for, now to free the kitchen from last night...

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“A Chance Encounter” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #203

I looked out of my third-floor walk-up apartment and groaned. Another four inches of snow atop the original covering of ice. I was really tired of clearing snow and scraping ice from my car. This was the third day in a row. I was also a bit fearful of doing another impromptu break dance routine on patches of black ice. My boyfriend had dumped me, and my rent went up another twenty dollars a month, and I was barely scraping by on Ramen Noodles and pasta. The phone rang, and it was my Mom in Florida. She had tripped over her ancient labrador r...

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“And a Dash of Pepper” by Alysson Dotson

Submitted to Contest #203

They were the ugliest salt and pepper shakers I’ve ever seen. Sloppy, handmade things, with a thin layer of paint that hardly covered the lumps of misshapen clay. I passed them every day, sitting there on that bookshelf collecting dust. They were clunky enough to be bookends and if she’d have used them as such, they might’ve served some purpose. No, she wouldn’t use them for that. She wouldn’t use them for anything at all except to look at every now and then, though she was not entirely to blame for that. Modeling clay couldn’t be washed wit...

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“Stolen: The Bernard G. Story ” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #203

Stolen: The Bernard G. story. Since starting high school, I knew where I would be the Monday morning after my eighteen birthday and looked forward to it. I dreamt of punching that timecard with my name printed weirdly; last name first, first name in the middle, and middle on end; with the four columns just like my father since we toured the steel mill in the fourth grade. I wanted to be just like the gentle giant that brought me a two-liter Ne-hi Peach soda, a Slim Jim, and a massive bag of Pork Rinds every Friday evening for us to enjo...

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“Denial” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #203

He only did it once. Only the once. Not twice. Certainly not three times. That was how he recalled it, and that was how it was. One innocuous and tiny act when measured against the span of a lifetime, and the foundations of his whole life shifted sideways, tearing the walls down and leaving him dazed, confused and filled with a fire that, far from being a passionate rage, propelled him downwards, removing anything left of worth until he felt like he was going to implode, crushed by a black hole of pain. When it was done, he went back...

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“The Tip” by Courtney Treadaway

Submitted to Contest #203

The phone alarm startles me awake. I still haven't found time to change the alarm volume so it doesn't give me a heart attack. Every. Single. Morning.I fumble to turn it off and slide out of bed, quietly, trying not to wake Sam this early. He's still getting over the flu and might be able to go back to work today. He needs all the rest he can get. I know he's not ready to go back; he's been so sick. I feel guilty for hoping he can go back so we can afford rent this month.I wrap my blanket around me and creep to the bathroom. Standing in fron...

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“The Rotary” by Evelyn Griffith

Submitted to Contest #203

The buzzing was faint at first. Quiet, but annoying, like a fly just far enough away to know that it would soon dart by his ear. He never did like house flies. They made him wait, the suspense of it all grating on his nerves before he’d swat at thin air, realize he was alone, and start the whole process over again. The buzzing started that way, making him reach for one of his favorite fly swatters, but an hour went by, then two, and as he made his third cup of morning coffee, the buzzing became as present as if his phone alarm were co...

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“Childhood love” by Neha Gosavi

Submitted to Contest #203

Susan and Nat were friends since their childhood. More than friends, their parents were cousins and Susan’s uncle and Nat were neighbours. Every summer vacation Susan used to visit her uncle. Her cousins used to join her for almost a month. They used to go the farms, pluck mangoes from the trees, hit the bee hives and collect the honey, play since morning till late evening. They used to enjoy having their dinner under the stars. Other kids from the locality used to bring their food and join Susan and cousins for dinner. Nat was a studious k...

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Title: Echelon

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Write about how a single event affects a seemingly unrelated area of a character’s life (their friendships, career, romantic relationships, etc.)

Submissions are closed

✍️ 35 stories

“Echelon” by Kris Hawkins

“Lost in Darkness” by Daniel R. Hayes

“Dead man” by Richard Seven

“Salt and Pepper” by Karen McDermott

“Harrowing evening” by John Siddham

“Fallin' Apart at the Seams” by John Werner

“Club of the Grotesque” by Daniel Rogers

“Comfort and Joy” by Myranda Marie

“A Chance Encounter” by Patricia Merewether

“And a Dash of Pepper” by Alysson Dotson

“Stolen: The Bernard G. Story ” by Kimberly Walker

“Denial” by Jed Cope

“The Tip” by Courtney Treadaway

“The Rotary” by Evelyn Griffith

“Childhood love” by Neha Gosavi

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story during which two conversations happen simultaneously.

Write about two friends getting into a fist fight.

Write a story that experiments with tone — perhaps a difficult subject dealt with in a playful way, or an ostensibly happy scene that hints at darkness lurking beneath.

Start your story in the middle of the action.

Contest #203

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: