Start your story with a character struggling to remember the date, because every day is like the last one.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 177 stories

“Passage House” by Kate Goldsack

Submitted to Contest #84

TW: domestic abuse I am in a perpetual state of confusion; My where is depressingly familiar, but my when is shaky. It shifts and fluctuates and never quite seems to settle. People often talk about the ‘sands of time’ and how it can slip through one’s hands, but my experience of time is that it is more viscous; hours seep into days, days saturate into weeks and weeks haemorrhage into months. My ‘where’ is a place called Passage House. It is a shelter for female victims of domestic abuse. I arrived here some time ago. I ca...

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“Foxtrot” by Sidnie Paisley

Submitted to Contest #84

On Monday I went to the Pharmacy. Tuesday I went to the post office. Wednesday the pharmacy, maybe the post office as well. Thursday... All the days start and end the same. Wake up at 9, bathroom, tea, desk. Work, work, work, maybe I go outside, come home, bathroom, dinner, couch, watch, watch, watch then bed. I've made it my goal to watch every single movie ever, (or as close to that as I can get), and rank them. After I finish my work and errands the house is hollow and empty and it's just me, the buzzing and yelling of my neighbors in the...

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“Dyschronometria ” by Isaac Gbadebo

Submitted to Contest #84

Such a simple concept as not knowing where I stand on the great tapestry of time’s endless happenings is a tragedy. I can only laugh at my mind’s feeble attempts at creating a distinction between this day and how many had passed since my affliction began. The day/night cycle now resembles the momentary blackness as you blink, performed an uncountable number of times. Every day our Government thanked us for seemingly pausing our lives so they can take care of the killer virus threatening us outside, ignoring an even bigger threat. Time. tim...

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“The McLifestyle” by Devin Carrier

Submitted to Contest #84

“What year is it?” asked the man. I was at a loss. I remembered the turn of the millennia, but I haven’t been paying much attention since. After giving it some thought, I mustered “2007”. The man, who I know recognized to be a police officer, said, “Close enough. Alright, get out of the vehicle sir. You’re under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence”. “That’s impossible!” I cried, “I don’t own a car”. I remember getting fired at a Burger King in Kentucky. That place had the worst managers. This bitch Britney trie...

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“What day is it?” by Taylor Viv

Submitted to Contest #84

As the sun streams through the window, I struggle to stay within the comfortable confines of my dream. I fight to stay; gripping at any last fragments of closure. But, despite my efforts, my eyes are forced open. I heave my body out of bed. I find myself on autopilot meandering to grab some coffee out of the kitchen. The steaming mug reminds me of winter at my family’s cabin. When I was young, my mom bought these matching mugs for me and my siblings. I would bring it to the cabin every year. We had to ...

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“One More Day” by Samantha Ryan

Submitted to Contest #84

Valerie stared at the calendar, forced to blink when her contacts started to dry out. As she gently rubbed her eyes, she repeated the date to herself, “January 4th, 2052.” No, that wasn’t right. It was 2055? 2056? It was definitely January...right? “Are you almost ready?” A voice echoed through the house. “If we’re late again, I think your brother might follow through with his threat and actually disown you.” Why was she so tired? She glanced in the mirror and did not recognize herself. Had she aged? Closing her eyes, she shook her h...

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“The Outside World” by Meenu K.

Submitted to Contest #84

I wait eagerly in line holding my mother's hand, staring at the smooth white floor. "Next please" The doctor calls outIt was our turn to be tested. My dad volunteers to go first. I watch as the doctor in a white suit sticks a needle in my dad's arm and transfers the blood to a vial. After a few minutes, they tell him that he is safe from the disease. Next was my mother. They drew her blood and after a short amount of time, they told her she was safe as well.Then, it was my turn. The doctor stabs a needle in my arm and it hurt more than ...

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“Sorry mom...” by Shyamindi Gunathilaka

Submitted to Contest #84

Ann wake up cause the noise of alarm . Her hand ghosted around the alarm just to make it fell down. Her morning started with this annoyingness as usual .As she felt the warm sunrise on her face she swirled on the bed thousand times till she decided to put her feet down. When her toes touched the cold floor a shiver went up to her spine which make her mind more annoying. She shacked her head too throw away all the dizziness off and stood on her feet and head to the bathroom straightly. After washing her face with cold water she felt the famil...

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“Caffeine in Wartime” by Timothy Lawver

Submitted to Contest #84

Standing in front of the map, I really only saw a blur. A couple of blinks, and the mass in front of me was just greens and browns depicting an area roughly the size of Connecticut. I’d done the math the week before. Or maybe it was the month before. In any case, the numbers were probably right. Or close to it. “Sgt Angel, did you book my ride over to FOB Joyce for tomorrow?” I didn’t even look over my shoulder as I said it, half worried the good sergeant would also be a fuzzy blob. “You went to Joyce last week,...

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“The Smell Of Rain” by Adriana Holguin

Submitted to Contest #84

What date is today? do I want to know?. As the smell of petrichor came in through the window of the kitchen, I noticed spring had come and the restaurant was more crowded than usual. I was overwhelmed by the sound of family members from the table in front of me fighting for who got the biggest slice of pizza, adults celebrating another year of someone’s life while pounding on the table, teenagers experiencing love for the first time, getting the most affordable food of the restaurant, and contemplating the sound of the noisy crickets co...

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“What Day Is It?” by Martin Buckell

Submitted to Contest #84

“What day is it?” said Jim. “Why it’s Tuesday of course!” said Dee, busying herself in the kitchen. “Is it? I’ve lost all track of time being stuck here. Every day seems the same.” Jim stooped and picked up the daily newspaper that had just landed on the doormat. He held out the front page. “Today is Wednesday.” “Can’t be. Yesterday was Monday, wasn’t it?” “It says the day right here on the paper, Wednesday 5thMay.” He struck the red top tabloid with the back of his hand as though to drive home the point. “Well what happened ...

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“Hear it all ticking away” by Andrea Itt

Submitted to Contest #84

What was the date? Lara paused her typing for a moment. She looked at her calendar, it was the fifth. In June. When did it become June? She stopped her work, stretching out her back hearing several pops caused after sitting in the same position for so long. Lara stood and went out of her room taking large steps to avoid piles of dirty clothes in the hallway. She made her way to the living room and sat on her couch with her legs folded in an attempt to try meditation. It was supposed to help your mind relax or something. Plus sh...

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“I love my Dad” by Nigel Dougill

Submitted to Contest #84

Anthony gave a heavy sigh. Even at the tender age of fifteen it felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. All he craved was a normal young adult’s life, but he realised that this became less likely by the day. He sat there drumming his fingers on the table and twirling his already curly hair. He was looking for inspiration, but more than anything he was looking for the strength to get him through from one day to the next. He knew the warning signs; heaven only knows he had seen them enough times. His beloved father was about t...

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“The Long Climb” by Jeffrey Clifford

Submitted to Contest #84

Allie landed hard on her back, twigs snapping as the air rushed from her lungs. High above her, orange and red leaves slowly descended on her, vultures free from the broken perch above from which she fell. She rolled to her side, drawing her knees to her chest as she gasped. She fell. But how? Allie climbed that tree every day. Every inch of bark, branch, knot, and bend that covered the old maple tree familiar. She had climbed that tree every day for how long now? Allie coughed a few more times and sat, staring up at the tree. ...

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“Rendezvous Point” by David Harland

Submitted to Contest #84

Olivia sat on the bench, fighting both her confusion and her growing panic. Something, she thought, had gone very wrong. At least she could rest here for a moment, gather her thoughts. She’d often used the bench as a meeting place; it was on top of a hill and she could see anyone approaching from a long way off. It would give her a chance to plan her next move. At least so far no-one seemed to have noticed her escape. It had been remarkably easy, she thought, to get away from the establishment where they had been holding her, for goodness kn...

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Start your story with a character struggling to remember the date, because every day is like the last one.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 177 stories

“Passage House” by Kate Goldsack

“Foxtrot” by Sidnie Paisley

“Dyschronometria ” by Isaac Gbadebo

“The McLifestyle” by Devin Carrier

“What day is it?” by Taylor Viv

“One More Day” by Samantha Ryan

“The Outside World” by Meenu K.

“Sorry mom...” by Shyamindi Gunathilaka

“Caffeine in Wartime” by Timothy Lawver

“The Smell Of Rain” by Adriana Holguin

“What Day Is It?” by Martin Buckell

“Hear it all ticking away” by Andrea Itt

“I love my Dad” by Nigel Dougill

“The Long Climb” by Jeffrey Clifford

“Rendezvous Point” by David Harland

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that spans exactly a year and takes place in a single room.

Write about someone who grew up in a bunker, and lockdown life is all they’ve ever known.

Set your story in a post-pandemic world, where the effects are still felt even as your character attempts to move on.

Write about someone who’s trying to accomplish a task that used to be easy but is now made complicated by a pandemic.

Contest #84

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

664

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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