Start your story with someone being forbidden from doing something.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 44 stories

“The Mansion on Harrow's Lane” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #116

“-and whatever you do, stay away from Harrow’s Lane,” finished the older boy emphatically. It was a saying all the children in White Lake knew by heart, and so it came as no surprise that the boy’s grisly story was met with a tired nod from his audience; they had all heard every type of story about Harrow’s Lane one could imagine, from the old man with the axe waiting to dismember you by the toolshed on house 114, to the ghoul that lurked the shores of the property at the end of the lane: White’s mansion. An outsider may have scoffed, and in...

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“Children Obey Your Parents” by Tiffy H

Submitted to Contest #116

Raphia Journey was forbidden from going into her neighbor’s, Roy’s, house, but she did anyways.Inside the house, Raphia found the missing woman, Keshia, tied, beaten and gagged in Roy’s basement.“I’m going to untie you, okay. Don’t panic I’m here to help you.” Raphia quickly untied the lady. You’re almost untied.” She assured her. Blood trickled down Keisha’s head from being hit repeatedly with a rifle. The lady groaned from her head injuries.“You don’t have to worry. I’ve been watching the house. He’s gone. You’re safe now.” Raphia said as...

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“Forbidden Re-entry” by Perillai Perillai

Submitted to Contest #116

“You are forbidden from entering the atmosphere, Ekaterina!” the voice on the headset sounded grim.“But, I do not have anywhere else to go,” replied Ekaterina. Ekaterina was in her Crew Return Vehicle, waiting for approval from the Mission control center to return back to Earth. She was perspiring inside her spacesuit, trying to suck in as much oxygen as she could. “We have just now dealt with a pandemic and lost millions of lives. We do not want yet another pandemic. The cost of yet another pandemic would be in billions of dollars...

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“Cinderella” by Baby Grace

Submitted to Contest #116

Why does she keep coming back, I sigh with a mixture of grief and resentment. It's like I am suffocating and she is the one stealing my breath from me. My ability. This is devastating, I hate her, but I love her. How do you do this to me? It must be magic, maybe I should go see a witch doctor or something see if they can diagnose me or some shit! "You're joking right?" Bella exclaimed. Almost mocking my paranoia. Bella stared me down, "She didn't put a spell on you fuckin hypochondriac, You are a simp, and you let a gold digger fall in love...

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“The Un dead covid diaries” by Arabella Watson

Submitted to Contest #116

Creatures of the night rendered powerless in Covid 19 Melbourne Lockdown stage 4. Forbidden I have been forbidden to wander my beloved city streets. Melbourne has been a city shut down, the residents are suffering under the strictness of Stage 4. Many suffering severe mental health issues, unemployment, alcohol consumption s rapidly rising. Many people are feeling powerless at under siege by an enemy they cannot see. A virus that has sapped the life out of the city and its people. Once the world’s most liveable city ...

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“Fine Dining At 7-11” by Webb Johnson

Submitted to Contest #116

Fine Dining at Speedy MartI pulled my new Porsche 911 into a parking stall and was on my way toward the 7-11 Speedy Mart when it became obvious to me that I couldn’t steer clear of a scruffy, homeless, guy who was standing on the sidewalk hitting up customers for a hand-out. To spare both of us the discomfiture that comes with begging, I reached into the zippered pocket of my leather flight jacket and found three one-dollar bills which I handed to him while I pulled open the glass entry door and walked in.Inside, the convenience store was he...

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“The Night is Shattered, and She is Not With Me” by Jesse Brown

Submitted to Contest #116

tw- mention of suicide“you’re not leaving, don’t ask me again.” My mother had uttered these words to me recently, though it felt like lifetimes had passed since. I remember her lips curling against her straight, white teeth in a warning snarl. It seems strange to describe a human as snarling, or growling even, but that is the only way to name it. What I was asking for was possible—I needed to leave. I needed to get out of this comfortable, horrible little bubble I ha...

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“Don't go looking” by Ruth Zschoche

Submitted to Contest #116

TW: mention of suicide, violenceDon’t go looking. Don’t go looking. Don’t go looking.There were leaves on the ground that year in piles and drifts. They were brown and golden, red and amber, purple and still green. Why did the green leaves fall? It was not their time. Maybe they fell because they had to. They couldn’t be left all alone. The only leaves on a bare tree. Someone has to go before their time, I thought. We all must, perhaps.***Don’t go looking. There was my grandfather, rough and grizzled. The aches and pains had drawn the lines ...

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“YOU CAN'T” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #116

"You can't!" This was not a maybe or a soft request. This was a demand. "Don't make me repeat myself!" And of course he did. "YOU CAN NOT!" I said again but louder, stronger and with clenched teeth because I knew who needed a swift kick up the wazoo in a way. Kyle rolled his eyes and tried to play nice. "I get it." he said to his buddy. He knew what Chris was telling him with a nice, yet with a heavy hammer way of making him stay safe. It was a reminder of a time not long go that Kyle tried and failed nearly cutting his leg off. It was a mom...

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“Suffrage” by J. Wilson Davis

Submitted to Contest #116

It was a bad sign when they gathered us sixth-grade girls in one classroom. Something embarrassing must be coming. What grossness of impending womanhood were they going to spring on us this time? We were missing out on a chance to play softball on this beautiful fall day, and the boys got to go outside without us. what a lousy deal. Mrs. Lamm, the Health teacher, wearing her trademark shirtwaist dress, a string of pearls and a whistle on a long chain, paced in the front by Mr. Anderson’s desk. Mrs. ...

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“The Forbidden Room” by Lisa Neuvelt

Submitted to Contest #116

The Forbidden Room “You must never go in that room! It’s a forbidden room.” Melissa heard that over and over again. That room at the end of the hall, that forbidden room. Yet, she stood there with her hand on the doorknob. *** Melissa had just moved into that house when her mother, Nancy married Hank. All Melissa knew about Hank was he was married before and his wife and daughter left but no one knew where they went. The house was massive and Melissa was given a choice of any room to pick for own. &nbsp...

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“The Other Side of the Wall” by Sarah C.

Submitted to Contest #116

Elisia Crawley turned her gaze upward, her amber eyes searching for an end to the mountainous wall that kept the residents of Easthaven isolated from whatever lay on the other side of it. She rose on her tippy toes and craned her neck, but all she could see was miles and miles of stone crawling with ivy so green the frogs that wandered over from the nearby pond could camouflage themselves into a leafy nest and go unnoticed. “Elisia, you shouldn’t even be near the Wall,” said Norah, Elisia’s worrisome neighbor, and childhood friend wh...

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“BEYOND THE CLOSED DOOR” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #116

BEYOND THE CLOSED DOOR “ Oh, what a small door! What’s in there? The dollhouse, perhaps? Oh, but you’re a boy, sorry, excuse me!” Lucy had run ahead of him down the stairs and now she was standing in front of the narrow door, no more high than three feet, which was next to the cellar door. Her hand on the handle, Lucy was trying to open the little door. “ But it’s closed! It takes the key ( to open it)! Don’t you have the key?” Lucy asked him, impatiently . “ I don’t have the key” Stephan answered. “ Oh, but what is in a room wit...

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“Mother May I?” by Nancy Donovan

Submitted to Contest #116

The romantic, erotic draw to the forbidden! Temptation has consequences sometimes far beyond immediate gratification.I have always looked older than my age. It was because of my boobs. I wore a size 34 DDD by the time I was in 7th grade. Needless to say, I never had a boyfriend because I was assumed to be a "fast girl" aka slut. You know, the one that boys only touch as a dare, or lie about having a one-and-done sexcapade with just to impress their buddies.So I took it upon myself to like "older boys." The legal drinking age was 18 yrs old b...

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“Misery IV” by Lauren Elisiario

Submitted to Contest #116

“Hey Ash, can I borrow our car?” Nathan asked. “No way, your not borrowing my car again” “But mine is still in the shop, and I really need to get to Game City for the new release.” “Well, you should have thought about that before you started making out with your car still in drive and smashing into a concrete wall in the parking garage downtown,” I said as I started to remember what happened after Nathan borrowed my car last time. The parking permit for school went missing and nobody seemed to know where it went. “You seriously aren’t still...

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Start your story with someone being forbidden from doing something.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 44 stories

“The Mansion on Harrow's Lane” by Dhruv Srivastava

“Children Obey Your Parents” by Tiffy H

“Forbidden Re-entry” by Perillai Perillai

“Cinderella” by Baby Grace

“The Un dead covid diaries” by Arabella Watson

“Fine Dining At 7-11” by Webb Johnson

“The Night is Shattered, and She is Not With Me” by Jesse Brown

“Don't go looking” by Ruth Zschoche

“YOU CAN'T” by Debbie Curtin

“Suffrage” by J. Wilson Davis

“The Forbidden Room” by Lisa Neuvelt

“The Other Side of the Wall” by Sarah C.

“BEYOND THE CLOSED DOOR” by Mara Masolini

“Mother May I?” by Nancy Donovan

“Misery IV” by Lauren Elisiario

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character breaking a rule, but for good reason.

Write about a character seeking forgiveness for something that happened in the past.

Write about a character who is being asked for their blessing, but is reluctant to give it.

Write a story that centers around a parking permit.

Contest #116

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

174

Contest entries

112

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: