Start your story with someone uttering a very strange sentence.

Posted in Dialogue on Dec 22, 2023

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✍️ 52 stories

“Grammar Schooled” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #230

“I never said she stole my money.”“You never said she stole your money? But isn’t that why we’re here, Mr. erm...?”“Goldstein. Em Goldstein.”“You have accused the cleaning lady of stealing your money.”“No, I never said she stole my money.”“Yes, you did. It’s here in my notes. Quote: Victim was asked who the perpetrator was. To which he replied, the cleaning lady.”“No, I never said she stole my money.”“I’m confused.”Detective Inspector Syme had been on his way home from a long shift tracking down petty criminals, when he received a phone call...

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“The Gravity of Words” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #230

The day that gravity stopped working for words, Shawn climbed the fire escape to the roof of his walk-up apartment and screamed at the top of his lungs. He could feel the vibration of the sounds leaving his throat, but the scream never reached his ears. The heads of the pedestrians on the street below did not turn. No one could hear him screaming.Shawn had a deadline on his new EP. He was determined to record two new tracks for his album that afternoon, but it seemed that the world had other plans. How does one make music, when they can’t he...

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“The Six Must Decide: Quetzalcoital or Drext?” by Robert Egan

Submitted to Contest #230

"Leave me quetzalcoital with your Hemingway-six!" the bearded lady roared. These were the perfect words with which to begin the meeting, which was why she was the boss. Her "Hemingway-six" echoed across the labyrinthine cave, fluttered feathered serpent–like across six pairs of ears, and crafted wind jewels across entangled neurons. The effect was neither sensuous nor sensual. It was quetzalcoital, and all six in the cave knew it at once. The bearded lady and her five confrères were the only ones who knew about the cave. It was their ov...

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“Captive Flame (E)” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #230

"She didn't kill them on purpose," Wynter shouted at her sister.Summer rolled her eyes. "And how do you know that? You weren't there, were you?""No, but - but what if she didn't know? She didn't know what an Ever was, what if it's different in her world? If her people aren't Linked then how was she to know that our lives are stored in Evergreen needles? How was -"Summer interrupted her. "I don't get you at all! You knew her for less than an hour and you're completely convinced that she's an unwitting murderer of 700 people.""Of course I am! ...

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“Memory GPT” by Iakov Shuvalov

Submitted to Contest #230

“How much did you sell your memories for?” asked the young office worker. “Enough to pay my rent.” the older worker answered. “And what ones did you sell? The ones of your ex-wife?” “Cheeky bastard.” the older worker snapped. “Those memories probably trained that fancy therapist AI you’re speaking to right now.” “Maybe not. They may have been used for the new President AI.” “No. You’re not that valuable yet. Right, sir?” Their boss did not answer. It was roughly an hour until the bells would ring for the year 2100, and only the three ...

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“Shadow” by Aidan Romo

Submitted to Contest #230

The shadow’s flesh was of a devil’s hide. It silently echoed screams of old pains, pains I hoped never to feel again. This shadow has followed me for as long as I can feasibly recall. Even now, it continues to hover over me. Though I have tried to run from its grip on my soul before, I swear it. I have yet to see it, but I just know it’s always here. For me, and for us all. Just when I’m at my most vulnerable, it will appear once more. You take me mad, don’t you, raving about such a ghastly thing? I assure you, it’s all too real. Most don’t ...

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“The customer isn't always right” by Susy G

Submitted to Contest #230

“Ma’am, I understand that Mr Pickles is at the vet because he swallowed an unfortunately positioned rat pellet in your neighbour’s garden, but this doesn’t change the fact that I cannot process a refund for your air fryer if you don’t have a receipt.” “I don’t think you quite understand what I’m saying: how am I supposed to use the air fryer when Mr Pickles’ life hangs in the balance?” “Ma’am, I sympathise—” “Don’t ‘ma’am’ me, just give me the damn refund!” “Without a receipt, store policy doesn’t allow—” “But I bought it from here! Whe...

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“The Fourth Wall” by Rose Winters

Submitted to Contest #230

"Vomit's Better with ketchup."Keelie threw a rubber knife at Will’s head. “You’re disgusting.”“I’m serious. Watch.” Will squirted ketchup into a jar of ‘pureed squash’ baby food. “Okay, Keelie, don’t swish it around, just hold it in your mouth. No swallowing.”“As if I would.” Keelie reached down her dress and adjusted the rolled-up socks in her bra, smacking her barely pubescent hot pink lips. “For the love of the craft. Bottom’s up.” She carefully poured the mix in her mouth, trying not to wince at the slimy texture, and nodded.Glancing aro...

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“Starcrossed” by Angela W

Submitted to Contest #230

“The stars in their grief seek revenge.”Drina’s hollow voice stills my hand and I momentarily abandon the task of copying a particularly difficult rune. I glance around the unoccupied library to see if something around us could have sparked such a statement, but all I see is empty space and old books.“Hold that thought, Drina,” I say, dropping my gaze back to the parchment before me, “I’m almost finished with this ridiculous rune for Professor Miranda.”A few moments of silence pass, which is odd since Audrina Alderidge is never quiet for mor...

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“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #230

“Out of all the reasons for my imprisonment, helping one of my honor students shouldn’t have been one of them,” I muttered. “Bob, you have ten hours and three minutes before meeting your maker!” He chuckled sadistically as he spoke. Reflecting on my feelings, my jaw tightened at the thought of not missing this jerk. Twelve years ago, Missy asked for my help. Suddenly, her clothing preferences drastically shifted. Her grades plummeted from A’s to C’s and D’s. The clanging of the jailer’s cudgel rang out against the bars, waking many ...

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“FOMO” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #230

“It isn’t Munch, so here, you can have it!”“Munch appreciated!” I exclaim as I take the bag.“He did until FOMO hit!” said the Prevost.I should have known better, but when you starve, your hands have a life of their own. I rummage through Munch’s beat-up travel bag. Burglary tools, identity papers with a picture that looks like me were thrown in with a stale half-eaten lunch! Such trash! Munch left a rotten apple in his bag. I’m so ravenous that I take a bite.Long ago, when I worked, I thought I was happy. I never missed out on anything. Now ...

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“A Strange Thing to Say” by Brian Bywater

Submitted to Contest #230

A Strange Thing to Say “Bog walking John, yes, in my opinion Bog Walking is the World’s strangest sport.” “Eric, the question I asked was, ‘what are the strangest sports in the World? I did not ask you to make up a fictitious sport.” “Which is exactly what I didn’t do. Bog Walking is a real sport.” “Yes you did Eric. You came up with the fictitious sport of Bog Walking. Admit it. Unusually inventive for you I do grant you that, but you cannot possibly be telling me it is really a sport, can you? For openers tell me where in the Wo...

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“3 o ' clock ” by Vanessa Severino

Submitted to Contest #230

She woke up in the middle of the night to a strong gust of wind, as her bedroom shudders flung open. She raced to the window to pull the shudders towards her, until they were fastened shut and locked securely. She let out a huge sigh of relief. She could not help but notice a shadow of a man standing in the grass one story beneath her. "Could it be?" She asked herself in a breathless whisper. She shook her head no, pushed away the thought, and crawled back into bed, for it was only 3' o clock. Fast forward to that afternoon, she was leav...

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“We Had a Deal” by David Willett

Submitted to Contest #230

"If you get me his phone, I might reconsider,” Detective Pike said as he turned to walk away. Sharon knew she could not let the negotiation end here. She searched the ground as if the canals forming between the cobblestones would give her the right words. She looked back at Pike’s caramel-coloured trench coat moving further away. The downpour cascaded like a waterfall around his muscular frame as it streamed off his black umbrella. It was the image of her last chance, framed on either side by the cement walls of two city skyscrapers. ...

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“Kissing Fish” by Wake Lloire

Submitted to Contest #230

“It wasn’t the last time I’d kiss a fish in the back of a Model T, but it was the last time the fish turned out to be a princess.” I was used to Delilah making big claims under the influence of a few too many plastic cups of Baby Duck sparkling wine, but this one was a new one. I knew that Delilah hung out with me because I was a good listener and because most of her friends were dead. That might seem a little harsh, coming right out and saying it that way, but Delilah was not young. She was “catching the lip of 92” was how she’d said i...

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Start your story with someone uttering a very strange sentence.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“Grammar Schooled” by Chris Campbell

“The Gravity of Words” by Jonathan Page

“The Six Must Decide: Quetzalcoital or Drext?” by Robert Egan

“Captive Flame (E)” by Khadija S. Mohammad

“Memory GPT” by Iakov Shuvalov

“Shadow” by Aidan Romo

“The customer isn't always right” by Susy G

“The Fourth Wall” by Rose Winters

“Starcrossed” by Angela W

“No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” by Scott Taylor

“FOMO” by Joe Smallwood

“A Strange Thing to Say” by Brian Bywater

“3 o ' clock ” by Vanessa Severino

“We Had a Deal” by David Willett

“Kissing Fish” by Wake Lloire

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story framed by a single scene: something happens, a flashback or inner monologue intervenes, and then the story ends with the rest of the original scene.

Write a story in which a character achieves a new level of clarity about how they’re really feeling.

Write a story that hides something from its reader until the very end.

Write a story in the form of a list.

Contest #230

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

359

Contest entries

108

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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