Write a story about an argument that seems to be about one thing, but is actually about another.

Posted in Dialogue on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 121 stories

“His Lordship Returns” by Matthew McLean

Submitted to Contest #50

Alma threatened Sukie with a raised fist, shaking it for emphasis. “You clean him up!” Short and squat compared to the lithe and taller Sukie, the quakes this exclamation sent through her body greatly amused the baby that was the ‘him’ in question. She brought her fist down on the counter hard enough to shake the hanging pans in the kitchen. Sukie made a show of examining her lacquered nails. “Why should I?” Screening her grey eyes behind a curtain of long, black hair, she was nearly successful in her attempt to hide her fear of the older ...

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“Phone Venom” by Daisy Bazeley

Submitted to Contest #50

"I'm sorry, where is this all coming from?!" I hated arguing. Hated arguing on the phone. Hated arguing in public. So arguing on the phone in public was worst case scenario for me. My blood was beginning to boil, and I didn't have a face to focus my anger on. Instead I started pacing the train platform, sucking on my cigarette and ignoring the judgmental faces of the other commuters. "This is hardly coming out of the blue for you; last week you told me you were planning on loaning it to your sister and now..." "It's my car I can sell it if I...

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“The Potted Plant” by Anastazia Rudolph

Submitted to Contest #50

“Owen!” Claire’s piercing voice rang out through the cluttered apartment. She stood in the kitchen, her slender frame dwarfed by the mountains of junk piled across every available surface. The sink was filled with pots and pans without a cupboard to call home, and the countertops seemed to bend beneath the weight of unopened letters and overdue bills. Even the dishwasher was filled with an assortment of kitchen...

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“These Are My Feelings” by Rutvi Dhruva

Submitted to Contest #50

“You’re fired”, as soon as I hear these words spill out of my boss’ mouth like caramel, I freeze. I knew I had made a huge mistake, but I also knew that I had worked good enough to not hear these words. I collected all my things in a crate and took a glance at my cabin for the one last time. All these years and this is what I get! I slowly walked towards the elevator with my crate, full of memories. There was no one who could look me in the eye. They just held their heads down with fake sympathy. There was nobody to stop this...

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“How Could You?” by Haley Duncan

Submitted to Contest #50

“I can’t believe this,” April shouted at her husband Brian from their kitchen. “How could you?” It was late in the afternoon and April had just gotten home from doing volunteer work with kids at their town’s library. Meanwhile, her husband had been home from work for about two hours. He always has a weird schedule, but April had noticed that it was even weirder now that they had a baby on the way. When she questioned him about it last week, he told her that he had started taking as many shifts as possible in an effort to acquire as much mo...

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“Playing with Toys” by M Moon

Submitted to Contest #50

As Russel Bushman, a highly-respected judge, opened the door to his son’s playroom, he instantly saw his wife trying to convince their son that he’s already tired and needs some sleep when in reality she was one who’s exhausted. “John, your playtime is over. Come with mommy, let’s sleep. Look at you! Your eyes are dropping.” “Honey, you’re the one with sleepy eyes.” Russel butted. “Daddy!” John said happily and ran to his father to hug him. Russel picked him up and walked towards where Magie, his wife, was sitting and sat beside her. “Russ,...

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“Jasmine coffee” by Chahinez Haddad

Submitted to Contest #50

One scoop. Two scoops. Three scoops. Four scoops of coffee. No, that’s too much. One scoop. Two scoops. Three? Maybe two are enough. The woman filled the Italian coffee press. She had the water up to the level of the little screw on the side, just like her mother and grandmother taught her when she was little. That was a long time ago, though. Now, she’s lucky if she gets to fill her to-go cup with some instant Nescafe. She always picks up the Gold label, as if it makes a difference, just to pretend she’s still the same coffee a...

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“They called it a near miss” by Jennifer Geer

Submitted to Contest #50

They called it a near miss, but I called it a direct hit as years of pent-up anger surged through my veins. The porcelain coffee cup sailed through the air and smashed directly where I was aiming it; just next to my husband's head. He had been quietly reading the Desert Sun Newspaper while he sat on the bar-stool in our breakfast nook. It shattered with a loud bang against the wall. I had made my point. He recoiled in shock and disbelief as he looked at the pieces of the white cup scattered on the floor beneath his bare feet. The...

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“Again” by Lilith Minnis

Submitted to Contest #50

"I should have known." As tears fell to her cheeks, he felt nothing. "I should have known you cheated. Was I just another victim, then?" more words. no emotion. "Alden!" He snapped his head toward her, Silver Eyes darting across her facial expression. It was becoming difficult to ignore her and the situation at hand, considering the snowy blank canvas in front of them. Nothing could really be seen besides that flat surface dusted in white. There was nowhere for him to look except for at the ground in front of him. So he responded. "It was ne...

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“Message to the young” by Tony Sandy

Submitted to Contest #50

If you survive your impetuous youth, to reach my age, you'll have all of the following to look forward to and more (Old age doesn't come empty handed as they say in Scotland): Indigestion, heartburn, piles and a bladder that controls you - not you, it. You'll cut and bruise easily too. Your teeth will be sensitive to both hot and cold things equally. Chewing hard stuff? Just a memory of stamina you've no longer got. Your eyes will run at the least sign of cold weather, until you drown in your tears and your...

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“Mania” by Shenice Pierre

Submitted to Contest #50

“I don’t know what to do anymore?” “What do you mean?” he asked, peering over the rim of his glasses, looking at his wife. “You don’t talk to me anymore. I can’t keep guessing what you want without you saying a word. I can't read your mind,” she stated quite calmly standing before her husband. “It shouldn’t be this way. How could you just sit there when our marriage is in shambles!” He paused, his gaze so completely and irrevocably confused. Then the slew of questions proceeded: “What do you mean? Shambles…What’s going on? Are you alright? D...

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“Johnny & Mary” by Savannah Campbell

Submitted to Contest #50

The click and snap of a ballpoint pen brings Johnny’s attention forward and away from the window. "How has today been so far?” The older man asks, hand hovering his papers, ready to write. “Did they tell you to ask me first?” Johnny’s voice has a touch of edge to it, “The people planning the end of the world know I’m on to them. They want me gone. I knew I was right when I said I wouldn’t make it through the day...

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“Belated” by Thomas Auen

Submitted to Contest #50

A sudden flick of the switch amid the darkness brought immediate illumination to the kitchen. Morning sun had yet to emerge as Mary glanced through the opposite window across the room. She walked toward the outdated Mr. Coffee and rummaged through the cabinets for two mugs. Such was the beginning to her morning ritual. After thirty years, she could practically perform the act unconsciously. “Mary!” came a shout from the hall. “Where’re my socks? I left them right by the bed, so I’m sure you moved them. I need them. And it’s freezing ...

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“Schrodinger's indifferent cat” by MANU SWARAJ

Submitted to Contest #50

“The real question is, does the cat get a say in this?” said Jerry, his gaze fixed on the air vent.“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter,” said Page, he was irritated. What was he thinking? Jerry will never understand this, and once that happens, he will start making fun of it. Page will have to play the joker again. “What do you mean you don’t know?” asked Jerry.“It’s hard, that's all I can say.” “What did you say was the name of the old scientist?”“Schrodinger”“Yeah, he is wrong. That is stupid.”“You could be right,” said Pag...

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“Me, him and Him” by Nan Bogue

Submitted to Contest #50

I had won the grand prize: a weekend at one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. All I had done was fill out a little “enter the sweepstakes” card at a garden show. When I arrived at the “property”, I was greeted with a bottle of Perrier water. The man who handed it to me in the lobby had on white gloves. It occurred to me that the Super 8 Chain should copy- cat this inexpensive, elegant idea. A Lamborghini sat in the grand, circular entry way; its wings open as it emptied itself of its coiffed driver. The view from the top of D...

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Write a story about an argument that seems to be about one thing, but is actually about another.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 121 stories

“His Lordship Returns” by Matthew McLean

“Phone Venom” by Daisy Bazeley

“The Potted Plant” by Anastazia Rudolph

“These Are My Feelings” by Rutvi Dhruva

“How Could You?” by Haley Duncan

“Playing with Toys” by M Moon

“Jasmine coffee” by Chahinez Haddad

“They called it a near miss” by Jennifer Geer

“Again” by Lilith Minnis

“Message to the young” by Tony Sandy

“Mania” by Shenice Pierre

“Johnny & Mary” by Savannah Campbell

“Belated” by Thomas Auen

“Schrodinger's indifferent cat” by MANU SWARAJ

“Me, him and Him” by Nan Bogue

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a proposal.

Write a story about a person experiencing pre-performance jitters.

Write a story told entirely through one chase scene.

Write a story about a summer afternoon spent in a treehouse.

Contest #50

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

940

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: