Write a story containing the words “it’s the thought that counts.”

Posted in Dialogue on Apr 7, 2023

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✍️ 46 stories

“What He Wanted Me To Do” by Akhlys Ivy

Submitted to Contest #193

I kept my head up at your funeral. That’s what you would have wanted me to do. I gave your family and friends firm handshakes and told them you would appreciate their presence. That’s what you would have wanted me to do. I delivered a speech that was like an obituary, but of all the memories I had of you. It wasn’t supposed to make people cry, yet everyone seemed to. Especially the part at the end where I said, “If he was a beach, I was the stars that danced for him and gave him light so he could...

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“A Good Bet” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #193

CW: cursing and murderTheodore looks disheveled. There is no other way to describe a man who walks to the glass front door of our office, throws out his left hand which grasps desperately at the metal handle before flopping to his side, before hopelessly shuffling in. She hurt him last night. Again. I could kill her. But I can’t, because they’ll blame Theo, I remind myself. I desperately attempt to quiet the butterflies, screaming in my stomach, as I murmur a good morning. Theodore walks on. As he passes by, I sniff the air, like a dog track...

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“ZODIAC” by Barikisu Abdallah

Submitted to Contest #193

I quietly followed my father into the forest in the middle of the night.The rain was falling heavily and my Dad kept running, looking around as if he was expecting something to happen.I was only seven and I could hardly catch up with my Dad, since he didn’t expect me to follow him.He sighed deeply, stood for a moment, and pointed the gun in my direction, but I hid at the back of a big tree as fast as I can. “A brave man never hides!” he shouted, but I stood as quiet as I could. He shot three times until he was convinced that n...

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“Platitudes for those Left Behind” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #193

Trigger warning: Grief, death of a loved one. Profanity. “It’s been sixteen hours and twenty-two days since I held her in my arms,” Sisely told her therapist. “Have you been able to cry?” Sisely shook her head no. “How about your sleep?” Sisely shrugged and quirked her mouth into a frow...

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“Forward Motion” by Pari Ghodsi

Submitted to Contest #193

My swollen cheeks carry my smile like a sack of fifty-pound potatoes dropping it with relief the second the door latch clicks into place behind him. After three failed cycles of IVF, a pregnancy complicated with placenta previa, and a cesarean delivery in which I was told I was “lucky it went as well as it did.” I knew my grin shouldn’t be such a load. Inside of the body that I no longer recognize as my own there are two places where I am happy; my head, the place that I logically know that this baby is everything I want, and deep inside of ...

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“The Case of the Medgrove Murders” by Kennedi McCoy

Submitted to Contest #193

Contains the use of tobacco products, a description of a corpse, and explicit language. The small town of Medgrove in Oregon was full of mystery. The town was located as a rest stop along I-84. The population was barely passing 1,000 people, and everyone knew each other. It was peaceful, and everyone got along, except for minor land disputes. When the murders started happening, however, it was the most significant thing ever happening in the town. Bright police lights could be seen for miles, the light pollution being the bare mini...

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“Housekeeper ” by Malik Coley

Submitted to Contest #193

Clarissa Parker, is a deceiving ex-con, thirsty for a taste of the fast life. Michael Jones is a successful lawyer who's done everything right his whole entire life, looking for that someone, to make him feel free. With money on Clarissa's mind, fire in her head, and ice in her soul, she's preying on her next victim. You'd be a fool to try and stop her, she's like a growing snowball rolling down from the peak of a Colorado mountain. Michael just ended a short relationship after realizing that he needs someone he's compatible with, and not...

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“The Drifter” by Mofope Olaleye

Submitted to Contest #193

THE DRIFTER By Nathan Olaleye February 2nd, 20—I’m not sure anymore. Blasting from the North, the flakes never cease in waltzing to the wind’s moans and biting rhythms. I can’t say no one dies in winter, but rates have dug long through the usual threshold. We’re down to 60 now. All I wish for is just not a 59. Never have I prayed for my daughter’s ruddy skin to return and be durable enough to withstand my nails as I hug her. Hysterical coughs have strangled almost all her speech; she looks like a melted ice-cream co...

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“Sweet Potato Delight?” by Laurie Yost

Submitted to Contest #193

There’s nothing quite like having your best friend, who lives out of town, come to your home for the weekend. I had just recently had surgery and she was coming to check on me to make sure that I was behaving myself and doing the things that I was supposed to be doing. She was also coming to just spend some good, quality time with me. The weather was going to be nice, the spring trees and plants were starting to bud, and we were going to have a wonderful time just being together. And eating….we love to eat together! In prepa...

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“Dislike and Delete” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #193

In the heart of the digital world, where the virtual meets reality, there was a Twitter user known as frightfullySon171. He was a man consumed by fanaticism, driven by the belief that the world could only become a better place if all those he disagreed with were made to suffer. He envisioned a world where only the righteous and pure of heart would be left, free from the tyranny of those he deemed unworthy. FrightfullySon171 would spend hours on end scrolling through his feed, gleefully retweeting any news of tragedy and misfortune that bef...

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“High There” by Kevin Marlow

Submitted to Contest #193

“Dude, it's just a plant.”“I don't know Cain. What does it feel like?”“It's the best feeling in the world. Why do you think they call it a high?”“I've never used any drugs. Are you trying to help me or get me hooked?"“You've been in the dumps lately friend. Weed is not a drug. It's all-natural. It's a gift from Mother Nature. If you don't like it, remember it's the thought that counts. I'm turning you on to help you out.”“O.K. Give me the damn pipe.” I fondled the stem nervously, plucking the red bic lighter from Cain's outstretched hand. Fl...

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“The Used Toaster” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #193

“So… he gave you a used toaster?” I asked Emma. I met Emma at my last company. She was smart and ambitious and I befriended her when I realized I could learn a thing or two from her. It appeared she felt the same and we became fast friends. Now that both have moved on in our careers, Emma and I make a point of doing brunch at least once a month to catch up. This keeps us connected in our busy lives. “It wasn’t used.” Emma took a sip of her orange tinted mimosa and avoided eye contact ...

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“Winter ” by Arianna Skolnick

Submitted to Contest #193

All people started as monkeys during the beginning of evolution. Then they branched off, and monkeys became their own species. Chimpanzees and Gorillas were once the same creatures, but about six million years ago, separated with chimps stayed 99% genetically similar to humans, and gorillas became 98% genetically identical. Unlike gorillas, humans have “fur” that covers our bodies but not to the extent that gorillas do. Gorillas have been proven to show the intelligence of understanding humans through sign language in the past, so what makes...

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“Thought that counts” by Michael Heavener

Submitted to Contest #193

I caused a missionary family an enormous amount of grief because they stopped to help me on the way home. They were on their way to the airport and didn't make their flight.The thermostat of my car stopped working and the engine overheated. I managed to get to the shoulder on kinetic energy after it quit; I was driving a car with a manual transmission, fortunately.My boss stopped to see if I needed help. I gave him my home phone number and asked him to call my wife to let her know. That was nice of him but didn't help me.Where I stopped was ...

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“What do Yellow Ducks and Love Affairs Have in Common? Turns Out, Nothing” by Bobbi Brown

Submitted to Contest #193

Today I parked farther down the street. Yesterday I was one house up and it was impossible to see past the large tree in his neighbors yard. After the car was in park I was committed, moving closer would make me look odd, suspicious even. People are naturally nosy. It’s as though minding one's own business is merely an afterthought in today's world. Just like clockwork the light blue curtains with little yellow ducks slide out of view. I always see her first. In the way. It’s quite disgusting. She darts back and forth, making breakfast I’m s...

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Write a story containing the words “it’s the thought that counts.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 46 stories

“What He Wanted Me To Do” by Akhlys Ivy

“A Good Bet” by Amanda Lieser

“ZODIAC” by Barikisu Abdallah

“Platitudes for those Left Behind” by KT George

“Forward Motion” by Pari Ghodsi

“The Case of the Medgrove Murders” by Kennedi McCoy

“Housekeeper ” by Malik Coley

“The Drifter” by Mofope Olaleye

“Sweet Potato Delight?” by Laurie Yost

“Dislike and Delete” by Emanuel Diaz

“High There” by Kevin Marlow

“The Used Toaster” by Madeline Honig

“Winter ” by Arianna Skolnick

“Thought that counts” by Michael Heavener

“What do Yellow Ducks and Love Affairs Have in Common? Turns Out, Nothing” by Bobbi Brown

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story inspired by the concept of arigata-meiwaku — a favor that turns out to be a nuisance for its recipient.

Write about somebody whose intentions are pure, but somehow always manages to do the wrong thing.

Write a story where someone insists on giving your main character a ride to the airport, only for their car to break down.

Write a fable inspired by a relatable life experience (explaining the moral before or after the story, if you’d like).

Contest #193

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

186

Contest entries

115

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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