Write a story in which someone can only hear one side of a conversation and must piece together the meaning of what they’ve heard.

Posted in Dialogue on May 10, 2024

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✍️ 38 stories

“The Elephant in the Room” by J Appos

Submitted to Contest #250

Sam was at the airport. Sam hated the airport. Everything about it made his skin crawl: the smells (harsh and discordant), the sounds (tinny and overwhelming), and, finally, the people (paradoxically both obnoxious and boring). He hated the people most of all. He wasn’t the biggest fan of them generally, but he could get through a business meeting or purchasing a coffee. At the airport, however, the whole lot of them were in fine form, chattering loudly on phones and slurping on straws and crunching on snacks and standing where...

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“One_Up” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #250

Rodent! Liar! It was supposed to be fun, not this ridiculous foofaraw where I can’t patch in but only hear pronouncements. Anyone could do that!“I thought you were premium support and extra paid up! Instead™, you’re privacy-shading me!”"That other voice you paid for never had too much to say. But you must hand it to them when they invented Instead™. It was a game-changer, always keeping things interesting," replied One_Up. “You can count on me to stay ahead of it!”The concert hall was vintage 20th-century. No accoutrements, not Ghezi certifi...

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“Bye-bye” by Jae Po

Submitted to Contest #250

“Yeah, I’m over him,” Sarah said curtly while walking into the kitchen from the back deck. Thomas looked up from his laptop, pulled away by those four short words. It was the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, when he would normally be at the office, but once he confirmed he didn’t have anymore meetings the rest of the day, he had decided to leave early and work the rest of the day from home. He thought he would surprise Sarah, but she had been out back, probably gardening, when he arrived. Figuring his ears had heard something likely uneventful...

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“The Checkout Line” by Daniel R. Mangru

Submitted to Contest #250

A quick in and out. That's all it will take to grab a deli sandwich and something to drink - or so I assume. As soon as I enter the store and the double doors slide close behind me, I see the one solitary cashier, and a line that is twelve people deep. Each person has a shopping cart filled to the top. No biggie, that's what self-checkout is for. I head to the deli aisle and grab an Italian sub that is made early morning. The bottled drinks are in the next aisle. I turn the corner and it must be m...

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“Murderer?” by Mallory Jones

Submitted to Contest #250

Alec was always a naturally curious child who had aspirations to become a detective when he grew up. He especially enjoyed watching murder mystery shows because it gave him the opportunity to polish up his skills. One sweltering summer day Alec decided to take a break from playing detective. Instead, he wanted to shoot hoops with his older brothers. Unfortunately, Alec's brothers suffered from a common disease known as teenitis. The most common symptom of teenitis was having the urge to be on an electronic device 24-7 with no interest ...

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“A Rose Has Thorns” by Tracy Thompson

Submitted to Contest #250

A Rose Has ThornsArch was behind her as they headed into the garage. She grabbed the keys from the hook and said, “I’ll drive,” in her most breezy voice. He didn’t fall for it.“I’ll drive!” He menaced.It wasn’t even 1:00pm and he’d already downed 3 boilermakers and the 3 remaining beers from the six-pack. He wanted to get the lawn mowed before they joined her family for a 4th of July barbecue. And mowing, like most any other task, required drinking.Rose wasn’t surprised she had fallen in love with Arch all those years ago. He’d been charming...

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“My commute” by Justin Day

Submitted to Contest #250

Mine’s a long commute to work, and a boring one. Looking out a train window is like reading the same book, the ending never changes. It’s the same with the view. So, I’ve found ways to make the time pass. I have games I play. Guessing someone’s name from their appearance. Their personality from their facial features. The status of their relationship from what they’re wearing. But my favorite game is listening to phone conversations. Because you only get one side and have to piece together what the other person’s saying. Then figure out wha...

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“Wall of Darkness” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #250

Cherryrose had tracked the lynx deep into the undercity, her heart racing with fear, excitement, and determination. It was a difficult chase. Vulane - the 'City of Secrets' - was a permanently damp city-state due to the enchanted skies. Each step Cherryrose took on the cobblestones was awkward and forced. The lynx would often check behind herself and take side streets randomly, a tactic common in ambush predators. Cherryrose - a new Tyrian cleric - used her long ears to follow the trail. She had noticed the lynx skittering past the temple on...

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“Old Man and the C” by Jeff Macloud

Submitted to Contest #250

John just would not fall asleep. Maggie had worn a path between the laundry room and their bedroom, up and down the stairs, carrying the same bundle of clothes back and forth, talking quietly to herself, silently cursing every time she found him awake as she passed. She’d planned the morning so carefully. She’d placed the digital recorder in his truck at four, before he’d woken up. She’d been careful to turn the beeping feature off, made sure it was fully charged, and hidden it in the back of the center console. She’d tested it to be s...

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“Mommy vs Daddy: The Match of the Century” by Nino Laquidara

Submitted to Contest #250

Randy stared at his horrified reflection in the bathroom mirror. His eyes looked – haunted. The hollowed-out expression of a man who would soon come face to face with any father’s worst nightmare. This was worse than that time he’d been tasked with getting rid of the bat in the attic when Betty knew he was afraid of their creepy, little feet. This was worse than the training bra incident of 2020. Hell, this might be worse than that time Jimmy saw a spider in the urinal, and he ran away from the restroom with his pants around his ankles, shou...

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“Caught” by Oliver S. Andreasen

Submitted to Contest #250

Finally, Agent Wayne got him. He had rested a small chip with a microphone into the man’s suit pocket while he ventured into the New York City hotel. The hotel had scheduled an international art’s exhibition, and the man inside had three art pieces with him. He had stolen all three. The IRS hadn’t heard from him in years, yet, here he was, wearing a fancy suit like he owned a billion-dollar company. An organization of his had helped him with his thefts, and, if he won the exhibition, that would spread the word about his rising ‘’stardom’’. U...

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“and lower your head” by Sam Sak

Submitted to Contest #250

"...and lower your head." You tilt your head instead. After all, she isn't talking to you. You gaze over at the two kneeling strangers. Their heads are indeed lowered and their hands are on their knees. The one who reminded the other to "lower your head" is a woman or perhaps just a girl. It is hard to tell her age. Next to her is most definitely a younger boy. He is attempting to look up at you but apparently cannot fully see you as he is subtly trying to raise his chin just enough. You step off the ledge and walk up to him, placing two fin...

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“Love on Line” by Lorraine Rossiter

Submitted to Contest #250

Love Life On-LineSitting in Costa Coffee on my own it is hard not to listen to other people’s conversation. I love people watching and listening I am SOOO nosey. But this time was so intriguing as I connected to the girl talking to her sister and friend. I could relate as she was talking about her experience of dating. Why, if they are single, do some men and women feel like they are just half a person? a blonde girl in her late 40s asked another 2 girls around the same age one a little older. I was to find out this girl was Lorraine and she...

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“The Eyes Have It” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

Submitted to Contest #250

Chapter 1: The Shattered PromiseAcross the crowded ballroom of Castle Harlequin, Viscount Franklin DeBourgeoisie's gaze locked with Lady Prancey McSnickerdoodle's, a spark of recognition igniting between them like a match struck in a powder keg. The air thrummed with an energy that crackled beneath the veneer of civility, a silent symphony of whispered desires and stolen glances. Crystal chandeliers, ablaze with stolen starlight, dripped rainbows onto the polished marble floor, their glittering facets masking a subtle tremor, as if the very ...

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“The overheard phone call” by Katelynn Seavey

Submitted to Contest #250

She can hear the voice through the study room. Her ear is pressing against the brown wooden door. Mackenzie didn’t mean to listen to the conversation, but she can’t help herself. She had been walking down the hallway trying to get to her room before her roommate noticed. When she heard the voice echoing through the study room door. She fidgets in the doorway, her feet alternating from the floor to her tippy toes as she sways up and down. She bit her lip in nerves, she knew she should not be doing this, but the second she heard the “Mackenzie...

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Write a story in which someone can only hear one side of a conversation and must piece together the meaning of what they’ve heard.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 38 stories

“The Elephant in the Room” by J Appos

“One_Up” by Joe Smallwood

“Bye-bye” by Jae Po

“The Checkout Line” by Daniel R. Mangru

“Murderer?” by Mallory Jones

“A Rose Has Thorns” by Tracy Thompson

“My commute” by Justin Day

“Wall of Darkness” by Cajek Veilwinter

“Old Man and the C” by Jeff Macloud

“Mommy vs Daddy: The Match of the Century” by Nino Laquidara

“Caught” by Oliver S. Andreasen

“and lower your head” by Sam Sak

“Love on Line” by Lorraine Rossiter

“The Eyes Have It” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

“The overheard phone call” by Katelynn Seavey

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which someone is afraid of being overheard.

Write a story about a child overhearing something they don’t understand.

A character overhears something at a black-tie event that puts the night in jeopardy.

Your teacher tasks you with writing a story based on an eavesdropped conversation. When the story is published, your subject isn’t happy.

Contest #250

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

229

Contest entries

107

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: