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

Posted in Dialogue on May 10, 2024

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✍️ 64 stories

“School Dances Suck” by Kira Paul

Submitted to Contest #250

The night was inky black, the stars bright. The sound of music pulsated from the gymnasium a dozen feet away. Goosebumps pimpled my skin, and my breath clouded in the freezing cold air. But none of that mattered. I was outside with Malia St. Michaels. She was beautiful, per usual. With long, gold-tipped black box braids, smoky eyeliner, and a form-fitting blazer dress, she looked years beyond her age. I was totally, absolutely enamored with her, and I had been since the day we met, our first day of freshmen year. I never imagined I’d g...

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“The Call” by Hannah R. Newberry

Submitted to Contest #250

“911. What's your emergency?” “Help” I whispered, the sound barely audible over the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. “Hello? 911. What's your emergency?” The operator said again in a professional, calm voice that seemed to ring throughout the tiny confines of the closest. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, swallowing down the rising terror. I inhaled slowly through my nose to calm the shaking in my voice and whispered again, “I need help.” “What’s your current location?” the operator inquired, her sweet voice so, so loud. “33 Wes...

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“I Couldn't Help But Overhear” by Jason Hughes

Submitted to Contest #250

The café was crowded, but we decided to go ahead and get in line, anyway, hoping that maybe a couple of seats might become available by the time we got our coffee. Sure enough, two people got up just as we were getting ready to order, so I told my dad to get me a vanilla latte and I went to snag the open table before anyone else could. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the person behind me was also making a move for the table, but I had edged out just ahead of them. They stepped back in line as I sat down. I will neve...

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“Simpleness” by Kristy Garrett

Submitted to Contest #250

I whispered in her ear, begging her to come with me. I know her mom was downstairs waiting and I didn’t want her to hear my pleas. I just couldn’t imagine spending the entire summer without her. We had spent the entire year getting to know each other and now I couldn’t imagine a moment without her beside me. It was the end of our freshman year of college and I was heading to my family’s lake house for the summer. I had plans to work at the local marina and take at least one class online to stay caught up on my undergrad prerequisites. She wa...

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“The Weight of Wealth.” by Peyton Denisar

Submitted to Contest #250

Money is the root of all evil. At least that’s what my pop always told me growing up. “For outlaws there ain’t nothin’ more important than money. Everything they do: Lootin, killin, extortion, all just to serve their pockets no matter the cost to anyone else. That’s why outlaws always die in the end.” “Is being rich bad, pop?” The old man chuckled, his graying whiskers twitching with his exhale.“Depends who you ask, boy. Treat people right with it and you’re good in my eyes. Whatever you did to get that money is between you and God.” I didn...

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“George's Place” by Matt Austin

Submitted to Contest #250

An ear-splitting ‘crack!’ filled the air as they hit the stone jetty. The tiny rowing boat split in two as if it were balsa wood. The black water swallowed both halves up with a reptilian slurp. Max and Steve fell backwards with a splash and found themselves neck deep in the water of the large lake. ‘Shit. That’s the spliff gone out,’ said Max. ‘Never mind the spliff,’ panicked Steve, ‘what about the boat? If we get caught, they’re going to kill us!’. The two friends waded and swam to the side of the lake and hoisted themselves on to the ten...

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“Bless Me Father...” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #250

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been forever since my last confession.” The words echo in the confessional, and I can't help but wonder if they carry beyond these walls. I had been to a good Catholic School run by nuns—Saint Monica on the Fields.I was happy there. The good sisters were good, not like those horror stories of religious people gone astray. But that’s not why I’m the only person in this 1960s church on a Saturday afternoon—far from it!I’m here to go to confession! Everything I say is spiritually overheard by everyon...

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“Adventures of the Unlucky” by Annalise Lagerquist

Submitted to Contest #250

Trigger warning: Cancer. Sam?” I softly call from across the party as I see my best friend’s long blond hair whip back and forth on the dance floor. She stops dancing and looks around confused as I furiously wave to her. Finally, she spots me and prances over like a pony that just got a new bow in her hair. “Sam, I need to speak to you. I don’t want anyone to hear though.” I quietly tell her, afraid that if I speak any louder, my secret will somehow be broadcasted for everyone to hear. “Sure! What do you want to talk about Ari? Is it ab...

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“The Residue Burn” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #250

On the surface, Grazer’s Knoll seems like a typical, picturesque small town. A little slice of antique Americana on the north end of the Sacramento Valley. The men are strong and stoic. Almost all work down at the lumber mill. The women are lovingly stern, a powerful matriarch. It’s no secret that the sewing circles of the Knoll run the show. Kenny was a good kid, the youngest of four. At ten he could already hold his own with some of the tougher chores required around the farm. He’d been in his fair share of dustups with some of the o...

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“Cape May, NJ” by Nora Sheppard

Submitted to Contest #250

Cape May, NJ William Bern had been introduced to Stacy Mills by his friend, Steve. By chance, they ended up at Brooklyn's Ragtime Bar one Friday night. Steve saw his old co-worker Stacy on the dance floor with her girlfriends. By the end of the night, she and William were slow dancing. At first, Steve warned William away from her. She had lost her husband to cancer the previous year, 2011. It was too soon, Steve said, but William and Stacy hit it off. That was a month ago. Now, they were vacationing on Lake Lily at Cape May, New ...

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“The Lightness of Beings” by Leslie Cieplechowicz

Submitted to Contest #250

The Lightness of Beings They hunched together, their damp breath spiraling in the cool air, their crimson eyes winking in the heavy darkness. The odor of decaying wood permeated their nostrils. Their empty guts twisted and cramped as they waited for their sire to return. “She will not be back,” the eldest, One, whispered. “The lighted beast killed her. We are alone.” “She will return. She outran it,” hissed Two, the creature in the middle. “Be quiet,...

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“More Than You Think” by GailD Prentice

Submitted to Contest #250

More You ThinkGail D PrenticeNOTE: This story has been reconstructed from the past and placed in the near future. It denotes political unrest and a call to action. The year had been plagued by one governmental mistake after another. It seemed that every politician was on putting the United States of America on self-destruct. They passed law after law that violated the Constitution and completely disregarded the By-Laws of the land. Tension was rising throughout every state as the cost of living skyrocketed, and wages failed to even att...

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“The Mirror” by Gregory Richardson

Submitted to Contest #250

THE MIRROR The party at the pool had lasted until almost two in the morning before some pissed off resident finally called the cops. By then about half of the remaining women were naked but I was too drunk to really take advantage of the situation. I slumped on the edge of the shallow end of the pool and watched the pretty red lights of the cop cars go round and round until my neighbor Dean slapped me on the back of the head and told me to get my ass in gear if I didn’t want to spend the night in the drunk tank. I’d been to the place the inm...

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“Captivity” by Nathaniel Gardener

Submitted to Contest #250

“Sam, I don’t want to have to ask you this again,” Marc loomed over the dirty mustard covers wrinkled around the boy’s body, “it is now five o'clock in the afternoon.”Sam groanedand writhed atop the jagged bedsprings that poked at his back through themattress. The words were muffled to him, warbling out of a fishbowl as helay half unconscious. Marc sighed.“If youdon’t get up, I’m going to get Adrian and the boys in here to lift youoff. Then we’re going to move this mattress underneath the staircase,where everyone can see you.&...

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“Skela's Tale of a Human's Encounter ” by Ruby Pix

Submitted to Contest #250

My family is just informed that a new patron is moving in across from us. They are all anyone ever talks about nowadays. Even the kids at my school whisper in their little groups. The new guy; slim and tall, dark matter hair, dressed in all black and gray casual clothes. How he appears gloomy and lonesome, yet none tried to get close. Even I’m at fault for this. Despite my parents asking me to make friends with the new guy, I just couldn’t. There was something off about him that just drove me and others away. A few days prior to him register...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 64 stories

“School Dances Suck” by Kira Paul

“The Call” by Hannah R. Newberry

“I Couldn't Help But Overhear” by Jason Hughes

“Simpleness” by Kristy Garrett

“The Weight of Wealth.” by Peyton Denisar

“George's Place” by Matt Austin

“Bless Me Father...” by Joe Smallwood

“Adventures of the Unlucky” by Annalise Lagerquist

“The Residue Burn” by Levi Michael

“Cape May, NJ” by Nora Sheppard

“The Lightness of Beings” by Leslie Cieplechowicz

“More Than You Think” by GailD Prentice

“The Mirror” by Gregory Richardson

“Captivity” by Nathaniel Gardener

“Skela's Tale of a Human's Encounter ” by Ruby Pix

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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.

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

225

Contest entries

105

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: