Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Posted in Dialogue on Jan 26, 2024

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✍️ 65 stories

“Dream” by Abbey Light

Submitted to Contest #235

Beep… Beep… Beep…The last couple of days I’ve been hearing things: this incessant beeping, faint but entirely infuriating, and occasionally… voices, I think? Little whispers or pieces of conversations every so often, but none of it makes much sense.I’m probably just going crazy.I’m sitting at my desk at work, rubbing my temples to stave off the dull ache in my head that’s been growing for days. It’s 4:43 and my half-finished article on the new bookstore opening up downtown sits dormant on my desktop, the cursor blinking tauntingly at me. It ...

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“Running's Everything” by Denis Baldwin

Submitted to Contest #235

Jake remembered some important runs in his life, but this next one would be the most significant. It feels like every other run, every other moment, was leading up to this. Running had been Jake's life; now, it may be the last thing he does. Jake met his future wife in high school at their first cross country track meet. Tall for his age, Jake was lean at the time—gangly even—and didn't care for most competitive sports; he was only in competition with himself. That is, until he met Laura. Jake did everything he could to win her attention ...

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“DO REMI FA SOL LALA” by Frederique Louchart

Submitted to Contest #235

The 1720s had brought a new fashion and young ladies paraded in long evening dresses created from stiff fabrics with a high waisted corset and fully boned skirts. Remi couldn’t take his eyes off pretty Lala. He had already crossed path with her several times since the beginning of Spring. She was wearing one of those scandalous dresses with fine silk shimmering patterns and a very form-fitting corsage. Listening and singing along a joyful and heady refrain, Lala continually displayed a smile on her lips and she bounced and hopped happily t...

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“Horse” by Gregg Voss

Submitted to Contest #235

A fully inflated basketball weighs about twenty-two ounces, give or take, with a circumference of around 29 inches. The air inside, measured in pounds per square inch, is what makes it bounce. That said, how could this saffron ball, with its black lines and smooth dimples and blocky Wilson logo, feel so heavy to Jimmy, almost as if it was a boulder? The ball wasn’t any different than any of the...

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“O'Malley & Deadman” by Hyacinth V. Haile

Submitted to Contest #235

She looked at me across the saloon floor again, I could not escape those damn gray eyes. There was a sense of desperation to them, as if she needed to lock eyes with me. Jack was all but happy that she had walked in. He was excited to maybe shoot his shot with someone not from Wraith Hallow. But, anytime he would attempt to walk up and talk, she would smile and tell him she didn’t want anything. Her voice held a thick accent and was full of youth it seemed she was too old to hold. She seemed no older than I, if so, maybe even a couple year...

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“YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER” by Deaidre Newby

Submitted to Contest #235

Life is hard. There are so many obstacles to overcome that it is senseless. I have to constantly remind myself, Charlotte breathe – girl just breathe. So, I take a big breath and breathe. And in that moment, I experience a level of peace until my emotional cycle starts all over again. I have spent years in my vicious emotional cycle, trying to figure out a permanent fix. But nothing worked. I mean NO-THING! I’ve tried exercising, meditation, Buddha, Islam faith, improving my diet, and changing my environment as well as my friends. BUT NO...

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“Unwanted advice” by Helen Power

Submitted to Contest #235

“You need to seriously look at your life and figure out where you’re going.” “Y’know at some stage you’re going to have to settle down.” “The old biological clock doesn’t wait for anyone.” I’d heard them all. And I’d heard them from all directions. From my elderly aunts - shrivelled, desiccated women - as if they were ones to talk. They weren’t the best adverts for life. From some know-it-all friends (although calling them friends might be stretching it), who flaunted bald babies attached to their nipples like a badge of hon...

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“Twin Syndrome” by Marion Baars

Submitted to Contest #235

Mxoli, the new addition to the Johannesburg police force, navigated the bustling streets of Zwide with a practiced eye. His partner, a seasoned officer, was briefing him on the nuances of their patrol area. The city’s vibrant chaos was a far cry from Mxoli’s humble beginnings in a small village nestled in the Transkei hills. There, he had risen from a shepherd boy to a respected figure in the local police force. His new assignment in Johannesburg's dense urban landscape was both a challenge and a milestone in his career. Mxoli had always har...

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“True Love” by Michael Schneider

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can’t run forever. This is the end of the road; you’ve nowhere to go,” said Ann. Pulling a knife, Rita put it to her neck, and with a quick slash, blood pumped out in a fountain. Running, Ann bent over Rita’s body; there was a smile on Rita’s face. Rita’s heart pumped blood for five minutes, too long for Ann, she passed out. Ann awoke screaming. The doctor tried calming Ann, but Ann uncontrollably writhed on the bed. A strong sedative calmed her, but her arms still moved, her fists clenched tight. After a month of screaming, she finally...

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“The Golden Envelope ” by Kiyana Marie

Submitted to Contest #235

With countless hours spent scrolling on YouTube watching beauty gurus vlog themselves, shopping at Target, watching comedy skits filmed in their backyard, and even watching stoners unboxing their new bong rigs in their bedrooms filled with black-light posters, I thought, Why couldn’t I do the same thing? What makes them special?I needed a niche, though—something the same but different from everyone else. What was I supposed to film every week with no interests, no hobbies, and absolutely no talents? ****December 20th, 2017 would change ...

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“Catching Up” by Season C

Submitted to Contest #235

Well shit. The code officer was right. When I arrived late that afternoon after work the house was a hot mess as usual. All the hard work I did to get the municipality off her back was undone in less than three months. My little sister had stacks and stacks of unused building materials piled everywhere, even under her house and deck. Vinyl siding, wood, old metal railings, stacks of shingles—all of it in the wide open, baking in the sun. Her recently wrecked blue car sat in the driveway up on a jack with the front passenger side wheel of...

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“Requiem for Ellie” by Dave Bede

Submitted to Contest #235

“My great grandfather was an Okie,” Tom explained. “Think he was nineteen when his family went out to California. He met Great-Gram at a refugee camp, if you can believe that.” He stopped and chuckled. “Family legend has it when they were picking lemons together, she kept looking over and finding his ladder right by hers. Grandma was two when he went off to war, I guess.” “No doubt she never saw him again after that,” Ellie said. Her eyes were dry for the first time in an hour at least, Tom judged. “Oh, no, he was one of the lucky ones w...

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“The Underdistrict ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #235

The rain was falling in sheets as four very different individuals stood outside the temple and a fifth pressed her snout to the bars of the interior: There was a large male reptiloid shouldering a large sword, a male rat in a coat, a female ferret wrapped in a cloak, and an otter priestess. The one within - a female meerkat - stared at the four quizzically. Standing some feet away in a semicircle was a mob of various beasts wearing masks and cloaks, staring and waiting for the smaller group to make a move. “Enough of this prattle,”...

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“On the run” by Eddie McKenzie

Submitted to Contest #235

The room was just as he had left it mere hours ago. Almost. The haphazardously stacked yet untouched pile of books remained in their alarming lean, just as he had left them. The heavy curtains were just as drawn as he had left it, ensuring no prying rays of light had the chance to creep in and invade the space. Why, he had even allowed for a sigh of relief when he observed, upon his return, the little scrap of paper fluttering from the doorframe where he had wedged it. But that did not account for the accursed thing that set his blood to i...

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“Setting off sirens” by Lisa Smitten

Submitted to Contest #235

“You can’t keep running forever,” he yelled after me. The scariness of stopping for him one more time made my blood boil. My rushing adrenaline surged faster, propelling my curvy legs as far as they could from Starbucks. Some days I ran for fun. Some days I ran out of anger. Days like today? I ran out of necessity. I continued jogging past the bus stop where I made eye contact with him across the street just a few minutes earlier. He could have been anyone, but his unkempt, moppy brown hair gave him away. When he smiled, his gr...

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Write a story that includes someone saying, “You can’t run forever.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 65 stories

“Dream” by Abbey Light

“Running's Everything” by Denis Baldwin

“DO REMI FA SOL LALA” by Frederique Louchart

“Horse” by Gregg Voss

“O'Malley & Deadman” by Hyacinth V. Haile

“YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER” by Deaidre Newby

“Unwanted advice” by Helen Power

“Twin Syndrome” by Marion Baars

“True Love” by Michael Schneider

“The Golden Envelope ” by Kiyana Marie

“Catching Up” by Season C

“Requiem for Ellie” by Dave Bede

“The Underdistrict ” by M B

“On the run” by Eddie McKenzie

“Setting off sirens” by Lisa Smitten

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with one or two characters going for a run.

Write a story in which a character is running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Make a race an important element of your story.

Write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore.

Contest #235

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

310

Contest entries

120

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: