Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Posted in Dialogue on Jul 19, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 41 stories

“The Hero of Plastic Trash” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #260

The Hero of Plastic Trash“Dad, this has been a great day!”"Oh yeah, Berkeley? What made it so great?” “I’ve decided I love mini golf! I don’t remember doing this before, and you can’t do it where we live.”“True dat. Mini golf doesn’t exist in Uganda.” It was really nice to see my 11 year old engaged in something other than screens. A day at the Fun N’ Stuff is also just a healthy blast of American culture for a young tween diplomat.“I’ve had a good time too, Dad. Can we do the boats again?” 6 year old Quincy just couldn’t get enough of ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Sent Packing” by Maggie Jakins

Submitted to Contest #260

Sent Packing by Maggie Jakins ‘Come on, Jen, it’s your big birthday today and I promised to take you out for tea and a bun. You can get a discount now on Wednesdays,’ Frank reminded his wife tactfully as he searched for the car keys. He wanted the day to go to plan and was keen to get going. Keeping a secret, especially from...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Seven year Switch” by Brian Bywater

Submitted to Contest #260

A SEVEN YEAR SWITCHDAY ONE“You are right. The trivia night at the local school was where we met.” “Mr Delaney, what matters is what happened after that.”“None of it is relative. I didn’t make her go away.”“Continual denial is wasting our time. Rebecca did not ‘just go away’. Her clothes, beauty creams and make-up are still in your home. Added to those items we have noted her car is in the garage. Another item we see as significant Mr Delaney is her bank accounts have not been used since you say ‘She just went away’. You do see the...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Wonderful Victims episode one” by G S Martin

Submitted to Contest #260

crude language blatant stupidity1984 We grieve as the 'New Wave' recedes into history, leaving behind nothing but pools of brackish memories. Meanwhile, the wretched 'Big Hair' band grows in pomposity like quaffed dust bunnies. Gone are the 'Police' and 'Cars.' Hello 'Ratt' and 'Poison.' &nbsp...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Beneath the Hood” by Kimberly Talisse

Submitted to Contest #260

The cold wind slices through my knit sweater like a knife, chilling me down to my very bones. The small, barren bush that sits in front of me is a useless shield for blocking out the wind. I crouch down, my knees raw and scraped from having fallen against the old stone ruins of the temple behind me. My hand rests on the coarse dirt to keep me from falling over. The aching muscles in my back and legs protest sitting in this position for as long as I have, but I fight the urge to stand. Not when moving is the very thing that can get me killed....

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Waiting Room” by Neha Magesh

Submitted to Contest #260

When I was twenty years young, trying to keep my eyes open in a dusty state college classroom, a loud-mouthed girl turned around in her desk and asked me for a pencil. She had a deep cupid’s bow and wild, curly hair, and I knew I’d never get over her. I was an awkward kid. I had long clumsy limbs, wore starchy button-up shirts to class every day, owned all twenty-six volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and had lived two decades without kissing a girl. I would have been deluded to think this radiant girl wanted anything more than the...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Duke's Unexpected Alliance” by Susanne Kirven

Submitted to Contest #260

1811 A.D. London, England Tossing the calling card in his hand on his desk Barrington Monck made a face. After giving his butler permission to show their guest to the library, he murmured “I didn’t see that one coming.” to an otherwise empty room. Rising to his feet, he heard the faint whisper of kid slippers gliding across marble as he awaited his uninvited guest. Not just uninvited, but unexpected, if not exactly unknown. He had been formally introduced to Lady Clarisse during her first season. He’d even danced with her several times...

0 comments 0

Read story

“TSA Restraint at Puerto Rico on Vacation” by Myra Cook

Submitted to Contest #260

Going through the airport TSA in Puerto Rico, I was checking out with any problems. As I was putting my shoes back on an getting my purse, jacket and my carr-yon, I noticed that I didn’t see my pink carry-on. “Where’s my pink carry-on?” I asked the girl who was wheeling me around the airport in the wheelchair I was in. “They’re keeping it for inspection,” she said. “Why, I don’t have anything illegal in it. You asked me before I put my bag to be scanned and I told you I didn’t...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Either Way” by Nick Physick

Submitted to Contest #260

Robert Etheridge spent the split-second it took to slip the Focus into reverse surveying the crunchy, rust-coloured carpet of decaying sycamore leaves that lined the gutters of Carmichael Avenue. He took a moment to appreciate the unexpected dose of urban beauty; the vivid hues of their slow demise combining to banish the grayscale aesthetic of the cul-de-sac, temporarily bringing a certain picturesque charm to the neighbourhood.The time was a minute after half past one in the afternoon. The lady over the road - currently peering from behind...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Car Guys” by Aleah McCallum

Submitted to Contest #260

Jarred sits at the kitchen bar, distractedly eating his buttered toast and scrambled eggs as he stares out the window. His roommate, Derick, walks in and grabs a plate of eggs and four pieces of toast. He grabs a napkin for himself, and one for Jarred. “What are you doing?” Derick asks as he leaves the napkin beside Jarred’s plate.Jarred realizes he hadn’t even noticed Derick walk in. “What?” He picked up the napkin and wiped the drool off of his chin.“You’re staring out the window like a teenage girl staring at the boyband p...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Why settle for some make believe prince?” by Morgan Futch

Submitted to Contest #260

Shirley couldn't believe the excess of it all. Opulence in every way, from the conceptual to the unimaginable. Servers walked with trays of champagne to pass out with every guest they passed, the liquid of the glasses glistening from the chandeliers above. The room carried the laughter and jovial attitude of its guests and she could feel herself wanting to laugh along, to join in the conversations although she’d have nothing to relate with. Though she may be dressed as well as any well-to-do-girl from a well-to-do-family would be she knows h...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Birthday of Joy” by Rudransh Sharma

Submitted to Contest #260

It was a hard walk to the Mt. Vernon, it almost took him an hour to reach the destination. After working the entire shift John didn’t have any mood for going to the party but still it was needed of him, his sister would be turning eight tonight. She'd want me there, John had believed. A four story apartment building stood in front of him, high as hell as he was. When John walked inside and began his climb, something felt strange. I’ve been to these steps before…… But surely he never was, he had to ask for the directions. Déjà vu is what they...

1 comment 1

Read story

“ToyzNStuff” by Emily Grace

Submitted to Contest #260

“…Listen, there’s something weird going down in Neighborhood City, New Jersey. My buddy Jeff went missing a few weeks ago and the cops still haven’t been able to find him. And he’s like the 15th person to have gone missing here in a month. And yeah, he visited ToyzNStuff.” Leo adjusted his mouse and scrolled through the forum. “Oh god. My aunt went missing five months ago and the last time we saw her, she was heading out on some errands. A friend of the family said that she was on her way to ToyzNStuff to pick up some baby clothes for my nep...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Orion's Time” by Jeanine Rogers

Submitted to Contest #260

Orion stumbled out of the club with her friend Darla. They had too many tequila shots. Orion didn't know if she was holding if Darla was holding her up. " We did. We graduated from College!" Darla screamed. "Whoop whoop," Orion screamed joyously. "Thank God our apartment is near because I have to pee." Darla laughed. They started half walking towards their apartment. Darla leaned against a wall of a shop. "I feel sick," Darla said before vomiting. Some of it got into her long blue-black hair. Orion felt strange. She heard footsteps beh...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Vampire, Esquire” by Jamila M.

Submitted to Contest #260

VAMPIRE, ESQUIRE The jurors file into the jury box, heads down and avoiding all eye contact. Under normal circumstances, I might take it as a good sign that there will be a guilty verdict. Given who I’m up against, these are not normal circumstances. I adjust my skirt as an excuse to fidget while all twelve of the main jurors and the alternate take their seats and pointedly look anywhere but at the lawyers who tried the case. The tension in my body ratchets up when the judge asks if they’ve reached a unanimous verdict. ...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story with a big twist.

Dramatic – 189 stories

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Mystery – 63 stories

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Character – 31 stories

Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Narrative – 105 stories

Contest #260

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: A Twist in the Tale

$250

Prize money

429

Contest entries

131

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 26, 2024 EST

Won by Elizabeth Hoban 🏆

Title: You

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Submissions are closed

✍️ 41 stories

“The Hero of Plastic Trash” by Jeff Meade

“Sent Packing” by Maggie Jakins

“A Seven year Switch” by Brian Bywater

“The Wonderful Victims episode one” by G S Martin

“Beneath the Hood” by Kimberly Talisse

“The Waiting Room” by Neha Magesh

“The Duke's Unexpected Alliance” by Susanne Kirven

“TSA Restraint at Puerto Rico on Vacation” by Myra Cook

“Either Way” by Nick Physick

“Car Guys” by Aleah McCallum

“Why settle for some make believe prince?” by Morgan Futch

“The Birthday of Joy” by Rudransh Sharma

“ToyzNStuff” by Emily Grace

“Orion's Time” by Jeanine Rogers

“Vampire, Esquire” by Jamila M.

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story with a big twist.

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Contest #260

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

429

Contest entries

131

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: