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Write a story that includes the line, "Is nobody going to say it?".

Posted in Dialogue on Jul 12, 2024

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✍️ 81 stories

The Beasts That Hide Inside

Submitted to Contest #259

As the sun dipped low behind the jagged peaks, casting long shadows across the snow-covered forest floor, and I prowled through the dense underbrush, eyes yellow and bright. My senses were alive with the thrill of the hunt, the scent of pine needles and damp earth filling my nostrils.Hunger gnawed at my belly, a monster clawing up my throat.I smirked, hunting was best when ravenousness was present, it made the world seem beneath me.I growled softly.It always was beneath me, but when my hunger was prominent it seemed even more so.I tracked th...

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Not A Match

Submitted to Contest #259

I'd been alone for so long that I felt like the characters on the TV shows I watched were my friends. But it's dangerous to start blending fantasy and reality, and I didn't want to become one of those people who spent all their time watching TV, so I downloaded a dating app. Then another one. Then another one. Swipe. Swipe. Swipe. Match. Soon, I was buried in profile pictures, one-liners, and so many first dates that the baristas at my local coffee shop tried to pretend they didn't already know my name when they wrote it on the cup. They did...

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Remembering Mary

Submitted to Contest #259

The air was crisp and clean as Ally stepped out of the driver's side of the silver Honda Accord she had been driving for over four hours.  She pulled the wool black peacoat around her a little tighter and glanced around where she had parked.  The road she stood on was rocky, the concrete probably poured many decades ago when they extended this cemetery.  For as far as Ally could see, there was grass with the occasional stone protruding from the grass, but she knew with logic that there were plenty of tombstones laying flat. Fa...

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Is This the CIRCUS?

Submitted to Contest #259

Is this the Circus? “Well well, this is an unexpected honour. None other than Andrew Hilton, editor of The Sentinel, is here to write an article on the opening of our new Art Museum. I was expecting a cadet journalist.” “And under normal circumstances Martha that is who you would get.” “So circs are not normal, how so?” “I have a small pecuniary interest in the success of your new venture.” “My understanding of that word only relates to money, which, to my knowledge does not relate to you having any such interest, large or small, in our Art ...

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Just let go

Submitted to Contest #259

When I was a kid, my parents were my everything. When I looked up into their faces I saw perfection. They were the epitome of safety and love. When I was in their arms, nothing could harm me because I knew they loved and cared about me more than anything else and we all loved each other. That was enough to topple anything that could come our way. They were flawless. Sometimes they wouldn’t let me do the things I wanted, like eat ice cream for dinner but they would tell me that if I did, I wouldn’t get bigger. Of course that stopped me from a...

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Obituary

Submitted to Contest #259

The flat becomes a graveyard, its soul fled somewhere unreachable. Our hanging photographs are survived only by the ghostly rectangles of clean paint, the rest of the walls discoloured from the everyday grit of our lives. Flowers I bought die in their vase, petals collecting like leaves beneath a wilting tree. There is a sense of something ending; a curtain falling, a book closing, dirt tossed on a casket.   I stand on the stairs, watching him silently through the gap in the doorframe. I can only see a sliver of him from this angle...

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Not so perfect.

Submitted to Contest #259

Miram and her husband Basz short for Basil. Held the most articulate dinner parties. Where to be known in the village of Knowel you attended one of their super rich dinner parties at least twice a year. Or monthly if you were game? In with the circle of people who attended these parties. Had moving to Knowel a picturesque village on the outskirts of the M25 been a mistake? Her husband Jamie had thought of a better life style and gold clipped clients. When they had first moved to Knowel, Marigold had felt out off her depth. Although her h...

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Shadows of Sacrifice

Submitted to Contest #259

In the quiet town of Eldermoor, nestled among towering mountains, a chilling air of unease descended as a series of mysterious disappearances sent shockwaves through the community. What began as isolated incidents soon escalated into a pattern that could no longer be ignored. Fear and uncertainty gripped the residents, casting a long, dark shadow over their once-serene lives. But amidst the growing dread, a group of friends led by the intrepid and unyielding Madison refused to sit idly by. Determined to unravel the enigmatic occurrences, the...

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Home for the Holidays

Submitted to Contest #259

This story contains mature language and topics such as suicide and substance abuse.   “Five…,” I whisper to myself. “The welcome mat. Mom’s Christmas reef. Mailbox. Uh…” I scan the perimeter. “A toolbox. Sophie’s tricycle.”I think this is stupid, but Sharon, the counselor from the rehab center, says sometimes it takes a while to get used to healthy coping mechanisms and that I should still try to use them whenever I’m feeling anxious.I take a deep breath and try to ignore my hands violently shaking at my sides.“Four…” I rub my swe...

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The Niche In The Bathroom Wall

Submitted to Contest #259

Trigger warning: voyeurism, body shaming “…what on earth are all of you doing?”  There were six of them, crowded against each other in a sea of pulsating, twitching black and brown, craning their heads to peer out of the narrow niche in the corners onto the sight below. And then there were two of us, the “scouts” as the colony would call us, emerging from our nest to look for these six runaways.  Life was hard for all of us. We had to look out for each other. If any of us ran away, he might emerge dead in the form of a flattened co...

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The Voice Behind the Curtains

Submitted to Contest #259

Ann opened her eyes, startled by the abrupt sound of the drawn curtains. Then, footsteps and the gentle murmur of a woman leading someone to their seat followed. Another victim, Ann thought and shut her eyes again as the nurse went through her usual spiel while starting an IV. She must have dozed off while reading her book, which was still in her hands. She flipped through the pages, trying to block the nurse's voice behind the curtains and remember where she stopped to be interrupted by her daughter, Leah, this time. "Why can...

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RETURN TO POINT PLEASANT

Submitted to Contest #259

UnknownWho is this stranger who has come to my town? Why does this stranger look familiar? What does the stranger want? I will have to keep an eye on the stranger. RiverPoint Pleasant hasn't changed in ten years. The people are still the same. They look at you and look away. My parents used to be like them, always telling me "River, keep your mouth shut and look straight ahead." I see the same old thing. People too afraid to look back. They only look where they want to look and talk about what they want to talk about. This inlaces talking ab...

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Ellipsis

Submitted to Contest #259

Trigger warning: political satire and references to gun violence July 6 [Sib Group Chat] DJI just got off the phone with him and he still hasn’t decided on his veep pick, but might be actually leaning toward the dog murderer. He likes the idea of having a woman on the ticket 🙄 E-dawgFFS bro… Big sisThe only response that pick is going to bring to the convention is crickets… Big sis😜 DJWoooooow….  E-dawgOMG I’m dying Jared😍 TiffI don’t get it… DJHow long have you been holding on to that one? DJBut for real guys. We are a week and a half ...

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Hiding In Plain Sight

Submitted to Contest #259

Is nobody going to say it? That's all I thought, over and over. There he was dancing with the most beautiful woman. He could really dance! He worked the room with the charm and elegance of a king. Socializing with everyone from the servers to the other guests. Dancing to the fast songs, swaying to the slow ones. He danced with many of the ladies.I will admit, the room was dimly lit depending on the song and there were lots of people there, but I think there were a few of us that were the first to notice. It's not like his fly was open, but t...

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The Empathetic Prism

Submitted to Contest #259

The three of them lingered around the dinner table, savoring the last bites of dessert. "Peter, this tiramisu is incredible!" Mary exclaimed. "You truly outdid yourself with dinner tonight." "Thanks, Mom," Peter replied with a warm smile. "I've been learning how to make it for a while now. I actually wanted to take you both to that new Italian restaurant, but—" "True," Mary interjected, "but there's something magical about celebrating at home, wouldn't you agree, David?" David grinned. "Absolutely. I've been missing this homey vibe ever sinc...

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