Center your story around a character who longs for something they’ve lost.

Posted in Dramatic on Nov 15, 2024

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✍️ 88 stories

“I’ll Tell You, Grandma, How Beautiful the Sea Is” by Sissi Tursi

Submitted to Contest #277

To Kristel, Fernanda, and Antonella, taken too soon, and of course, to my grandmother. It was cold that November morning in Bari. The relentless north wind had swept away the clouds of the previous days and made the sky clear. I had parked the car in the underground parking lot and was briskly walking towards the entrance of the Policlinico, wrapping myself in my yellow coat. It's never pleasant to go to the hospital, especially when a loved one is admitted.I had come directly from the airport after a twelve-hour journey and with eight time ...

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“The Concept of Time” by Kalina Todorova

Submitted to Contest #277

By definition, the concept of time is a long explanation as to why and more importantly how time works. Filled with formulas, and theorems and theories, that are not visible to a plain person's eye at first at least. In its definition, we can see that the concept of time is based on the fact that every single second is irreversible. Nothing can go back to what it had been before, nothing will be the same in a way. Not that it will hurt your mind if you misplace your piece of bread on the table, and forget to place it in the right order. But ...

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“Zade” by Laura Paz

Submitted to Contest #277

Trigger Warning: This story contains a miscarriage. It’s been 7 days. Only one week since Emily wrapped her arms around her legs in the shower. Since clots of blood flowed out of her body. Since tears and water couldn’t be distinguished as they rolled down her face into the shower. She couldn’t contain the sobs that racked her body or calculate the time that passed as she remained there. Just yesterday she heard herself tell her coworker that it was only 8 weeks. It was an excuse that rolled off her tongue easily that spoke to ...

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“oranges” by Mara M

Submitted to Contest #277

september came without warning, really, and i had to do squats every evening of august to be able to stem the month to come. no one tells you it’s all in your head.i think it is saturday today. the dust always settles on saturdays as if allowing itself that one day of rest before swindling away again on monday. i think of the oranges lying in the carefully threaded basket on the kitchen counter. the door of my bedroom is closed and i know if i would just open the window then the curtains would start breathing again, gulping and collapsing li...

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“Childhood long lost” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #277

“Maasi, you don’t have to look after me anymore,” Jagrut said.Hena caressed his arm over the blazer and said, “Those whom I have helped grow up mean a lot to me, child. Stay well at London and sometimes come visit me at Shimla.”Jagrut laughed and said, “That is why I came to you, maasi, to get your blessing!”“Bless you child,” she said, “Grow up and be the son your parents would be proud of.”Jagrut took Hena maasi's leave and a few minutes later, Hena heard a car drive away.Hena covered herself up in winter clothes. A sweater over her saree,...

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“The spark ” by Em Everheart

Submitted to Contest #277

Thick snowflakes fell onto my hand as I stretched my arm out of the window. I shuddered and bit my lip in a silent scream as the freezing breeze seemed to creep under my skin and grace my bones. I was so close I could feel it. Just a little more, and I would feel that spark in my fingertips that I longed for. I had been close to feeling it last Saturday when the snow layers had been even thicker than they were now. In a desperate attempt to feel that flame, I had stood up and almost bent outward, reaching for the full moon that taunted me i...

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“The Older the Fiddler, the Sadder the Tune” by Zuri Lumin

Submitted to Contest #277

Trigger warning: Death“What are you thinking?” Lindir questioned, swirling his scaled fingers through the steady stream. Their golden brown hues shimmered under the lights piercing the river. Its rushing waters could be dangerous for a mortal. Many had been snatched beneath its surface. If not by the current, then by the mischievous creatures that called it home. Along the river bed, a school of fish swam beyond his reach. “Don’t be afraid,” he pleaded. As though his words had pierced the waters, a lone fish diverged from the scho...

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“Still Here. But Not the Same” by Chay Renae

Submitted to Contest #277

(Warning: Contains death) Old age. An auspicious achievement earned through dedicated commitment. Or, perhaps, simply by fate. An indisputable testament to years of careful determination. And a rite of passage that many will never boast. But at what cost? What sacrifices are made, or taken, on this coveted journey? Like fingerprints, no two paths to it are the same. For many, though, it leads to a residential care facility. In other words, a nursing home. Places that are often overcrowded and understaffed. Funding is minimal and quality is f...

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“Deepest Desires” by Angi Rae

Submitted to Contest #277

The faerie appeared at my kitchen table one bright summer morning. I barely looked up from my bowl of cereal. Not because I expected a faerie to appear, nor because I really believed faerie existed, but because it had never served me to get worked up about the unexpected. And besides, there were worse creatures to appear at your table than a faerie. The fairy cocked one perfectly shaped eyebrow and shook his huge wings, painting glitter or other nonsense from the floor to the ceiling. I hoped that would come out, or I wouldn’t get my securit...

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“I've Lost Her ” by Taja Henson

Submitted to Contest #277

As I sit in the darkening living room eating my fourth peanut butter sandwich of the week I wonder If she’s ok. I dip my cup a bucket of water to quench my thirst, not the best tasting water but I’m thirsty and it’s all I have. I sit on our couch adjusting my eyes to the changing light in the room. It’s been three days since I’ve saw her. I came home from school, turned the key and automatically could feel that she wasn’t home. I’m used to her missing for a day, that’s normal for her. But three days is new, I’m longing for her to ...

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“Deals Gone Dirty” by Diavolo Nazo

Submitted to Contest #277

Bill “Blaster” Benson felt the sizzling heat of the sun beat down on his weathered skin as he rode along the sun bleached, lonesome desert road. For three long years ol Bill had been riding westward to the Under, chasing shadows with nothing to show for it. Bill pulled on his horse’s reins, bringing her to a stop. His eyes scanned around, but only the barren wastes, stretched far beyond an eye can see. The horrid scents of caracases long forgotten baking in the desert punched his nostrils. Woke poor Bill right up. Globs of sweat dripped down...

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“A Dish Best Served Sweet” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #277

This story contains themes of betrayal, mental health struggles, physical health challenges (including dental trauma and eating difficulties), revenge fantasies, implied violence, and loss of relationships and trust. Reader discretion is advised.The Weight of TimeNadine sat in her dimly lit apartment, her pen hovering over a worn journal. The room smelled faintly of dust and neglect, the faint hum of the fridge her only company. A single candle burned on a chipped saucer before her, its fragile flame dancing as though it, too, might abandon ...

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“Revenge is Sweet” by Bruce Ma

Submitted to Contest #277

Revenge is Sweet Mud splattered; debris occupied the battlefield; dust charged into the trenches; screams echoed all around. The sirens wailed its last cries as automatic machine-gun fire tore through the defences as if it were paper. People cowered, and deserted. However, the bullets sealed their fates. One by one they slowed down, and an invisible hand dragged them down beneath the ground and disappeared - along with the life inside. Death stared at me; in me; through me, and I felt all the happiness, joy and laughter accumulated in this ...

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“The Phoenix and the Songbird” by Raymond Yang

Submitted to Contest #277

Long ago, in an ancient land, there lived a Phoenix whose wings bore the colors of dawn and dusk and whose flames carried the weight of eternity. While her kin dwelt in solitude atop mountain peaks, she spent her days soaring above the forests, seeking something she could not name. On a day touched by Fate, the Phoenix heard a melody so pure that it answered the yearning in her immortal heart. There, perched upon a branch of oak, sat a small Songbird whose plumage was plain but whose voice echoed the heart of the forest. Their gazes met, and...

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“Echoes of a Lost Desire” by Uricka Brown

Submitted to Contest #277

April 6, 1988“You're still in love with him, aren't you my dear?”Kuzgun asked in almost a mocking tone as he sat beside me in the garden that lays beside the lake in the forest behind Grandpa's old house that now feels like home as the birds chirped in the distance and the wind blew softly against their skin. “It doesn’t matter anymore Raven, he’s gone and I can’t get him back he’s better off with someone who trusts him and who doesn’t always have to question every little thing” Arabelle replied as she stared down into the clear stream as sh...

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Center your story around a character who longs for something they’ve lost.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 88 stories

“I’ll Tell You, Grandma, How Beautiful the Sea Is” by Sissi Tursi

“The Concept of Time” by Kalina Todorova

“Zade” by Laura Paz

“oranges” by Mara M

“Childhood long lost” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

“The spark ” by Em Everheart

“The Older the Fiddler, the Sadder the Tune” by Zuri Lumin

“Still Here. But Not the Same” by Chay Renae

“Deepest Desires” by Angi Rae

“I've Lost Her ” by Taja Henson

“Deals Gone Dirty” by Diavolo Nazo

“A Dish Best Served Sweet” by LifeCycles Creative Media

“Revenge is Sweet” by Bruce Ma

“The Phoenix and the Songbird” by Raymond Yang

“Echoes of a Lost Desire” by Uricka Brown

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about an outsider or social outcast who will do anything to fit in.

Start or end your story with two friends who become enemies/rivals, or vice versa.

Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

Write a story with the word “wicked” in the title.

Contest #277

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

328

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: