Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 6, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“Through the door” by Oceane Lonneux

Submitted to Contest #280

“She’s so obedient. We never have to repeat anything. She’s not like the other kids, it’s so nice”. The first time I heard others talking about me, I was around seven years old. They seemed happy with me, with what I was doing. I liked it. I liked how their voices sounded when they were talking about me. “You need to get her into control! She’s going to fail if this continues. Do you not care about what she becomes?”.Voices started changing when I was ten years old. I wasn’t the obedient little kid any more, and it drove people c...

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“There's Not A Ghost in My House” by JC Forrest

Submitted to Contest #280

"Sally, Sally, are you running from me, Sally?""I'm not running, Jessica.""You tried to leave before I could catch you.""I'm busy, Jessica. I work.""Meaning I don't work?""Let’s say you don’t do a 9 to 5?""Oh, I work, Sally. I work plenty. I work around the clock working.""If you call what you do work.""So that's another rumor you've been spreading about me? I’m a bum now?""I don’t spread rumors, Jessica.""My name is Jesse, and you know it, since you throw it around a lot!""You’re paranoid.""Oh, really? I’m paranoid? That’s why the whole con...

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“She Digs, He Digs” by Sonia So

Submitted to Contest #280

“She Digs, He Digs” In the nightclub's oppressive embrace nestled in the heart of Paris, the air swells with a stifling weight, as discordant music pulsates with a mocking rhythm—Kanye West’s “Gold Digger,” featuring Jamie Foxx. The lyrics twist and turn like a desperate plea, their shadows capering erratically as if ensnared in an infinite maze, echoing through the dimly lit space. I, Hugo, meander through these serpentine streets of Montmartre, a fragile insect caught in a tempest, a forsaken soul clutching a nearly empty bottle, spinning ...

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“"Sayemontess: The Musty Dungeons." #ReedsyTalk” by Tucker Sloan

Submitted to Contest #280

Trigger Warning: This short story contains Mature Themes, some Strong Language, Sexual Content, Nudity, brief Suicidal Ideation, Alcohol Use, and Violent Content.“Sayemontess: The Musty Dungeons.”I thank the Lord for saving me from the dungeons. I was there for less than a day caught up in the labyrinth. I became heartbroken at the sight of many tortured corpses. I prayed. I prayed for my God to help me. How long must I stay here? Then I remembered I had absinthe. A gift. The perfect gift. I ingested the entire bottle straight. I could not f...

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“Lost in Translation ” by Sar Smait

Submitted to Contest #280

Maria had always been discerning about her friendships. At 5'10", with a slender frame and quiet Scorpio intensity, she was an enigma to most. Trusting someone enough to let them in was rare for her, but once she did, she gave her all. That’s why her friendship with Isabella, a bubbly, emotional Pisces, had meant so much. The two had bonded quickly, their differences complementing each other. Maria was the steady anchor to Isabella’s unpredictable tides, offering clarity and calm during Isabella’s emotional storms. Isabella had been in a 14 ...

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“You Know the Real Story” by Addie Cox

Submitted to Contest #280

“H-hello everyone. My name is Liz Landers. And goodness, there sure are a lot of you. I’ll try to make this quick but as my mama always says when I get started nothing can shut me up again.Like one time at my Granny’s I– “Okay, I see that look you're giving me ma’am. I’ll stay on track. So about five months ago I came home from my first year of college and I was broke poor. My parents said they were gonna kick me out if I didn’t start making some money and the streets didn’t sound too comfy so I went around town looking for work. “It took a ...

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“Gossip At The Blue Peacock” by Kathy Hayes

Submitted to Contest #280

Gossip At The Blue Peacock A Blue Peacock Short Story By Kathy Hayes “What do you know about her? Have you met her?” Bobbie Ann asks Lydia these questions.“I haven’t met her, but I know all about her. She is a gold digging slut. She was dating my Steven. Before he was 18. And her with a child. I couldn’t pry him out of her clutches. I threatened to call the police, but Kyle and Ron ganged up on me. Then, before I knew it, Steven was 18, and I had no leverage. He was hauling her arou...

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“Fixer-Upper ” by Veronica Hues

Submitted to Contest #280

Alice walks the hallway every day and feels a strange sense of longing. Where is everyone? She walks up to the first door in the hallway. Open, look, empty, close. The next door. Open, look, empty, close. Repeat. No one is home. The rooms are in disrepair. Windows are broken and wallpaper is peeling but Alice doesn’t feel the breeze coming in, can’t see the mold exposed by the missing wallpaper. She goes down the grand staircase, the alternating oak and black walnut stairs are broken and missing in some places. The banister is splintered, ba...

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“That’s Her Right There” by Kristen Papach

Submitted to Contest #280

“That’s her right there.” I try my best to continue eating my lunch without looking uncomfortable. I don’t want them to know that I can hear them talking about me. “In the blue sweatshirt?” “Yeah.” The fork holding my pasta shakes ever-so-slightly as I bring it toward my mouth. I know what she’s about to say. She’s about to tell her friends what happened when I arrived here this morning. “What happened with her?” “She parked in Jackie’s spot this morning, so I had to go out there and ask her to move.” “And what did she say?” “She was like ,’...

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“Lion's Den” by Nicole Ashcraft

Submitted to Contest #280

The erratic hum of chaos grows on the lawn outside my window as dozens of staff members scramble to finish last-minute preparations. The scene reminds me of when I kicked over anthills as a kid and tried to crush as many of them as I could while they searched frantically for their queen.Cupping my hands around my mouth, I chuckle and whisper, “Your king is here!”I never lost hope in the years leading up to this moment. When they had my back against the wall, I didn’t tap out. No one expected me to make a comeback, but the numbers didn’t lie ...

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“The Wrong Formula” by Daryl Barber

Submitted to Contest #280

The Wrong Formulaby: Daryl Barber Clark adjusted his glasses. He was walking back to his office after a quick trip to the breakroom. This morning, he was almost late to work. There was a power outage in the neighborhood, and he woke up at seven instead of six-thirty. When he opened his eyes, he glanced over at the alarm clock. It read 12:00 AM. The red numbers and letters blinked on and off, reminding him of the stop lights in the middle of an intersection. Oh shit, he thought. I can’t afford to be late today. My presentation is at eight a...

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“Friendship Lives Long” by Yi Yao

Submitted to Contest #280

It was a sunny afternoon when I first heard the whispers. I was the most popular girl in school, mostly because I was the richest. I had a lot of friends, but I also had a best friend, Isabella. You might think she was the second richest girl in school, but apparently she was the nerd in school and not rich. I had a lot of admirers, which made some people very eager for my popularity, like Jess. She tried everything to embarrass me, but none of them worked. Once, she failed again, and I saw her crying in the classroom with the air hanging, I...

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“To Live by the Sword” by Corvid Corvidae

Submitted to Contest #280

tw - light racism/use of slur, light gore “I can’t believe they’re making us go out there.” One of the men mused. The rhythmic beating of the engine pushing the dinghy echoed off a large concrete hangar on the shore. The water in the harbor was still, reflecting the first pink stripes of the horizon as dawn crept in. Truby steered the boat in silence from the small cabin at the front. His eyes were resting on the large ship anchored in the deep harbor half a mile dead ahead. A Fletcher-class Destroyer, jutting out of the water mirror like th...

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“The shape of a butterfly ” by M W

Submitted to Contest #280

Content warning: Themes of terminal illness, loss, and emotional distress.The slick, white walls smelled of bleach, and the seats were patterned to disguise patchy stains. I couldn’t tell if it was coffee spilled from the hands of weary friends or bits of drool escaped from tired relatives’ lips.I sat down beside Mum and Dad. Dad wore his grey suit and tie. Important situations called for formal attire, and this certainly fell into that category. He shifted his tie nervously as if McMarkus Electric Co had finally called on him to deliver the...

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“A Strange Encounter” by Myth Maker

Submitted to Contest #280

I've traversed countless realities, but nothing prepared me for the day I arrived in place unlike any other. Most universes follow familiar patterns; convergent evolution means humanoid species are common. But this place? This was the Australia of the multiverse. As an Ainsingtly—a fragment of human consciousness that gained self-awareness—I'm used to being tossed about dimensions. One moment I'm tethered to a being in a world of crystalline spires, the next I'm snapping back to my human anchor on Earth. It's exhilarating, never knowing wher...

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Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“Through the door” by Oceane Lonneux

“There's Not A Ghost in My House” by JC Forrest

“She Digs, He Digs” by Sonia So

“"Sayemontess: The Musty Dungeons." #ReedsyTalk” by Tucker Sloan

“Lost in Translation ” by Sar Smait

“You Know the Real Story” by Addie Cox

“Gossip At The Blue Peacock” by Kathy Hayes

“Fixer-Upper ” by Veronica Hues

“That’s Her Right There” by Kristen Papach

“Lion's Den” by Nicole Ashcraft

“The Wrong Formula” by Daryl Barber

“Friendship Lives Long” by Yi Yao

“To Live by the Sword” by Corvid Corvidae

“The shape of a butterfly ” by M W

“A Strange Encounter” by Myth Maker

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)

Start or end your story with a character asking a question.

Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.

Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, “No, don’t!”

Contest #280

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

383

Contest entries

138

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: