Center your story around a character who’s afraid of being forgotten.

Posted in Dramatic on Jan 17, 2025

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✍️ 77 stories

“In the Basket” by Julia Potter

Submitted to Contest #286

In my twenty-one years of life, never have I taken anything that did not belong to me- not until today. Perhaps my uncanny aversion to stealing came about by means of my mother. When I and my two sisters were young, any arguments over who stole whose hairbrush or Polly Pocket was quickly put to an end by my mother’s methods of property management- namely, everything in the house was labeled. Far from being merely a prevention of playroom squabbles, labeling became a lifestyle that encompassed everything from forks and tupperware to Wii...

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“Do you remember me?” by George UnderTree

Submitted to Contest #286

Do you remember me?I’ll start off the story here, they forgot about me. They forgot about the things that I had changed for them, the things I had done, and at the end of the day all of it was moot to them. What meant the world to me was ultimately nothing to them.There are certain friends, you know, the kind of ones that just seem to fall into your lap. One day you’re in freshman-year chemistry class working on a titration with a bunch of random students. Their faces at first grisly and intimidating, but after soft and amiable. You notice t...

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“Waiting By the Door: Bruce's Story” by Sirena Harrison

Submitted to Contest #286

I saunter over to the luggage by the door. I just know they’re leaving. Mom and Dad scurry around. Mom has a to-do list in hand, and Dad just finished moving a backpack to the door. I circle around a few times before finally sinking to the ground with an exasperated sigh… not facing Dad. An act of rebellion! That will show them! My nose rests on my paws, and I stare expectantly at Mom in the kitchen, waiting for her to catch my gaze. Her mom senses must have been tingling, because her eyes finally meet mine. She always has a way of knowing w...

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“Between the Pages” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #286

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I could just forget her.I know, that might sound like a terrible thing, but right now I feel like that would be easier to bear. If she just disappeared from my memory as completely as she disappeared from my life. Like I could close my eyes and then open them again and it would be as if I never knew her. You see, I buried Leah, my wife of forty-four years, this morning, but she’s still all around me.It’s the books.They’re everywhere. Bookcases stand in every room, against the walls or in the corners, every shel...

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“Shiny Star...” by Malvina B.

Submitted to Contest #286

Samantha always thought she was special—or at least, she was made to believe so. Since childhood, she received constant praise and recognition. Her mother loved to recall Sammy’s early achievements, which gave her much-needed confidence—perhaps too much. She was the type of child any parent would want: obedient, well-mannered, not too loud and never too quiet. She was the type of person anyone would want to be around: reliable, mostly honest, and comforting. Teachers’ favorite. Samantha is was a trophy. Whether it was gold, silver, or bronze...

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“Only Rosalind” by Zacharias Boer

Submitted to Contest #286

Fourteen years. That’s how long I’ve been studying biology, bouncing from town to town, country to country, putting up with the Norrishes and Wilkins of the world. Fourteen years of perfecting x-ray crystallography and x-ray diffraction and making incredible advancements in the science of coal and helping England in the war. But despite my efforts my name is still only a collection of sounds that don’t mean much. It’s not in a book of “Greatest Scientists of the Twentieth Century” and it’s not heard in classrooms. All these years, I’ve...

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“The Birthright of Empire” by A Hinton

Submitted to Contest #286

Aronn Dameus Tamanayan the First wielded his pen with practiced confidence as he prepared to write the most important words of his life. Weeks of negotiation, deliberation, and revision among his high judges and royal barristers had led to this moment, this treaty, which would at long last sign into law the free and open practice of high magic in his empire. He would be the savior that dissolved the pact that had taken advantage of the mages under his bloodline, binding them, oppressing them, for centuries. He would take the step that every ...

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“Letters to the Octopodes” by Oliver James

Submitted to Contest #286

December 1, 2080 My name is Michael Hayward, and I live in the DOM. DOM’s are large, geodesic, glass and steel structures designed to temper and harness the sun’s rays for energy, as well as sustain plant and animal life. I’m told they were originally built for large-scale agriculture in the early days of the Great Desertification. Now, structures like this keep us, humans, safe and alive. I was a linguist before I came here, the name for a person who studies and documents human language. You might assume, Reader, that a collapsing society ...

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“Longing for Familia” by Ana Palacio

Submitted to Contest #286

Warning: story of immigration and deportation. It was Sunday again. The one day Misael looked forward to all week. It was also the day he dreaded the most, but he wouldn’t think about that now. He jumped out of bed and headed straight to his closet, or rather, the suitcase he called his closet. Housed neatly inside were all his new clothes that were reserved for his only day off, which was finally today. Once he carefully pulled out some Nike basketball shorts and sneakers, at least the lady at the pulga had sworn they were Nike, he ca...

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“THE LIGHTHOUSE: COLTON'S STORY” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #286

This is Colton's story as he goes out to sea, he shares his memories of his life, his wife, daughter and the lighthouse he left behind. I wave goodbye to my beautiful family. My wife Laura, the love of my life and my beautiful daughter, my angel, Jaylen. They are my rock. They keep me going. They keep me alive. I memorize their beautiful faces. Their smile and their beautiful eyes. My girls are the reason I do what I do. They are the reason why I take these dangerous trips. I want them to have a good life. The best life possible. Fishing is ...

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“Peaceful Mode” by Holly Pfeiffer

Submitted to Contest #286

Winter break was more of a blessing than a curse. At least, in the summer, you could take a walk without your feet going numb in the snow. But Sophia was trapped indoors, and to make matters worse, she was by herself. Her dad was away on a business trip. Mom was taking a girls’ weekend with new friends she’d met at a yoga class at the rec center. Sophia wished she had new friends to take trips with, but no such luck. While she wouldn’t necessarily call herself an outcast, she was shy. Weirdly shy. It was the sort of shyness that had to be ex...

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“To Be Forgotten ” by Amber Lee

Submitted to Contest #286

How many years has it been? So much and so little has changed since the last time he had seen these people. That was 20 years ago. That was their highschool graduation, where they stood on top of that stage as their names were announced to receive their diploma. That was the last time he had seen any of them. Now so many of them had changed, it seemed that he hadn’t changed a bit. His slacks hugged his waist and his dress shoes still held a shine to them. His dress shirt was unbuttoned from the first two buttons, still it felt like som...

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“Memory's Seamstress” by Fallan Yvette

Submitted to Contest #286

She starts by putting on her shoes. The ones by the bed look too large, but she reaches for them anyway, thinking she could stuff them with tissues to fill the gaps. She begins to pull out several from the box on the bedside table. The tissues remind her of white camellias. Beautiful camellias in a dozen vases lined along the tables of a crowded funeral parlor, and in a little boy’s suit buttonhole which Betty had adorned with a single bud. “Betty?” A shuffle of feet from the doorway startles her. “Why are you crying?” A woman ...

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“In the Sea of Stars” by Evan Zhang

Submitted to Contest #286

1990, November 19:There would be an old, dying man standing against the stream of the crowded street. Slowly eroding, carried away by the chaos. The old man’s eyes would wander into the sunset that melted into the city, his eyes ordinary, tired and lonely. And when he finally leaves the world, he will become only a small wisp of dust that will be stepped into the ground. There wouldn’t be any flowers nor would there be the smoke of an incense, there wouldn't be a small plate of fruit nor would there be the dribble of alcohol and tears. His n...

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“No One Needs Rosalie” by Jennifer Abrahamsen

Submitted to Contest #286

No One Needs Rosalie“Just forget it.” Rosalie said. “It’s not important.” Rosalie’s husband furrowed his brow and contemplated his reply. He decided the best reply would be to make none. “Don’t you have anything to say? It’s your fault they’re not coming. The least you could do would be to say something.” &nb...

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Center your story around a character who’s afraid of being forgotten.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 77 stories

“In the Basket” by Julia Potter

“Do you remember me?” by George UnderTree

“Waiting By the Door: Bruce's Story” by Sirena Harrison

“Between the Pages” by Ian Gonzales

“Shiny Star...” by Malvina B.

“Only Rosalind” by Zacharias Boer

“The Birthright of Empire” by A Hinton

“Letters to the Octopodes” by Oliver James

“Longing for Familia” by Ana Palacio

“THE LIGHTHOUSE: COLTON'S STORY” by Melinda Madrigal

“Peaceful Mode” by Holly Pfeiffer

“To Be Forgotten ” by Amber Lee

“Memory's Seamstress” by Fallan Yvette

“In the Sea of Stars” by Evan Zhang

“No One Needs Rosalie” by Jennifer Abrahamsen

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who must fit their entire life in a single suitcase.

Center your story around a character who’s struggling to let go.

Write a story about a cherished heirloom that has journeyed through multiple generations.

Write a story with the line “You never know a good thing until it’s gone.”

Contest #286

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

368

Contest entries

146

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: