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

“Empty Podiums” by Reece York

Submitted to Contest #286

"Doc, I've got a doozy for ya." Dylan said. He settled down on the couch, an old grey thing that sucked you in. "I had a dream last night I want to explore. Need to explore." "You’ve always got something for me, Dylan. Alright. Let's hear it." his therapist said, as he relaxed back into his chair. Dylan nestled his head against the armrest and looked up at the discolored ceiling tiles; the building had long since gone tobacco free, but the tiles looked like they never kicked the habit. Dylan closed his eyes. His brow furrowed as he tri...

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“The squire’s dilemma” by Nathan Dela

Submitted to Contest #286

Soon-to-be Sir Edric Smith rode into a village with Brother Aelfric and the knight Sir Walter. As they rode into the village, Edric’s gaze wandered to the villagers, simple folk whose names would only be remembered by their kin. They bustled about, tending to their work, sparing curious glances at the armored men passing through.Edric wondered if any of them feared being forgotten, as he did. Would they all fade away, their lives passing unnoticed by the world beyond this village? The thought made his chest tighten. Sir Walter ordered his sq...

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“The Forgotten Flower” by OLIVIA HAYS

Submitted to Contest #286

It was a calm Monday morning as the sun rose over the knoll and warmed my petals. I began my morning stretches, extending my leaves towards the sun, and opening my head of petals deftly, but it wasn’t just any normal Monday, no. It was the annual Monday that Mr. Larry opened his sunflower farm, Sun-Kissed Acres, to the public for picking. Every year around mid-September, Mr. Larry would open Sun-Kissed Acres for all to admire, smell, and pick flowers. My closest friend, Penny, was telling me the other day that his farm has always been the bu...

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“The Lonely Island ” by Ruthie Gates

Submitted to Contest #286

Isolation is not safety, it is death.If no one knows you’re alive, you aren’t.~Neil HilbornThe ocean. Its dark murky waves tossed and slashed like the loneliness within her. Would this feeling disappear with the storm? Or would it linger even when the sun showed its face again? Waves shot up the cliff side soaking her billowing dress. Her dark hair whipped and twirled with the rain and wind. ~~~Hardly without any effort the wind shoved her door open, slamming it into the opposite wall with a shuddering b...

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“Vessel for Immortality ” by Patrick D

Submitted to Contest #286

They say you die three times, the first is the death of the physical body, the second is the burial, and the third is when no one is left to remember you. The first two are non-negotiable, but Patrick was convinced he could avoid the third.Who does history remember? How do I become immortal? Patrick wondered.He could become a warlord, like Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan, but there was no ancient prophecy predicting his rise, it’s in the rules, so that was out. He still had time to make the 27 club, make incredible music and die young, b...

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“The Wilting Blue Flower” by Jerry L. Lambert II

Submitted to Contest #286

INT. A LOVELY DINING ROOM - DAYMIA(44) looks down at her bland mushroom soup. It’s different from the usual taste. The liquid turning putrid in her mouth. She takes the napkin on her lap. She doesn’t remember placing it there. She wipes the soup from her tongue, but the flavour is persistent.“Everything good, Mia,” a MAN(48) says across from her. She glances up at him. His presence is blending with the dull dining room. This is his home, Mia guesses. She’s not a fan of guessing; better to remember, she thinks to herself. Probably a habit she...

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“On The Way Out” by Íris Erna

Submitted to Contest #286

“Six months to a year.” The words echo in her head in tune with the muffled noises of traffic. The car passes through the busy streets of downtown L.A., taking the familiar path up into the hills she has driven near daily for the past forty years, or since the royalties she earned after Silverstreet let her buy a house there. She had been young then, only twenty-three, and beautiful. That had been part of the appeal, she supposed. Her beauty. And she had thought it would never end, this beauty, this life of hers. “Six months to a year....

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“Don't Forget Her, Please.” by Diane Neas

Submitted to Contest #286

In the quiet place between life and eternity, the in-between place dividing then and now, there was a girl named Becca. In life she'd had an infectious laughter and a lightness of spirit. Truly a gift to those who knew her. Where she stood now, there was a solemness and her being felt stuck. Becca had died too young, with dreams left unfinished and a heart heavy with the weight of time she would never have. She had spent her twenty-three years filling journals with poetry, capturing the world in sketches, and weaving laughter into the lives...

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“Hard Reset” by Alex Marmalade

Submitted to Contest #286

Ash drifted in slow spirals through the air, settling on the hood of the rental car like fine, grey snowfall. The windshield wipers scraped uselessly against it, smearing the dust in streaks across the glass. The air smelled like burnt plastic, like old memories turned to cinders.Lena rolled down the window, but the smoke was thicker outside. The Hollywood Hills, glowing orange in the distance, looked less like a landmark and more like the end of something.She wasn’t supposed to be here.She was supposed to be at an influencer retreat in Cost...

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“King Minar the Forgotten” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #286

“Sire?”Minar stirred in his throne; perhaps he had been dozing or daydreaming again. “Yes, Vaikar?”“I was just announcing the arrival of Lord Brethar and Lady Ingwyn.”“Ah… yes.”He sat up a bit straighter and readjusted his crown. The weight of it sat heavy upon his head, and its once bright shine was now nearly as dull as its wearer.Vaikar cleared his throat. “Shall I announce them, my Liege?”Minar waved his hand in ascent and Vaikar announced the Lord and the Lady to the Court. The large oak doors at the end of the hall were opened and...

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“Just a Tree” by RD Smith

Submitted to Contest #286

The gel for the ultrasound was much warmer than Danny had anticipated, especially on his groin. His brain initially braced for a cold snap. Now, it was rifling through what he ate for breakfast (toast), his 10 a.m. meeting (could be an email), and even that time he went on a beach vacation with his grandparents (just…no)—anything to avoid an awkward crescendo with the professional technician doing her job. Danny’s 36th birthday came and went without significance. He and his wife had a very nice dinner at Fifth Avenue Italia where she g...

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“The Nomads Awakening” by Jeff Davis

Submitted to Contest #286

Joe's eyes crept open like an old roll-up shade. The phone erupted as he fought to get his sense of direction: another hotel room, another day. Morning confusion. It should never be a part of this never-changing routine of getting out the door. His dreams, however, are becoming more explicit and longer, and sitting at the edge of the bed, Joe runs his head through his long gray hair, pondering the reasons for them always ending just when the alarm goes off. He forced himself to get into the shower, and while the water imitated a rainstorm dr...

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“Forgot Who?” by Ron Henson

Submitted to Contest #286

Forgot Who? Stephen slammed his hand on his desktop after seeing his Facebook page. The base of this thumb caught the keyboard, and it did a clockwise flip before it slammed to the floor. Stephen didn’t even notice it, his disheartenment at what he had seen on his computer screen had completely monopolized his mind. With his arms raised directly above him and with his hands juxtaposed in a bewildered horizontal manner, he yelled out, “I didn’t get even ...

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“MARY ELLEN'S LEGACY: Weaving Forgotten Tales” by Charles Cravey

Submitted to Contest #286

Mary Ellen’s Legacy: Weaving Forgotten Talesby Charles E. CraveyOn the pristine banks of Lake Rustin was a sleepy little town of Wilson. Mary Ellen lived in Wilson. Her life was ordinary, perhaps too ordinary. She worked at the local library, a peaceful place filled with the scent of old books and the muted whispers of pages turning. Despite the countless lives’ stories surrounding her, Mary Ellen couldn’t shake the gnawing fear that people would forget her own story.Every day, Mary Ellen would greet the library patrons with a warm smile and...

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“Daffodils ” by McKenna Katherine

Submitted to Contest #286

She was first afraid they would forget her name, but now she fears they will forget her face, her voice, her whole being. Caroline Finley’s life is not ending; however, she worries it will never begin. The concerning thought wakes her night after night, an anxious ache growing deep in the pit of her stomach. When this life is over, what will my loved ones remember me by? Will my friends be proud of me when they think of me? I feel as if I have nothing to offer, and nothing to reach for. The...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 77 stories

“Empty Podiums” by Reece York

“The squire’s dilemma” by Nathan Dela

“The Forgotten Flower” by OLIVIA HAYS

“The Lonely Island ” by Ruthie Gates

“Vessel for Immortality ” by Patrick D

“The Wilting Blue Flower” by Jerry L. Lambert II

“On The Way Out” by Íris Erna

“Don't Forget Her, Please.” by Diane Neas

“Hard Reset” by Alex Marmalade

“King Minar the Forgotten” by Malia Kao

“Just a Tree” by RD Smith

“The Nomads Awakening” by Jeff Davis

“Forgot Who?” by Ron Henson

“MARY ELLEN'S LEGACY: Weaving Forgotten Tales” by Charles Cravey

“Daffodils ” by McKenna Katherine

🌟 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 🏆

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