Show how an object’s meaning can change as a character changes.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 23, 2024

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✍️ 59 stories

“A Chance Of Happiness” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #269

A CHANCE OF HAPPINESS. John Myers watched as the spider wove her web of silver upon the drain pipe opposite his flat. He was thinking about how his life had changed and it was all his own doing. John had never been one for superstition he thought about Robert the Bruce and how a spider had changed his life. He had to feel confident like the spider if the web broke the spider would always be ready to weave another one. ...

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“Nanma's Watch” by Sakıp Murat Yalçın

Submitted to Contest #269

The door to the workshop creaked open, letting in a thin sliver of light. The familiar scent of oil and wood hit Nanma as she stepped inside. Kal was hunched over the bench, hands moving deftly over the tools in front of him, like time itself didn’t matter. Nanma smiled, the watch dangling loosely from her wrist as she walked up to him. “Word is you’re staying only today.”Kal turned slowly, the lines on his face shifting in the dim light. “The north calls,” he said in that steady way of his. “The Wandering Council waits.” She moved closer, w...

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“The Attic Box” by Daniel Ward

Submitted to Contest #269

Back in the corner, next to the busted bird cage and a bag of old shoes, sat a dusty Heineken’s box scrawled with “To Save” in black marker.Five moves to five attics, the box remained unopened, a testament to its uselessness and importance. It was time to recall why I saved it. I’m still new to Buddhism. Some of it seems sketchy, but a lot of it resonates as I take stock of my life and try to make sense of why I’m here. Buddhism teaches us that renunciation is a prerequisite to enlightenment, and I’m on a mission to renounce a lot of stuff. ...

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“Burnout in the Dugout” by Alesia Lelaj

Submitted to Contest #269

AGE SIX. When my parents helped me put on my first set of catcher’s gear, I thought it was the coolest gift ever. It was even cooler than the Hulk costume I wore for Halloween last year. My catcher’s gear probably weighed as much as I did but it didn’t matter because now I could play my favorite game in the world. It made me feel like the big men my dad watched on TV. That’s gonna be me one day. AGE TEN. “Mom, mom!” I called out, pointing to the TV. “Mom, I need gear like the Phillies. I need red gear.” “Honey, you don’t need new gear,...

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“The Rosary” by Abby Johnson

Submitted to Contest #269

I grew up Catholic—tall cathedrals, stained glass windows, incense wafting through the air, the whole nine yards. But over the years, my visits to church dwindled, and my belief in the teachings faded. I became apathetic, much to my mother’s dismay. She always knew I was the rebel of the family, the notoriously difficult child with tantrums and a headstrong spirit—typical middle child behavior. Despite this, growing up Catholic instilled some beautiful lessons in me. I learned the value of generosity, the importance of charity, and the wisdo...

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“The Lookout Tower” by Janine Van Der Hulst

Submitted to Contest #269

Dressed in a long winter coat, scarf and hat, I begin my daily climb, two steep spiral staircases of a seven-metre-high lookout tower in the park, with a wintery view as a reward.I’ve been drawn to this tower every morning since I retired three months ago. Though each day seems the same, the park always offers something new – a bird’s song, a coloured leaf, the way the light filters through the trees. Here, at the top of the tower, I feel a kind of peace. The icy air stings my lungs, but I love it. It is a reminder that I am still alive...

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“Glass Whale” by Stephi Smith

Submitted to Contest #269

When we lived in the house on Fenton Street, my mother brought home a glass obelisk with a whale etched inside. “I brought you something that Jasmine can’t chew up,” she told me. We had a black lab in our house on the Fenton Street that used to devour my stuffed animals until one day she gnawed on a neighbor boy’s nose and was sent to live on a farm. (No, really. She went to a family friend’s farm, somewhere lost in Oregon’s trees and we used to visit her and my mother would swear she was happier.) Jasmine had teeth made of steel and a heart...

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“When Sand Falls” by Hilel Hodawya

Submitted to Contest #269

The Witch appeared to me for the first time when I was ten. She was nothing like the witches I'd heard about in stories. She looked young, with long, silky black hair and flawless skin. Her teeth were pristine, perfectly aligned. There was no trace of incense, herbs, or any foul potions clinging to her. She seemed entirely ordinary, just like any other woman. With her delicate, graceful hands, she offered me an hourglass. It wasn’t too large—just slightly bigger than my own. Inside, shimmering gold sand filled the upper chamber, glowing...

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“Fox-bitten cigarettes. ” by Will Tooker

Submitted to Contest #269

*contains: substance abuse, implied SH/suicide* You'd been watching from the road side, the night he appeared. There was a fox, its fur soaked in the rain, its snout covered in a mixture of dirt and blood.It was chewing at its foot - which was caught in a drain. It must have slipped in the current of water that ran down the road. You'd always loved animals.But you'd also always been a coward. He ran across the road in front of you. Falling to his knees, not afraid to soak his trousers, to tear them, he'd set to work freeing the animal. You ...

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“Hamster Wheel” by Rye Youbs

Submitted to Contest #269

I saw Serena’s mental wheel last month when we met at the café below her office. It had been difficult to meet during her internship in the law firm, but she spontaneously called me on a day her boss was away for a trial. I gladly came over.We rendezvoused at 3 pm during her “lunch” break—at actual lunchtime she had to man the office alone while her colleagues were at a restaurant. I had already eaten, so I ordered dessert; she said she wasn’t hungry and ordered only a coffee.“Will you be at Gregor’s party on Saturday?” I asked.“Uhm… I’m not...

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“Hope for Salvation” by Madeline Walz

Submitted to Contest #269

(Author's note: This story contains spoilers for Heart of Darkness book one, Anathema, by Madeline Walz.) Toiora stood in front of the mirror in his hospital room’s bathroom, only halfway dressed, the shower still running. He’d finished ten minutes ago but had left the water running—the sound was helping him think. He stared at his reflection. “Who are you?” Less than two months ago, Toiora had been crown prince of the Aneatangan Empire and commander of its army. He had led a battalion to find and punish a trespasser who’d come to Aneatanga ...

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“Fruitless Love” by Steve Krysak

Submitted to Contest #269

“How dare you insult me like this?” Thomas St. Clair yelled in the middle of the busy restaurant. He was perched on a velvet-upholstered chair. His towering red pompadour was beautiful and intimidating like a peacock spreading its feathers. Gin and tonic dripped from his chin after he involuntarily spat out the drink, showering the Pan-Seared Sea Bass and Truffle Risotto. A woman sat directly across the table. She leaned forward and cupped her hands to her mouth, trying to screen her words from curious onlookers. “What is wrong with you?” ...

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“The Bracelet” by Dawn Locklear

Submitted to Contest #269

The Bracelet She enters an antique shop in the village. Lauren steps up to a glass countertop and at once is attracted to an incredible, ornate bracelet. She instinctively puts her hand to the glass and it turns into a liquid pond. She snatches her hand back in shock and is immediately overcome with lightheadedness, so much so she feels she will pass out. Lauren grasps onto the counter’s wood border to steady herself from the swaying as a sales lady moves toward her in concern. Lauren cannot talk, her throat is constricte...

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“Just Crocheted or Knitted Yarn.......Right?” by Jane Anne Ireland

Submitted to Contest #269

Just Crocheted or Knitted Yarn…….Right? ~ September 20, 2024#268 ~ Reedsy Prompts ~ Entered into both…….“A story about an object that changed everything for a character.”“A story about an ordinary object that becomes magical (either literally or figuratively).”Inspired by a true story! One early but cold morning in March of 2010 while living in southern Saskatchewan, I received a call from Susie, a long-time family friend. It only took a few words from her to know that something was drastically wrong, some kind of emergency. She was ver...

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“The Choice” by AnnMarie Harvie

Submitted to Contest #269

Star listened to the hum of the force field that held her prisoner, the soft blue light the only illumination in the cold, dark room. She let the tears she held back so tightly when the guard came around flow freely down her face. The tears the Special Forces commander shed were not of regret – she would have done it again if needed, but of betrayal by those who were supposed to be her friends broke her heart. People who said they loved her and that they would have her back always were nowhere to be found. Liars. She s...

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Show how an object’s meaning can change as a character changes.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 59 stories

“A Chance Of Happiness” by Christine LW

“Nanma's Watch” by Sakıp Murat Yalçın

“The Attic Box” by Daniel Ward

“Burnout in the Dugout” by Alesia Lelaj

“The Rosary” by Abby Johnson

“The Lookout Tower” by Janine Van Der Hulst

“Glass Whale” by Stephi Smith

“When Sand Falls” by Hilel Hodawya

“Fox-bitten cigarettes. ” by Will Tooker

“Hamster Wheel” by Rye Youbs

“Hope for Salvation” by Madeline Walz

“Fruitless Love” by Steve Krysak

“The Bracelet” by Dawn Locklear

“Just Crocheted or Knitted Yarn.......Right?” by Jane Anne Ireland

“The Choice” by AnnMarie Harvie

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about an object that changed everything for a character.

Send your characters on an unforgettable quest to find an essential object.

Center your story around a character who is obsessed with an object.

Write a story about an ordinary object that becomes magical (either literally or figuratively).

Contest #269

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

312

Contest entries

122

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: