Start or end your story with someone running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 11, 2024

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✍️ 85 stories

“The Mirror Maze” by Jess Norton

Submitted to Contest #272

Content warning: Death of a parent, mental health issues, minor injuries “Happy birthday, honey!” Her Dad walks to the dining table, hand covering the candle’s flickering flame from the fan’s breeze. He smiles with all his teeth. Sarah wishes the smile reached his eyes. As her gathered friends and family sing to her, she smiles but looks past them, locking eyes with the portrait of her mother on the wall. “1…2…3” She has blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a dimple on her chin that only shows when she smiles. It feels like staring into a mirro...

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“Garden of Lost and Found” by Tiffany Harris

Submitted to Contest #272

The garden was alive—wild, tangled, and full of ghosts.Dolores ran, not like a woman of her age, but like someone being chased by time itself. Her arthritic knees protested with each step, a reminder of her seventy-three years, but she pushed on. The wind whipped through her silver hair, catching it in a dance that was at once wild and deliberate. It wrapped itself around her face, almost like the fingers of those she had lost—every touch, every strand, a reminder.She could hear their voices. Feel their presence.Every bloom she passed was a ...

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“The Ghost of the Brookdale Lodge” by Ute Gillett

Submitted to Contest #272

The Ghost of the Brookdale Lodge “Did you hear? They’re going to open the Brookdale Lodge again? Some fancy Indian hotelier bought it!” Al hollered over the noise of the mill.“Bought that little girl’s ghost, too, you know!” Brode’s voice came back over the noise of the saw. “Wonder if he knew what he got himself into.” The mill quieted down; the log had finished running through. “Oh, just lay off with the old wives’ tales,” Al laughed. “There’s no ghost! It was an accident. Slipped and fell on her head, the poor thing.” “Maybe you’r...

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“Godzone” by Mark Snoad

Submitted to Contest #272

The unnatural silence alerted Tāne to the encroaching threat. The normally boisterous woodland stunned into silence. No intermittent birdsong, scraping or rustling. Nothing. Nothing at all. Tāne ignored the bead of sweat caressing his forehead and focused on the clearing in front of his cottage. There. A suspicion of a shadow. Would he never be free of this? Tāne adjusted his gilded bow. The already cocked arrow targeted the intruding presence. The sense of utter revulsion screamed at Tāne, but he didn’t allow his focus to waiver. Touching t...

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“Relief #ReedsyFright” by Jari Rosnell

Submitted to Contest #272

Relief My first memory from childhood is when I was about five years old. It was also my first memory of it and at the same time, of my present...My father and mother put me to bed, and I remember their faces as if it were yesterday. How they hugged and kissed me and wished me good night and sweet dreams. As I closed my eyes, I remember how strange the ...

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“Whispers in the Hollow” by U H

Submitted to Contest #272

Julian ran, his breath sharp and ragged, feet pounding the cracked earth of the desolate highway. The night sky loomed heavy above him, the moon swollen and dim behind a veil of clouds. His legs burned, but stopping was not an option. Not tonight. Not after what he'd seen.It was chasing him.He could hear it behind him, a faint rustling that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was a sound like dry leaves scraping across stone, except it wasn't leaves, and there were no stones. There was only the road, stretching endless...

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“The Choice” by KC Foster

Submitted to Contest #272

Trigger Warning: Drugs, Suicide, substance abuse, mental healthThe world spun around Markus in vibrant colors. A whirlwind blur fascinated his drug-filled eyes, joyful music filled his ears, and the memories were lost in the mix. Everything was a haze and he was finally free from the pain. The moment the memories returned, he took hold of another needle feeling the table beside him, and rammed it into his arm feeling the release and groaned with pleasure, and another. He never wanted to return this time.Everything went dark and the vibr...

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“A Walk Home” by Tara D. Wilson

Submitted to Contest #272

He glimpsed his weary reflection as he stepped off the elevator. He stopped to look at the muddled mirror of the elevator's walls. The long nights at his corporate job were catching up to him, as his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes demonstrated. He sighed and loosened his tie as he grabbed his coat and made his way out of the gray concrete building. The weekend was finally here.Outside, the night air was calm and cold. Amidst the street lights, he could see the stars and bright full moon above if he squinted just right. "A...

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“Escape” by M.C. Raven

Submitted to Contest #272

When Layla stared into the mirror, all she could see were her mother’s eyes. The rim of her iris’s were an emerald green that gradually faded into shades that reminded her of blades of grass glinting with fresh morning dew, flecks of gold weaving throughout. She could not tear her eyes away from her sunken cheekbones and the grayed hue that hung in low rings beneath her bottom lashes. She bit her crusted, swollen bottom lip, her tongue like sandpaper as she licked it for the hundredth time.God, what she would do for a bottle of water or even...

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“The Gloaming of Bitterness” by Debra Tillar

Submitted to Contest #272

The Gloaming of Bitterness Brora leaned over the balcony wall, taking a slap of wet wind to her face. She held tight to the iron baluster and wondered what it would feel like to uncurl her fingers and let herself fly. The palace courtyard was two stories below and paved with rough-cut flagstone. Some weeks earlier a young servant, suspected of treachery against the Earl, had been dangled over the east tower parapet then deliberately dropped, legs first. He hadn’t died, had been sent in agony by mule cart back to his co-conspirators in Strom...

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“Stories of Thalassia. Story 1: Coin” by Tarja Mo

Submitted to Contest #272

The path to the ruins of Pelagius stretched ahead as the five boys ascended toward the ancient, crumbling palace. The night air hung heavy, thick with the thrill of the unknown.“Derek said they’d wait until tomorrow to go after the treasure,” Nicholas whispered excitedly, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “He’s busy with Lori tonight.”“Are you sure he was talking about treasure?” Milo asked, falling in step behind him.“I’m sure of it,” Nicholas replied confidently. “I heard him and his buddies talking. They definitely didn’t want anyone el...

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“Not All Men” by Allix James

Submitted to Contest #272

(This story does include some swearing, and hints at inappropriate behaviour - though this is not explicit) The forest crept dark into the valley. It was there I found myself, tucked away in my uncle’s cabin, retreating from the world. A malaise held thick the woods outside, pushing me deeper into my story, the ghost of it ugly in my periphery. I had come to write, to alter the narrative - the incident haunting my mind. I kept a pattern during those days, an order to placate the ruinous thoughts: would write the morning through; pour coffee ...

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“Nightjar” by Kara Lane

Submitted to Contest #272

Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of domestic abuse, emotional manipulation, and physical violence that may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with caution if these topics may trigger difficult emotions or memories.I can’t run—too much noise. The last thing I want is to be caught. I gently push the heavy sheets off, fear lacing every cell of my being. As the weight of the blankets lift from my chest, I feel lighter already. A deep, guttural noise breaks the silence. I see where The Monster lies resting. I free...

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“Dead End” by Angela Ewing

Submitted to Contest #272

Word count: 2743 Dead Endby Angela Ewing I am lost, driving on a long empty road in the Arizona desert in front of a truck that has been beh...

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“Something Like Desire” by Ane Gummel

Submitted to Contest #272

` The cabin in the woods has been abandoned for years. Unexpectedly, tonight there is a candle burning in the window. I see myself reacting: I shake my head in disbelief. The candle is sitting atop a plain wooden table, no other furnishings are visible. The flame is feeble, noncommittal. It’s pissing me off. I’ve been observing the cabin every day and night for the past three months and haven’t seen anything. Suddenly, this candle is flickering audaciously in the window like it’s always been there. The cabin is creepy enough when ostensibly ...

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Start or end your story with someone running away from something, literally or metaphorically.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 85 stories

“The Mirror Maze” by Jess Norton

“Garden of Lost and Found” by Tiffany Harris

“The Ghost of the Brookdale Lodge” by Ute Gillett

“Godzone” by Mark Snoad

“Relief #ReedsyFright” by Jari Rosnell

“Whispers in the Hollow” by U H

“The Choice” by KC Foster

“A Walk Home” by Tara D. Wilson

“Escape” by M.C. Raven

“The Gloaming of Bitterness” by Debra Tillar

“Stories of Thalassia. Story 1: Coin” by Tarja Mo

“Not All Men” by Allix James

“Nightjar” by Kara Lane

“Dead End” by Angela Ewing

“Something Like Desire” by Ane Gummel

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story with the aim of scaring your reader.

Write a story from the point of view of a ghost, vampire, or werewolf.

Center your story around someone trying to resist their darker impulses — and they’ll either succeed or fail.

Write a story in which the narrator or a character says "Did you hear that?"

Contest #272

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

488

Contest entries

176

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: