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Start or end your story with two people discussing an important matter over a meal.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 27, 2024

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✍️ 58 stories

We Could Tie a Rope Behind the Ship

Submitted to Contest #270

"We have to go to Izen!" Lady Nimmo pointed her roasted chicken leg at everyone around the campfire. "I agree Captain Wington is a little much, but who else do you know that has his own ship?" She said before taking a bite out of her chicken leg.Everyone reluctantly agreed, even though they knew they would be subjected to Captain Wington's weight-to-oar fixations."Will he?" Flimlet asked. He grabbed a potato off the pan and took a huge bite before thinking. His eyes jumped wide open. He didn't want to spit it out, so he attempted to cool the...

43 likes 19 comments 19
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Dinosaur's Nest Fossils Found by the Ship Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #270

Seventy million years ago a 25 foot long dinosaur chewed, savoring a meal in the jagged mountains and valleys along the winding rivers of the southern tip of South America.It was a magaraptor dinosaur with sickle like claws.In the distance, a 10 foot tall, 7 foot long, bird like creature covered with feathers swallowed another bite of her dinner. Her eyes were on her baby dinosaur chicks climbing over the rocks and on the eggs that would hatch soon.Her mate nudged her and spoke with squawking trumpets of sound and gestures. She understood hi...

39 likes 29 comments 29
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Every Type of Cabbage

Submitted to Contest #270

“They hate me, don’t they?” The burn of the kimchi jigae still coats my tongue in fire despite the ginseng tea I try to douse it with. I feel a similar burn in my cheeks as Minjun’s parents patter around in the kitchen but the tea doesn’t help much in extinguishing that. My Korean skills are minimal but even I pick up the occasional, “isanghan” – strange. As in, the isanghan blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl their son somehow, inexplicably fell in love with. As in, the isanghan way he lets her call him MJ instead of his full name. As i...

36 likes 28 comments 28
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The Blue Marble

Submitted to Contest #270

Jadis knew the restaurant wasn’t particularly fancy, or even very friendly. That’s why she chose it. No-one asked questions at this far end of the galaxy, not if they wanted to stay alive. Zark sat down opposite her in a cloud of tentacles and body odour.“Zelgfish pie?” He asked, holding the plate out on one globular tentacle.Jadis shook her head, her stomach revolting at the sight. “Look, I just want to go home. OK?”“Favours ain’t free,” Zark said as he shovelled the pie into each of his mouths.“I’ve got the goods.”One white whiskered ...

31 likes 11 comments 11
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Brenda's Story

Submitted to Contest #270

Introducing Myself.My mother taught me this recipe for having great friendships. “Brenda,” she’d say, “the best way to have friends is to be a friend. It’s all up to you.”Take two heaped cups of patienceOne heartful of loveTwo handfuls of generosityA dash of laughterA headful of understandingSprinkle generously with kindnessAdd plenty of trust, and mix wellSpread throughout a lifetimeServe this sunshine into the lives of othersAnd however much you give awayYou will always have plenty.I wrote it into my diary and read it from time to tim...

26 likes 16 comments 16
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THE EDGE OF DECEPTION

Submitted to Contest #270

The aroma of rich espresso and freshly baked bread clung to the warm, dimly lit bistro, a hidden gem tucked away in a quiet Parisian alley. Candlelight flickered atop white linen tablecloths, casting restless shadows across the intimate space. At a secluded corner table, Sarah Monroe traced the rim of her coffee cup with a delicate finger, the porcelain cool against her skin. The soft hum of jazz music blended with the clinking of glassware, the air thick with unspoken tension, like the brief pause before lightning strikes.Across from her, V...

23 likes 16 comments 16
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The Bargain

Shortlisted for Contest #270 ⭐️

THE BARGAIN The old mahogany grandfather clock chimed exactly 4:30 pm on a slow creeping spring afternoon in the soul of the southland. “Well,” Betilda Swanson, known to her book club and church group as Tilly, said as she gazed into the eyes of the figure perched on the old pink Victorian sofa in her drawing room. “Will you do it?” The visitor looked back at her over the coffee table, his large form reclining awkwardly, as if the smooth fabric grated against his skin. On the yellow oak table, their cup of tea sat untouched on its saucer, th...

22 likes 7 comments 7
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The Spaghetti Chronicles

Submitted to Contest #270

The Spaghetti Chronicles is based on a true story… While the taxi arrived at the airport, an apparently ordinary businessman became caught up in a sequence of extraordinary and life-altering occurrences, each one more incredible than the previous. You ever feel like those TSA folks should at least buy you a drink or give you a little smooch after they've spent all that time feeling' you up and down? I mean, it's not like I'm some secret agent or anything. It's just a regular old trip to the airport. Flying as much as I have, I have seen the ...

21 likes 10 comments 10
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Forward Falling

Submitted to Contest #270

**Author's note** This story can be read alone, but it's a sequel of sorts to Falling Forward and it references Falling Down. **Trigger warning** contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault All he wanted to do was curl up in a cave of blankets and sleep forever, but being the selfless-to a fault-person that he was, he found himself saying yes to his sister’s lunch invitation. He almost immediately regretted his decision; however, when he walked through the door. “You look like shit.” She said. “Gee, thanks Evie.&...

20 likes 11 comments 11
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The Dinner

Submitted to Contest #270

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the table set in the garden. Audrey and Liam sat across from each other, the remnants of their meal—a shared plate of risotto and a simple salad scattered between them. The clinking of silverware and the distant chirping of crickets filled the evening air, but the weight of the conversation ahead hung heavily between them. “Are you sure about this?” Liam asked, his brow furrowing as he leaned forward. “Once you make that decision, there’s no turning back.” Audrey took a deep breath, ...

20 likes 2 comments 2
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Slice of Heaven

Submitted to Contest #270

I walked into the house and put my pink Jansport backpack on the hooks next to the door. “I’m home!” I yelled walking into the kitchen, I was starving after a long day of volleyball. As I walked to the pantry I saw my parents sitting at the dining table. And they looked anxious. ”Hi honey, can we talk for a little bit.” My dad said, I could tell in his voice this sounded serious. “Yeah of course. What’s up?” I asked. I pulled out one of the cold wooden chairs that sent goosebumps up my arms. Mom passed me a grilled cheese and exchanged ...

20 likes 1 comment 1
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Recipe for (Self) Love

Submitted to Contest #270

She ran away from there as fast as she could, nervously turning the car key in the ignition, desperate to leave. The bewildered gentleman stood there, jaw dropped, at the crime scene. The engine was already purring, and the car was ready to go, but before she pressed the pedal, she called her best friend. After several long rings, she heard a shuffling noise, and Amy knew her friend was on the other end of the line. “Are you hungry?” Amy blurted out.“What makes you think I’ve got nothing to do on a Saturday evening?” came the voice on the ot...

19 likes 5 comments 5
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The Sustaining River

Submitted to Contest #270

Amelia had lived on the river as long as she could remember. The home had been her great-grandfather’s home before it had become her grandfather’s and then eventually passed down to her father. Now it was her home, and the love she felt for it was immeasurable. Not only was there a sentimentality in the home itself, there was a depth of calmness and reassurance from the surging, winding river that ran past it and far beyond, providing a serenity as well as sustenance from its waters for all who resided therein. The cabin’s furnishings were s...

18 likes 1 comment 1
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At the Edge of the Water

Submitted to Contest #270

“Modestus,” Rosita grumbled, “tonto, you’re barely touching your food. How are you supposed to track down Smiley on an empty stomach?”I sat across from Rosita at a table outside the Lambert Inn, my legs stretched out as I picked at the remains of my dinner. The cicadas were loud, like they had something urgent to say, but I couldn’t find it in myself to give a damn. My mind was on Kevin Smiley.I glanced up at her and gave a half-hearted shrug. She was lookin’ at me with those dark eyes of hers. Her face was sharp, strong with high cheekbones...

17 likes 4 comments 4
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Questionable Differences

Submitted to Contest #270

A server sets a basket of bread between Luca and Harley, followed by a bowl containing four pats of butter wrapped in shiny gold paper. They drove to Antonio’s in their separate cars, both of them having left from work. When Harley got there, Luca was already waiting at their table. He stood and pulled the chair out for her.  As he tears into a piece of bread, lips greasy from the butter that turns out to be margarine, he still can’t recall ever meeting Harley for dinner; he’s certainly never pulled a chair out for her. When high school...

17 likes 0 comments 0
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