Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”

Posted in Dramatic on Nov 10, 2023

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✍️ 89 stories

“Pillow Talk” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep… Raymond, I can’t sleep. Are you awake? Raymond?” “I am now.” “I can’t sleep.” “So you keep saying, Meg.” “Help me get to sleep.” “You woke me up just to ask me that?” “I thought you’d want to know.” “How very thoughtful of you. Now, can you please let me get back to sleep?” “But I can’t sleep!” “What do you want me to do about it?” “Can you rub my back, please? You know that always relaxes me.” “I’m tired, Meg,...

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“Carry Me” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep,” I whisper.I am seven, standing at the foot of my parent's bed. My father is snoring, and the rain is pounding steadily onto concrete. I imagine the worms coming up for a swim somewhere in the grass.“I can’t sleep,” I say again, but I only hear the bed squeaking as my mother shifts to her other side. I can’t tell her I’m scared. I can’t tell her my brothers shoved me in the linen closet when we were playing hide-and-seek and left me there. It’s dark in my parent’s room, and I know it’s s...

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“Sales Pitch” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #224

MLM spoof with a twist. You’ve been warned. Molly pushed open the door of the conference room. It was a loud, heavy, metal one that left her fingers smelling of dust. She brushed them on her colorful leggings. The conference room wasn’t well lit, but it was in a cheap motel on the side of the highway, so Molly hadn’t expected much. It smelled of stale coffee and sugary pastries that were piled like faux gold on the table pressed against one wall. Sadie turned and smiled at her. The women embraced each other.&nbs...

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“Losing Pieces of Myself” by Jonathan Page

Submitted to Contest #224

I haven’t slept in twenty-three days. I know exactly what I want to say, but I can’t say it. Thank you, my love, I can do that, I think. My jaw just rattles up and down like a nutcracker. There are noises, but not the ones I intend. I can’t sleep, my love, I wanted to say, What I wouldn’t give for some sleep.Laurel takes a wet rag and dampens my burning forehead, giving me a healthy sip of ice-cold iced tea, which I try to lift on my own with my shaky left hand, only to send splashes of reddish...

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“Deus ex Machina” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #224

"I can't sleep."John lay awake in the dark, eyes wide open, staring at nothing, while his wife Breana slept soundly beside him. His hands were clasped behind his neck. Every time he closed his eyes, dreadful thoughts reopened them. He hadn't slept well since Breana told him what she had done.I can't go on like this, he thought. He climbed out of bed and took his phone into the living room. He keyed in the number he'd seen written on a city bus advertisement. "Need a miracle? Call anytime."<...

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“Nature's Soft Nurse” by Mike Isbell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #224

NOTE: THIS STORY CONTAINS APOCALYPTIC THEMES AND SOME SLIGHT CURSING.2031 AD01001001/01000011/01000001/01001110/01010100/01010011/01001100/01000101 01000101/01010000Aric leaned over Doctor Drue Bruwell’s shoulder. With his dyslexia, he didn’t even bother trying to make sense of the ones and zeroes.

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“The New New World” by Josephine Harris

Submitted to Contest #224

r/OuterSpace2000 - Posted by u/BaseTrekker 12 hours ago

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“The Humming Cicada” by Jorge Soto

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep.”The man tossed around under the sheets, tried every segment of his pillow, and contorted his body to several adventurous yoga shapes in an effort to quell the restlessness.Finally, he called it. Looking at his watch to determine the precise time of death, it read: 1:42 AM. The fight was over, so like other nights, he retreated onto his back with his hands folded over his chest, looking at the ceiling blankly. Now in his 5th year of living alone, h...

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“Soon” by Eric St. Pierre

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep” Abigail muttered. The clock said it was 3:15am. Abigail was not happy about this. She climbed out of bed and headed towards the bathroom for the third time that night. Abigail was eight months, three weeks, and two days pregnant, and she felt it. With the baby due within a matter of days she was having all sorts of trouble sleeping. If it wasn’t a full bladder that troubled her it was cramps or back pain...

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“Coyote” by Hilary Yelvington

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep,” I said. The coyote standing just 10 feet away stared back at me. I saw him most nights on my walks. Like me, he was a transplant from somewhere less domesticated. Three generations ago, my people lived on lard sandwiches during the Great Depression. Two generations ago, my people were farmers who made enough to build a small house and buy a car, but not much else. My pare...

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“Dreams & Nightmares” by Jack Keenan

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can't sleep.” Jaemi spoke the words out into the void as if they might come corporeal and fetch out an answer, a solution to her insomnia from the hidden corners of shadow around her, but no such answer came. She sat curled up in her bed, her knees to her chin, just as she had ended up on the many nights that came before this one. Her eyes stung. Her body felt slow, laden with the lac...

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“Clara and Joshua” by Kate Hughes

Submitted to Contest #224

Clara‘I can’t sleep’ came a voice from the other side of the bed.‘I know darling’ I replied, placing my hand softly on his shoulder. Josh had a big presentation in the morning and had been like this all week. More anxious than usual, restless, and perhaps I was imagining it but quieter in the evenings too. Tonight, we had tried everything I ...

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“Late Night Decision” by Honey Perez

Submitted to Contest #224

“Fuck, I can’t sleep” Taylor groaned. She ripped the blankets off, letting the cool air relax her. How could she fall asleep if her mind couldn’t stop replaying a simple request.I need an answer by tomorrow. Taylor simply didn’t have an answer. She couldn’t come up with one. How could she? Sure the offer was great, amazing really. She would move up from position. Get a tremendous raise. A raise she desperately needed. The answer should have been so easy. So clear. So why was she tossing and tur...

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“The Witching Hour” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep.” “Well, at least try!” Maureen harrumphed, grabbed a fist full of duvet and span over taking more of the bed clothes than was fair. This was her protest. On the face of it, her protest was about George encroaching upon her precious sleep, but as with many arguments there was more to it than that. This argument had history. George was aware of some of the history. H...

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“Mary's Children” by Harper Pechota

Submitted to Contest #224

"I can't sleep." Third time tonight I have heard that phrase whispered. Tiny hands grab at my bedsheets, tiny fingers wandering towards the little holes. Something to pick at I assume. "I can't sleep." Fourth time. A pair of bright green eyes and skin so fair that you can see the toddler's face in the dark of a winter's night. A little voice so pleading that I cannot say n...

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Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 89 stories

“Pillow Talk” by Chris Campbell

“Carry Me” by AnneMarie Miles

“Sales Pitch” by Amanda Lieser

“Losing Pieces of Myself” by Jonathan Page

“Deus ex Machina” by Karen Corr

“Nature's Soft Nurse” by Mike Isbell

“The New New World” by Josephine Harris

“The Humming Cicada” by Jorge Soto

“Soon” by Eric St. Pierre

“Coyote” by Hilary Yelvington

“Dreams & Nightmares” by Jack Keenan

“Clara and Joshua” by Kate Hughes

“Late Night Decision” by Honey Perez

“The Witching Hour” by Jed Cope

“Mary's Children” by Harper Pechota

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Write a story about two people living together who have opposing sleep cycles, and only cross paths at dawn and dusk.

Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.

Write about someone who can’t sleep due to jet lag, and decides to set out and explore their new city at night instead.

Contest #224

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

291

Contest entries

138

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: