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

Posted in Dramatic on Nov 10, 2023

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✍️ 87 stories

“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 no. It would be so cold of me to turn this voice away. "Jeg kan ikke sove." Another wondering voice whispers. This voice is shy. Wondering. Timid and tentative....

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“Rose's Room” by Elizabeth Beising

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can't sleep,” the frail old woman whispered to the figure on the hospital bed. When she got no response, the woman stood up as tall as she could with her hands still on the walker in front of her as if gathering strength or pride or both. “Excuse me, mister. I said I can't sleep because you're in my bed. You're in my room. This is my room,” she tried again in a louder, more forceful voice that caused Mr. Putnam’s eyes to jolt open immediately. Joe Putnam was instantly alert, yet calm, in the way that only those accustomed to life and deat...

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“The Blackbird Sings” by Chris Pye

Submitted to Contest #224

I can't sleep. Owl-eyed, I watch the dark, dragging its black body through the night.I let my ears wander the house. Somewhere, I hear a quiet murmur and imagine a hummingbird struggling softly against a window. Down the corridor, a tiny conductor taps lightly on a music stand. Outside in the garden, my mind sees an old man gently creaking his rocking chair.And next to me, I hear faint waves running in and out over a pebbled shore: my wife lies deeply sleeping. Her body is an island under the blankets; her hair cast on the ...

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“Whispers of Wakefulness: A Midnight Tapestry” by Frank Amaya

Submitted to Contest #224

In the quiet hush of midnight's embrace, where shadows dance in the soft glow of a silver moon, a solitary figure found himself entangled in the delicate threads of insomnia. The world, draped in a tapestry of dreams, seemed elusive, slipping through the grasp of weary eyes.In a room adorned with the echoes of a clock's rhythmic sighs, a whispered lament rose like the fragrance of forgotten flowers. "I can't sleep," confessed the soul to the stillness, as if the very air held the secrets of the restless night.Outside, the stars glittered lik...

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“I can’t sleep ” by Julie Hernandez

Submitted to Contest #224

I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep, but I can cry. I can’t sleep, but I can still breathe. I can’t sleep, but I can still worry. I can’t sleep, but somehow I still have visions in my head, some lighthearted and others just plain confusing. I can’t sleep, so I roll around in my bed, I toss and turn, this way and that. I flip my pillow over and over. I look at the clock and I give up. I get up, and I go to the bathroom. An easy feat after birthing a few babies. I look at the clock, and I go back to my bed. I no longer reach out or look over because ...

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“Living In A Dream” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #224

Alec Rutchman jumps up in bed, surveying his surroundings. “Uh… I can’t sleep. Where am I?” The tail of the Felix the Cat clock swishes happily back and forth. The white floral tapestry Angelique worked on for six months hangs on the opposite side of the wall, framing the perfume bottles, lotions, and makeup on her dressing table. Home. He’s home. Angelique reaches down, stroking his hair. She worries about the dark circles under her husband’s eyes, and that their once bright blue hue has turned cloudy. Most of all, she fears Alec’s lack...

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“Thank You For Visiting” by Kaylor Gause

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep,” the soft voice of the tiny human standing beside my bed whispered. The sound was extremely creepy but I immediately recognized the voice, and that knowledge willed me to not freak out like my instincts wanted me to. I can’t react, my fear of scaring him overriding my fear of being woken up out of my peaceful sleep that it’s taken 3 months to achieve. I lie still, my back facing him. Maybe if I pretend to be undisturbed, he will go back into his room and self-soothe himself. I cannot deal with this tonight. I do...

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“The Sleepless Companion” by Amanda Stangl

Submitted to Contest #224

(Contains mention of severe illness) I can’t sleep. Granted, I restlessly napped periodically throughout the day, while Isabelle was visiting Dr. Robinson, but the walk in the park this evening should have tired me out. Now, I lay in bed next to her, listening to her deep shallow breaths, willing the noise to lull me to sleep. I haven’t been able to sleep for many nights. Since the moon was full. The sound of Isabelle getting sick in the toilet before she crawls into bed every night, leaves me feeling unsettled, my stomach twisting i...

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“Dark” by C.E. Simon

Submitted to Contest #224

TRIGGER WARNING: Contains language, abusive parents, brief incestuous thoughts/fantasies, suicidal ideation, violence/death/gore. I can’t fall asleep. If I fall asleep, the light will go out. If the light goes out, the Dark will get in. If the Dark gets in, I will die. I don’t know what time it is. The sun’s down. Eight hours—maybe more until daylight? A candle shines for about eight hours, which means I have to wake up to relight once a night. Waking like that was a skill I had honed since childhood—not knowing then how vital it would b...

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“Away ” by Samantha Rane

Submitted to Contest #224

I can’t sleep… This was supposed to be a couples retreat but I’m here alone. I never thought John would leave me, and for his assistant… how cliché. FOUR years down the drain with someone I thought I would marry! …But right now I’m not thinking about John and his play thing, I’m thinking about the man adjacent to my room. When checking in they fail to inform me of the adjoining door connecting my room and his. When I entered my room, I almost immediately regretted coming on this retreat alone, but it was already paid for and I already took...

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“Let's play a game” by Agris Engelis

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can’t sleep, I must not sleep.” Jim said, drinking another cup of coffee. “I feel it’s gaze form the dark.” “let’s play a game.” A deep corrosive voice came from the dark wardrobe in his room. He quickly shut the door to block the source of sound. “You can’t hide forever.” The sound now came from underneath his bed. It made Jim run off to the living room and quiver while sitting on the couch. Jim’s consciousness was fading in and out as he tried to fight off the sleep for the third day in the row. “Must… not… sleep.” Jim said as his body ...

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“Sundown in Boy-Town” by Dan D

Submitted to Contest #224

"I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I can't-" before Sarah could complete her final redundancy, she gave herself a forceful slap across the face. A mirror wasn't needed, the heartbeat in her cheek was evidence it had already begun to swell. "I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I can't-" SLAP! "Come on!" She leaned her head back and downed the rest of her cola, now it'd been empty before she placed the light aluminum on the table. Just then..CRACK! Another can opened and she picked up right where she left off. The moon was high in th...

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“Sleep” by Joshua Kim

Submitted to Contest #224

Sleep…? “I can’t sleep….” Have you ever had the feeling that something needs to be done, but you were sidetracked because of something? That something is usually ‘productive,’ but in Joanna’s case? Well…. Joanna had to sleep because of the big test tomorrow, but found herself unable to do so, which tortured her since, even though nowadays, she was less infamous, back in high school, her nickname was: “Sleeping Beauty.” Awaiting her prince to come to her to awake her from her sleep with a kiss. But it seemed like her parents ...

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“A Sinking Foundation ” by JENNIFER TABASSUM

Submitted to Contest #224

I can’t sleep. I’ve tried everything to keep these three letters from sinking in. From being my reality. I adjusted the thermostat. Up two degrees. Down three. I disturbed the silence until I ended up with sonic dissonance. The whirring of a boxed fan accompanied by the strings of classical music. Outside my window, the inky sky bleeds into the faintest of blues. I curl into the fetal position. I am a babe in womb, a caterpillar in cocoon. The rhythmic words lull me into semiconsciousness. A shiver runs down my spine and my body becomes unfu...

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“"Sleep" was a bad word in our family” by Dariia Drahoi

Submitted to Contest #224

"I can't sleep," - my baby whispered right in my face. I could see her breath forming a tiny cloud. She smelled like strawberries and a coconut body wash. I was stroking her arm for the past twenty minutes. Up and down. Up and down. She was tired and her little fingers were gripping a fluffy pink duvet. "But you have to, my lovely." I took her hand in mine and gently squeezed it. She looked up at me and smiled. It was late in the night. I brought her outside, she wanted to see the stars before she fell asleep. I felt her getting more cozy...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 87 stories

“Mary's Children” by Harper Pechota

“Rose's Room” by Elizabeth Beising

“The Blackbird Sings” by Chris Pye

“Whispers of Wakefulness: A Midnight Tapestry” by Frank Amaya

“I can’t sleep ” by Julie Hernandez

“Living In A Dream” by Michael Jefferson

“Thank You For Visiting” by Kaylor Gause

“The Sleepless Companion” by Amanda Stangl

“Dark” by C.E. Simon

“Away ” by Samantha Rane

“Let's play a game” by Agris Engelis

“Sundown in Boy-Town” by Dan D

“Sleep” by Joshua Kim

“A Sinking Foundation ” by JENNIFER TABASSUM

“"Sleep" was a bad word in our family” by Dariia Drahoi

🌟 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

285

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: