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

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 23, 2024

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✍️ 84 stories

“Sparkle” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #269

28 September 2024Dearest Peter,Just so you know, I have kept the ring you gave me fifteen years ago. Oh, and I…well, I guess by the end of this letter, I can finally let it out, spill out the very thoughts that have been swirling inside me like a tempest for a decade and a half. Trust me, it will be good.Oh yes, Peter. I’m still wearing that delicate, fuchsia plum blossom on a thin 18-karat yellow gold band, and in fact, I’ve never taken it off. Right now, as the sun shoots its arrows of light through the windows of The Bijou Café here in Br...

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“My Home Now” by Derrick M Domican

Submitted to Contest #269

6Mitchel Conroy’s oxfords clacked and heart thumped as he hurried through the settling dusk from something.Since breakfast, the eerie sensation of being watched had intensified with the crawling of his skin.He hadn’t seen anyone. Or heard anything. But he felt it wherever he went.Something was coming and the darkness was making it bolder.He picked up the pace as he turned into the tree-lined avenue that led to the wrought-iron gates of his community. Sticky puddles of sweat beneath his suit urged him on until he reached the keypad, disengage...

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“Marmite-Jam” by William Richards

Submitted to Contest #269

I got home from university, wiped my shoes against the bristles of the welcome home mat, opened the door, and expected a kiss to greet me as I entered the house. Instead, I shivered as winter air chilled me inside the gloomy abode. I flicked the light switch on and the parchment-yellow lampshade illuminated the hallway. I glanced around for any signs of her, but the rest of the house was dark. The image from that morning when she threw up her hands and said, “No cup of tea?” popped into my head. “Martha?” I called. Maybe she was ...

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“The Last Throw” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #269

It was after midnight, and she clutched it in her fist. It was old and worn out, but so was she. She had no problem seeing her way as the night was cloudless and the moon so bright you could see colors. When her feet left the soft grass of her backyard and came in cold contact with the weathered wood of the pier, she turned back to see if he was still coming. He was, and had started to pick up his pace, closing the gap. She could scarcely see through her tears as she hurried towards the lake. In the quiet of the night, the only sounds w...

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“Ladybug ” by Helen A Smith

Submitted to Contest #269

To be taken in the context of the 1980’s when social attitudes were different, but human nature not so much.1981 Put me next to my sister Charmaine and I fade into the background. It’s a twist on ugly duckling/ beautiful swan syndrome. The fact I’m two years older only makes matters worse. I’m eighteen and Charmaine is sixteen. She’s everything I’m not. She has brilliant green eyes to my hazel ones, golden hair to my light brown, and a cheerleader figure. Oozing sexuality and confiden...

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“Lady Nimmo and the Cursed Belt” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #269

Oakaford strategically positioned stumpers to capture the shadow elves who were shooting arrows into Lady Nimmo's house. Oakaford and the stumpers took this very personally. She brought them to life, and because of this connection, they become extremely upset when someone tries to harm her."Okay, everyone," Oakaford whisper-shouted. "Less noise."The entire line of root-footed stumpers kicked up enough noise to alert a passed-out drunk troll who is hard of hearing. Of course, Oakaford's "whisper-shouting" only added to the cacophony.Ash-rim s...

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“Cliff Cottage” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #269

Silently dusk invades the room, claiming the corners before slithering up walls. It washes the yellows with sepia. It bruises the blues and darkens the reds into dried blood. The chest of drawers heaves one last sigh before it snuggles against the wall, leaving shiny handles as so many glimmering eyes. The fading sunlight caress the slender green bottle on the table and shows that it is half empty.Soon enough the moon, using tree branches as puppets, will create Wayang shows on the colorless walls and floors. The last sunbeam scratches ...

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“I Hate Math...Almost as Much as Dragons” by Natalie Miller

Submitted to Contest #269

My name is Felix Carter. I’m your average seventh-grade teenager. I'm just in limbo between adult and child, not ever knowing where I belong. I go to school, but I never learn anything new. I don’t have a job, and bullies pick on me often. I know, womp womp. I’m in a private school, mostly because of bullies. As a kid, I was pretty skinny, and you can fill in the rest. Oh, and I’m a nerd. I play things like D&D and read fantasy, so you can imagine how my mom didn’t like the amount of black eyes and broken fingers I kept bringing home. Sh...

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“L’Homme au doigt” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #269

BANG! The auctioneer’s gavel slammed into the block.“Sold! For one hundred and forty-one million US dollars.” The auctioneer announced.There was a sudden muffled noise as hushed voices reported the news to potential buyers, through cupped hands holding phones, or others whispering into the screens of laptops. The excitement in Christie’s auction room in London took some time to dissipate. There was only one item for auction that day in 2015, it was Alberto Giacometti’s famous object d’art, a six-foot-tall bronze sculpture named - L'homme au ...

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“The Mickey Mouse Watch” by MargaretElizabeth Harris

Submitted to Contest #269

Buddy sat on the front porch steps in his bare feet. It was late summertime, and he had no need for shoes. The ones he had were too small anyway, and he wouldn’t get a new pair until Christmas. He sat there with his elbows on his knees, chin in his hands, avoiding the dirt lawn he was supposed to be raking. He wasn’t really looking at the dirt anymore. His usually twinkling eyes were adrift. He was daydreaming again. He had taken to staring at the old Hickory tree across the road. Lost in his thoughts, he was thinking about h...

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“Magical Music” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #269

Everyone has times when, like Sliding Doors in the movie by that name, something magical happens, and a new path is forged in an altogether different direction than one believed possible.Such a moment occurred when I turned ten. Factors did lead up to it. Looking back afterwards, I could scarcely believe how someone's quick thinking and generosity could make such a difference in my life.I had been assigned to do a Bible Reading and had been practicing and practicing. When the day came for me to read it, I was ill. Because I had always been r...

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“"Serenading my Heart!"” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #269

"Wake up smiling!" Gwen told herself, as another day was dawning. Tomorrow was her milestone 30th birthday, there were plans underway for a celebration with her two gal besties, Bianca and Celeste. Gwen examined her hairdo, checking for any grey hairs. Her left hand was still annoyingly bare of that magical wedding ring. Her son woke up, Ezra was a bit grumpy today. Gwen fed the eight year old his breakfast of cereal and juice, before loading him and his backpack into her old jalopy for the school routine. Then it was the supermarket dash, u...

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“The Ghost of Lady Moon” by Danielle LeBlanc

Submitted to Contest #269

It was darker than usual, in the abyss I’d called home for the last while. There was a certain kind of chill crawling through my bones, as though mites were nipping at my marrow. Fluidly, I gave myself a hug to keep warm. Everything moved at a glacial pace, being pinned down by the titanic weight of an entire ocean. “I could go for a nice gelatinous jellyfish snack right about now.” Cooper’s paddle-shaped flippers swayed up and down like a seagull flapping its wings in slow motion. Sighing, I blew out bubbles. My stomach felt like ...

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“Good Energy - Magic that Changed the World” by Gabriel Angel

Submitted to Contest #269

Chapter 1: The Educator's PathThe early morning sun had barely risen as Mr. Adams poured his coffee. He liked opening the windows in the morning to sense the familiar scent of fresh air bringing him serenity. The silence was the only sound as he sipped his coffee, his mind already whirling with ideas and of the day ahead. This was his routine, the quiet moments before the storm of entering a confusing world. In the decade since he’d started teaching, the stillness of these early mornings had become his safe haven, a place to reflect and prep...

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“The Locket with Four R’s” by Kristy Schnabel

Submitted to Contest #269

A UPS truck driver knocked three times on Olivia Martin's apartment door on Saturday morning with a mysterious package. It was from her aunt, and since they weren’t close, Olivia was curious. When she opened the box, she immediately knew these were mementos from her recently deceased Granny. The box contained a Christmas brooch, a miniature glass bunny, and a locket necklace. Olivia placed her hand on her heart and whispered, “Granny.” The granddaughter had admired these items through the years. They weren’t of equal value because Granny wor...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Sparkle” by Alexis Araneta

“My Home Now” by Derrick M Domican

“Marmite-Jam” by William Richards

“The Last Throw” by Thom With An H

“Ladybug ” by Helen A Smith

“Lady Nimmo and the Cursed Belt” by Daniel Rogers

“Cliff Cottage” by Trudy Jas

“I Hate Math...Almost as Much as Dragons” by Natalie Miller

“L’Homme au doigt” by John Rutherford

“The Mickey Mouse Watch” by MargaretElizabeth Harris

“Magical Music” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

“"Serenading my Heart!"” by Julie Grenness

“The Ghost of Lady Moon” by Danielle LeBlanc

“Good Energy - Magic that Changed the World” by Gabriel Angel

“The Locket with Four R’s” by Kristy Schnabel

🌟 Similar prompts

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).

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

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: