Write a story about an ordinary object that becomes magical (either literally or figuratively).

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 20, 2024

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✍️ 66 stories

“What Looks Like a Covered Bridge” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #269

She simply wanted him to have someone to talk to. I don’t blame her for that. I was not born into this world with any anger inside me despite my larger counterparts being fueled by fire. I am battery-operated. The force is not strong, therefore I am not able to muster up much emotion. Even the day I became aware, I didn’t feel much of anything. There was no time to drum up shock or surprise. I had a job to do. I had a track to cover. This is what I’ve gathered over the past two years-- Mark is the one who loves me. He comes to me every night...

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“Passages of Patagonia on the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #269

In the attic of a lighthouse keeper's house built in the 1800s on the Mystical Coast, someone opened a weatherbeaten old wooden box in the corner. It contained the ship's logs and journals from the 1800s for a vessel called Destiny's Dreams.There was also a colorful, textured woven cape. It must have been treasured by someone very much.These are the stories of the voyages of the Destiny's Dreams from those journals.******Silhouetted against the sky, the young sailor named Joaquin climbed the rope ladders to the ship’s topsails of the vessel ...

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“The Coin” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #269

Look at this coin. Go ahead, take it, hold it.It is made of pure silver. Can you see how old it is? The image that is stamped on the front is the head of an emperor who lived more than two thousand years ago. Do you want to hear the story of the coin?It starts with a Voice. ***In the beginning, long before the coin was a coin, before even the smallest part of the coin existed, that Voice spoke.The Voice spoke, and time began.***Imagine pressing the button on a stopwatch and the watch starts ticking. Before the ...

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“A Dollar Short” by Keba Ghardt

Submitted to Contest #269

"A bet's a bet, sucker!" Hawk triumphed. "Pay up!""Screw you, Loogie." Tubbs shoved a reluctant hand into his XL 501s and withdrew a crumpled one-dollar bill. As Hawk had predicted, Tubbs was the only one in the frat who wasn't wearing a themed costume for Halloween; everyone else was dressed as a female pop star. There were plenty of Madonnas, Britney Spears-es, and Taylors Swift, but Hawk was dressed up as Aracely Cecily, in a pair of thigh-high silver boots. He smugly tucked the dollar into one of them."Aw, come on, Dwayne, you're a beaut...

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“Careful what you wish for II or The Perfect Cup ” by KA James

Submitted to Contest #269

OK, I’ll just cut right to the chase. I found a magic glass ball buried at the beach. I was out with my metal detector, a new hobby designed to get me out of my apartment more, looking for any old junk that might have washed up when I found it. But this story isn’t about the finding, it’s about the what happened after I found it and cracked it open. Now you may sort of recognize me. I recently had a bad experience…well, mostly bad…where I was dabbling in some weird ancient mystical crap that I had found online. I had been searching for insp...

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“The Vanishing Of Daniel Cravens” by Rob Taylor

Submitted to Contest #269

In the charming enclave of Willowbrook, nestled deep within the timeworn attic of a centuries-old manor, resides a curious young soul named Daniel Cravens. One fateful day, his wandering gaze falls upon an ancient journal, its weathered leather cover exuding an enigmatic allure that ensnares his imagination. With a gentle sweep of his hand, Daniel cleared the delicate veils of cobwebs clinging to the journal, cradling it in his palms as though it were a fragile relic. The weight of it transcended mere physicality, encompassing the gravity of...

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“The Keeper of Silence” by Alexandra Noir

Submitted to Contest #269

***I do not choose to take lives, but I carry their silence within me!*** I have become the blade that knows no mercy… instead, I know the dance of blood and the whispers of death, which fade into a deafening silence—a warm noise as blood flows into a chasm of time. The Knife of Silence… that is what he called me, the one who listens to me every night, who cleanses me of the thoughts of the world and plunges me deeper into the despair of the macabre. I was born in flames and struck by the hammer, my steel ca...

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“A Cup Without Tea” by Savannah Wagner

Submitted to Contest #269

A shooting star soared across the galaxy. A wish was made. Then I awoke. *** She was late coming home one October night. Fireworks from outside rattled the teacups on the shelf. The sound of fingertips tapped the glass windows.Was she home? The tapping dissolved into a heavy rain coaxing the windowpanes. I sat in the kitchen waiting. Then finally, she came home. The rain made her porcelain-colored skin glow. She wasn’t alone; a man trailed behind her. They were drenched from head to toe. Their laughter filled the air. He appeared exotic, c...

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“A Rusty Summer. ” by Magela Morejon

Submitted to Contest #269

In the quaint town of Willowbrook, where the rhythm of life was as predictable as the changing of the seasons, there was an object so common it was overlooked by nearly everyone—a battered old bicycle named Rusty. Rusty had been left to lean against an oak tree in the backyard of the Alden family for as long as anyone could remember. Its paint was chipped, its chain rusty, and its seat worn, yet it held a silent dignity as if it remembered better days. The Alden family had long since forgotten about Rusty, their lives too busy with the hustl...

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“THE LIGHTER” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #269

The cold bites deeper and sharper than it ever has before. It’s not the kind that numbs; it’s the kind that finds its way into your bones, burrowing deeper with every gust of wind. Huddled against the brick wall, knees tucked tight against the chest, it’s impossible to escape. The cold wraps itself around everything. Every breath comes in shallow, weak clouds, hanging in the air for only a second before the wind rips them away. Across the street, the golden glow of windows spills onto the pavement. Inside, people laugh. Their faces are flush...

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“The Safe Place” by Jenny Cook

Submitted to Contest #269

If I curl up smaller and go down under the blankets a bit more,I might not be able to hear the shouting from the kitchen.Crash! Oh no,there goes his dinner,thrown at the wall again.He's getting louder and angrier.I can hear Mummy crying." Please don't Jack," she begs." You'll wake Lily."But I have been awake since Dad fell up the front steps and said bad words when he tripped over.Mummy washed my mouth out with soap once when I said a bad word.But no-one is brave enough to do that to my Dad.He hurts people.When he has been to the pub,he talk...

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“One Man's trash is another Man's... Demon?” by Laura Fred-Smith

Submitted to Contest #269

Come on Imogene! This thrift store is supposed to have the best stuff!” I was not as excited as my sister, Kathy, as she tried to drag me to yet another store to look at what she called “ good thrift store stuff”. Lately, I hated thrift shopping. It seemed like every time I picked up an object, I just felt depressed. Over the last few years, I got better about not picking up the objects with violent histories at least, but in a thrift shop more often than not, the objects were just sad. The dishes sold after their grandmother died, furn...

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“The Goblin” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #269

Every night at midnight, the purple clouds appeared in the blushing sky. With their arrival, pink flower petals fell from their depths for a solid hour each night. With the petals came a knowledge of things beyond the average person’s ken, but such was not the case with Aoife. Even though she was sixty-six, she awaited the petals each night for she knew they held the power to change her life. This evening was no different. From the bedroom window, Aoife could hear the chirping of crickets and the see the pink petals floating across dew-fille...

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“Grandma's Calendar” by Brian D

Submitted to Contest #269

As a child, I excelled at one thing: worrying. I would wake up each morning dreading what the day may bring. It was only when I knew the plan for each day ahead of time that I would relax. And if anything deviated from the plan, I would run to my bed, pull the covers over my head, and hide from the world. My parents knew that I struggled with worry and so, when I was in third grade, they gave me a gift – an old dusty flip calendar. The flip calendar contained a page for each day of the year, and each page had the mo...

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“The Clearing ” by Han Ly

Submitted to Contest #269

TW- War, violence, blood.Note: Inspired by my father-in-law's recounting*Yae-grandmother " This belonged to my Yae," my grandmother coos as she threads the heirloom around my neck, "Now, it's yours, Lee." The jade Buddha rests coolly against my heated midsummer skin. I memorize the graceful lines on my Yae's face, a smile blossoming across my lips. The crinkles framing her eyes deepen when she returns the gesture. "It's my good luck charm, may it bring you good fortunes, my child."The memory of my Yae makes my heart sink as I rest on the bar...

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Write a story about an ordinary object that becomes magical (either literally or figuratively).

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“What Looks Like a Covered Bridge” by Story Time

“Passages of Patagonia on the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

“The Coin” by Geir Westrul

“A Dollar Short” by Keba Ghardt

“Careful what you wish for II or The Perfect Cup ” by KA James

“The Vanishing Of Daniel Cravens” by Rob Taylor

“The Keeper of Silence” by Alexandra Noir

“A Cup Without Tea” by Savannah Wagner

“A Rusty Summer. ” by Magela Morejon

“THE LIGHTER” by Darvico Ulmeli

“The Safe Place” by Jenny Cook

“One Man's trash is another Man's... Demon?” by Laura Fred-Smith

“The Goblin” by Cindy Calder

“Grandma's Calendar” by Brian D

“The Clearing ” by Han Ly

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Send your characters on an unforgettable quest to find an essential object.

Center your story around a character who is obsessed with an object.

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: