Write a story about someone who receives — or makes — a life-changing, anonymous donation.

Posted in Dramatic on Apr 21, 2023

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✍️ 24 stories

“A Simple Act of Kindness” by Murray Burns

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #195

A Simple Act of Kindness“The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”-Amelia EarhartRule #1- Four downs to get the ball across the goal line (telephone pole); no first downs.Rule #2- Pass rusher must count three “Mississippies” before rushing the quarterback. (No cheating.)Rule #3- No catching the ball on a bounce off the side or roof of a garage.Rule #4- If football goes into Mr. Radtke’s yard, leave ball, run home, and the kid responsible for sending the ball into the forbidden zone shall endure th...

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“The Spiritual Retreat” by Ashley Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #195

Georgiana sat in the foyer in tears. She had made it all the way through the funeral without losing control. Now, alone in her aunt’s home, she let the tears fall. She cried for all the beautiful memories she had with her aunt. She cried for the loss of her closest relative, the person who understood her most in the world. The lawyer Aunt Eve had only half tolerated in life had handed Georgiana the keys to this house and a letter after the funeral. He said everything should be explained in the letter, though he had never read it. Eve ...

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“Winning ticket” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #195

Dot stared hard at her stewed cup of tea, clenched tightly between hands, as though she were praying at an altar. Thinking deeply about her life and her problems. It was a normal day, sitting in Jim’s café along the road from Liverpool Street station, waiting for her son to arrive by bus from his school. Good hearted Jim, the owner of the small café, generously served Dot her afternoon tea without opening the till. Jim was from Glasgow, a broad red-faced man, who had owned the café before Dot arrived in the area. The café was small, just a h...

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“The Saga of Dan Smith ‘Who Am I?' Part II” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #195

The image of Tammy and Gloria’s sister walking away at the airport left me empty inside. Gloria would take the red eye back to Dallas, and I would do what I do, fight bad guys. The love I had willingly ignored after Connie passed haunted me night after night. During the day, when I was actively searching for digital villains or the payload they left behind, my emotions were locked away. In the wee hours, when sleep was elusive, they came alive. Most nights, I tossed and turned until the alarm finally saved me from myself. The images of tha...

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“The Postcard” by Hannah Leigh

Submitted to Contest #195

February The chill of February was abrasive to Julie’s nose as she turned onto Redfern Drive. The narrow road lined with cracks and potholes sent her truck bumping along as she pulled up to the first mailbox. Julie pulled out the stack of advertisements, bills, and community newsletters from her passenger seat and slid them into the mailbox, removing and tucking the letter to someone in Illinois into her bin of outgoing mail. She drove from box to box, getting lost in her thoughts as she went through the mundane task–mail in, mail out, day ...

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“The Quiet Architect” by Ian James

Submitted to Contest #195

The night was cloaked in a thick veil of stillness, as if the world had held its breath and forgotten to let go. The rain had subsided hours ago, yet the streets still glistened with puddles of water, reflecting the world in a distorted, otherworldly way. Malik's bicycle moved stealthily, its wheels whispering against the slick pavement. There was a chill in the air, an eerie silence that only served to heighten the sense of foreboding that seemed to linger around every corner.Despite this, Malik wasn't afraid. He was on a mission, and nothi...

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“Empty Heart” by Jack Gorzo

Submitted to Contest #195

A wave of fog gently crashed onto the cobblestone streets of Cortland, New Hampshire. The weather had just begun to turn towards autumn and the inhabitants of the tiny town were tucked into bed. The brick road beneath a flickering streetlight subtly changed color from orange to gray and back again, over and over with no discernible pattern. It was the dead of night yet a single figure lumbered down the middle of the street. &nbsp...

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“Edward Goes To Camp” by David B Fraser

Submitted to Contest #195

Edward sat on the front porch reading Doc Savage novels and playing make believe. He wasn’t hiding from his parents or his older brothers, but he was hidden from the neighborhood. This part of the porch wrapped around the side of the house and Edward could not be seen for the overgrown bushes and hedges. He sat on the double car seat that substituted for deck chairs and imagined he was leading a group of five companions on adventures. He didn’t imagine he was Doc Savage, but rather his own creation of a hero that wore a permanen...

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“A Beautiful Death” by Kathleen Manarang

Submitted to Contest #195

I died in a car crash. It’s not what you’d call beautiful. It was gory. It was messy. It was tragic. It wasn’t the way anyone would want to die, nor hope to be reunited with a lover, but it was what fate had in store for me. Julia broke up with me months before I died. She was ill, and she said to me, “I’m dying, James. You deserve someone you can grow old with – have kids and grandchildren and share a lifetime with. I can’t be that person.” I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to stay by her side until her last breath. I...

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“Fucking Rich People ” by Brooke M Hill

Submitted to Contest #195

Jade had never seen a house this big, in person of course. This was the kind of thing out of movies or reality tv shows about billionaires, not the kind of place Jade would ever imagine herself being. They had been picked up from the airport by a mysterious driver with black sunglasses and a car to match. He didn’t say a single word on the drive. Shockingly, the longest part of it all was the driveway that came off the main road and led them to the house; the main house, at least. The drive included going past a golf course and a much smalle...

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“The Anonymous Donation” by Ella James

Submitted to Contest #195

David sat at his desk, staring at the pile of bills in front of him. He had been out of work for months and his savings were running low. He wasn't sure how he was going to make ends meet. As he sorted through the stack, he noticed a plain envelope that stood out among the others. It was addressed to him, but there was no return address. Curious, David tore open the envelope to find a check for $100,000. He couldn't believe it. Was this some kind of joke? He searched the envelope for any kind of explanation, but there was nothing. No note, n...

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“Charitable Donations” by John Lente

Submitted to Contest #195

Romie’s parents didn't talk about where the money had come from. Her parents were arguing and fighting over bills for months, and there was talk of selling the house. Then her father went away for a weekend. Romie’s mother said he was offered a job out of town, but he’d be back soon. “Soon” was apparently sometime in the middle of Monday night. Romie arose for school Tuesday morning and found him sitting at the kitchen table. His skin was clammy and grey, and he stared across the room, not even acknowledgi...

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“Rat Inheritance” by Amy B

Submitted to Contest #195

Rat Inheritance Death was too nice an ending for such a horrible man. I didn’t even want to go to the reading of his will. The man was a bastard. Worse than a bastard really. Mom had gotten cancer twelve years ago and he just vanished. Didn’t want to handle the sticky parts of life, mom would say. Always smiling, even though she was dying and her asshole husband took her car and her money and bailed out. She lived a shit life at the end, and he just walked away with no commitments. Never looked back. So when Winnie called me to tell me t...

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“You're Joking, Right?” by Latoya Edwards

Submitted to Contest #195

“Kash hurry up and get your bags so you can go. Your dad is waiting for you.” Kara Gaines, said. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips. It was the first weekend Kash got to spend with his dad since his parents divorced. It was long overdue as their relationship declined over the course of their 17-years of marriage. Kash was just relieved that the constant arguing, belittling, and complaining about money and finances was finally over. He adored both his parents but living through their tumultu...

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“Downtown Orphanage” by Dallas Montierth

Submitted to Contest #195

I wake from a restless sleep, to the noise of traffic bustling below my apartment that I only recently had acquired. This was after deciding to move away from my parents, determined to make them proud by making it into the new technologically advanced prestigious university that opened up further downtown. My alarm goes off moments later, nearly sending me flying out of my new, overly cramped bed. The getting of which I know that I will regret for as long as I live here. Although, on the meager salary that I’ve been receiving fr...

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Write a story about someone who receives — or makes — a life-changing, anonymous donation.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 24 stories

“A Simple Act of Kindness” by Murray Burns

“The Spiritual Retreat” by Ashley Elizabeth

“Winning ticket” by John Rutherford

“The Saga of Dan Smith ‘Who Am I?' Part II” by Scott Taylor

“The Postcard” by Hannah Leigh

“The Quiet Architect” by Ian James

“Empty Heart” by Jack Gorzo

“Edward Goes To Camp” by David B Fraser

“A Beautiful Death” by Kathleen Manarang

“Fucking Rich People ” by Brooke M Hill

“The Anonymous Donation” by Ella James

“Charitable Donations” by John Lente

“Rat Inheritance” by Amy B

“You're Joking, Right?” by Latoya Edwards

“Downtown Orphanage” by Dallas Montierth

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a staff room of an essential profession that is often undervalued — nurses, cafeteria staff, sanitation workers, etc.

Write a story from the point of view of a sidekick, or someone who is happy to stay away from the limelight.

Write a story that includes the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Write about someone who is learning to recognize and take credit for their own achievements.

Contest #195

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

207

Contest entries

92

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: