Write a story inspired by the phrase “The plot thickens.”

Posted in Dramatic on Apr 14, 2023

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✍️ 52 stories

“Poetry for a Murder of Crows.” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #194

In honor and respect for Edgar Allan Poe Content Warning: Suicide and Murder --------------------------------------------------------------- It was a dark and stormy night in Baltimore when the murder occurred. A woman had been brutally stabbed 18 times in her own home, and the police were at a loss as to who could have done such a terrible thing. The streets were quiet, except for the occasional cry of a mourning relative, and the eerie cawing of a raven in the distance. The crows had been a constant presence in the city ever since th...

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“The Dream Trap” by Anne Reed

Submitted to Contest #194

Tianna Bradley had arrived once more in the same dream that she had had for several days. Everything was exactly the same as the past several times she had visited the dream. She stood in the hallway of an apartment, a single yellow bulb shining on a dark green carpet. There were no pictures on the wall, no decorations, but there were three doors. The two doors on the right were open, showing a small guest bedroom and a bathroom respectively. The door on the left, however, was shut, and as usual, she could not open it. The cl...

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“The Case of Branches: Can AI Replace Humans?” by Mehvish Bondre

Submitted to Contest #194

“Members of the jury, today we face a puzzling dilemma. It is a well-known fact that we stand in the golden age of technology. Artificial intelligences, smart home products, self-driving cars - these are just a few of the many inventions that have pioneered the path for a new era. At the forefront of this stands Branches, the infamous and well-known company responsible for many of these advancements and technological processes. Today, they face a claim of false advertising. The Workers Union of the North, the opposition, states that Branches...

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“The Psycopath” by Paisley Jensen

Submitted to Contest #194

It was a cold Wednesday morning, and I'm half awake in math class. My best friend, Mia is across the room, bouncing around like her hyper self. I lean my head onto my desk when the teacher asks, " Sophie, why don't you come and solve this answer?" " Um, sure I guess." I walk over to the board and try my best to solve it. Surprising myself, I manage to solve the equation. As I place the whiteboard marker on the shelf the lunch bell rings. Tired from the long math class the thirty other students from class walk in silence over to the lunch roo...

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“Dreaming of Burgers on the Moon ” by Sarah Martyn

Submitted to Contest #194

"Psst...Jenny," Stacy called in a hushed but eager tone. "...huh? Go back to sleep," Jenny retorted. "We're sharing a room now. The least you can do is hear my wonky dream so I can go back to sleep. It’s driving me crazy.” "I didn't choose to share the room. It's not my fault Aaron is becoming a gross, stinky teenager. But whatever... Let's hear this dream then..." “Okay, so bear with me.” “Ugh…” “It started with a dream with this guy…” “Of course it did…” “Not like that! I mean, not really anyway. But this guy - you kn...

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“TRAIL MIX” by Jennifer Oliver

Submitted to Contest #194

I remember that night. We were driving down a deserted highway when he suddenly pulled over onto the shoulder and came to a grating halt. With the engine idling, he jumped out, sprang open the passenger door, and said, “Quick, I need to show you something.” Stephen guided me to the headlights, still beaming, leaned against the hood, wrapped his arms around my middle from behind. He pointed to the sky with its vast pinpoints of stars. “See what looks like the brightest star in the sky? That’s Jupiter trying to kiss Earth,” he said. In a h...

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“Unafraid of the Dark” by Jackie Moon

Submitted to Contest #194

Greta knew Johann was dying. He reached for her delicate hand and stroked her long fingers. His skin felt like cold, wet clay. The fever hadn't broken in three days. After weeks of fighting, she watched the dimming of his light happen before her very eyes. The candle at his bedside flickered, threatening to leave them abandoned in the darkness together. Greta wasn't afraid of the dark. She was afraid of being alone. Johann curled a calloused finger around hers and forced himself to speak, "Greta, I have many things to tell you, and not much ...

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“The Lost” by Elijah Rose

Submitted to Contest #194

[Author's note: The story below contains themes of violence, substance abuse, and curse words] Juaquin entered the room and meandered to the table, sitting his heavy frame on an old metal folding chair. He was an aging man and a bit overweight whose bushy mustache was the only indication of his officious post. Across from him sat a gangly man handcuffed to the table who watched him blankly, unsure what to say. Juaquin took out his phone, set it on the table, and pushed a button on an app to record the conversation. Juaquin said: "Surpris...

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“The Dream Valley Survey” by Siriniti Tobe

Submitted to Contest #194

Where does the line between the dream realm and reality begin and end? How do I know if I am awake or If I’m still asleep when both worlds feel like second nature to me? These are the questions I have been asking myself ever since my out-of-body experience when I was a child. I was about six or seven years old and I was sleeping over at my grandmother’s house. My cousin and I were sleeping in her bed until I woke up in the middle of the night. I don’t remember what time it was but I know it was the dead of night because even the streets were...

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“Boil It Down” by Cora Anne

Submitted to Contest #194

“Whoa! That was close. Try again!” Clayton laughed gleefully as he encouraged his brother. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, their dad was busy making his homemade tomato sauce. It was his favorite part of harvesting bushels of tomatoes from the garden. His wife helped him harvest, chop and prepare, but the patient work of boiling and simmering rested with him. He savored it. His biggest pot was happily bubbling away over a low flame. It was filled with a nose tantalizing combination of tomatoes, garlic, onions, and olive oil. The sauce woul...

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“Meet Me by the Oak Tree” by Briana McCraney-King

Submitted to Contest #194

[TW: contains mentions of death/murder] The soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting the windshield drowned out the constant static emitting from the car's stereo. The cheesy '80s music from the local radio station cut out twenty minutes ago, likely due to us being out of range. We were indeed in the middle of nowhere. There were no service stations. No buildings. No neighboring houses. And I'm sure if I had a cell phone, it'd have no service. I didn't even remember the last time I saw a passing car. We were deep in the Tennessee bac...

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“AGNES GRIMTHORPE IN A GEOLOGICAL STORY OF OUR TIME” by Zanna T Laws

Submitted to Contest #194

AGNES GRIMTHORPE in A GEOLOGICAL STORY OF OUR TIME My name is Agnes Grimthorpe and I had gained quite a name for myself as a bon vivant and raconteur extraordinaire – an image I was happy to maintain as it hid my true identity. One day, half past the year Nineteen Twenty Nine, I began pondering the ultimate metaphysical symbolism of the quintessential ethos surrounding the basic meaning of it all. After cogitating for some considerable time I began to get the faint inkling that I did not understand the question that I had posed myse...

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“The Pomeranian Diamond: A Jack Cliche Mystery” by Levi Michael

Submitted to Contest #194

It was February 4th, the day after my fifth birthday. I’d been doing this detective thing since Halloween… and I was starting to get the hang of it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned It’s that tough guys aren’t so tough, and dames aren’t always giving it to you straight. I’m Jack Cliche, and I’ve worked a number of hard cases, but none as hard as this one. The day started like any other Thursday. It had rained cats and dogs the night before, driving the criminals and thugs underground, so the morning was starting slow. I was sitting b...

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“Briefcase Of Secrets” by Ann Loxley

Submitted to Contest #194

Over the past few years, Mary Gardner began suspecting Tim was hiding something from her. Something big! While on his frequent business trips, he rarely answered her phone calls. She was lucky if her texts prompted a response. The only details he ever shared when he got back home were insignificant, like what he had for dinner or what kind of car the rental company gave him. Who cares about that? According to him, he worked 14-hour days on boring, but secret, projects. The locked briefcase he kept in his closet drove her crazy! He would ne...

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“Raining Cats AND Dogs?” by Owen Rudman

Submitted to Contest #194

It was the culmination of centuries of work. For the first time in our history, we were about to make true contact with an alien species. For me? I thought back on my life as I waited. Everything had led up to this point. I had always known there was something beyond what we knew, and I had always known that I needed to get involved. Our descent onto their planet was incredible. These aliens don’t live in skyscrapers or clean suburbs, but in small communities scattered across miles of forest. As our craft neared the surface, I remember my ...

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Write a story inspired by the phrase “The plot thickens.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“Poetry for a Murder of Crows.” by Emanuel Diaz

“The Dream Trap” by Anne Reed

“The Case of Branches: Can AI Replace Humans?” by Mehvish Bondre

“The Psycopath” by Paisley Jensen

“Dreaming of Burgers on the Moon ” by Sarah Martyn

“TRAIL MIX” by Jennifer Oliver

“Unafraid of the Dark” by Jackie Moon

“The Lost” by Elijah Rose

“The Dream Valley Survey” by Siriniti Tobe

“Boil It Down” by Cora Anne

“Meet Me by the Oak Tree” by Briana McCraney-King

“AGNES GRIMTHORPE IN A GEOLOGICAL STORY OF OUR TIME” by Zanna T Laws

“The Pomeranian Diamond: A Jack Cliche Mystery” by Levi Michael

“Briefcase Of Secrets” by Ann Loxley

“Raining Cats AND Dogs?” by Owen Rudman

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story inspired by the phrase “It’s hardly brain surgery.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “I’ll eat my hat.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “The short end of the stick.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “Back to square one.”

Contest #194

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

213

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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