Write a story that begins with an apology.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 20, 2024

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✍️ 81 stories

“The Guests” by Atan Solp

Submitted to Contest #282

“We apologize for eating your wife,” the three strange creatures announced in unison when Thomas Aldridge opened the house door.The man turned pale, swayed, and fainted. *** Four human volunteers were on board the spaceship, as the aliens demanded in Morse code. Of course, none of them were there entirely voluntarily. The delegation included Archie Adamson, a representative of the US military Space Forces; Ethan Walker, a representative of the US Department of Defense; Heidi Aldridge, a representative of NASA; and pilot Austin Wilson.A littl...

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“The Apology that Wasn't” by Elizabeth Rich

Submitted to Contest #282

"Vi? I'm sorry," my dad said. I knew why he was calling as soon as I saw his name come up on my caller ID. "What did I do?" he asked. "Well, Dad, you called me an embarrassment in front of our family and everyone else at Maggie's for Thanksgiving," I said acidly, and I knew I didn't sound forgiving or like someone accepting an apology because I didn't want to accept the apology. "Why would I say that?" he asked. "Because you were being a petulant child who didn't get his way," I responded flatly. "Why didn't I get my way?" And this was the ...

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“Borrowed Consciousness” by Niveadita Razdan

Submitted to Contest #282

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, Dr. Chen." The message appeared at 3:17 AM, casting a sickly green glow across Sarah Chen's cluttered desk in MIT's Advanced Computing Lab. Her mother's porcelain teacup, still half-full of now-cold jasmine tea, reflected the text like a digital ghost. The delicate blue pattern on the cup – a gift from her father on their last anniversary before his death – seemed to ripple with each blink of the cursor. "What do you mean, ARIA?" Sarah's fingers trembled as they found the keys. In the fifteen months since...

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“THE FISH WHO CRIED SHARK” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #282

"I'm sorry," Max whispered, his voice barely more than a ripple as it blended into the gentle lapping of waves against Coral Cove's broken reef. His dulled and patchy golden scales caught the faint gleam of sunlight that filtered through the water, a pale shadow of their once-held brilliance. He floated motionless, the usual flick of his fins absent, as if the energy to move had drained away with the collapse of his world.Once a vibrant labyrinth of twisting coral spires and shimmering anemones, Coral Cove was now a shattered skeleton. Chunk...

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“Dear Charlie ” by Amanda Wisdom

Submitted to Contest #282

TW - This story contains depictions of domestic violence, abortion, and emotional trauma that may be distressing to some readers.***January 12, 2022Dear Charlie, I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while, but you need to know this: I left Josh today. I did it. I really did it. It felt as if I had finally swept the giant jar of lemon drops off the counter, letting them shatter into a kaleidoscope of shards and sugar. It was the first step in a life that would no longer taste of regret.I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry you’re...

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“Moon Pies” by Austin Almanza

Submitted to Contest #282

"I'm sorry." I said as I held her hand. I held her palm with both of mine, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumbs.She didn't look at me. Her stare was blank and expressionless, I couldn't tell if she were mad or upset. I knew I had hurt her though."Please, look at me. Please say something." I said.The television played in the background; no sound came from it. I wished I could've turned the volume all the way up so I wouldn't need to worry about anyone listening in on our conversation. Except, I didn't want to reach over her to grab the...

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“The Plea” by Chris Cancilla

Submitted to Contest #282

I cannot begin to tell you just how sorry I am. I grieve deeply every time I remember the event that removed my friend from the face of this planet. I fully understand that the situation was avoidable, but those involved would not let it be; you pushed and pushed, and finally, you killed my friend.Your honor. Thank you for allowing me to address the court before sentencing. I hope my words make an impression on those listening. Sadie lived through some horrific events in her life. Bone cancer, amputation, and the recent loss of both her pare...

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“Technomancer 4: Taking a stand” by KC Foster

Submitted to Contest #282

***Warning: Violence and Abuse***“We found these two sneaking into the camp,” growled one of the camp watchers, thrusting Leron onto the ground. He cried out as the gravel bit into his knees and forearms, and the pain ran along them in a series of throbbing pinpricks. He struggled onto his knees and fought against the zip-tie restraints binding his hands in front of him. What was he thinking? He was only eighteen. Why did he think he could sneak into camp and save the people?His eyes fell on Masa and his heart ached at the glare she shot him...

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“Object d'Arson” by Keba Ghardt

Submitted to Contest #282

TW: violence against a minor“Hey,” said Justin. “I’m sorry about the clown.”Julia’s eyes flicked toward the mantlepiece. The clown was blown glass (Italian! her mother claimed) and the artist had chosen to stick cartoonish appendages onto a transparent sphere. The white glass face, with a neon red lipstick grin stuck in collagen horror beneath an eyeless void, was at just the right angle to provide a recurring jump scare every time Julia stepped out of her bedroom. “It’s not your fault. I’d’ve done the same if I were you.”“Yeah, but at my pl...

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“10 AM” by Aidan Romo

Submitted to Contest #282

Message One. Left at 4PM, September 7th.Hi, sweetheart! Umm…surprise (nervous laughter) yeah. I’m so sorry. You’ve probably been sweating bullets all day wondering about me. It wasn’t my intention to abandon you like this. I wish I could’ve told you earlier than now, but, what can I say, your proposal tripped me up mentally. (laughter) Anyways, this doesn’t change anything with us, honest! Again, I am so utterly sorry about this situation. I simply couldn’t not show up for this business trip. Sadly, it is quite important. The last thing I wa...

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“Attention: Citizens of Havenwood” by Jeremy Burgess

Submitted to Contest #282

Attention: Citizens of Havenwood (Neighbourhood 12b)19 June 2036We at the NMSC regret to inform you that the roadworks on Pine Drive will be continuing through the coming weekend due to unforeseen issues with the main gas line running under the street. Gas service will also be halted to all houses on Pine Drive and neighbouring streets for all of Friday the 20th of June in order to permit urgent repairs.Rest assured, our friendly neighbourhood optimisation AI, StreetWyze™ (patent pending) will ensure that all traffic is routed along new rout...

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“Mother, Dearest.” by Bradley Forster

Submitted to Contest #282

‘Annie, I’m so sorry, I totally forgot about this weekend. I’m really unwell so I probably couldn’t have made it anyway. If you can wait I’ll help you next weekend I promise. Love you xxx.’My heart sank, Sarah was unreliable and she does this all the time but I really thought she’d come through this time. I suppose I thought that every time but this time I was hoping it would be different. I knew deep down that our friendship was slipping away, we both led totally different lives but I felt it would be quite a shame to let a near 20 year fri...

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“For Molly” by Catelyn Winona

Submitted to Contest #282

We stop at Dairy Queen instead of McDonald’s. It takes us thirty minutes out of the way, but neither of us say anything when Molly takes the exit. When the radio changes from 90s to 80s, Molly scans through at least thirty waves of static until she finds a station playing early 2000’s rock.The cardboard box shivers in the backseat between our suitcases. A shiny red bow hangs from a piece of organic twine over the side. I can hear the foil crinkle when Molly adjusts the temperature to a perfect 70 degrees. We don’t need another Dutch oven or ...

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“If Forgiveness Is All It Takes” by Paulina Smal

Submitted to Contest #282

“I’m sorry, son.” There’s silence for several long beats before I huff, then turn and walk away. “I said I’m sorry. Don’t be like that.” I stop, abruptly. It’s like my feet have sprouted roots and they’ve buried into the cemetery soil and deep down into the center of the Earth. I hope the damned roots are burning to ash in the outer core. That’s the part that’s supposed to be molten, right? “Are you even listening to me?” I sigh. It’s an impressive sigh, going all the way up from my toes. “Yes, dad. I heard you.” The root...

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“Cycles” by Christopher Rankin

Submitted to Contest #282

Governor O’Malley stood squarely in front of Eric as he sat strapped to the chair. “Do you have any final words?” The governor asked as his eyes looked down at Eric. He could feel that O’Malley had no qualms about standing in front of a man that was about to die. “Just that I’m sorry, I’m really sorry to the family” Eric found himself starting to choke on his words a...

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Write a story that begins with an apology.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 81 stories

“The Guests” by Atan Solp

“The Apology that Wasn't” by Elizabeth Rich

“Borrowed Consciousness” by Niveadita Razdan

“THE FISH WHO CRIED SHARK” by Darvico Ulmeli

“Dear Charlie ” by Amanda Wisdom

“Moon Pies” by Austin Almanza

“The Plea” by Chris Cancilla

“Technomancer 4: Taking a stand” by KC Foster

“Object d'Arson” by Keba Ghardt

“10 AM” by Aidan Romo

“Attention: Citizens of Havenwood” by Jeremy Burgess

“Mother, Dearest.” by Bradley Forster

“For Molly” by Catelyn Winona

“If Forgiveness Is All It Takes” by Paulina Smal

“Cycles” by Christopher Rankin

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a character relives the same event over and over again.

Write a story where someone who has done something wrong seeks a fresh start.

Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

Contest #282

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

267

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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