Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 27, 2024

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✍️ 84 stories

“Page Turner” by Mary Butler

Submitted to Contest #283

The rain in Plotford pounded on the window like a drunk ex demanding to be let in—loud, desperate, and entirely unwelcome. My office smelled like burnt coffee and socks you keep meaning to throw out but never do—a combination that could double as an interrogation tactic. A mismatched sock peeked from under my desk, accusing me of neglect, while the coffee maker sputtered in the corner, trying and failing to brew a decent pot. On my desk sat a stack of unpaid bills tall enough to deserve its own zip code. “Hardwick Investigations,” I muttere...

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“Lies” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #283

CaseThe Applicant is a single woman in her 30’s. A reasonably successful writer of books and collection of poems. Well educated, and fluent in speaking both English and Chinese languages. A winner of numerous awards for her writing. She comes from an unusual mixed cultural and social background and has further enhanced those cultural experiences with travel and living in diverse countries and social environments for a woman of such a tender age.The combination of her growing up and travel experiences have enriched her writing. She gained her...

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“Mallory” by Rebecca Hurst

Submitted to Contest #283

Paxo stared at the blank screen for several moments before lighting a cigarette and pouring another Glenmorangie. How many fingers? Who knew. Depends if you’re talking toddler's or boxer’s fingers. It was such a difficult time of year to settle. Christmas Day was done, thank God, but it was not quite the time for resolutions. The little writing table was set parallel to a window which looked out on a cemetery, and within this Hammer Horror backdrop, nothing moved. The tombstones listed and leaned like a mouthful of bad teeth, but even t...

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“Fragments of Us” by Elizabeta Zargi

Submitted to Contest #283

Autumn, 1991. Ottawa. I hadn’t seen Sophia in months, and it felt like a lifetime. We’d known each other through our families—Slovenian immigrants who had somehow found each other in the maze of life. I was visiting for the weekend, a brief escape from the hustle of Montreal. We were planning to catch a film and maybe hit a few clubs. But before any of that, Sophia had to stop by Bouclair, where she worked part-time. I waited outside the store, hands buried deep in my pockets, when I first saw her. Kaitlin. She stood by the door, her jet-bla...

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“Thirteen Dots ” by Laurie Spellman

Submitted to Contest #283

The Ferris wheel lights spun behind her in a blur, making me dizzy. At sunset on Christmas, I met Barcelona Cortés, the mind-surfer, at the Santa Monica Pier. Her fiery red hair burned more vividly than the bonfire on the beach."You look like someone staring at the screen too long. Did you get lost in the code like me?" Barcelona teased."I guess…I have been lost lately. But this isn't real; it's a dreamscape. I designed it, and I've never been to Santa Monica.""What is real to you? Is it the things we touch? The things we feel? Or is the spa...

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“Thank You, Jesus, for Cancelled Flights” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #283

As the snow swirled outside the airport windows, two strangers found themselves stranded together, their holiday plans grounded by the relentless winter storm. Little did they know their unexpected meeting would lead to a journey that would change their lives forever. Cold crept in from every corner around the chair where I had been sitting for several hours. When the screen flickered ‘canceled,’ I let out an expletive overheard by a lady engrossed in something on her phone. At some point, I knew I'd have to call my agent and concoct a belie...

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“On the Island of Yesterday” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #283

I never in my wildest dreams ever thought my final moments in this life, I would be sitting behind the steering wheel of my Kia waiting for the police to corner me before opening fire with a barrage of deadly force. Let’s just say I provoked this while being chased by a patrol unit. I opened fire with my own weapon. The weapon I used after robbing the First and National Bank on Main. Sitting in my car, I hear every siren in this sinkhole city all responding to 10-22 and 10-31. I am surrounded. My final moments of my l...

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“The Karma of Idiots” by Lily Renga

Submitted to Contest #283

Dr. Carmela Ronson had a thing for eating grapes with Greek yogurt. Her morning routine consisted of doing a Peloton class, showering, driving to work, getting in a fit of road rage at least once, parking in the St. Peter’s University Hospital lot, and then finally indulging in her breakfast. While self-driving cars had become the norm, she liked the thrill of driving herself and accelerating on the highway. Even the road rage was a slight comfort in her morning ritual. Today on Easton Avenue, an old man had decided the cross the street just...

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“Emma's Dinner” by Catalina Felix

Submitted to Contest #283

In small towns, secrets are as rare as glowing stars; everyone knows everything because they see everything. Everyone said that in Ivyblue Creek, a small town perched on a chilly mountaintop, offering breathtaking views of the mysterious lands below. Every other night, after the sunset and the day's labor faded, the warm glow of Emma's Diner became the light for the townsfolk. Inside, the air was filled with the aroma of home-cooked meals and the laughter that mingled with heartfelt conversations. It was a cozy haven where dreams were...

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“Operation M. U. T. E.” by Isabella White

Submitted to Contest #283

I left the house and met up with my best friend Megan. We always walk to school together, but today just felt… different. “Ellie!” Megan yelled as she ran down the street. “Hey, Megan” They hugged and then started walking “Does today feel weird to you in any way?” I asked Megan “No… does anything seem off to you? “I have no idea. There just something up like-” I stopped abruptly w...

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“Intoxicating Rivals” by Harper Mundschau

Submitted to Contest #283

I packed the arrows carefully; they needed to lay flat under my dress.Ugh, my horrid dress. Pale blue tulle with a bejeweled corset. I couldn’t wait to cover this graceful straight jacket with blood.“Are you ready Verena?” My father called to me from our disheveled kitchen.“I need more time, Father.” My voice carried across our small house. Dust fell from the rafters.My hands worked quickly as I tied the sheath of arrows around my calf.My bow was another situation entirely. It was too large to be hidden under my skirt or across my back.“You ...

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“The Secrets” by Sharon Nations Toler

Submitted to Contest #283

Bang! Bang! The gavel for the court to come to session rang throughout the courtroom. Dressed in a conservative tan pantsuit, Laura sat quietly on a red cushioned bench towards the front of the courtroom. As she glanced around, she couldn’t help but think about the events that had brought her to this courthouse on this day. She lived in Newport, Rhode Island, the home of summer cottages of the Vanderbilts and other Gilded Age robber barons. The architect who had designed her own house won awards because, from the outside, it looked like a ma...

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“A Pet Shop Parable” by Kenneth Goldman

Submitted to Contest #283

“How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggly tail . . .?” -- Hit Song by Patti Page (1953)A Madison Avenue executive might have called it a Kodak Moment. Maybe a song lyricist would have chronicled the instant with ‘These Are The Times of Your Life.’ The boy-and-his-dog event was pure Americana, and his interaction with the coal black te...

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“Checkmate” by Carolyn O'B

Submitted to Contest #283

Katie King glared at the orange and black notice nailed to the splintered, wooden pole, No Trespassing. She rolled her eyes while patting the pyramid fence post cap like she was appeasing a child; a sign wasn’t going to stop her from having a quick thrill. The ice-covered pond on the far corner of the property was beckoning her. She reached over the gate and lifted the latch hook from the metal loop, the uneven wooden slats scraping across the frozen earth as she tugged it open. &nbs...

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“Francis” by Oliver Gray

Submitted to Contest #283

Francis“The world is off again,” said the man in front of me. The man in front of me didn’t lean forward to emphasize his point. He didn’t raise his voice, or even vary his inflection. He just stated his opinion—no, his feeling—in a very slow, even way. The way you might expect a young child to tell you how the word dog is spelled or that two plus two equals four. Just straightforward and simple. “What do you me...

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Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Page Turner” by Mary Butler

“Lies” by John Rutherford

“Mallory” by Rebecca Hurst

“Fragments of Us” by Elizabeta Zargi

“Thirteen Dots ” by Laurie Spellman

“Thank You, Jesus, for Cancelled Flights” by Scott Taylor

“On the Island of Yesterday” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“The Karma of Idiots” by Lily Renga

“Emma's Dinner” by Catalina Felix

“Operation M. U. T. E.” by Isabella White

“Intoxicating Rivals” by Harper Mundschau

“The Secrets” by Sharon Nations Toler

“A Pet Shop Parable” by Kenneth Goldman

“Checkmate” by Carolyn O'B

“Francis” by Oliver Gray

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Write a story about someone’s first Christmas after a major life change.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — except your character can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Contest #283

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: