Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 27, 2024

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✍️ 84 stories

“Her” by Melodie Fierro

Submitted to Contest #283

New Year’s Day, 2017 I stood in the kitchen, clad in a maroon colored dress and sipping my fourth glass of Sauvignon Blanc. There was glitter all over the floor and empty bottles littered the coffee table. Who knew that a New Year’s Eve party could cause so much upheaval? Not me. Definitely not me. Glancing at the clock, I let out a sigh of defeat. 2:00 am. Seth still wasn’t here. He’d been gone since last night. Where the hell was he? I was about to call him for the third time that night when I heard the sound of a key turning the lock and ...

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“Toodle-oo, Mayor” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #283

Ottentail, Arizona 1875 “Painter!” The man known throughout town only by his profession rolls onto his back, letting out a phlegmy cough. Skin and bones, with one sad grey eye and the other covered by a patch and sporting a bushy brown beard and the remnants of a rumpled suit, Painter possesses immense talent. He’s created numerous portraits and landscapes, as well as the risqué painting of painted lady Queen Winona that hangs over the Wildweed Saloon’s bar, but he drinks away what money he makes. “I’m letting you out so you can enjoy Mayor...

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“Within touching distance” by Vladimir Stefan

Submitted to Contest #283

TW - language, alcohol, crime.A few inches of snow today and you can hear the crunch made by my brand-new Chelsea boots. With each step, I enjoy this warming sunshine, something only a sunny day in winter could bring, that crisp feeling. I go to my usual coffee spot near the roundabout of the police station. That warm coffee juice on a crisp morning is to die for. “Morning Graeme. Usual?”“Usual, Solomon, thank you.”Solomon is the owner of Java Cups. A Jewish Brit who owns a few shops in West London. This was his first so he still works here...

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“A Christmas Treenapping” by Andy Heidel

Submitted to Contest #283

High on a hill in the land of Green Mountains was a farm specializing in Christmas trees. The trees varied in age from saplings to fifteen years except for one, the wise old Maple tree, who grumpily boasted to be over 100 years old.Among the many trees on the sprawling farm were two seven-year-old fir trees, Doug and Frasier. They were the best of friends. Every day Doug would ask Frasier “How are you today?” And Frasier would respond “I’m very well, how are you?” To which Doug would reply “I’m fantastic.” Doug and Frasier then would go back...

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“Diary From Gulliver's Travels” by Michael Lewis

Submitted to Contest #283

A lost or deliberately misplaced manuscript concerning Gulliver's Travels was discovered in the records office of the Dublin University Literature Department. It was dated July 11th, 1757, exactly one year after Gulliver returned from his journey to the land of the Houyhnhnms. I only wish you could witness the scene in front of me. Unfortunately, you cannot. I have no doubt you will find what I am about to report, unconscionable and unbelievable.I grew bored as the year of my return to my home progressed, although I received some degree...

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“A Pastor's Burden ” by Miller George

Submitted to Contest #283

In a small hospital room, a visibly shaken woman sat slumped in a chair next to her daughter's bed, watching her chest rise and fall as oxygen moved from the tubes into her lungs. Dark circles framed her eyes, which were heavy with exhaustion and worry. When she heard the news announcement, she looked at the small TV screen and raised the volume quickly. "Tonight, A local pastor is in custody after turning himself in for a hit and run of thirteen-year-old girl, Emma Campbell, that occurred only a week ago. Emma was repor...

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“The Organ of Darkness” by Jody Stallings

Submitted to Contest #283

The pitch-black operating room was no darker than any other. Not for me. As always, I allowed no one else inside. It hindered the Gift. I touched the large tray of instruments. I placed my hand on each one. I felt for the body. It was there, cold and breathing. I wished I could have sliced the throat right then and been done with it. But I had to push forward. There was a better way. “Play organ,” I commanded. Instantly, hypnotic music filled the room, a Frescobaldi toccata. The sound of the organ—the “organ of darkness,” N...

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“Destination Gratitude” by Rosey Dickson

Submitted to Contest #283

I wake up twisting and turning in my bed. The morning light, faint and white, reaches for me from the window.No. Not another day. Not more pretending everything’s okay, or yelling at my little sister, or slamming the bedroom door when Mum tells me I have to eat, to go to school – all the crap she thinks I need to do. But she doesn’t know. Doesn’t understand. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here till Granny comes to get me. My eyes swell with tears. No way. I rub my hand down my face, un-scrunching it, and glare at the window. I’m no...

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“Mommie” by Sandra Lord

Submitted to Contest #283

Mary Alice Arno Winston no longer exists. After her suicide on December 27, 1961, she was cremated. Her ashes were placed in a silvery brass urn inside the bottom of the night table next to my father’s side of the double-king-sized bed they shared. Eventually, my brother and I asked Dad to remove the urn. We thought it was creepy. Now it resides in a niche next to my grandmother’s urn, at Calvary Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mommie and Grandma Arno had an uncomfortable relationship after Grandma’s divorce when Mommie ...

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“The Last Letter” by Justine Van Der Linde

Submitted to Contest #283

The sun hung low in the sky as Thomas walked along the dirt road leading to the old farmhouse. He had been here many times before, but today was different. Today, he wasn’t coming back to visit his grandmother, as he had every weekend for the past ten years. Today, he was coming for the last time.Grandma Esther had passed away in her sleep two days ago, a peaceful end for a woman who had lived through so much. The house, which had always been a symbol of comfort and warmth, now felt cold, almost eerie. Thomas had been named executor of her e...

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“Recyclable” by HC Edwards

Submitted to Contest #283

The line was moving faster than it did last year. That meant one of two things, that either efficiency was up, or the more realistic alternative being that fewer New Year’s babies were being born. The practice had become akin to shooting an albatross. No one wanted a New Year’s babe these days. I couldn’t blame them. There was a certain dread to it, that specific date looming, always counting down the days. You couldn’t shake it or ignore it, and despite the day to day activities of life, it was always present in the back of your mind. ...

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“Turnabout Is Fair Play” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #283

On New Year’s Day Wilson awoke at 7 am and tried to clear the throbbing pain from his head. He sat up in bed to find his old-timey pinball machine wrecked and laying destroyed in a corner of his room. After running over and over the strange turn of events from the night before in his mind he fell back into a deep sleep that led him into a nightmare that never seemed to stop replaying. In his dream he had gone to the same country club par...

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“FLEX THESE MUSCLES” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #283

The end of a long, chilly day, with two hands in the thick of it; one to help me, the other to help them, brought a huge sigh of relief. This new job, just a few months in, had given me the hours to ramp up my game. Not a computer geek by a long shot, but the one to do stuff the average person knows a whole lot of nothing about; vehicle maintenance.Cars and trucks were always a thing growing up ‘in the sticks’. Us kids had to make do with whatever version we had of toys. Our uncles had more junk around their houses, and we were happy to make...

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“Amsterdam” by Beauty Broken Glass

Submitted to Contest #283

The streets of Amsterdam were slippery this morning, a combination of light rain and a bit of freezing. It was quiet outside, most people were sleeping in on Boxing Day, or 2nd Christmas day as they call it here. He couldn’t remember the last white Christmas, but cold and rainy ones were all too common. He did remember his last Christmas homicide case. And the one before that. The hotel lobby was busy, with staff nervously pacing around and people being questioned by his colleagues. He took the stairs to room 327, where the bodi...

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“A Very Twisted Christmas” by Stacy Parker

Submitted to Contest #283

This story begins like any ordinary Christmas story, with a group of friends sitting around a fireplace roasting smores and having fun. One thing I can guarantee you about this story though, is that it is far from any ordinary Christmas story. It begins with fun and games but ends with… well I will let you wait and see… It all began on Christmas Eve at a snowy lodge, where five close friends hung out on vacation together. All their families had always been quite close. Their parents stayed there with them as expected. Let me introduce these ...

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Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Her” by Melodie Fierro

“Toodle-oo, Mayor” by Michael Jefferson

“Within touching distance” by Vladimir Stefan

“A Christmas Treenapping” by Andy Heidel

“Diary From Gulliver's Travels” by Michael Lewis

“A Pastor's Burden ” by Miller George

“The Organ of Darkness” by Jody Stallings

“Destination Gratitude” by Rosey Dickson

“Mommie” by Sandra Lord

“The Last Letter” by Justine Van Der Linde

“Recyclable” by HC Edwards

“Turnabout Is Fair Play” by Bob Faszczewski

“FLEX THESE MUSCLES” by Debbie Curtin

“Amsterdam” by Beauty Broken Glass

“A Very Twisted Christmas” by Stacy Parker

🌟 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: