Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 27, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 84 stories

“Wigilia” by Janis Parker

Submitted to Contest #283

Wigilia In the 1950’s and 60’s, Christmas for us was not focused on Santa Claus. Every ethnicity had their own particular traditions, as well as their own languages. Our family celebrated in revered Polish customs and traditions. We did hang red felt stockings on a fake cardboard fireplace and exchange presents on Christmas morning, but there was more of a focus on the aspects of gathering and sharing with family. The Christmas Eve meal was the most significant part of the season. Bread baking started days befor...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Condemned” by Brian Rohrig

Submitted to Contest #283

Four hours until midnight. Then it’ll all be over. Thank God. Death Watch officially begins seven days before the execution. That’s a long week. It’s been forever since I’ve seen my family. Once this is done, we’ll make up for lost time. The decision to schedule the first execution of the year at precisely 12:01 a.m.—midnight leaves a nagging doubt as to what day it actually is—puts quite the crimp on the holiday plans. Hard to enjoy eggnog around the tree with the fam when you know what’s about to go down. One minute aft...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Crossing Revisited” by James Barrett

Submitted to Contest #283

Why is Church Street filled with police cars and flashing lights?My name is Kathleen Kelly. My age is eighty-seven. I was born in Belfast but am currently in Dublin, Ireland. I am standing on the corner of Church and North King, holding a reusable bag of groceries from Morton's. The bag is mostly empty. Octogenarians like me only have a smidgen of disposable income to spend on sustenance. I’m next to the old Jameson distillery. Jameson. One of the things God gave to mankind to help deal with this endless suffering called life. Sex is a close...

0 comments 0

Read story

“#ReedsyTwist# A Best Friend’s Betrayal” by Esther Ruth Ezra

Submitted to Contest #283

The chilly autumn wind swept through the streets as Emma clutched her scarf tightly around her neck. Her best friend, Chloe, walked beside her, guiding her through the park they often visited during happier times. Emma's face was pale, her eyes swollen from endless tears shed over the past week. “It still doesn’t make sense,” Emma murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “How could Jake just end things like that? Everything was perfect.” Chloe wrapped an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Some people aren’t who we think they are, Em....

3 comments 3

Read story

“Hush ” by Lyle Closs

Submitted to Contest #283

I drive a semi-truck. It’s a living. The road soars beneath you, and give or take the odd damn fool brake-checking a 40 ton leviathan doing 70 mph, you are the master of your moments, at least until you pull up and the sour warehouse guy, sad god of his pissy little domain, says he was expecting you three hours earlier. The road has its idiot newbie drivers who think the power of the semi engine equals power in the world, but they learn eventually that they are just small dead leaves blown how and where the wind wants. Power belongs to other...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Unopened Gift” by Laura Hunter

Submitted to Contest #283

The Ungiven Gift Held by surrounding mountains, Turtleback, Spencer’s Ridge and Big Pine, Grace had never experienced The Narrows that would lead her out of the valley. Not that fear kept her back. She had no curiosity to guide her nor tempt her to lessen the rope-like confinement. Late each afternoon, she locked the front door of the women’s clothing store which she managed and jiggled the knob to know the latch was secure. A black metal bench had stoo...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Treasure Hunters” by Lila Evans

Submitted to Contest #283

Christmas is hard. Divorce is hard. Christmas when your parents are divorced is hard. It’s the gift no one asked for. It’s a dance no one rehearsed, but everyone is expected to know. There’s the shuffling between houses and the hurried transitions on icy driveways. Schedules have to be coordinated with precision: Mom’s on Christmas Eve until 9 AM sharp Christmas morning, Dad’s for Christmas Day, and back to Mom’s for the night—if the weather doesn’t interfere or the gatherings don’t run too long. For Ethan, this year promised to be no differ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Christmas is A Time For Taking” by Lee Kendrick

Submitted to Contest #283

CHRISTMAS Is A Time For TakingBy Lee Kendrick Jacob read his morning post, a letter had arrived telling him the good news. “Brilliant! I can't believe they chose me as one of the ten graduates from Oxford and Cambridge, to be a contestant in the “Who Did It” Christmas contest at Bournville Abbey. Jacob had been looking in the Times newspaper when he spotted an advert to apply for the Christmas “Who did it!” It's a yearly event and whoever discovers who the murderer is gets £5000!” “The letter reads: Dear JacobTReilly, We fe...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Coming Out” by Tamara Shaffer

Submitted to Contest #283

“That dress is kinda tight.” Greg watched as Tasha, his wife of nine years, studied herself in the full-length mirror. His tone was sour, his expression sullen. Tasha, on the other hand, was almost giddy, as she turned this way and that, seeing how her new outfit accentuated her svelte, curvy figure, the result of over a year of strict dieting and exercise. She’d been taking tucks in her clothing, bigger and bigger ones, and bought several loose, a-line dresses to wear while the fat melted away. She’d waited until her goal of eighty-five p...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Hope had Coffee” by John Smistad

Submitted to Contest #283

“Damn defective alarm clock. Late again.” Sasha so wants to drift back to sleep. It's raining. Hard. A seventeen block trudge to work awaits her. She has no car and can't afford to pay for a cab or an Uber. What’s worse, this month Sasha had to help her mother, Luella, seriously ill and living three states away, pay overdue medical bills. Leaving her with no money to pay the rent. It's not the first time. Threatened with eviction by a soulless landlord, she fears the inevitable. Returning to the women’s shelter. She can’t bear the...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Christman Eve” by Frankenwayne Frankenwayne

Submitted to Contest #283

I was Christmas eve as the old man sat down in front of the fireplace. The fire was warm and cozy. Casting a yellow glow around the room. He was feeling reminiscent as he glanced at the clock over the door. His quite solitude would soon be shattered. His son and daughter's families would soon be arriving. Getting up to look out the window; it was snowing again. Probably going to be a white Christmas the year he thought to himself. Heading into the kitchen to check on a last minute desert. He had decided to make. Opening the oven an...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Look Where You Are Going” by Robin Zimmer

Submitted to Contest #283

Look Where You Are Going The Christmas crowd staying in the little wood cabin that the family stayed in every year had been outgrown by the amount of family arriving later December. Tim needed either a change of scenery or maybe just a quiet moment, so he decided to go for a walk. He had not hiked through these woods in years, but it was a fairly clear if not overcast day. The trees swayed slightly and all in all it seemed like a mediocre hiking day. He started looping around the yard and then decided to go deeper into t...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Shattered Truths” by Beta Haaf

Submitted to Contest #283

Shattered TruthsIn week 52 the little town already shimmered with the anticipation of festivies. Strings of twinkling lights adorned street corners, their glow reflected in the frosted windows of small houses. The air was somehow alive with the scent of candied almonds, cinnamon and vanilla - sweet bakeries waiting to be shared. Yet amidst this explosion of life and light, Henrik remained unmoved in his own house. Only now did he notice the splinters on the frames of the old windows. It irritated him. How could one have lived in a pla...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A drink with friends” by Brian Carney

Submitted to Contest #283

Connor sipped his beer, doing his best to console his friend Keith, who had just had his divorce finalized today. He hadn’t planned on Keith getting so drunk so quickly. Tim and Bob were no help, they were getting just as trashed, sitting next to Keith at the bar. Connor nursed his beer, while he fingered the pill in his shirt pocket, he was a little frustrated, he had other plans for tonight when Bob called and begged him to come out with them. Just as he began to formulate a reason for an early exit, he felt someone fill the sea...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Rose-Scented Santa Claus” by Itxy Lopez

Submitted to Contest #283

Mrs. Claus doesn’t bake cookies. She doesn’t prepare any dessert at all, for that matter. Her husband eats enough cookies to last him one year on his journey around the globe. Instead, she cracks five eggs (three for him, two for her), spreads butter on toast, tosses a bowl of fruit for them to share, and prepares her husband’s favorite: a mug of coffee with frothed reindeer milk and candy cane crumbles on top. It always gives him a nice boost before the annual Christmas Soirée, which is hosted by the elves—forever adorers (kiss-asses, anoth...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Short Story – 53 stories

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

Short Story – 54 stories

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

Short Story – 37 stories

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

Dramatic – 65 stories

Contest #283

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Seasonal Twists

$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 03, 2025 EST

Won by Maisie Sutton 🏆

Title: Can You See Me Now?

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Wigilia” by Janis Parker

“Condemned” by Brian Rohrig

“Crossing Revisited” by James Barrett

“#ReedsyTwist# A Best Friend’s Betrayal” by Esther Ruth Ezra

“Hush ” by Lyle Closs

“The Unopened Gift” by Laura Hunter

“Treasure Hunters” by Lila Evans

“Christmas is A Time For Taking” by Lee Kendrick

“The Coming Out” by Tamara Shaffer

“Hope had Coffee” by John Smistad

“Christman Eve” by Frankenwayne Frankenwayne

“Look Where You Are Going” by Robin Zimmer

“Shattered Truths” by Beta Haaf

“A drink with friends” by Brian Carney

“A Rose-Scented Santa Claus” by Itxy Lopez

🌟 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: