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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 18, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 113 stories

“The Tenant” by Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #273

Who lives in the apartment next to mine? Who the hell lives next door?He goes out late every night and comes back early in the morning. He moved into the apartment next to mine about two years ago, and in all that time, I’ve only managed to catch a glimpse of him from behind at the building’s entrance. He was wearing a transparent raincoat with a hood made of a thick nylon. What kind of job requires you to work at night in such an outfit? A chill ran down my spine. He’s out at night but never leaves the apartment during the day. His TV is al...

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“A FOREVER SECRET” by Kajsa Ohman

Submitted to Contest #273

A FOREVER SECRET Winter in New York City. 1949, and late day. It had been raining and would no doubt soon rain again.  A painter would have been making good use of his Payne’s Grey. He would be eyeing his verticals and dimensional planes. He would wish there weren’t so many cars, and he would paint the street that way—empty, shiny, with a drizzle on all the windows. He would be awaiting the streetlamps because every lamp would have its very paintable halo—but it was still too early for haloes. Winter in New York can be bone-chill...

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“Broken accounts” by PL Ormosi

Submitted to Contest #273

Nothing was what it seemed that night. Fake snowflakes twinkled in the light of the irregularly shaped building like a glam canvas of glitter against a black background. Inside the building, the windows were slowly steaming up from the make-belief exultation of the crowded floor.‘5 - 4 - 3 - 2 – 1 - Happy new year!’Mr Harbinger watched the celebration from his office window above the expansive foyer. His shrewd eyes measured every detail and pierced through the phoney façade of merriment downstairs, and saw deep into the bones of materiality...

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“A Month at Grandma's” by Joel Kuszak

Submitted to Contest #273

1 October: We finally arrived at Grandma's late in the evening. The sun was already down, and the sky had become a thin pink line just above the trees at the edge of her farm. Dad’s dog was the first thing out the door and ran off barking into the fields. I secretly hoped it would never return. Dad bought it two years ago when I was six, and sometimes I think he spends more time with the stupid dog than with me. The farm smelled like rotten cabbage mixed with muddy feet and I almost gagged. It took three days of driving, and I already hate ...

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“What's my name?” by Melissa YEAGLE

Submitted to Contest #273

Have you heard the kids tale where the evil person steals a baby and he won't give the baby back unless they can guess his name? Well my story will be similar to this I am going to tell you all about myself everything but my name. Your challenge if you choose to accept it is to use the clues that I give you to figure out what my name is . However, don't worry I don't plan on taking your child or anything else of yours besides your time. I am the youngest of three kids. My mother definitely used a theme when she named us. I am not going to co...

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“A fathers confession” by Markus Jonsson

Submitted to Contest #273

“I’m sorry that I have to tell you this way.”So began the first line of his diary. John had found it laying on his fathers bedside table, next to the floral porcelain mug and his fathers reading glasses. Now he was sitting on the neatly made bed holding his fathers thoughts in his hand, flipping through the pages and through a part of his fathers life previously inaccessible to him. Out in the corridor his sister was talking to Ellie, the nurse who had found their father the night before. Thankfully he’d passed away peacefully...

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“The Lonely Shepherd” by Becheru D. Dan

Submitted to Contest #273

The Lonely Shepherd March 3rd The morning air was crisp today, and I watched the sun rise over the horizon, casting a dim, reddish glow over the pasture. My sheep, all twenty-three of them, were scattered across the field, grazing lazily as I tended to the irrigation lines. There is something comforting in the routine—feeding them, watching Sabiha run along the edges, keeping everything in order. Every day feels the same, and that sameness is a blessing. If I can keep the sheep healthy, keep the grass growing, then everything will be alright...

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“Why Don't They?” by Logan Daggett

Submitted to Contest #273

I dare not look behind me. I know it’s still there. I can hear the breathing. That and the desperate pounding of my heart in my head, knocking loudly to be let in. My mind raced. Anything would be better than letting that have a say. I had to find something to focus on. I glanced about.  The weather has been terrible recently. Pouring rain, frigid winds, for the last two weeks I’ve hardly gone outside for fear of losing feeling in my fingers or slipping in the mud. The dog didn’t even like it, and she’d been one to take off and end up t...

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“Girls Like Me” by Paulette Lundy

Submitted to Contest #273

Sensitive content: LanguageI walked seven blocks from my apartment. Gran’s house looked abandoned—peeling paint, an overgrown, weedy lawn. The door barely clung to its hinges, but the lock gleamed, shiny and new. I knew she was home as soon as I smelled her burning cigarette. “Hi Gran, it’s just me,” I called out, hurrying toward the back porch where I knew she would be sitting, absentmindedly picking at the stuffing from her old, worn chair with her left hand. Gran smokes with her right—her fingers stained orange up to the second knuckle, t...

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“Reflections of a Final Girl” by Brigitte Bennet

Submitted to Contest #273

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The locals old enough to remember the time when the cabin had an owner locked their doors, closed the curtains, and tried their best to pretend there was nothing there. Those old enough to remember the last time this happened did the same, pulling their children indoors and trying to convince older teens and young adults that it wasn't safe.Of course, the candle had been lit by one such teen earlier that day, only noticeable once sunlight faded...

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“Dancing in the Firelight” by Spencer Salokar

Submitted to Contest #273

Tonight was the night. It was the night of the dance. Kelly had never been so excited. In all her twenty years of life, nothing had ever come close to what she felt when she woke up that morning. The Appleville Gala only came around once every ten years, and ever since she had caught only a glimpse of it as a child, there had been nothing she wanted more than to attend one. That night, ten years ago, still felt like a dream. She still remembered how the night sky had been crystal clear and full of stars that shimmered around the orange glow ...

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“The Burglar” by Cliff Hannan

Submitted to Contest #273

The burglar rolled into town like the tumbleweed that drifted across the wide open plains that surrounded River Gulch. There wasn’t a living soul that could now recall how the town had ended up with such a name, as there was neither a river nor a gulch within a days ride, and the few remaining townsfolk even argued whether the ramshackle collection of falling-down buildings and barns could really be called a town anymore. The town had enjoyed a brief flare of notoriety during the gold rush, but that had quickly faded to nothing, like the pee...

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“Snuffer” by Greg Benson

Submitted to Contest #273

Larry brought his dog to the coffee shop again. I didn’t want to raise a fuss. But then again, what if I’d brought Tippy? Tippy doesn’t like other dogs. Bares her little teeth and lunges at them. We could have gotten us all thrown out of there.  Larry’s dog, Effie, sat right on the table next to his coffee cup, and ate right off his pastry plate. I couldn’t look. Instead, I looked toward the manager, a young fella addicted to his phone. Never even glanced our way; meanwhile, Effie is filling up on bread and custard and god knows what el...

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“What Became of Louisa Millingford” by Duncan Sheppard

Submitted to Contest #273

Dougles and Rosey Millingford, an academic couple who live in a cottage on the edge of the south downs in Sussex have always been very keen for their three children to go to university since they were toddlers.  Their daughter Louisa did not make it to university as she was a slow learner, did not do well at school and was completely ignored by her parents.  They almost disowned the poor girl as well as looking down on her.  Instead of going to university, Louisa worked ways of making a living from home, but that still did not...

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“ Beneath the Spanish Sun ” by Will Bashor

Submitted to Contest #273

The plane’s engines hummed as Logan gazed out the window, watching the rolling waves of the ocean beneath him as the sun set. He’d never been to Europe before, never even thought of Spain until he met Guy. Even in the confined space of the airplane, Logan could already imagine the golden rays of June and the smell of suntan lotion as he lay on the beach. His heart fluttered with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. It could be the adventure of his life. Guy. Just the thought of him sent a rush of warmth through Logan. They had met online right...

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Contest #273

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Title: Venus Buried

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