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

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 18, 2024

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✍️ 116 stories

“Tick Tock” by Janna Cawlfield

Submitted to Contest #273

arco viewed the lively squirrel scampering around from his living room window as it ran from one tree to another and then up the second tree. As Marco sank down in the big, puffy armchair he wondered if his sister, Alice would be arriving soon so they could celebrate her 30th birthday with the dinner he ordered using Door Dash with cake and champagne he got on the way home from work. Their parents had both passed away years ago and it was just the two of them now. He had adored his sister from the time they were children. Alice was two ...

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“I didn't want that” by Parker Benton

Submitted to Contest #273

Ivory said no she swore she did. But he didn’t listen. She didn’t want to give but he still took. She SAID NO and he still did it. She never told anyone. Who would listen to her? She’d helped victims before. Held classmates as they sobbed. It’s never the victim's fault. Not even the girls that get paid are to blame when someone does it to them. Why does it feel different for her? Why does it feel like Ivory deserved what happened? Maybe she led him on, that’s what he said happened. He said she could have prevented it. Ivory sat in...

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“Painting Destiny” by Kevin Findley

Submitted to Contest #273

“Are you sure about this, Navan?” The former pirate glowered at King Mannas’ Chief of Commerce. His bright, emerald green eyes flashed with laughter, however. “The information came from Daoud, one of my former crew, when I was raiding the coastal villages of Vyrone.” Navan grinned at the look that passed over the face of Gerrod, whose family escaped from one of those same villages. The Iron Hawk was a legend, and parents still used the threat of its crew and their fiery-haired Captain to frighten naughty children into going to sleep a...

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“Worth a Gamble” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #273

Five-hundred-thousand dollars. Five-thousand Benjamins stacked on top of each other, cramped into one black, leather suitcase. The bartender doesn’t look that impressed. I know walking around with that amount of cash with me is asking for trouble, but this is a classy establishment. No matter where I look there are at least two security officers within view, and everyone knows there are cameras everywhere. I would like to see someone try and snatch this suitcase away. I think the bartender didn’t hear me. Why else didn’t ...

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“A life completely unexpected ” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #273

A life completely unexpected The hedgerows and fields were a seductive green with the occasional bended heads of the wheat fields as I looked out of the train window trundling its way North. I had been away for four years living with a group of aboriginals people south of Ayers Rock, not far from Alice Springs. It delighted me to see the English countryside livestock, enjoying the lush spring grass. They seemed docile and tranquil, so different, from the scorched barren lands of central Australia inhabited by wild animals.I was going ho...

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“In the Park” by Jane Davidson

Submitted to Contest #273

The park was beautiful. A bright green, grassy expanse sloped gently down to a stand of trees and then to a lake. There were two pathways winding through the landscape, and water fountains on both of them. There were benches and picnic tables, with a few people sitting at them while others wandered around, taking in the sights and scents of the area. Everyone seemed relaxed. Bella and Malcolm walked along side by side, but she knew he was really coming here because she liked it. He would sit and work while she enjoyed the park and made frien...

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“Love in Greek” by Travis Brown

Submitted to Contest #273

Sunlight streamed into the large university lecture hall, illuminating suspended dust particles in the still air. Philosophical Studies Professor Kelly Bloomfield stood with spirited passion. Her striking beauty and youthful energy contrasted sharply with the seasoned wisdom in her words.Under the glowing vintage chalkboard, her chalk screeched as she wrote the day’s big question: “What is love?” Setting it down, she turned to her students with eager eyes. “Do I have anyone bold enough to answer this universally complex question?” Silence fo...

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“Storage” by Jonah Buck

Submitted to Contest #273

Derek first became aware that there might be trouble tonight when the enormous man with pages from the Bible duct-taped to his body armor stuck a rifle barrel under Derek’s nose. The man appeared from the nighttime shadows and poked the weapon through the security hut’s open window. “Where is it?” The man’s English was heavily accented with some Eastern European dialect. “Whoa, hey, whoa, I’m not looking for any trouble.” Derek instinctively jerked back and tried to stand up and back away. The cheap plastic lawn chair in the security hut to...

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“One Small Deed” by Matthew Foster

Submitted to Contest #273

Bobby had been sitting in the cafe for what felt like half a day. His short red hair was obscured by a baseball cap and his hands shook from the four coffees he had downed while waiting. He could have left the journal with one of the baristas. They probably had a lost and found box, but his conscience couldn't let go of the journal until he gave it to her directly. Bobby had read a little from her journal, just enough to find out how to return it to her. Her name was Helen. It was scrawled all over the journal in a tight, flowing scrip...

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“Paradise Beach” by Dave Weeks

Submitted to Contest #273

Paradise BeachThe BeachRachel Grace sipped the last of her margarita and set the empty glass on the small table nestled into the sand next to her chase lounge. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the salt air, and then let out a long, satisfied sigh as she opened her eyes to look again at the sun that was now dipping close to the horizon’s edge. Rachel, in her mid-forties, had the body of a woman well-versed in yoga and palates. She wore a simple, modest one-piece bathing suit that still managed to draw Jarod’s eye along the cur...

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“The Curtains Weren’t Right” by David Inkling

Submitted to Contest #273

Now, I will admit, it was the disarray in the curtains that had upset me most. I am writing this for you so you understand, since you have asked so many questions, some difficult questions persist, festering like truth, like a piece of meat caught between your teeth. I will speak about it no more. I cannot speak about it, as you know. I decided to see the walls as red. I imagine them in my mind. I cannot not see in this mask anyway. It is easier in the end to see what I want to see. And there is something calming and satisfying about a roo...

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“Not for a Minute” by Marilyn Jones

Submitted to Contest #273

Sundays in November tended to draw very unlikely characters to area churches in town. Congregants were quick to welcome all, for tis the season to give and be generous. Food drives abounded. The little churches in town were no different. On Tuesdays, the Methodist church provided a hot meal. On Thursdays, the Baptist church provided one as well. Sundays nearly every little church served lunch following the morning sermon. It was no surprise when visitors stayed. The generosity of the older members was exceptional. Having lived through the Gr...

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“You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover” by Elaine Monaghan

Submitted to Contest #273

Wanting something or working towards a goal is expected, in fact, it’s what keeps most of us grounded. They say opposites attract. However, I don’t entirely believe that to be true. Sometimes, people are attracted to one another, due to having that same energy that gets things done. That was the case for Sean and Sue who met in high school. He excelled in sports as she did in many academic clubs. She ran for class president and won in a landslide. It was the first time a girl had succeeded in that endeavor for their school.After college, the...

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“The Last Heist” by Winnie Yu

Submitted to Contest #273

10 minutes until I noticed. Sloppy. It was a Wednesday. An ordinary day. It was particularly grey and overcast, with straggly clouds looming above, looking like they had their own agenda. It seemed that the sun had given up and gone home for the day, despite it being rather early in the morning. Walking down Jefferson Street in Carlsbad, California, it wouldn’t have been easy to see somebody tailing you. They could have easily been another member of the crowd, rushing to meet family or friends, or trying to get to work on time. However...

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“How to Take a Picture of a Sad Queen of Spades” by Barbora Jiřincová

Submitted to Contest #273

He took the camera and clicked the shutter just as the swans took to the sky. It was a dreary winter day. It's a winter's day, the kind of winter where toes freeze, but the landscape lacks a comforting blanket of snow. The Vltava flowed no slower than on hot summer days. Swans and ducks flocked to the shore, where tourists and natives scattered crumpled bread across the water's surface for the birds to eat, utterly oblivious that the breadcrumbs poisoned those water birds.The photographer had had enough of ducks, geese, and swans; enough of ...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 116 stories

“Tick Tock” by Janna Cawlfield

“I didn't want that” by Parker Benton

“Painting Destiny” by Kevin Findley

“Worth a Gamble” by WRL Battle

“A life completely unexpected ” by David Nutt

“In the Park” by Jane Davidson

“Love in Greek” by Travis Brown

“Storage” by Jonah Buck

“One Small Deed” by Matthew Foster

“Paradise Beach” by Dave Weeks

“The Curtains Weren’t Right” by David Inkling

“Not for a Minute” by Marilyn Jones

“You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover” by Elaine Monaghan

“The Last Heist” by Winnie Yu

“How to Take a Picture of a Sad Queen of Spades” by Barbora Jiřincová

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Contest #273

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

361

Contest entries

165

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: