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Write a story that includes the line “Be careful what you wish for.”

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 13, 2024

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✍️ 39 stories

The Dark Yuletide

Submitted to Contest #281

The north wind blew the snowfall into a slanted fury. It was intermittent and strong. The grand houses along Chestnut Avenue were cloaked in white, a warmth seeping from the windows adorned with fluttering candles. Amaryllis focused on the stream of Christmas lights finely hung in empty maples, burgeoning magnolias, and along the eaves of stately homes, a careful display of cheer. To be invited to the Abernathey holiday party was a rite of passage, an entry to high society, a culmination that you were received and respected. Amaryllis h...

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Slippery when wet.

Submitted to Contest #281

Do you remember the first time you saw the ad? You couldn’t look away, could you? You looked at your wife and she too was mesmerized. But she averted her eyes, knowing that it would be too extravagant. Too much to ask for.Then there was the full-page ad in the AARP Bulletin, do you remember that? You put it aside, took note of the local number. Of course, it would be too expensive, you thought. But maybe if you didn’t take that golf outing this year and skipped a few trips to the gambling boats. Surely then…You wife's birthday is coming up, ...

35 likes 40 comments 40
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I Wish Us A Stress Free Christmas

Submitted to Contest #281

“Deck the Halls and act so oddly; blah blah blah; blah blah blah blah. Tis the season for gifts unGodly, yada yada ya… yada ya ya ya.”Why do my stepfather’s unpleasantly peculiar parents insist on spending any money at all on the absolute worst Christmas gifts every damn year? Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not ungrateful, but truth be told, I’d rather they simply wish me a Merry Christmas and leave the child sized mittens at the store; I’m seventeen, not three. I suppose I shouldn’t complain, my three brothers have it so much worse. Michael, w...

27 likes 16 comments 16
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The Last Of The Snow Globes

Submitted to Contest #281

Christmas is round the corner and I’ve never felt less Christmassy.Here I am surrounded by all manner of festive gifts and must-have seasonal cuties. The boxes of crackers may look appealing but seeing the person I want to pull them with is no longer around, maybe not so much.However, even I have to admit the very reasonably priced snow globes with their miniature snowmen in funny hats and colourful scarves, have a certain charm. One of the store’s best sellers, only one remains waiting to be shaken and given a good home.These new goods are ...

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Gifts are Given, Not taken

Submitted to Contest #281

Lazaro wended his way through the crowded ale house, one hand greeting everyone with a warm handshake, the other slipping fingers into pockets that were not his own. He beamed, and smiled, and thanked everyone for coming out on this cold, blustery evening to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his birth, a most auspicious occasion.By the time he had circumnavigated the room and arrived back at the bar, everyone was in rowdy, high spirits. He leapt up on the counter, his diminutive height put him at just a head above the crowd, and, flingin...

19 likes 9 comments 9
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Thumpety Thump-Thump

Submitted to Contest #281

Leon, Timmy, and Spike ran down the road, throwing snowballs at each other, laughing and yelling.Davy Dennis sighed. It was easy to have a snowball fight when you had friends. It was only workable to do it solo if you loaded up an automatic ball launcher with ice and stood before it. It was also tricky to join in with a group of kids he didn’t know. Throwing a snowball at a buddy was funny. Throwing one at a stranger was assault. Besides, Davy had never been very good at approaching others, hence his predicament. Dad had told him to go outsi...

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CURSED QUILLS AND COFFEE STAINS

Submitted to Contest #281

"Why are we in the coffee shop, Darvico? I don't even like coffee shops.""Me neither, Reed. But never mind that. I'm writing the book, Reed.""Really? What's it about?""It starts with 'Be careful what you wish for.'""Oh, groundbreaking. Truly. No one's ever used that phrase before.""Sarcasm noted, but hear me out.""Do I have a choice?""No. It's about this guy who...""Wait, let me guess. He makes a wish, but it goes awry, leading to hilarity."Fine, Reed. If you hate it so much, why are you even here?""Because you dragged me here, Darvico. And ...

16 likes 9 comments 9
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Wintergreen

Submitted to Contest #281

*** Continuation of my previous two stories (but can be read as a standalone piece). References to domestic abuse and serious illness***Helen, I’m sorry I accused you.Forget it, darling, life’s too short… Do have a vol au vent, I made them especially…Mmm… lovely…And a little Prosecco…?You spoil me, you know…Nonsense, Evelyn, it’s your birthday…And nothing says December birthday – fifty-ninth December birthday - more than a picnic in the park…Now, now, don’t forget the Christmas Market… Ah! What a ride… Bet you didn’t expect you’d be up there...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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Taking Stock at Christmas

Submitted to Contest #281

Being Fashionable I’ve learned that discussing things I find on the internet with my wife Liz is like tossing a match into a pool of gasoline. Liz works in corporate PR. In loyalty to her paycheck, she embraces the corporate establishment’s narrative. When I read the news, I like to take time to figure it out instead of taking it at face value. You might call me an “Internet Dad”. I hope to one day find the right moment to talk some common sense into her. Maybe that moment is today.My computer screen shows 10:59am. I promised Liz I’d be...

11 likes 7 comments 7
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David and Leena

Submitted to Contest #281

“I wish this could just be a normal Christmas,” 26-year old David said. He was upstairs in the home he lived in alone. Usually, he wouldn’t choose to be in this particular upstairs room, since he spent most of his time downstairs where the kitchen and his bedroom were. But he found himself up there, peering out onto the rest of his neighborhood through the frosty window, after another monotonous day of work. He had been distracted all day, wondering how to amend things with his girlfriend. All of a sudden, the old creepy fireplace started to...

10 likes 5 comments 5
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A Chance for Things That Never Were

Submitted to Contest #281

Lizette reluctantly pushed the last pin into her cork board. "For Sale by Owner" read the bold, red poster font plastered across her two-story's photo. Re-entering the housing market was something she'd never imagined doing again. This was intended to be her and Charlie's forever home, but the house wasn't the same to her anymore.The corridor walls she and Charlie had once personally draped in pastel green paint now seemed to be more of a muted sand color. The rooms no longed boasted the echoes of the children's laughter, but rather the clic...

10 likes 0 comments 0
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“Sayemontess- The Death of a Loved One.” #ReedsyHoliday

Submitted to Contest #281

“Sayemontess- The Death of a Loved One.” Trigger Warning: this short story contains Strong Violent Content and Gore, Sexual Content, Nudity, Harrowing Situations, and Suspence.As Sonja blared Maria Callas’s, “Tosca, Act II: Vissi d’ arte,” she took to the stage at Sayemontess. It was located in the beautiful rose-filled courtyard that had wonderfully creative statues of sweet cherubims. This was where all of the events would take place- from public humiliations, plays, executions, and so forth. Fun stuff. “Richard,” said Sonja, and...

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The Wishing Well

Submitted to Contest #281

The wind howled through the skeletal branches of the ancient forest as Clara stepped cautiously into the clearing. A rotting, weathered sign leaned against a gnarled tree, its faded lettering barely legible in the dim light: “The Wishing Well.” The legend had drawn her here, despite every instinct that told her to stay away. It was said that the well would grant a single wish to those desperate enough to brave the woods. The well stood at the clearing’s center, its stones slick with moss and years of decay. The air felt heavy, like the fores...

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The Magician’s Assistant

Submitted to Contest #281

JC left the Gold Coast Casino where he worked as a magician’s assistant. The headliner appreciated his ability to disappear and reappear so seamlessly and often asked him the technique. JC could not really explain his ability to resurrect, but at least the illusion kept money in his pocket. The Gold Coast was not on the Las Vegas strip, a surprise to many tourists who had tickets to the magic show only to discover the 1.5 mile hike in the desert heat was not doable for them. Taxi drivers hated these fares because the riders were so miffed, t...

9 likes 3 comments 3
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The Shadow of the Yule Beast

Submitted to Contest #281

CW: Graphic descriptions In the shadows of the night, there isn’t a single eye open, a single person wandering, or a single peep within each home. The only sound is the soft snoring of the families in bed, yet, deep within the shadows of the home is the one thing children fear.“He knows when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake”, a song we always associate with Kris Kringle. Yet, there is another that hides in the shadows. Deep in the night, when all are whisked...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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