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

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 13, 2024

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✍️ 40 stories

“The Tappner Inn” by J.L. Cleary

Submitted to Contest #281

The haunting melody of Carol of the Bells drifted softly through the car, its eerie notes mingling with the muffled whispers of the storm. Outside, snow fell relentlessly, swallowing the road in an endless white abyss. It was impossible to tell where the pavement ended and the wilderness began—our only compass, the skeletal outline of trees that seemed to hover like ghosts in the distance. My knuckles ached, bone-white against the wheel, my grip unyielding as if sheer force could keep us tethered to the treacherous ground. The tires sk...

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“The Shadow of the Yule Beast” by Makayla Bunchek

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...

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“The Wishing Well” by Chyna Wells

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 Silver coin” by Noor Khan

Submitted to Contest #281

Lena had heard the legend a thousand times, like all the children in the village. Her grandmother, with her gray hair pulled into a tight bun, would sit by the hearth, her face wrinkled with age, and tell the same stories she had been told when she was young. These were the kinds of tales that made you shiver with fear, but also stirred something deep inside, a longing for more. In particular, there was one story that always caught Lena’s attention—the story of the silver coin. The coin, according to the legend, was said to grant any wish, n...

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“Be Careful What You Wish For ” by Toby Doncaster

Submitted to Contest #281

I couldn't get over her. Her smell, her form, the feel of her hair...it was all so arresting.It was her smile that first got me. Beaming, open, warm and yet... beguiling. As if she had a secret. And yet, it was a secret she was willing to share. With someone special. With me, maybe.We sat in the plane for 12 hours and chatted about everything. Her plans for the future, my career dreams, our family history and what it was like, living in the Soviet Union. "You can never imagine it," she said. "Well, I'll have to go and have a look f...

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“Be careful what you wish for... eventually, it will come true!” by Stefanie Anna Kremser

Submitted to Contest #281

I just wanna be like them. Different. But not me. That’s for sure. It just doesn`t feel right. It hurts so much. The pain in my chest. No one prepared me for that. Oh my god, it's tearing me apart. Ripping in half. I wanna get rid of my skin that feels so strange. But it doesn`t work. I tried so hard. If you could see me now, you would see the scars. She is the one who doesn’t love herself on top of the world or in the depths of despair. She feels lost caught up in her fears of not being perfect. Looking into the mirror means seeing a stra...

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“That night in Central Park” by Monika Denham

Submitted to Contest #281

Closing my Manhattan apartment door behind me, I had no idea what I would be in for this beautiful September evening. I was ready to tackle my regular three mile run in Central Park. It was a routine I followed three evenings a week after work, and I’d found that I didn’t function very well if I skipped it. Tonight, however, I should have done just that. As I entered the not so well-lit area of the park that I always hated running through, I heard footsteps running away from me, into the trees. This made me very suspicious and a little bit a...

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“The Ruined Wish” by Myla Christides

Submitted to Contest #281

CHAPTER 1the partyEvery year, the town of Goldbrook throw a party for Last Night. Some people call it New Year’s Eve. It’s a small town but a big party. Everyone goes, people dance, they eat, they chat; but mostly, they party. Past grievances are forgotten as they celebrate the end of one turn and the beginning of the next. It’s a joyous time for everyone. It has been for centuries. This one should be no different, yet Sapphire Dove couldn’t shake the feeling of unease for that evening. It was clear no one else felt it, everyone was having f...

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“A Chance for Things That Never Were” by Ashlynn Altman

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...

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“Yuletide Boots” by E.N. Triggs

Submitted to Contest #281

Since I was old enough to lick the spoon, mom and I have baked nan her favorite Yule cookies, then we’d pull on our cloaks and stroll through the forest to deliver them before the end of Mother’s Night. This year, mom is too sick to come with me but said, “Esyllt, twelve is old enough to make the journey on your own – as long as you leave before the moon rises so Gryla, the child-nabbing Yule Hag, doesn’t scent you.” So, go on my own I did.Ice-kissed winds whistle through the trees as I trudge through Grymmwing Forest. This is what Yule...

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“My Secret Life” by Alan Hancock

Submitted to Contest #281

My Secret Life Alan Hancock 20242,660 wds When I put this story together I was wondering where to start. And I thought, let’s start at the beginning, a long time ago in another place a very long way from here. So, to start from the beginning. When I was a boy I loved stories about people who had a secret. Some of them were true stories and some were made up. But it didn’t make any difference to me. They were all just as good, as long as they had a secret. I read this story about a gang of kids ...

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“My Santa Wish” by Deb Dobbins

Submitted to Contest #281

"I wish I could have just one Christmas without all the drama! No fussing and arguing with each other, no complaining and no dogging each other out for doing or not doing something." I said, in response to Santa asking me what I want for Christmas. The company I work for always has a Santa for employees and their children to have pictures and tell him what they want from Santa for Christmas. One of my co-workers, Tom, helped me alight from Santa’s lap. “I’ve never seen you partake of the whole Santa thing before. What did you ask for?”I told...

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“A Christmas Wish” by Nina Rose

Submitted to Contest #281

The laughter started softly at first, toying somewhere between joy and restlessness, but by midnight, he thought his parents’ faces would split in two. Echoes of their cheer filled the empty house, relentless and jagged, bleeding with a disturbing insincerity. Deep smile lines pressed into his dad’s cheeks as though calved from fingernails. His eyes, glassy and unmoving, fixated somewhere on the bookcase. Mum clutched her sides, splayed on the couch seat like a marionette with loose strings, gasping as she howled and laughed without pause.&n...

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“Ashes of the Sun” by Akshaya J

Submitted to Contest #281

Perfection should not exist theoretically. But against all forces of nature, it did, and not only did it exist, it lived and breathed in the body of Cyrus Egner. Cyrus was the sun. Everyone around him were mere rocks that orbited his presence. Everything about it was infuriating. But even more frustrating was the fact that I could not hate him for it. I was only 6 when I first met him. My mother had been making Tamales in the kitchen, and I had clung to her legs, begging her to let me try as well. Someone had knocked on our front...

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“The Rebirth of a Dreamer” by Elysian Aeonian

Submitted to Contest #281

Authors Note This story contains themes of:Emotional Abuse – Mention of past emotional manipulation and lack of support in relationships.Sexual Assault – References to past sexual trauma.Depression/Anxiety – Depiction of feelings of hopelessness, frustration, and emotional struggle.Financial Struggles – References to debt, financial insecurity, and difficulty making ends meet.Self-Harm (Implied) – Moments of self-destructive thoughts and behaviors (emotional distress that may be interpreted as emotional self-harm).Fa...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 40 stories

“The Tappner Inn” by J.L. Cleary

“The Shadow of the Yule Beast” by Makayla Bunchek

“The Wishing Well” by Chyna Wells

“The Silver coin” by Noor Khan

“Be Careful What You Wish For ” by Toby Doncaster

“Be careful what you wish for... eventually, it will come true!” by Stefanie Anna Kremser

“That night in Central Park” by Monika Denham

“The Ruined Wish” by Myla Christides

“A Chance for Things That Never Were” by Ashlynn Altman

“Yuletide Boots” by E.N. Triggs

“My Secret Life” by Alan Hancock

“My Santa Wish” by Deb Dobbins

“A Christmas Wish” by Nina Rose

“Ashes of the Sun” by Akshaya J

“The Rebirth of a Dreamer” by Elysian Aeonian

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a mysterious guest who arrives at a party — but no one knows who they are.

Start or end your story with someone receiving a strange — and possibly sinister — gift.

Write a story from the POV of a non-human character.

Set your story during the coldest day of the year.

Contest #281

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

309

Contest entries

154

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: