Write a story that includes the line “Have we met before?”

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 4, 2024

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✍️ 141 stories

“"Have We Met Before?"” by Ally Gutierrez

Submitted to Contest #271

Marge wanted a dog. No. A puppy. Marge wanted a puppy. It had been four long months of wallowing in the cold, dark New York winter—trudging through ice and slush, pelted by the sting of freezing rain. It never snowed in the city—not the romantic white flakes that fell in places that had space and green and light. It was four in the afternoon, and there was barely a sliver of day clinging to the grey sky as Marge walked the eight blocks home to her puppy-less apartment after another day teaching ELA at an overcro...

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“Faded Strangers” by Daron Thompson

Submitted to Contest #271

The café on the corner of 5th and Cedar was a place where time seemed to stand still. Its worn-out posters for jazz nights, the faint smell of old books mixed with coffee, and the distant hum of the city outside all blended into a background noise that let the regulars lose themselves in their own worlds. To most, it was just another forgettable stop on the way to somewhere else, but for Erin, it had become a sanctuary. Every morning for the last three months, she’d sat at the same table, facing the window, her black coffee cooling as she fi...

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“Remembering Strangers” by Maxwell Haupt

Submitted to Contest #271

Lysander woke at six in the morning. His sleep schedule was still off. Normally, he slept in till noon or even later, but lately, he’d been waking up at six. The other day he had woken up at four and, almost instinctively, gone to the garden and begun harvesting for winter. His neighbor, whatshisname, had woken up a bit later and came outside to enjoy his coffee on the wrap-around porch. When he saw Lysander gardening he’d shouted over, “A little early, isn’t it?” “Must be ready for winter if we want to survive!” Lysander had robotically sho...

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“In Another Lifetime: Jessica's Story” by Samantha Kabiling

Submitted to Contest #271

“Don’t you dare leave me!” A male’s voice? Why does my neck hurt? “I will find you! I swear on my soul!” Brown eyes. I like the color brown. RING!RING!RING! Quickly sitting up in panic, my breathing was rapid, and I swear it felt like my heart stopped. Trying to get a better vision of my surroundings, it seems to be my room. That felt so real of a dream it really scared me. That male voice too… almost sounds scary to me. Well it’s nice to know someone liked me even though it’s just a dream. Bzz! Bzz! Looking down, I see a few texts...

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“Gella’s Gamble” by Azren Tarynsai

Submitted to Contest #271

This is soooo not like her. She feels like a stalker for crying out loud! She’s also not the kind of person who takes selfies either. Yet, here she is, poised to pretend to be doing just that, and hoping to go unnoticed. However, she has the camera lens actually pointing outwards, so she can secretly snap a pic of one particular person: the achingly handsome and seemingly kind man who was here the last two times she visited. And, so, that is how Gella came to be seated in this casino’s restaurant, which just so happens to...

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“Disconnected” by R.V. Voss

Submitted to Contest #271

CW: mild language Have we met before? Such a simple phrase. Four words that ask a question and entice an answer. Yet, the words won’t leave my tongue. They’re glue. Sticky and acrid little bombs lodged in my throat. Why can’t I say them? Just say them. Say them, you idiot. I stay silent. A ghost in the corner. Unseen. Unwanted. How can anyone want you if you hide in the shadows? Shut up logic. You’re not wrong. Staring at Killer Smile all night isn’t doing any good. Just go up to him and say, “I’m Riley. Have we met befor...

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“Memory” by Vivi Sojorhn

Submitted to Contest #271

Gail Porto, a woman of late middle-age, pulls her carry-on onto the moving walkway in a struggle not to be too late to her Gate again. Having happened more than once, she elevates her regiment of rushing through airports now. It is better that way for her. She is so sure of this much but not much more. Her life is spent now going to environmental design conferences. Sure, that this is her chosen career, but now puzzled all the time about why it didn’t fulfill her heart. &...

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“Jerry Gets a Surprise” by Eleanor Frances Arcaro

Submitted to Contest #271

The old dog lay on the front porch, his favorite place. He enjoyed watching everything going on in the neighborhood. He was a fixture on the street, and everyone knew his name. He was a Flat-Coated Retriever with smooth, sleek fur that people loved to slide their hands over. He lived with the Petrillo family. They were a family of seven: two parents and five children with loads of aunts, uncles, and cousins. He loved his human family, but things were changing now— everyone seemed too busy with their schedules to spend time with him. Tod...

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“Children of Corruption” by Dominique Wells

Submitted to Contest #271

It was swathed in shadows. The garden. Filled with crumbling marble statues and dying rose bushes. The torn remnants of Lilith’s wings fluttered in the cold wind. She had grown used to it over the years. It still hurt. But the constant pain had been pushed to the corners of her mind. The kids ran across the stone paths, playing games of tag and hide and seek. With tangled curls falling around their faces, and grubby cheeks red from laughter. Lilith watched on, sitting silently on an iron bench, hands tucked neatly in her lap. Hea...

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“A dance with a stranger” by Vivi Omeke

Submitted to Contest #271

I shoved some crumpled dollar bills into my pocket, put my headphones on, and walked out the door. Nothing like a serious dose of frostbite to warm your toes.Stepping out into the bustling chaos of Eos Ophir was like diving headfirst into a technicolor explosion after staring at a blank wall for hours.Skyscrapers did their thing and scraped the cloudy sky, flashy and bright billboards burned holes in my eyes and cars honked and screeched, which, by the way, didn’t help my poor ADHD ears in any way.I pulled out my phone and put in an earbud b...

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“Uduak-Abasi” by Mithradites Ra

Submitted to Contest #271

CHAPTER 1 It was considered good luck by all travellers to physically view the planet one is leaving through a physical window, and if your quarters didn't have one then the observation deck is the second best, and third would be getting invited to a room with a window if you knew someone with access to it. Certain rooms in the “Economy-Class-Special” of most passenger ships had responsive faux windows that aggregated a digital view from cameras and sensors located on the outside of the ship that was stunningly realistic and convincing; the...

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“Three Hundred Years ” by Simona Musa

Submitted to Contest #271

Three hundred years That’s how long I’ve waited to see her eyes again. A lifetime of lifetimes, filled with nothing but the endless stretch of days and nights, wondering if I’d ever find her. And now, here she is - right in front of me. Completely unaware of the weight of my gaze, of the centuries I’ve spent yearning for this very moment. She’s sitting in a small cafe, a table away from me, close enough that I can feel the warmth of her presence, yet impossibly distant, like a painting behind glass. She looks different now—mod...

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“Mad Maddy.” by Carys Hall

Submitted to Contest #271

Leaves were struggling to hold onto their trees, who bent over backwards as the storm swept in. Those that had helplessly let go were spiraling around the car park, hopelessly lost in the rain and wind. Their colour broke up a grey day. Grey clouds, grey car park, grey mood. Maddy was daydreaming out the window, watching their turmoil and empathising with them. She was supposed to be stocking aisle seven while the shop was lacking customers. That little voice in her head tells her to get moving, to start stacking, otherwise Chris will be ove...

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“Lucio, a Musketeer” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #271

The tall dark man’s boots clocked a merry rhythm as he strode with purpose towards the town square where the harpsichord’s high wavering notes had begun wafting through the sweltering heat of late afternoon just a few seconds before. The beats from the zambomba kicked in and a smile curled the handsome man’s lips. It was an upbeat tune, and he pictured Lola’s lovely ankles flashing daringly from the twirling cascades of her flamenco dress as her castanets clacked out punctuation marks as if her hands were magical brown birds clapping wooden ...

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“Playgrounds & Playmates” by Bethany Narvaez

Submitted to Contest #271

Why are we meeting at a bar in a strip mall? I think to myself as I pull into one of the last parking spots of the unimpressive, suburban sports bar. I nervously fluff my curly hair in the rearview mirror, and triple check there’s no lipstick on my teeth a final, final time. I felt too nervous to eat much today and my anxiety does high-rise belly flops into my empty pit of stomach bile as I dig through my wallet and hand my ID over to the large bouncer at the front door. That bouncer looks familiar. Did we go to high school together? God, I ...

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Write a story that includes the line “Have we met before?”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 141 stories

“"Have We Met Before?"” by Ally Gutierrez

“Faded Strangers” by Daron Thompson

“Remembering Strangers” by Maxwell Haupt

“In Another Lifetime: Jessica's Story” by Samantha Kabiling

“Gella’s Gamble” by Azren Tarynsai

“Disconnected” by R.V. Voss

“Memory” by Vivi Sojorhn

“Jerry Gets a Surprise” by Eleanor Frances Arcaro

“Children of Corruption” by Dominique Wells

“A dance with a stranger” by Vivi Omeke

“Uduak-Abasi” by Mithradites Ra

“Three Hundred Years ” by Simona Musa

“Mad Maddy.” by Carys Hall

“Lucio, a Musketeer” by Tanya Humphreys

“Playgrounds & Playmates” by Bethany Narvaez

🌟 Similar prompts

A character crosses paths with a stranger who looks eerily familiar.

A chance encounter brings together two old friends who have changed in surprising or strange ways.

Two strangers discover they have a hidden connection that alters their understanding of each other and themselves.

A character finds a clue or object linking them to a stranger.

Contest #271

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

389

Contest entries

137

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: