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

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 4, 2024

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✍️ 141 stories

“The Broker” by FJJ Austin

Submitted to Contest #271

The BrokerCorsica, 2018. Wet streets snaked around huddled stone buildings, bare and rustic. The scent of brine and fish residue clinging. The Kid, the only black one, worked nights in a harbour bar, sat by the edge of the dock. He was forty three. He looked younger. Time in this coastal place was slow and arrested - caught in an amber strangeness of memory and centuries of fishing, boats, and salted wind.By day the Mediterranean stretched out before the town, an aquascape of blues and greens - rows of liquid agate. Everywhere shimmering in ...

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“What's the Chance of That Happening?” by Elaine Monaghan

Submitted to Contest #271

You could be reading a wordless page if the moon and the stars hadn’t aligned properly, working their magic in 1954 to create me. It all started when my mother met my father, but isn’t that how it always begins? My story is a bit different than most; my mother came from a tiny village in the Alps of France called Courchevel. In its infancy, it was made up of a few high mountain pastures and dense forest, which later became a very picturesque skiing resort that eventually hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics in nearby Albertville. From what I rec...

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“The Circuit” by Natalie Wood

Submitted to Contest #271

The Circuit by Natalie Hannah Viper and I analyzed people as they approached our shop, Josephine's Nest. Mom inherited it from her parents, the original colonists. Everyone buzzed through their to-do list before the mandatory curfew. This is the only coffeehouse and the best place for short-order delicacies in the Colony. It's the place where everyone comes for essentials. Josephine's Jambalaya is a Colony favorite. Our fifteen-minute Colony has everything, all within walking distance. We can just about see everything from our p...

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“Building Bridges ” by Joseph Hawke

Submitted to Contest #271

Raised on Philadelphia’s Main Line, I came of age in prep schools and country clubs. The culmination of my prowess was to be demonstrated via matriculation to an Ivy, then a graduate degree in law or medical school. This would ensure my place among the privileged elite whence I hailed. Questioning the wisdom of this trajectory, foretold since pre-consciousness, was dismissed as folly. Discussion being discouraged, I simply acted. Dashing the hopes and dreams my parents had pinned on their only child, I enlisted in the United States...

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“Death by Man in War” by Annabelle Lang

Submitted to Contest #271

The world is quieter now, but the ghosts never left.I sat alone at the station, watching the dust swirl in the light of the lamppost, the black of night engulfing the faraway flickers and flashes of street lights. The wind had a way of carrying memories, like the distant hum of engines or the soft murmur of voices that no longer existed. I tried and tried to tune it out, tried to forget, but the past always had a way of slipping through the cracks.I heard the uneven rhythm of footsteps—a familiar limp, one memorable yet not recognisable. Tur...

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“Twinkle, my little soul” by Daria Hrytsenko

Submitted to Contest #271

The trees leaned towards each other to the point of weaving together into one black canvas. Moonlight could only pierce through the leaves here and there. That wasn’t enough to see a path underfoot—if there was one at all. His feet drowned in crunchy piles of what had already fallen. This year, as it seemed, the trees turned yellow earlier than usual – autumn wind did not chill his skin yet. In fact, it felt like the air itself froze into an unmoving veil.Kelsie strained his ears for an umpteenth time, hoping to hear at least a cricket somew...

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“Note To Self” by Steve Krysak

Submitted to Contest #271

The clock read 2:21 p.m., and Luke Keegland’s mind was focused on two things: Pac-Man and his own impending death. Luke couldn’t concentrate as the teacher droned away about integers and fractions. The classroom clock looked too much like the video game character Pac-Man. The two hands were positioned to form a gaping mouth within the circular frame, and Luke felt like one of those dizzied blue ghosts trying to avoid being eaten. Pac-Man was also the nickname given to Chris Sherman, not just because he was big and round, but because his mo...

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“Train Station Choice” by Z Hawthorne

Submitted to Contest #271

“Have we met before?” I turned at the question, curious at who would be speaking to me. I’d been standing alone on the platform, waiting for the next train. An auburn-haired woman, petite with sharp-edged features, stood behind me. Her head was cocked slightly to one side, large blue eyes locked on mine. Her black and yellow sundress was almost scandalously short, the thin straps contrasting appealingly with her snow white skin. Fascinated by her elegant features and porcelain coloring, I stared as the sun played over her face and hair...

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“Frappuccino ” by Angharad Roberts

Submitted to Contest #271

Katie was exhausted. University life was more hectic than she had been expecting. She had classes every day, tests every week, and her social life had become very exciting. She hadn’t been much of a drinker back at home but now – surrounded by thousands of other eighteen-year-olds – she went out clubbing at least twice a week and made good use out of the student discounts on shots and cocktails. She danced to cheesy pop music, took silly pictures in photo booths, and had personal chats with people she’d never met before in the girls’ toilets...

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“The Last Sentence” by David Villaruel

Submitted to Contest #271

Ethan Blake had already seen that woman in the red dress three times today. Time always seemed to fly as he sat in the coffee shop. It had been another productive day of writing. He had not actually written anything, but he would. He had had some brilliant brainstorms so far. As a writer he knew that writing was not only about putting words down on paper, sometimes spending a day thinking was good enough. There had been some real moments of inspiration, and he had even almost started a short story he had been thinking about. Ethan opt...

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“A Familiar Face” by WRL Battle

Submitted to Contest #271

“Have we met before?” I was caught off guard by my own voice. I don’t usually speak up, especially to strangers. I try my best not to step out of my lane. This is why I work at a bookshop. Everything about my job doesn’t require talking to people for too much. I just keep the shelves stocked, but mostly I’m at the counter where all I have to say is, “You found everything?” “That’ll be this amount of dollars,” “Thank you, have a nice day!” and that’s it. Whenever I saw a customer buying a book that I really liked, I'd tell them...

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“Around the World” by Deborah Sanders

Submitted to Contest #271

Jesse watched the taillights of his parents’ SUV as they left the college parking lot and merged into traffic to start their five-hour drive back home. He raised his hand to wave one last time before heading back to the dorm building. Earlier that day, he and his parents had unloaded the contents of their vehicle into his room. Unpacking and organizing now awaited him.Jesse had turned eighteen last month and this was his first time living away from home. So, in addition to bringing along the essentials, he had also packed a few comfort items...

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“Dr Hanbauer's Academy of Robopsychology” by Elton James

Submitted to Contest #271

Robot stands in his cubicle, delaying stepping onto the charging station. Procrastination is not in his nature, but the decision Robot is about to make is risky. When Robot steps on this platform, he will be overwritten. Robot knows the Academy has been watching. Robot has been here too long without using the station. He has been talking to the wrong bots. The doctors are going to reset the others, he’s sure of it. Unless Robot does something. Unless it’s Robot who is reset first. Robot reviews his checklist. That is all he will call it. Cal...

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“Living the Dream” by Lennie Couture

Submitted to Contest #271

Trigger warnings:Mental health An incessant buzzing broke through the fog of my restless sleep. Another day, another dollar, it was time to prepare myself for work. Most people hate going to work for a large corporate company who doesn't value their devotion. That's not how I feel however. My job keeps me under the radar of anyone who might see through my facade of survival. A quick clock-in, 8 hours of mind-numbing paper pushing, then it's time to return to my cave of desolation. Between the two, I do not reserve time for anything else. Gri...

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“Notes on a Windshield ” by Joan Cino

Submitted to Contest #271

The weather was surprisingly mild for a mid-October Saturday afternoon. Arabella was thinking that she should be outside enjoying the fresh air, taking a walk in the park, or bike riding around the neighborhood, but instead she was doing her grocery shopping at the local Target. She had just finished checking out and was heading to her car in the parking lot. “Shit! Who parks like this? What an inconsiderate human being,” s...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 141 stories

“The Broker” by FJJ Austin

“What's the Chance of That Happening?” by Elaine Monaghan

“The Circuit” by Natalie Wood

“Building Bridges ” by Joseph Hawke

“Death by Man in War” by Annabelle Lang

“Twinkle, my little soul” by Daria Hrytsenko

“Note To Self” by Steve Krysak

“Train Station Choice” by Z Hawthorne

“Frappuccino ” by Angharad Roberts

“The Last Sentence” by David Villaruel

“A Familiar Face” by WRL Battle

“Around the World” by Deborah Sanders

“Dr Hanbauer's Academy of Robopsychology” by Elton James

“Living the Dream” by Lennie Couture

“Notes on a Windshield ” by Joan Cino

🌟 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

386

Contest entries

137

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: