Write a story that includes the line “I should’ve known better.”

Posted in Dramatic on Jan 3, 2025

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✍️ 90 stories

“The Path to Truth” by JM Daisy

Submitted to Contest #284

*This is the first story I have finished in quite a while, so please feel free to leave constructive feedback or any tips and advice after reading! * “I cannot believe you got us lost in the woods” Olivia said looking on the paper map sprawled out on the ground in front of her”“I just wanted to clear my head. It is not my fault that they decided to build this retreat in the middle of the impossible to solve woods” Veronica huffed quickly, turning to see if there was suddenly a magical yellow brick road to follow back to their cabin. A few we...

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“I Should've Known Better!” by Sarah Adewolu

Submitted to Contest #284

Well, I really messed up this time. Dominic found out the truth, and he was angry to the point of kicking me out, which I totally deserved. All my worst nightmares had finally come true. I should have known better, realizing this was all going to end in disaster. I’d been such an idiot from the beginning… Giving him a fake name, “Kara Muller”, and leading him on in this never-ending game of lies. This was exactly what Melinda had warned me about all along. I hated to think that she was right and she’d rub it in my face in an “I-told-you-so” ...

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“We Make Magic” by Daniel P. Douglas

Submitted to Contest #284

The Bringer of Late Frosts and Freezes lounged on his favorite cloud, watching mortals scurry about below like ants preparing for winter. Zerio—for that was his proper name, though few bothered to use it—twirled an icicle between his fingers, its crystalline surface catching the afternoon sun. His latest masterpiece of meteorological mayhem had turned three counties' worth of spring flowers into frost-bitten disappointments. "I leave you alone up here and now you're brooding again," a firm, warm voice called from behind. "I should've known b...

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“The Broken Mirror” by John Cardamone

Submitted to Contest #284

My brother was born twelve minutes before me, his twin sister, and thus our differing paths in life commenced. Mother told me he was still crying when I was ejected, and so his newborn squalls were the first sounds I heard. She also said boys usually cry more than girls, but how would she know?—she only had the two of us. Mother didn’t mind his crying; she said it strengthened his lungs. Is this the reason I can barely make it up the stairs, even now, at 26, without getting winded? Logan is the mildly overweight one, not me; I’m a rail. I’m ...

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“Mary” by Gary Gallant

Submitted to Contest #284

MARYA tourniquet wrapped around her arm like a noose, a needle dangling from a vein as she sat slumped, naked, leaning against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. The needle and syringe hung like a hanging man, weaving slowly, back and forth and then fell, neck broken, to rattle on the bathroom floorMary’s arm hung limply, attached to her jellylike body, as she coasted in a glorious, magical, ...

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“should have known better” by Kevin Charlton

Submitted to Contest #284

The pipeline was slippery. I was crawling across it trying to get to the middle so I could leap into the canal. They grease it with tar to prevent us from days like this. The boats were ignoring the no wake signs, speeding without regard for the manatees. It made things more exciting when I stood up and Conon-balled into the water, my feet landing safely on the bottom missing any broken glass or sharp rocks usually trapped there. I pushed upward swimming against the strong current; splashing through the surface, I was...

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“The Egyptian Wedding” by Joseph Hawke

Submitted to Contest #284

Hi Sweetie, I spoke to Tim and Adinah. Adinah thinks you are so hot, and she wants you to be one of her bridesmaids, but she was wondering if you wouldn’t mind wearing a dress that exposes your nipples.She did not! You’re full of shit.You don’t believe that Adinah said that?No, I don’t.Okay, but you believe that Tim did, right?No, I don’t.Okay. Let me go make the drinks, and I’ll be right back.Okay, here we are, G&Ts are up. Also, new plan, Adinah totally understands where you’re coming from. She says you’re totally American and she unde...

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“Imperfect Strangers ” by Daniel Shurmer

Submitted to Contest #284

He lay naked on the dishevelled bed, a twist of limbs, sweat cooling on his skin. The air hung low and heavy, permeated with the heady odour of exerted bodies, conjoined and heaving as one, mere moments before. His eyes felt heavy, the buzz of the alcohol, the excitement of the sex; the comedown was intense, as if some force deep beneath the swells of consciousness was threatening to pull him beneath the waves which separate the waking world and the bliss of sleep. He wanted to succumb to it so badly, to drift away into that place where sham...

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“The Man Upstairs” by Ian Craine

Submitted to Contest #284

THE MAN UPSTAIRS Patricia divorced me last month. She said I was a wastrel and was not good enough in bed to compensate. I needed money and I needed a holiday. I could just about afford Ireland. A mate who ran pubs in Central London came from a small place in County Limerick; I’d been there a few times and decided to revisit, reckoning on a bit of judicious gambling. An oxymoron perhaps- Patric...

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“Tied Up with a Bow” by Linda Crowley

Submitted to Contest #284

Tied Up with a BowI had just a few minutes to finish wrapping the last Christmas present. Carefully organizing everything, I laid the roll of paper on the table, the present for Bill on the right, and the scissors and tape on the left. I opened the roll of paper and held it flat, then reached across and placed Bill’s present in the middle. I bought him this cute picture frame with a rocket on the frame I found last month when we went to Huntsville for a conference. I put in a photo of the two of us in front of the rocket display. It had been...

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“The Fourth Appointment” by Ryan Bigley

Submitted to Contest #284

“Dylan, turn off the music. It’s 11:30!” I bring my knuckles up to my eyes and give them a really deep rub. My eyelids are heavy and I’m really sleepy. It’s probably the weed. “Dylan!! The rest of us can’t sleep with that music so loud! Turn it off!” I don’t know what the big deal is, this music is awesome. Also, it’s really not that loud. *knock* *knock* *knock* “Dylan!! Open the door!” “Alright, Mom! Shut up for once in your life!” I was never rude to my mother before. I mean, she was really protective of me, and took care of me while I wa...

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“Duel with a Devil at Sundown” by Will Tschirhart

Submitted to Contest #284

“Yeah, that’ll work. ‘Unholy demon, Lord of the Flies, my name is John Westlake, and this is my band. With their help, I would challenge you to a guitar battle.’” “‘Oh, the stakes? My eternal soul, once pledged to God in the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church, now freely put up against your golden guitar.’” “‘The most bitchin’ axe Ol’ Scratch ever dared to forge.’” “‘The g...

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“Seabreeze Cottage” by Tracy Wise

Submitted to Contest #284

I will never forgot my stay at Seabreeze Cottage, even though many years have passed since the day I first arrived as if it were only yesterday. I can still recall the salt spray as it kissed my face as I unlocked the old, weather beaten door. At fifty-four, and finally alone after years of family holidays, a failed marriage and academic conferences, the quiet was both exhilarating and unnerving. I, Elara Finch, a historian specialising in obscure Cornish legends and local mysteries, had chosen this remote spot for my much-needed solitude. ...

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“An Unexpected Coffee Run” by Kathryn Cruz

Submitted to Contest #284

What’s a girl to do when she notices she’s out of coffee right before a huge winter storm is supposed to hit her house? Does she determine it’s a life or death situation and, therefore, she must brave the roads? Of course she does. * My breath fogs up the glass of my driver’s side window as my forehead rests against its cold material, the circle of condensation growing bigger and smaller as I take each breath. The silence of my broken-down car is palpable in the space around me. I should’ve known better than to attempt these roads all f...

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“A Mother's Intentions” by Zachary Roybal

Submitted to Contest #284

What a mother should be has been told to me from a young age. I’ve heard the phrase, “It’s just what a mother does!” enough times that I hear the inflections of the words the way my own mother would say it when I read the phrase anywhere. The curve her lips would form after saying that phrase would always cause my own face to grimace. Using that phrase as if it would magically forgive any boundaries crossed, any territories clawed and grasped at by her hands in an effort to get closer to the son she once knew and confided her adult emotions ...

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Write a story that includes the line “I should’ve known better.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 90 stories

“The Path to Truth” by JM Daisy

“I Should've Known Better!” by Sarah Adewolu

“We Make Magic” by Daniel P. Douglas

“The Broken Mirror” by John Cardamone

“Mary” by Gary Gallant

“should have known better” by Kevin Charlton

“The Egyptian Wedding” by Joseph Hawke

“Imperfect Strangers ” by Daniel Shurmer

“The Man Upstairs” by Ian Craine

“Tied Up with a Bow” by Linda Crowley

“The Fourth Appointment” by Ryan Bigley

“Duel with a Devil at Sundown” by Will Tschirhart

“Seabreeze Cottage” by Tracy Wise

“An Unexpected Coffee Run” by Kathryn Cruz

“A Mother's Intentions” by Zachary Roybal

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who receives a gift or message that changes their life forever.

Center your story around a character spending their first holiday alone.

Center your story around an unexpected guest who changes a traditional get-together.

Set your story in a place where everything should be familiar to your character(s), but isn’t.

Contest #284

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

347

Contest entries

145

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: