Write a story where someone who has done something wrong seeks a fresh start.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 20, 2024

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✍️ 27 stories

“Venture” by James Scott

🏆 Winner of Contest #282

Cade steadied his horse with a squeeze of both knees, keeping her dancing legs in check and protecting the dusty mounds below from wayward hooves. The four lines of raised dirt sheltered the still-warm bodies of his dead friends. The new mount had a sure spirit, along with an insatiable lust for speed, but she would have to wait a few moments longer before indulging in the open road. Black spots peppering her stark, white hide made the beast the most beautiful he had ever owned, but also the least likely to go unnoticed. She would have to be...

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“Cancel Me Softly” by Mary Butler

Submitted to Contest #282

An influencer going Amish is like a fish trying to live on land. Sure, you can flop around for a while, but eventually, the lack of Wi-Fi will kill you. How did I end up here, you ask? Well… I wake up to 3,000 notifications. Normally, that’s champagne-popping territory—viral content, ad deals rolling in, and enough dopamine to light up Times Square. Today? Not so much. By the time I scroll past the meme of my face photoshopped onto a cockroach, it’s painfully clear: Brynn Starr isn’t trending. I am canceled. What killed me? A leaked vid...

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“Second Fair Chance” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #282

Second Fair Chance “Lord Farnsworth, thank you so much for inviting me to dinner. I want to apologize for anything I did to create tension between us and let you know how grateful I am to have this second chance to make a better impression.”“Well, Sir Fenwick, be assured if I didn't cherish my daughter, Charity, so much you would never get another opportunity to make appeasement. She begged me to reconsider my dismissal of your attentions toward her. She is very taken with you so you must not be all that horrible. Maybe a little misguided wh...

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“Before The Clock Strikes Thirteen” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #282

***CW: Mental health issues, attempted suicide, hints of childhood abuse... The final (5th) part of my Talk of The Devil series. Again, also a standalone piece written solely in dialogue***Sue… Sue… It’s me, Moll… Remember…?Go away.Oh, don’t be like that. I’m your friend. I just want to talk to you.Friend without the ‘r’. ‘I’ before evil…A fiend? Is that how you see me?Red devil… Horns and pitchfork… Tail… And that’s the story. Non-fiction... Your children knew, they drew the picture…That was a long time ago, Sue…Not so long… So long!But you...

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“Almost ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #282

“Next.” The clerk behind the desk calls out. I am next, but I have no idea where I am. I wish my alarm clock would go off and wake me up from this disturbing dream I am having. Tilting my head, I walk up to the clerk behind the counter. I hear someone scream. “Name.” She says without looking up. Another scream. “Elias Grundle.” I answer as I try to locate the source of the scream. “Yes.” She opens a thick ledger and uses her finger to scan down the page. “Where exactly am I?” I ask as she continues to scan the next...

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“REVOLUTION” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #282

November 1891 Beryozovsky District Anatoly Isayevich Bulgakov awoke from the deepest sleep he had managed since he and his partner, Lev, had set up camp, six arduous months previously, in this mining settlement, two hundred and fifty miles from their homes in the mountainous Urals. He could tell immediately that it had snowed again from the dark shadows on the canvas roof of their tent, the iciness infiltrating the interior and causing him to shiver involuntarily. His head was pounding furiously and he struggled to concentrate; his...

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“THE BITTER TYPEWRITER” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #282

Milo Rydell had always believed in the power of words and his unparalleled talent for misusing them.So, when the ancient typewriter arrived on his doorstep, wrapped in paper that looked suspiciously like a foreclosure notice, he thought, Finally, the universe recognizes my genius. Sure, it smelled like moldy books and bad decisions, but who cared? Great art often started with questionable origins. He signed for the package without hesitation, ignoring the delivery man's muttered warning:"Return policy's a bit... complicated."Milo didn't both...

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“For the Love of Amelia” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #282

Ian Cognito takes a deep breath.A sleepy-eyed teen with pink hair dispassionately says, “Welcome to Cross River’s Taco Palace. It’s Taco Tuesday…What can I get you?”His hand shaking, Ian reaches into his jacket, producing an ancient revolver.“You can get me all of your money!”“You’re sure you don’t want our Super Senor Special?”“The only thing I’m hungry for right now is money.”“Okay, have it your way,” the girl replies, opening the cash register.“Isn’t that Burger King’s slogan?”“Are you a criminal or the fast-food police?”“I’m not a crimin...

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“We're All Running From Something” by Markus Byrd

Submitted to Contest #282

I lazily pushed through the two consecutive steel doors of the diner, each handle getting more sticky as the staff had probably given up on sanitizing after every nasty four year-old’s palm gripped the handle. Making my way in, I could see that the lively atmosphere shown from the outside was nothing more than a grim facade. It was getting close to four in the morning and most of, if not all of the regular traffic had shuffled out at this point. I wanted to just push through the whole night if I could help it, but the bags under my eyes had ...

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“In The Pastor's Care ” by Molly Mcguigan

Submitted to Contest #282

**This story contains descriptions of violence** Franklin Wyatt had a voice that made people lean in, a voice you’d trust to guide you through a storm. In the sleepy town of Crosshaven, sometime in the mid-1980s, Franklin was more than a pastor. He was a caretaker for the foster kids no one else could handle and a fixture at every town potluck. People saw Franklin as a quiet man with an unshakable sense of purpose. No one would’ve guessed he was running from a past darker than any storm cloud.Years ago, Franklin had done the unthinkable. He’...

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“William” by D'Spencer Luyao

Submitted to Contest #282

WILLIAM Garrett Barron Jr.—headed northbound on Oak Way. It was the blinding hour, and the sun slotted through the police car’s windows at an angle that perfectly struck Gimmick’s eyes. He felt hungover, still, but maybe it was withdrawal. Withdrawal made him sound like an alcoholic, and Gimmick had never liked the sound of that word. He didn’t quite like the sound of his own name either, and he guessed maybe that was the same sort of deal. They had taken Ollie—that was the man’s name—out of the...

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“Closer” by Oliver Gray

Submitted to Contest #282

(CONTENT WARNING: Language and acts of violence) Closer Tommy stopped mid-bite when he saw the grizzled hand pop up. He stared, watched the coach emerge in segments. The arm first. Then the head, complete with the team’s iconic blue hat perched atop a head of thinning, graying hair. Next came the shoulders, narrower now than they’d been in the man’s prime, slumping and rounded. Then the rest of the coach, in his pristine team uniform with the large, blocked numbers hanging on his crooked back. &...

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“And Now You're Dead and Going to Hell” by Natalie Meador

Submitted to Contest #282

“W—where am I?” It was dark, so dark she couldn’t see an inch in front of her face. She tried to move, but… She couldn’t move…she couldn’t feel…not her feet on the ground, not her ass in a chair, not her hair on her shoulders…or even the temperature of the air on her skin. She tried to speak but had no sensation of lips to move or articulate. “But ...

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“She's Real Fine” by James Barrett

Submitted to Contest #282

It was a hot summer night several years ago in Fort Lee, New Jersey. If you’ve never been there, it’s a town straight out of The Sopranos. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had too many beers. I shouldn’t have been driving. That’s not an excuse, just an explanation. Ralphie shouldn’t have challenged me in the first place, but he did. I was running my mouth about my new Mustang, and I guess it rubbed Ralphie the wrong way. Ralphie said his three-year-old Chevy 409 Super Sport Impala would blow the doors off my new Mustang. As usual, Call...

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“To Whom Shall We Go” by Henry Ramos Acosta

Submitted to Contest #282

“I hope that there is not an eternity. It would be too much to bear. My life is fine with what I have here, what more can I ask for? My bathroom floors are heated. My car self drives. I order my food through an application on my phone. I keep family time to a minimum, only visiting the ones I approve of. I’m busy. I’m incredibly busy. There’s a lot I have to do on this earth, I make sure to make time for my friends and for the activities that give me joy. I eat three square meals a day and exercise regularly. I wake up at the same time every...

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Title: Venture

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Write a story where someone who has done something wrong seeks a fresh start.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 27 stories

“Venture” by James Scott

“Cancel Me Softly” by Mary Butler

“Second Fair Chance” by Mary Bendickson

“Before The Clock Strikes Thirteen” by Carol Stewart

“Almost ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“REVOLUTION” by Charles Corkery

“THE BITTER TYPEWRITER” by Darvico Ulmeli

“For the Love of Amelia” by Michael Jefferson

“We're All Running From Something” by Markus Byrd

“In The Pastor's Care ” by Molly Mcguigan

“William” by D'Spencer Luyao

“Closer” by Oliver Gray

“And Now You're Dead and Going to Hell” by Natalie Meador

“She's Real Fine” by James Barrett

“To Whom Shall We Go” by Henry Ramos Acosta

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins with an apology.

Write a story where a character relives the same event over and over again.

Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

Contest #282

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

267

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: