Write a story with a big twist.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 16, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 189 stories

“You” by Elizabeth Hoban

🏆 Winner of Contest #260

We were death partners before we were friends. The day we met some 30 years ago, I was so pregnant with my first child, I resembled an over-stuffed sausage about to burst its casing. I’d forsaken style weeks earlier when my shoes no longer fit. I couldn’t even reach around my massive torso to shave my legs; limbs sporting enough hair to scrape clean a barbecue grill. You, on the other hand, had just wrapped-up an open-house and strode across my threshold for the first time, like a seasoned runway model. I’ll never forget your chic...

104 comments 104

Read story

“Chez Moi” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #260

3 May 2024Mon très cher ange Jeremy,Well, first of all, oh my goodness! It’s happening!Next week, I will be picking you up at the Gare du Nord. Then, in a month’s time, you and I will be marching to city hall --- 11 a.m., on the dot, precise as a timetable – so the mayor could officially wed us. (I know. It’s not very romantic, but yes, that’s the way things are done chez moi.). Of course, just a fortnight after, I can finally walk down a tulip-lined aisle towards your joyfully tearful hazel eyes at the ceremony we’ve planned to the minutest...

66 comments 66

Read story

“Pablo's Wisdom” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #260

It caught her eye, winked at her, made her fall in love. She just had to add it to her collection. Right there, on the modest table, among all the other market stands was the vase. A beautiful, ethereal pale green jade vase. She stopped, carefully, almost reverently lifted it off the table, felt its weight, held it up to the light and knew it was hers. Exploring, traveling, learning about cultures different from her own, attempting to master at least a few words of the language, as well as seeing the sights, comparing architectural styles an...

45 comments 45

Read story

“Interrupted” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #260

InterruptedHer eyes popped open. Someone had their lips on her mouth. Kissing her. Oka-ay. Kissing... She let her eyes drift shut to enjoy the sensation. It must be her mate. What? Wait. No! It can't be...She had the overwhelming need to cough. She couldn't help it. She coughed. Turned her head to the side and coughed and… Ew. That had to be a turn off! She spewed out even more. Poor fellow trying his best to make passionate love to her coming in again to close his mouth around hers just got spit on instead.He turned her towards him and patt...

43 comments 43

Read story

“Halloween Traditions” by Nicholas Thomas

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #260

“I bet you half a bag of candy I can do it again this year,” Levi boasted. Levi is my best friend; we’ve been best friends since our first year in elementary school, and we’re in sixth grade now. Since the third grade, it’s been our tradition to go out together for trick-or-treating on Halloween. No parents, no other friends, just the two of us, and Levi always finds a way to surprise me each year. &nb...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Behind the wall ” by Daria Ionescu

Submitted to Contest #260

THE WALL Act 1. The StudioThe reality was, I had never seen him face to face. This aggravated the situation with the police because I was the one who made the initial statement. I must have sounded phantasmagorical because their faces remained still and in full disbelief when I actually failed to provide a physical description to link the criminal with the deed. I can still recall that particular moment when I was asked to provide more details about his appearance and justify his existence. I was, in all reality, unable to do so. I was, how...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Reality is Relative” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #260

Something terrible, Tina James knew, had happened because her heart raced, and she could barely breathe, but she couldn’t remember what, the last few hours had blurred in her mind. She stared across the counter at the woman in the green uniform and tried to remember how she got here, to this horrible little place, with the blazing lights and the noise. “What’s your boy’s name?” The woman in the uniform asked.“My boy?” Tina blinked, the bright lobby had too many colors and too many sounds. It felt like a ni...

19 comments 19

Read story

“The Musical Mystery of Wormroth, Maine” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #260

The story might seem small and whimsical in the re-telling, but that does the people of Wormroth, Maine, a disservice, because it has been a harrowing few weeks and there is a palpable sense of relief in town, now that the mystery of Rankin’s midnight music has been solved. I ask the reader to suspend judgment and show some sympathy for the actors and brace yourself for a sad denouement.True though, Wormroth is a small and isolated town where not very much happens, and the locals do therefore tend to blow small things out of propo...

30 comments 30

Read story

“The Reaper” by Alice Cook

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #260

Sebastian hated the forest. Something fell into his hair from a branch above, and he leaned over and frantically shook it out. No. Hate wasn’t a strong enough word. He loathed the forest. Even his love for his little girl might not be enough to keep him there much longer. “Rufus!” Stupid dog. “Come here, you mangy mutt.”He should have bought her that hamster last year when she’d asked for it. Hamsters didn’t run off into dark, dank forests right before the game came on. And hamsters were interchangeable enough that if one did, he could ...

15 comments 15

Read story

“A Gift of Air” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #260

Miracle. Noun. An event regarded as impossible, attributed to luck or an act of God. A wonder.I was never a gambler. If anything, I was full of doubt, which had led me to miss out on many an opportunity. The women I had a crush upon ended up in the arms of men I considered better than me, the prizes I coveted ended up on the shelves of those I considered smarter than me. I even passed up a few jobs that could have opened doors to higher positions of higher pay, all because I never saw myself as ready to take on such responsibilities.There we...

29 comments 29

Read story

“The Unexpected Turn” by Terri Morgan

Submitted to Contest #260

Lucy shifted in her seat. The soporific movement of the vehicle on the road had sent her off to sleep. She half opened her eyes and peered out the window. “Five more minutes, Lucy, nearly there,” said Bob.They were on their way to Three Forks Trailhead, part of the Appalachian Trail. It was only a short two-mile in and out track but it led to a spectacular waterfall called Long Creek Falls. They were following Forest Road 58 to a place they’d been to a few times since moving to the area last winter. It was now spring, and the landscape was c...

6 comments 6

Read story

“The Rockwell Piece: A Tale of the Arts Department” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #260

1961Rockwell straightened on his stool with a slight squeak of the loose bolt, swiping a Crisco-tempered crumb from his white cotton shirt and grinning like the pie had been catfish and Wonder Bread from the Galilean shores. He consulted the Nehi clock above the flattop.“Ah, well,” Rockwell sighed, with euphoric alacrity.The gangly owner was at his elbow in a lickety second, spidery palms spread on the scarred formica before the diner, sweat and alarm condensing on his homely mug. “Something wrong with the pie, Sir? Danged Linda has a heavy ...

23 comments 23

Read story

“The Blotting” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #260

Tammy's blank, featureless gaze perfectly matched the slip of paper before her. She stared at the whiteness and held the stubby number two pencil loosely as she considered a name to write down, a name that could be blotted from the town forever.Behind her, a long line of murmuring, gossiping townsfolk shifted around uneasily. The small voting booth, with its thick cotton curtain, felt stifling and cramped. She had spent several weeks pondering who she would vote for, and a few times she had even felt good about her selection, but this was he...

15 comments 15

Read story

“The Lesson” by TE Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #260

Teacher: It is time. Are you ready to begin? Student: Yes, Master.Teacher: And are you prepared?Student: Yes, Master.Teacher: Very good. Today we will continue our lesson covering the history of the 21st century under the ancient calendar of pre-modern civilization.Student: Yes, Master. Further discussion of The Children of Madness!Teacher: That is not an accepted scholarly term. And please remove that facsimile of a smile from your face. You are here to learn. There will be time for play later.Student: Yes, Master.Teacher. Very go...

19 comments 19

Read story

“The Frost's Embrace” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #260

Pine trees reached high above her, their branches heavy with the weight of fresh snowfall. The world around her was a silent expanse of white save for the trees, the air crisp and biting. Yelena’s breath formed small clouds before her as she stopped a moment, suddenly unsure of which way she was headed. She slumped against a nearby trunk, weary. Cold was seeping into her fingers, into her bones. She struggled to move her fingers, her hands clumsy and uncooperative. Her body betrayed her, and then she was angry at the cold for sapping he...

7 comments 7

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Mystery – 63 stories

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Character – 31 stories

Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Dialogue – 42 stories

Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Narrative – 107 stories

Contest #260

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: A Twist in the Tale

$250

Prize money

432

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 26, 2024 EST

Won by Elizabeth Hoban 🏆

Title: You

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story with a big twist.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 189 stories

“You” by Elizabeth Hoban

“Chez Moi” by Alexis Araneta

“Pablo's Wisdom” by Trudy Jas

“Interrupted” by Mary Bendickson

“Halloween Traditions” by Nicholas Thomas

“Behind the wall ” by Daria Ionescu

“Reality is Relative” by Marty B

“The Musical Mystery of Wormroth, Maine” by Luca King Greek

“The Reaper” by Alice Cook

“A Gift of Air” by Steffen Lettau

“The Unexpected Turn” by Terri Morgan

“The Rockwell Piece: A Tale of the Arts Department” by Martin Ross

“The Blotting” by Brian Haddad

“The Lesson” by TE Wetzel

“The Frost's Embrace” by W. H. Goodwater

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Contest #260

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

432

Contest entries

133

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: