Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 27, 2024

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✍️ 65 stories

“Elaine Version 2” by Jo Freitag

Submitted to Contest #283

Elaine the Fair, Elaine the Lovely, the Lily Maid of Astolat had taken the opportunity to make her escape from the tragic tale of her unrequited love of Sir Lancelot du Lac.She was now choosing her own adventure as The Lady Charlotte Elaine of Shalott, entrepreneur owner of Charlotte’s Web Weaving. Elaine found that life in the studio apartment of Shalott Tower was not as she had imagined it would be.She realised that, in order to finance the upkeep of the place, she would need to weave steadily day and night, leaving her no time for so...

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“Inspiration in the Park” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #283

The wooded area in the local park was my favourite place to go to when I was but a lad, living a short walk away. I spent many hours on my own there, but I did not for a second feel that I was alone. I felt welcomed there every time. The trees were my best friends, particularly the cluster of cedars. In fact it was a place that gave me confidence in myself. When I was ten years old, I felt the attraction of becoming a writer. No one knew that I had that feeling, certainly not any family members or friends. And ...

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“Shaping the Future. ” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #283

Yes, love makes the world go round. This was a thought Cosmic Mystic Elke told herself more than once, as she was enjoying this romantic stage of her new world. She and Big Al Grayson went on proudly defying their Christian parental influences, by continuing to have sleepovers with each other. To be sure, after Big Al had invited New Age Cosmic Elke to turn back to God in his more liberal minded church, she had accepted that in all her days, Jesus had always close at hand. That thought had stood her in good stead when Big Al's tall but rigid...

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“NO JOY, NO LOVE” by Susan Nash

Submitted to Contest #283

I could not believe what I was hearing. At this stage, the story relayed to me by my co-workers was second hand. They were, after all, writers, blessed with an imagination. The story, in all probability, could have been at this point sensationalized or even fictionalized before it reached my ears. So, I was more than certain nothing of what I was hearing could have really happened. The story relayed to me by my co-workers was that Hydra Dells, my best friend and confidant was alive and well and back with her husband. But my best friend and c...

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“A Home To You and Me” by Lola Palooza

Submitted to Contest #283

There was a certain delight to be found within the walls of a disreputable bar. The peanut-ridden floor, the dirty cigarette smell, the homeless regulars sleeping in the corners, all of Gregory’s bar’s charms held an unmistakable allure that pulled in the group of friends who visited the establishment regularly. Blonde Anna Louise, red-eyed Jeremy, brunette Lee, and the freckled Oliver, though just barely above the legal drinking age, had found themselves in the same cushioned booth on the same Saturday night for the past few years–yes, ille...

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“Haunting Guilt” by Miller George

Submitted to Contest #283

Helen trembled as she placed her cell phone after hanging up abruptly. She tried to collect the thoughts swirling in her brain faster than a category-five hurricane off the coast of Florida. With a heavy heart, she paced the room, her mind racing with questions and doubts that consumed her. Suddenly, the missed calls, the late texts, and the unexplained absences made sense. Bubbles, her cat, sensing the switch in her mood, came to the rescue, but she couldn't see or hear him meowing. Shock, fear, pain, and sadness took over all her senses. A...

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“My Dream Come True” by Zoe Noel

Submitted to Contest #283

*This story contains sensitive content regarding the events of September 11th, 2001. "I wasn't expecting that!" ---the first line of dialogue I read in what must have been the quadrillionth book I picked up that morning. "Are you sure I can't help you find something?" "Oh...no thank you! I'm fine!" I assured the eager bookstore clerk. It was my new Saturday practice to go out for a coffee ---light and sweet with stevia and oat milk. After getting the bougie coffee, I went hunting for a copy of The Hitchhikers Guide to th...

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“The Unexpected Path” by Justine Van Der Linde

Submitted to Contest #283

The Unexpected PathIt was a crisp autumn evening when Emma first stumbled upon the hidden path. She had always loved the forest behind her grandmother’s house, the towering trees and rustling leaves offering a sense of calm she could never quite find in the city. As a child, she would wander the familiar trails, but after her grandmother’s passing, the woods had become a place of melancholy, a reminder of her loss.This evening, however, something felt different. A soft breeze carried the earthy scent of pine, and the sun, low on the horizon,...

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“Red Velvet Cake” by Amy Nunnelly Kokeš

Submitted to Contest #283

A bouquet of rotting wildflowers sits stiffly on the windowsill. Rigor Mortis has set in. To merely touch the dried leaves would be like taking a hammer to glass or tapping a fingernail against a pyramid of playing cards. Helen, feeling cool from the open window, wraps an afghan snugly across her body. Granny made this. The cacophony of patrons exiting a restaurant from the street below interrupts Helen’s thoughts. She stares blankly outside, barely cognizant of the maple leaves flying effortlessly in the air and splotching the clear blue sk...

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“For once in my life, let me get what I want.” by TyJheir Shipman

Submitted to Contest #283

I was expecting this Christmas to feel joyous, at least compared to the ones that came before. Last year, Jacob’s snowboarding accident at the lodge was a major stinker. Then the year before, when Mom got really sick while Dad totaled the car against a telephone pole. Bad years, both of them. But bad things, they’ve always followed us, haven’t they? Like the night you finally got that invitation to basketball camp, only to find the car’s tires slashed the same evening. Or when we spent five whole days plotting out your homecoming proposal to...

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“Standing at the Intersection of Life's Plans” by Rachel Kinney

Submitted to Contest #283

*Contains talk of health issues* "I wasn't expecting that." "I know, I am sorry to give you this news, especially under....” he releases a heavy sigh, “these circumstances." I nod. My eyes sting, my throat constricts, this is it. I am going to cry. I have not cried in seven years, and I am finally going to cry sitting in a doctor's office with the Doctor I found after hours of googling "coupons for doctors near me" only to realize there are no coupons for doctors. "I... I'm sorry I don't understand. I just came in here a few weeks ago ...

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“Mister Know-it-all” by Jim Norton

Submitted to Contest #283

Mr. Know-it-all“I wasn't expecting that!” And it almost cost me my job!Some stuff you need to know before I tell you how “that” happened. I was 29 years old. I got my bachelor's degree in English education from New Jersey State College. I had been teaching for four years in Hackettstown High School, New Jersey—seniors. I know everything there is to know about teaching seniors in public high schools! Don't give me diagramming of sentences, nor did we have 25 vocabulary words every week— but I did demand my students learn how to write a ...

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“Grandma's Chair” by Madelyn Bush

Submitted to Contest #283

I stare at Grandma’s chair, memorizing the shades of maroon and gold that work into a dark green, all swirling and turning into a paisley-like pattern. The floorboard beneath the chair has worn down from the chair’s feet scraping as my grandma would move it an inch or so at a time as she sat and stood. My parents bought her the chair when she lived with them, before she moved to Ohio to take care of her disabled sister. None of us wanted her to go. That was 8...

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“Early Riser” by John Nørgaard

Submitted to Contest #283

I wasn't expecting that. How quickly things change. The morning's rising sun was barely cresting white when my eyes cracked open, I rustled myself haughty up. There was no doubt in me what I wanted. The wood smell of the old cottage permeated deep in the bunk beds. Black metal bunks and old wood beds stacked one over the other lined the walls. Old linens, that had been washed time and time over were pulled loose over myself and the snoring silhouettes. My sleeping family members slept peacefully all around; their eyes shut with the affirmity...

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“Lulu and the Complaints of the White Oak Tree” by Annie Chibesakunda

Submitted to Contest #283

It was Christmas time, but the snow was taking an awful long time to fall in Lulu’s region. The ground was dry as if it had been turned to stone—like a punishment for the devil's tempting ways in the desert. The sky was a cold blue, allowing the sun to shine on the earth while freezing its rays. The birds had all flown south, leaving no life visible in the sky. The bold eagles were probably nesting nearby, but one day, when Lulu looked up, the size of the empty sky overwhelmed her, dwarfing even the majestic eagles. The trees stood nak...

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Write a story with the line “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 65 stories

“Elaine Version 2” by Jo Freitag

“Inspiration in the Park” by John Steckley

“Shaping the Future. ” by Julie Grenness

“NO JOY, NO LOVE” by Susan Nash

“A Home To You and Me” by Lola Palooza

“Haunting Guilt” by Miller George

“My Dream Come True” by Zoe Noel

“The Unexpected Path” by Justine Van Der Linde

“Red Velvet Cake” by Amy Nunnelly Kokeš

“For once in my life, let me get what I want.” by TyJheir Shipman

“Standing at the Intersection of Life's Plans” by Rachel Kinney

“Mister Know-it-all” by Jim Norton

“Grandma's Chair” by Madelyn Bush

“Early Riser” by John Nørgaard

“Lulu and the Complaints of the White Oak Tree” by Annie Chibesakunda

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that ends with a huge twist.

Write a story about two characters who surprisingly end up spending a holiday or event together.

Write a story about someone’s first Christmas after a major life change.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — except your character can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

Contest #283

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

293

Contest entries

123

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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