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

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 27, 2024

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✍️ 65 stories

“Double Dose of Christmas Magic ” by Molly Mcguigan

Submitted to Contest #283

**Mention of pregnancy loss** Snowflakes swirled in lazy loops, sticking to the windshield as the car heater worked overtime to keep the chill at bay. Mia sat quietly, her hands twisting the zipper on her coat. Bing Crosby’s smooth voice filled the car, singing about dreaming of a white Christmas, but it barely registered over the nervous energy humming between her and Ben.“Hey,” Ben said, his hand finding hers and squeezing gently. “It’s going to be okay.”Mia gave him a small, tight smile, but her stomach was in knots. The houses they passe...

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“A Savior is Born” by Riley Noel

Submitted to Contest #283

Surrounding them were decorations of all kinds. The silver-suited nutcrackers reminded Roger of his grandfather's quartet. He wished Delilah had had a chance to meet him, and hear them sing the Montana Hop. The Silver Foxes almost made it to the Barbershop Quartet Championship one year. Roger also wished he had a close knit group like his grandfather, close enough to form a quartet even. Not that he would, or that he was a very good singer.Looking across the dimly lit table Roger's eyes’ pupils dilated as they fell upon Delilah, the love of ...

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“Banshee” by Laura Shell

Submitted to Contest #283

The soft cushions of the leather couch cradled Kim's sweaty body. Her vision was fuzzy and dark, like looking through smudged sunglasses. She blinked rapidly, hoping to remedy her skewed sight.Then she heard voices: male and female."Yes, I did call 911.""She needs to get better mascara.""There's no way that was mascara."Kim recognized those voices. She must be on the couch in her office. But why?"Well, what could it have been?""Never heard anyone scream like that before.""I know! It was unnatural.""She must have had some kind of seizur...

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“Life in Friendship” by Kristina Hopper

Submitted to Contest #283

The grass was unkept. Random piles of debris littered the driveway. Half-open cardboard boxes. Overspilled containers of dog food. Worn down cigarette butts. The mailbox was tilting to the side; the door half open and overflowing with brown envelopes. The entire house was reminiscent of any living state. Walter Totten navigated his way through the devastation and knocked on the front door. He heard a dog barking behind it. Then silence. Walter knocked again. The dog began barking once more. This time, he heard a rattle, and the door opened. ...

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“Red Handed” by Debra Demars

Submitted to Contest #283

I was all alone in the apartment for the very first time. Jim was gone. He had been laid to rest just three days ago. My older sister and her husband had stayed with me the entire time. Now they were both gone.They had jobs and two small kids to return to, so they could not stay any longer. Jim's funeral had been small. Exactly the way he had wanted it. Both of us had lost our parents over the years, and all I had left was my older sister. We both came from small families to begin with. That was something that when we first met, we had in co...

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“Queen Snake” by Chuck Thompson

Submitted to Contest #283

Have you ever looked a rattlesnake in the eyes? Have you ever stood and realized the rattlesnake was upright looking you in the eye? Have you ever been so close to a rattler that you can hear it breathe? Do those images make you want to pee and flee? I live in desert country, have all my life. On hikes or walks through the land, I’ve met just about every kind of desert creature. Only one scares me every time: rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes come in a variety of colors: green, blue, brown, black with silver diamonds,...

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“The Magazine” by Elize Van Zyl

Submitted to Contest #283

Lincoln Eldridge Lopez."What a man." Liliana sighs dreamily and her twin brother rolls his eyes in contempt. He reaches over to tug at the magazine gripped tightly between her hands and Liliana whines. She struggles for a few seconds before begrudgingly releasing it."Behave." Lorenzo eyes her pointedly and her hands lift into a sign of surrender. "We need to get to father's event before Melanie calls and chastises us." His words carry humor, but they both know how accurate his concerns are. She looks between him and the Magazine of the best ...

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“The Call” by Kassie O’Brien

Submitted to Contest #283

2:13 The first ring started Luke awake, jolting up right with his heart pounding as the second ring came through. Bleary-eyed, he glanced at the clock. 2:13 AM. “Who would call at this hour?” Luke groaned under his breath as he reached for his phone that lay beside him on his nightstand charging. ”Hello?” Luke answered without checking the caller ID. The caller with no hesitation avowed, “Luke, listen carefully. This is you. From the future.” Luke blinked, swinging his legs off the side of his bed and ran his hand through h...

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“Welcome To Florida Young Man” by James Plante

Submitted to Contest #283

Welcome To Florida Young ManBy Jim Plante Lake Worth, Florida, sits just west of Boca Ratan and right next door to West Palm Beach. My cousin’s condo was about two or three miles inland from the ocean, but you could still smell the beach everywhere. It was also pretty warm there compared to New England, where I lived and just flown in from. There was hardly a job to be found in the northeast in the late 1980s. Wintertime made the job market even worse, so I decided to take up my cousin’s job offer to work with him at the construction company...

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“Pog the Frog” by David Neumaier

Submitted to Contest #283

Once there was a frog, who said his name was Pog. Pog the frog did all the typical things that frogs do, of course: Pog the frog slept on a log in a bog among the fog and smog. Just simple frog things for frogs to do. Pog would hop and jump and leap and any other synonym of the word that you could imagine. Except perhaps fly, let’s not take that one literally. Then, one day, as Pog the frog sat on his bobbing log in the bog awaiting a quick snack that any frog would enjoy, a gnat or fly perhaps, he saw something strange See frogs in bogs hav...

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“LORDS, LADIES AND LIFEBOATS” by Chuck Suave

Submitted to Contest #283

“Quintin! Quintin! we have to be aboard that ship!” “Whatever are you on about Tristin old boy?” “The Titanic!” Tristin replied. The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Harland & Wolff. It would sail from Southampton, England to New York City, United States Of America. As well as being the biggest and most luxurious ship then, it was also said to be unsinkable. She was due to leave Southampton on April 10th, 1912, for its maiden voyage. The Aristocracy and ‘well-to-do’ people would be on board. They all loved ‘getting one ...

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“From Santa” by Maddie McLeod

Submitted to Contest #283

I’m just not really sure what else you want from me. Haven’t you taken enough now? Haven’t I given enough–more than enough–to satisfy your urges? To appease the way your moods swing like blizzard winds blow through Christmas lights on the rooftop of childhood innocence and goodwill towards all? I couldn’t touch a present for years, always afraid of what attached ribbons and hidden clauses might be wrapped up and called love. Care. Cherishment. The saintly nature of those around me ever since taints all their plates of goodies, their stamped...

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“Sooner, or later?” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

Submitted to Contest #283

'Help me fix this,' Stan thought.Stan tried to unlock the lock with the rusty key.The hinges were rusty too.The trunk opened with a creaking sound.He uncovered a picture of him and Stephanie, taken 12 years ago. "Go get her, dad," Leah said, hushed. Stan walked to the graveyard, pausing for a while before he started walking with renewed vigour. Till he reached the hospital. The doctor was getting Stephanie ready for dialysis. End stage renal disease. But that was not all. Stephanie had Alzheimer's. "Ah, Stan," she said tearfully. "How co...

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“An Eternal Statement” by Jerry Jamison

Submitted to Contest #283

An Eternal Statement “Fabric, Miss Collingsworth. It always comes down to fabric so the selection of the right one is paramount. All of my most influential and fashionable customers—the grande dames as I refer to them—appreciate our vast array of fabrics here at Haverly & Moss. Of course we search the world for only the finest textiles and textures so that our refined and demanding clientele are presented with only the most exclusive options. “We have been, after all, described by The New Yorker, as creating ‘the standard for all ...

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“The Ultimate Sentence” by Katherine Memoli

Submitted to Contest #283

Caroline walked out of the office, her body was completely racked with exhaustion but her mind was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming four day holiday weekend. Tonight, would start things off with a night all to herself. Her daughter, Dottie, was having a sleepover with her grandparents and her boyfriend Jackson was having a night out with the guys. She was thrilled to have a night all alone to just rest and relax. As soon as she got i...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 65 stories

“Double Dose of Christmas Magic ” by Molly Mcguigan

“A Savior is Born” by Riley Noel

“Banshee” by Laura Shell

“Life in Friendship” by Kristina Hopper

“Red Handed” by Debra Demars

“Queen Snake” by Chuck Thompson

“The Magazine” by Elize Van Zyl

“The Call” by Kassie O’Brien

“Welcome To Florida Young Man” by James Plante

“Pog the Frog” by David Neumaier

“LORDS, LADIES AND LIFEBOATS” by Chuck Suave

“From Santa” by Maddie McLeod

“Sooner, or later?” by Priyanjali Bhattacharyya

“An Eternal Statement” by Jerry Jamison

“The Ultimate Sentence” by Katherine Memoli

🌟 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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