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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story with the line “You never know a good thing until it’s gone.”

Posted in Dramatic on Jan 17, 2025

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✍️ 43 stories

“The Weight Of Regret” by Adah Cole

Submitted to Contest #286

In the quiet town of Maplewood, nestled between rolling hills and lush forests, the sun bathed the streets in a warm golden hue. It was a town that moved at a gentle pace, where life unfolded like the pages of a well-loved book, and everyone knew each other's names. For Emily Carter, a high school English teacher, this was home — a sanctuary filled with memories of her childhood and dreams of an inspiring future. Emily was an idealistic woman with an unwavering passion for literature and a heart that overflowed with kindness. She spent her d...

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“Adeline and the Opal Pendant ” by Molly Sickle

Submitted to Contest #286

In the alleyway just outside the Gernard, Ida leaned against the wide, two storied building standing low in the belly of towering skyscrapers. The sun had all but set, leaving a residue of heavy blues and grays to blanket the city between scattered rain. She took one last steadying puff of her cigarette before flicking it away.The industrial back door she propped herself up next to heaved open, revealing her coworker, Adam. He pushed past the weighted door and limply fell against it, eyes closed. A hollow sigh escaped him. With folded a...

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“When Night Again Meets Day on Equal Terms” by Ian Craine

Submitted to Contest #286

TILL NIGHT AGAIN MEETS DAY ON EQUAL TERMS On those days the water returned. It bounced and flowed across the wild grasses. It pounded the old stone wall. Spume and spray rose into the air. The grassy twiggy abodes of the nesting birds were washed away, and the rats were swept under the promenade to enter the piping and the inner runnels of the old houses. That night I looked across the water to the dim lights of Bagillt, far away and crouching on the shoreline. Now a man could swim all the way to Wales. It happened twice a year. I turned bac...

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“5 x 5?” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #286

1.     Patricia and the schoolyard:I first saw her at Our Lady of Perpetual Agony when we were both about begin grade one. Ms. Pappercock was a kind lady, and she looked upon me with some favour when she saw how well I could keep my handwriting within the lines of the notebooks she handed out. And that might have been the reason why she put Patricia next to me in the classroom after the first month passed. A lot of people thought this was odd, but I remembered that she organized the class according to the grades we r...

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“Suspect, and Not” by India Mote

Submitted to Contest #286

WARNINGTHIS CONTAINS SUICIDE, GORE, MENTIONS OF DRUGS, AND DEATHIF IT WOULD BE TRIGGERING, PLEASE DO NOT READJess knew that something was wrong the minute she walked into the house. The stench was awful, smelling of rot and death. She saw the limp body lying on the floor, blood pooling around it. All the 911 responder heard was a shaking voice, saying, "He's gone. I couldn't save him in time."Jess held onto the body of her father, the one person she cared about, not caring that the blood soaked her clothes. Not caring that her nose was screa...

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“Icelandic Dilemma” by Luigi Conte

Submitted to Contest #286

[Death and Dilemma of Psychology]The Psychology of Yes and NoJuan and Ava arrived at Ava’s apartment. They entered in the middle of a conversation that never seemed to end about Diamond Beach, a place in Iceland where Ava was going with or without Juan. Soon. “Ava, you’ve discussed Diamond Beach for the past year; it’s not the right time to visit,” Juan said.Juan, a mama’s boy, couldn’t believe his adventurous Spanish girlfriend Ava was planning to visit Iceland’s Diamond Beach without him. She pushed him away. It’s unsafe for you ...

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“THE ALCHEMIST'S SECRET ” by Maria Barrett

Submitted to Contest #286

The flickering candlelight cast long, dancing shadows across the alchemist's workshop. Elias, his brow furrowed in concentration, meticulously ground a rare moonstone into a fine powder. His hands, gnarled with age, moved with practiced grace, each movement a testament to years of dedicated study. "Almost there," he muttered to himself, his voice a low, gravelly sound. "Soon, the elixir will be complete." Elias wasn't your typical alchemist. He wasn't obsessed with transmuting lead into gold or conjuring fleeting illusions. His passion lay i...

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“How to Be Happy (In Spite of Yourself)” by L.E. Harrison

Submitted to Contest #286

DAY 1: “The landlord said we only have seven days to get Dad’s stuff out,” I told them after I hung up the phone. “Then he’s going to change the locks and send it all to the auction house.” “He can’t do that!” Becky protested from her seat at the kitchen table. The middle-aged woman’s hang-dog expression was not due to the dismal news I had just imparted. Nor did it have anything to do with the fucked up situation we were navigating at the moment. Becky always looked as though she was about to burst into tears while pleading for mercy from ...

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“The Knowledge of Good and Evil” by E.M. O'Hair

Submitted to Contest #286

Trigger warning: Physical violence, gore“Here. It’s all in there,” Howard handed me a padded manila envelope. I opened the flap and checked that every document was enclosed.Before I could leave he grabbed my arm. “Be careful. After all, if he’s bold enough to demand this of you, we don’t know what else he’s capable of,” he said, voice trembling.“Yeah,” I swallowed and strolled into the night, letting the screen door slam behind me.There was genuine worry on his face. It was comical, really. First, because I knew exactly what Rex was capable ...

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“The Wisdom Of Wagging Tails” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #286

I’ve always believed that life’s big lessons come in small, unassuming packages. For me, it was a terrier named Blaze. If you’d seen him, you’d think he was nothing special—an old dog with a fading wiry coat, a belly too round for his lanky frame, and a knack for sneaking table scraps. But to me, he was the best companion I could’ve ever asked for. At least, that’s what I’ve come to understand now. Funny how hindsight sharpens the picture.When Blaze first came into my life, I was seventeen and full of ideas about how the world should work. M...

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“"Deep Nostalgia" ” by Carolene Hewitt

Submitted to Contest #286

I sat in the pew as sorrow washed over my soul like rain pouring from a rooftop. Many thoughts swirled through my mind. I grasped at memories that gave me comfort. I did not feel a part of it, I knew I did not really belong here, but here I was, wondering, pondering, scrambling in my mind for answers to the why and how I ended up at this place. I closed my eyes, and there I was, surrounded by familiar faces and things. I felt a deep sense of joy and peace as I clapped and sang in an atmosphere of fellowship and warmth.It was a time in my lif...

3 comments 3
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“Nobody Knows Me” by Summer Austin

Submitted to Contest #286

"Bitch!" I slammed the receiver down hard. I was not going to make the train. Grabbing my coat, I ran out the door. My mom would not drive me to the train station so I'd have to take the bus.All along, I knew the truth. It made me sad but I had no choice but to move on. Behind my back, all this time. Boy I was delusional and they hid it well.New horizons were in my future, though, and that made me happy. Whew, finally done. After 3 years of filth, I was free. Now I was climbing into the bus with my knapsack, containing my phone and my wallet...

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“Blank Slate” by Lee Golightly

Submitted to Contest #286

  He turned on the light in the bathroom, but it didn’t feel right, so he did it again. That one felt better, but it wasn’t quite there yet. Two more times, and he moved on. He had tried his best.  His fuzzy outline in the mirror showed a mop of bed-headed brown locks overshadowing squinting cobalt blue eyes. She told him sometimes that his eyes were beautiful, but he could never believe it. They didn’t see enough, and the things they did see weren’t good enough. She loved his eyes and presumably the rest of him, but coul...

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“Concerning Neighbors” by Danica Zink

Submitted to Contest #286

“Adele dear, how good to hear your voice! A whole week between Sunday’s is just too long to go without a proper chat,” Marge said as she picked up the phone receiver and wound the cord around her index finger.“Don’t I know it! This house is simply too lonesome to not give my dear friend a mid-afternoon call!” Adele’s bright young voice held the tone of the same smile she would have borne if she had been talking to her friend in person. “Not to mention I have made every recipe I know a hundred times and desperately need some new inspiration.”...

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“Good Company” by Gwenyth Ross

Submitted to Contest #286

I grew up with this guy called Firefly. The first reason we called him that was because his house– a lonely, faded blue box at the top of the far hill– kept the lights on through every odd hour of the night. The second reason we called him that was that he collected explosives like loose change. A boy with weird hobbies, that Firefly. He would grill a half rack for breakfast each Tuesday morning during middle school, and wait for the scent to waft down towards the schoolyard that same dewy dawn. Then he’d spread his arms wide and take it in....

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