Write about a character unknowingly experiencing a “sliding doors” moment. Write your story in two halves; what could have been, and what actually happened.

Posted in Dramatic on Apr 28, 2023

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✍️ 62 stories

“The Unchosen Path” by Michelle Thomas

Submitted to Contest #196

“Would you go out with me, Melissa?” It was a simple question… but it came from the most unexpected person. Chad was a good friend of my older brother, and on the varsity football team. The position he played was a linebacker… whatever that was. I’m not familiar with sports terms. He was on the shorter side, but still taller than I was and stocky. Chad’s dark hair created beautiful loose curls as it grew out, and his grayish-blue eyes could make any girl melt. And that’s what they did. As a person Chad was very sweet, but he wa...

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“About Face” by Katy Dream

Submitted to Contest #196

Gazing out my office window, I decided it was too nice of a day to sit eating lunch in my office. Plus, I needed a break from my desk phone and email. Grabbing my leftover coffee and my packed lunch, I head down the steps and leave my office building. I walk into the courtyard that sits next to some sidewalk vendors. They too are out enjoying the lovely weather in hopes of drawing in customers. I decided it really was a nice courtyard with several benches, memorial plaques, tables, chairs, and umbrellas all surrounded by beautiful flow...

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“The Moonlight Hotel” by Meleah Goldman

Submitted to Contest #196

The doors slid shut again. The cold brass of the elevator shimmered, and my steps towards them were softened by the refined orange and red carpet of the 20th floor. A cleaning lady, about to enter room 20809 glanced up at me. Her black and white uniform hung slightly loose on her, and her back was bent at an acute angle over a cart of bleach, towels, and soap. She looked straight through me and did not make eye contact. For a while, she looked dazed and did not blink. Then, with a quick shake of her head, she lost interest in whatever she sa...

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“One More Wave” by Courtney Lutz

Submitted to Contest #196

My eyes burned in protest as I forced them open to get my bearings. Under the surface of the angry sea, I could not distinguish murky bottom from slate grey sky. Another wave tumbled me sideways and then my hip scraped into the sand and shells below. I quickly sunk my hands into the sand and pushed up, my head finally emerging from the surf. The tight Velcro strap tugged on my ankle as my surfboard retreated with the last wave. I pulled in the line and hauled the board up the beach. Sitting on my soggy towel, I checked my phone. A...

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“That Pit in Your Stomach” by Natalie Wills Parker

Submitted to Contest #196

Swimming above the asphalt. Bathing in the rain. Blinded by lights that blur in the fog and twinkle in the raindrops. How did you get here? Your headache is back. The one you woke up with this morning. You swore you’d be fine, but deep down you knew you wouldn’t be. All day your head was throbbing on and off. You should have called in sick, but you don’t like the way you feel when you do. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to come in today,” you’d stammer. “Damn,” Jan would sigh quietly under her breath, but loud enough to travel to ...

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“Booby Trap” by Sarah Duffey

Submitted to Contest #196

What could have happened on April 3, 202X: “Wanna use my telescope?” Carrying around a tote full of plastic Easter eggs, Tessa scanned the park as if she was a pirate looking for a place to bury her doubloons. Her little brother trailed behind her, playing with the newest gadget their uncle had handed down to him; a nautical, brass telescope. The springtime rain had turned Peterson Park into marshland. The egg hunt had been rescheduled once already due to the weather, and the local sponsor was not willing to postpone it again. S...

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“If Only” by Alexander Hanna

Submitted to Contest #196

“So, do you wanna play football?” my mom asked. My dad sat close by, waiting for my decision.I quickly looked back and forth between them and then at the carpet. “Sure,” I said, the sound escaping from my mouth, even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play.“You’ll play?”“I said yes, didn’t I?” I snapped. I quickly walked up the stairs to my room and shut the door. I pulled the shade down and sulked in my bed, unhappy with the world.From there, I signed up for the team. I went to tryouts and summer football camp; making the freshman A team a...

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“Salad and Karma” by Ian James

Submitted to Contest #196

===𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗺===Oh my gosh, you guys, I'm practically bursting with excitement today! I'm warning you now, this is gonna be a loooong post. And I'm going to keep updating you throughout the day, which is totally not like me, right? But tonight is super special, and I just have to share it with all of you.So, the big event? Our graduation party at SMK Siring Jalan! But that's not all. Us girls are going all out, and I'm so grateful to our teachers for understanding and letting us wear makeup and dress to the nines. I mean, we're grown-ups now, ...

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“Mr. Pools” by Vivian Vix

Submitted to Contest #196

I always like pushing Mr.Pools around. He always has the best stories...not of treasure won or lost....or dragons slain and robots defeated. His stories were about a life lived well and the lessons he lived to now tell me. His wheelchair hits the same dip it does everyday and...yep..here comes the conspirital giggle it evokes.....making me laugh loudly in response...it gets me everytime.His stories are worth hearing. He tells of a life of crime....a life of family won and lost...where he was the thing people feared to tread near. Of life liv...

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“Chariot” by Chuck Thompson

Submitted to Contest #196

He died. Well, not right away. It was a process that took time, several twists and the unexpected. Sitting on his front porch, relaxed in his wicker porch swing, staring blankly into that much-belabored middle distance, a stunningly fast minivan-sized shimmer barreled at him from his right. Several years ago, in Bali, our porch swing guy was known in a wonderful circle that included tourists from several Asian countries and myriad belief systems. And these strangers loved him. As he strolled through touristy parts of Ubu...

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“Joshua's Choice” by Clare Horwood

Submitted to Contest #196

The day dawned with a mist that seemed to permeate everywhere and everything. Joshua woke, rubbed his eyes, hopeful always that he wouldn't be in the same place where he had gone to sleep. On opening his eyes fully, he realised that unfortunately he was in the same place. It was the corner of a small attic at the top of a big apartment building in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw. He was squashed up against the wall on a dirty lumpy mattress with no pillow and only a very thin grey blanket for cover. Joshua was hungry, but then he was always hung...

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“Therapy for the Other Life” by Stephanie Galay

Submitted to Contest #196

"Scrolling through comments from internet trolls was my latest procrastination technique." I focused on my hands, folded in my lap, to avoid looking in his eyes. "It wasn't a healthy thing to do, I know, but it worked. It killed time like a spree killer on crack. It could remove untold hours from a day when I didn't track it. That's what I was doing when the slip happened." I snuck a peak and the expression that met me was not one of utter disbelief, so I continued, my gaze back on my hands. "I call it the slip, because that's what it felt l...

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“Forgotten” by Zoe Pazner

Submitted to Contest #196

In front of me stood a house. The edges of the house seemed to blur and mix in with the greenery around it. This was an old fashioned house. It sat in the middle of two other brownstones, pushed back farther from the street then the others. Vines cascaded from the top of the house to the bottom, slowly spreading out to the houses around it like a spider's web. A tree with small white flowers dipped down to greet me as the wind tickled its leaves. I stepped forward, opening the gate. The gate was black, carefully crafted so the top arched dow...

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“If Only She Didn't Sit There” by Poppy LaC.

Submitted to Contest #196

(TW: Sensitive content, guns)“Bye mom, I’ll see you after soccer practice!” My crocs squeaked as I headed out the door. My Jansport backpack bobbed up and down as I walked to the bus stop. The yellow bus creaked loudly, as always. The heavy smell of gasoline had always grossed me out. I've never been able to deal with the nasty, black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. I grabbed onto the old, rusty handrails. “When I was a kid, I got tetanus from those.” My old, crusty bus driver announced to me. “Yes, I know. You say that every day.” I j...

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“Wrong Turn” by Misti Silvers

Submitted to Contest #196

After leaving work, Marty decided to take a drive. Feeling bored with his usual routine, he wanted something different. Deciding to take the scenic route, he turned opposite of the street he usually drove. After a few blocks he began closely examining his surroundings and was impressed by some of the businesses he wasn’t previously aware of. Trying to take it all in, he was shocked to see a park that was unfamiliar to him. Not sure if it was from lack of attention or he had ventured somewhere new. Smiling at the sight of t...

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Write about a character unknowingly experiencing a “sliding doors” moment. Write your story in two halves; what could have been, and what actually happened.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 62 stories

“The Unchosen Path” by Michelle Thomas

“About Face” by Katy Dream

“The Moonlight Hotel” by Meleah Goldman

“One More Wave” by Courtney Lutz

“That Pit in Your Stomach” by Natalie Wills Parker

“Booby Trap” by Sarah Duffey

“If Only” by Alexander Hanna

“Salad and Karma” by Ian James

“Mr. Pools” by Vivian Vix

“Chariot” by Chuck Thompson

“Joshua's Choice” by Clare Horwood

“Therapy for the Other Life” by Stephanie Galay

“Forgotten” by Zoe Pazner

“If Only She Didn't Sit There” by Poppy LaC.

“Wrong Turn” by Misti Silvers

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that includes the phrase “Maybe in another life.”

You’re walking down the street, when you spot a familiar figure. It’s another you. And they’ve come from an alternate reality to warn you about something.

Write a story involving a portal into a parallel universe.

Set your story in a world where time travel has been perfected, and people can use it to hop between alternate timelines — but at a cost.

Contest #196

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

279

Contest entries

149

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: