Write about a character who sees a photo they shouldn’t have seen.

Posted in Dramatic on Mar 29, 2024

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✍️ 66 stories

“Executive Man” by Jack Conlan

Submitted to Contest #244

Her whatever it was – her entanglement, if that was the word for it – had started innocently enough. She and Jacob had started chatting one night near the end of her shift. It had been a real crusher, multiple patients had coded, and everyone had been running wild all night. It had been blissfully quiet on the floor then, a hazy pre-dawn light was breaking through to the nurses’ area where she had been sitting when he walked up and started making small talk. He was tall and athletic if not classically handsome. Good looking, but he knew it. ...

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“Letters to Lainey” by Elizabeth Loman

Submitted to Contest #244

Warning: this story contains brief mentions of homophobia and homophobic language.The box stashed in the top of the closet was so innocuous, at first Chris almost missed it.It looked like any of the other dozens of boxes his late mother Anne had stashed throughout her house. She’d liked to keep nearly everything she’d received in her life; clothes, letters from friends and family, business cards from every professor she had in college, postcards from everywhere she'd visited, and of course, lots of pictures. Pictures from her childhood, her ...

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“Family Reunion” by YC Son

Submitted to Contest #244

Three weeks after my mother's death, I finally took the courage to go to her house and organize her things, which didn’t amount to much. All I could find in her room was a jewelry box and a leather-bound diary, the contents of which I did not read. It wasn't out of respect for her privacy; I would probably never be able to stand learning about her thoughts and secrets. In other words, I didn’t want to discover something unpleasantly new about my mother. I simply wanted to remember her as she was: the perfect, kind mother any son could ever h...

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“PANDORA'S BOX” by Jolanta Polk

Submitted to Contest #244

I cry so rarely that I sometimes suspect I lack proper lachrymal ducts. Because no matter how miserable I feel, how low my heart sinks, or how far I am knocked sideways, I barely shed a tear. I didn’t cry when my dad was killed in a car accident when I was eight. Or when Matt, my husband of ten years, decided to leave with Alice, his best friend’s wife.But now I realize there is nothing physically wrong with me, and I learned restraint from my grandmother, Anneliese, because crying is not for survivors like us.“Carrying emotions on the sleev...

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“Summer Watch” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #244

“I received a photo that I really should never have to see, as Beach Supervisor. I want you to look at it and tell me what you see.”My boss was sitting behind his desk facing me. I had been summoned to see him. I couldn’t imagine what he was talking about. Was someone skinny dipping on the beach? If so, why was he sharing it with me? He used two fingers to slide the photo over to me. I glanced down and gulped in surprise.“It’s me, obviously, sitting on the beach, at work. Watching the water.”“Are you really? Watching the water, tha...

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“The Old Trunk” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #244

My mom passed away last month. We all suspected it was because of a heart attack, though none of us could say for certain that that was how she died; she simply passed away, as if all of her at once had just shut down. It was like her soul had decided to just move on, and that was that. My dad hadn’t been in the picture since I was little, so my mom’s property had been left to me in her will. I started clearing out the place, finding things I...

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“Home” by John Taavetti

Submitted to Contest #244

Breathing heavily. Owen ran through the streets. It was past midnight, and he knew he was out past the city curfew. Owen had no intention of being busted by the Authority—not today. If he got caught, they’d either put him to death or place him in one of those work camps or something, but either way, he’d never see his wife again. Owen cut down a corner and then another. The air was hot and sticky even though the sun set hours ago. The blasted sun was turning into a gas giant, and it...

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“Twixt Heaven and Hell” by Jon Little

Submitted to Contest #244

PAULThey softly trace the line of my jaw. "You should go on more business trips.""Why? You got something going on the side when I'm gone?"Oof. Charlie's playful jab to my gut is going to leave a mark."When you get back, you tend to be ... more energetic." Charlie's dark sultry eyes sparkle."I think the word you are looking for is, randy."They put their lips close to my ear, their warm and moist breath just below my earlobe succeeds in getting Charlie the desired physical response. "The word I am looking for is ... again."My eyes light up. "W...

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“Anna” by Megan Benham

Submitted to Contest #244

I shouldn’t have gone in his wallet, but we had been married for three years. We shared a bank account, for goodness sake. Why couldn’t his wife try to slip two twenty notes in his wallet to pay for dinner? I had been trying to do a nice thing. Now I sat on the edge of our bed, my hands shaking. I felt tears bubbling beneath the surface, but I wouldn’t let them rise. I wanted to be angry, to shout, to argue. I sucked in a shaky breath through my dry lips, squeezing my eyes closed as a barrier against the tears. The shower turned off in the b...

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“Eye See You” by Olivia Inez

Submitted to Contest #244

Nobody warned me how boring adulthood could be. As a kid, I was never bored. They do say curiosity is the cure for boredom, and boy, was I curious kid. My eyes were filled with wonder, that’s what my mom always said at least. I remember spending my days in the “forest” behind my house, exploring, playing pretend, and collecting random objects I deemed worthy. One day, I even mapped out all of my favorite spots. I would spend hours playing with literal dirt and sticks. Now, I always feel as if something is missing, my sense of purpose. After ...

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“The Photo” by James Butz

Submitted to Contest #244

Samuel reached in his back pocket. He pulled out an aged photo of two girls in front of an old cathedral. One woman had beautiful long black wavy hair. It was the first time he noticed that some of her hair covered her soft lips. The woman with black hair was smiling and had her arm around a younger girl, who also had similar hair, but clearly was much younger. It was his daily reminder of everything he needed. Sam wiped his dirty forehead and put the photo back in his pocket, satisfied. He turned to his next job, as was heading over he caug...

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“A VERY ENGLISH GENTLEMAN” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #244

A VERY ENGLISH GENTLEMAN (Excerpts from the wartime diary of Oliver ‘Chips’ Copper, born 4th May 1893 - died 5th January 1917) November 15th 1916 Dined at Arlington Street. The Blue Dining Room looked exquisite in the candlelight. Eight of us, including Diana. Never has she looked more beautiful. Am I in love with her, after all? I do believe I may be. Later, as I was departing, she stole into the hallway and smothered me with kisses. Her feelings towards me, at any rate, are quite clear but, an hour later, as I lay in the arms of a blonde b...

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“A Double Whammy” by Cara Fidler

Submitted to Contest #244

****Some content may not be suitable for minors. Explicit descriptions of a sexual nature.****A Double WhammybyCara Fidler"What in the hell is this??!" she said outloud, as she stared in disbelief at a picture of her lover in bed with another, much younger, woman. She found the picture quite by accident when she checked the pockets of his slacks for loose change before tossing the pants into the washing machine. "Bastard!!!Liar!!!" she exclaimed, as she reeled in the wake of this devastating hit. She was the housekeeper and mistress to a man...

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“A Fall Toward Grace” by Sarah Eaton

Submitted to Contest #244

As she stared at the photo in her hand, Sylvia’s heart began pounding at her rib cage, trying to break out. Her palms started to sweat and fear gripped her. It was a photo from counterintelligence; it was a photo she was not supposed to see. Quickly, she threw the photo in the trashcan and left her office in the basement of the building. ‘Calm, I must stay calm. I am not supposed to know, I can’t let anyone know that I know,’ she thought to herself as she made her way through the hallways of the FBI building, her fear trying to take ov...

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“Haunter of the Blackest Depths” by T.J.E. Hostetter

Submitted to Contest #244

July 14th Father died today. Doctors say it was a heart attack. I’m not surprised. His health had been declining for over a decade now. The hard part will be telling Julie. She was close to him when she was younger. Kevin’s probably going to be hurt, too. He’s too young to remember his grandfather’s better years but they still had a few happy moments. I remember them all sitting together while their grandfather told them stories of his undersea expeditions. He made it sound like it was something out of a movie or book. I’m personally gratefu...

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Write about a character who sees a photo they shouldn’t have seen.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Executive Man” by Jack Conlan

“Letters to Lainey” by Elizabeth Loman

“Family Reunion” by YC Son

“PANDORA'S BOX” by Jolanta Polk

“Summer Watch” by Kim Olson

“The Old Trunk” by Nicholas Thomas

“Home” by John Taavetti

“Twixt Heaven and Hell” by Jon Little

“Anna” by Megan Benham

“Eye See You” by Olivia Inez

“The Photo” by James Butz

“A VERY ENGLISH GENTLEMAN” by Charles Corkery

“A Double Whammy” by Cara Fidler

“A Fall Toward Grace” by Sarah Eaton

“Haunter of the Blackest Depths” by T.J.E. Hostetter

🌟 Similar prompts

Center your story around a photo that goes viral.

Start your story with a character staring at a picture they don’t remember taking.

Write a story about a character who risks their life to take a photo.

Begin or end your story with a character taking a selfie.

Contest #244

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

239

Contest entries

91

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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