Write about someone who receives a gift or message that changes their life forever.

Posted in Dramatic on Jan 3, 2025

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✍️ 93 stories

“Humanity’s Rebirth” by Reese Blaise

🏆 Winner of Contest #284

“Humphrey,” I yell, banging my fist against the observation deck door. “There’s something wrong with Jansen. Humphrey!” I try to push the door open, but it’s been barricaded from the other side. How long has Humphrey been holed up in there…three months? Three years? It’s hard to tell. “Humphrey!” I yell one last time before giving up. This whole ship is going crazy. Four years in space and I’m the only one holding it together. I make my way to the Navigation room to find Jansen in a state of mania. He sits tuck-kneed in the captain’s chair w...

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“Midnight Call” by Viga Boland

Submitted to Contest #284

The call came a little after midnight. Alana grabbed the phone on the first ring. Her mother was a light sleeper and needed her rest. “Oh good! You’re still up,” Moira chirped. “Are you still available for that Hong Kong gig?” Alana’s heart started racing. Was Moira about to answer her prayers? “Of course!” She replied, a little breathless from the pounding and hope in her heart. “Well you’ve got it kid, provided you can get everything you need packed in a hurry. You’ll have to get yourself to the airport by this Friday.” “Oh my God!” Alana ...

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“The Best Gift” by Helen A Howard

Submitted to Contest #284

Nothing is more challenging than the start of a new year when people have been clearing out their unwanted items after Christmas and the donations are piling into the charity shop filling up every inch of spare space. It’s not unknown for this state of affairs to continue even after we’ve closed when you get donors literally banging on the window demanding to bring in boxes of goods they can barely lift themselves. You’re expected to receive all this with a smile of undying gratitude, even though you’re desperate to cash up so you can get ho...

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“The Conch” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #284

Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK circa 1843“You’re dirty, you need a bath to wash away that colour. It looks like mud!” My cousin said, jerking away her outstretched arm in disdain. It was her idea, her request to compare our uncovered skin– side by side. Now the realization of the difference in skin colour, horrified and frightened her like being next to a diseased leper. Just the touch of my outstretched arms, my coffee-coloured arm, my dusty tan coloured skin, meant she might receive a tropical disease. Worst. Her alabaster white porcelain skin...

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“The Enchanted Reflection” by Jim LaFleur

Submitted to Contest #284

The boutique hummed with the frenetic energy of post-Christmas sales. Shoppers jostled for space, arms laden with discounted luxury goods, their voices blending into a discordant symphony of complaints and excitement. Sarah Jensen stood behind the counter, her forced smile threatening to crack under the weight of another 12-hour shift. Her reflection in the glass display case stared back at her—a pale, tired face framed by hair that refused to cooperate despite the expensive products she used. “Miss! Excuse me, miss!” a sharp voice cut throu...

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“The Fortune Cookie” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #284

The Fortune Cookie“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”-Yogi BerraBecause most people don’t have the answer, they make every effort to avoid the question. Marty had no answers, but he was obsessed with the question. It is generally phrased as "What is the meaning of my life?" Marty liked to simplify things, and he regularly asked himself, "Why am I here?"Guided by a well-intentioned father, Marty’s first plan was to get a college degree, make a decent living, and acquire a lot of stuff. He did all those things and ye...

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“A child is born” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #284

A child is born'Morning bun. Happy New Year.''Mawniiing. Happy New Year.''Is someone in pain?''Why are you smiling when you say that? No, actually, yes, I'm in a great deal of pain.''Do you think it was the ‘just one for the road’ glass of Glenfiddich or the 'just one for the road' ten pints you’d had before that?''Stoooopppp!' Eddie managed a pained chuckle.'Cuppa and Nurofen my darling?''Yes please, Matron.'I wasn’t feeling my best but managed to channel my inner trooper, find my knickers and my nightgown to throw on before heading down th...

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“Hold on to the Air” by Vid Weeks

Submitted to Contest #284

Hold onto the airShe was as cool as Nymphadora Tonks. An’ if you don’t know who Nymphadora Tonks is, where have you been? On the mars rover? Holy cow, read Harry Potter won’t you! So, anyway, she was that cool, even before she showed me. And you can’t tell no one. I mean, like, no one! Cos it goes away if you talk about it. She was definite about that and I believe her, cos, well, why wouldn’t I?Anyway, you know, she was our new Levels five to ten coach; An Olympian, I mean she didn’t get a medal, but she was at the Olympics with stars on he...

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“Where the Cranes Fly” by Kay Reed

Submitted to Contest #284

TWs: Terminal illness, Abuse, Depression, Language The sky wept, restless. Stadium bulbs clunked on, hospital eyes in the black. Daron and I stood at center field, rolling ankles, necks, sleeking water from our faces, hair – readying for kickoff. We shouldn’t have ever met – the age between us too great. But Daron was a prodigy, the only freshman to make the varsity soccer team. I shivered, turning in the dying light as we waited for the ref. For the briefest moment I saw Daron in my periphery as if catching my pale shape in a mirror: narrow...

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“Òran na Mara (Song of the Sea)” by Calum Mathison

Submitted to Contest #284

The sea was restless that winter’s morning, waves tumbling over the jagged rocks in a frothy embrace. A lone seal perched on one of the larger outcrops, her sleek grey coat glistening under the pale light of dawn. She had been there for hours, her dark, liquid eyes fixed intently on the shore, where a man moved among the dunes, checking the nets he had set the previous evening.It was not the first time she had encountered him. The first had been a year passed. Drawn too close to the shallows by a flash of curiosity, she found herself ensnare...

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“Re-gift” by Brayden Bonnesen

Submitted to Contest #284

One brick building huddled between a few others, making up a forgotten downtown. Most stood vacant, or perhaps slouched vacant. Any cars that passed through had undoubtedly made a wrong turn. Probably several, for that matter.The middle building still looked usable, and it was, in fact, in use. Inside, the waiting room was empty, save for a single receptionist typing. Her computer screen was blank. She wore a brown felt dress. It matched the various browns of the carpet and furniture of the room. Overall, the layout looked like a dentist's o...

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“Silent Reaper” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #284

Audits were my personal hell, a solitary descent into a fluorescent-lit nightmare where each buzzing light made me feel like a target. I glided through the silent offices like a phantom in a graveyard, the air thick with the unspoken dread and hushed whispers of terrified employees. Their fear was a chilling presence, but this job—despite the staff's loathing—was a step up from my dark past. Once known as the Silent Reaper, a special forces assassin who carried out targeted killings, I now found myself navigating a different kind of danger, ...

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“Emerald's Santa” by Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #284

Emerald Bittrel did not die yesterday. Or the morning before when the sun was low and dense clouds scattered across the musty blue sky. Emerald was sure her heart was beating soundly and her lungs were functioning smoothly. Emerald Bittrel was the epitome of living at the bare minimum. A clean heart, and an active body that took her from work and home and then to her worn-out, chipped, desk once more. The banality of her life was never forgotten and Emerald Bittrel never experienced the flavourful moments of living that one ought to have. At...

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“The Gift of NewLife ” by Patrick D

Submitted to Contest #284

When NewLife opened their doors to the public, my mom was patient zero, she was one of the first to get gene editing therapy. My 63-year-old mother now had her natural hair color back, from silver to chestnut brown, she looked 20 years younger.We met for dinner at our traditional birthday spot, The Cats Caboose. She handed me an envelope across the table, “happy birthday sweety!” She pronounced.I thumbed open the flap and pulled the thick parchment paper from it's envelope. “NewLife Certificate for One Treatment,” I read aloud.Mom always str...

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“Curse of the Nutcracker” by Barbara Minshall

Submitted to Contest #284

He stood in the shadows, by the old, shriveled man's hospital bed--pensive, listening to the beeping of the monitors, the steady breath of the ventilator, keeping the man alive. He tried to reassure his conscience of the inevitable: this man was going to die soon anyway. His mouth was parched. His hands--trained to save lives, not take them--shook with fear and guilt. As he filled the syringe with morphine from the glass vial, Dr. Brad Telman wondered how things might have been different, if he hadn't opened that damned box.It was the day be...

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Ended on 23:59 - Jan 10, 2025 EST

Won by Reese Blaise 🏆

Title: Humanity’s Rebirth

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Write about someone who receives a gift or message that changes their life forever.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 93 stories

“Humanity’s Rebirth” by Reese Blaise

“Midnight Call” by Viga Boland

“The Best Gift” by Helen A Howard

“The Conch” by John Rutherford

“The Enchanted Reflection” by Jim LaFleur

“The Fortune Cookie” by Murray Burns

“A child is born” by Rebecca Detti

“Hold on to the Air” by Vid Weeks

“Where the Cranes Fly” by Kay Reed

“Òran na Mara (Song of the Sea)” by Calum Mathison

“Re-gift” by Brayden Bonnesen

“Silent Reaper” by Scott Taylor

“Emerald's Santa” by Arora Gleans

“The Gift of NewLife ” by Patrick D

“Curse of the Nutcracker” by Barbara Minshall

🌟 Similar prompts

Center your story around a character spending their first holiday alone.

Write a story that includes the line “I should’ve known better.”

Center your story around an unexpected guest who changes a traditional get-together.

Set your story in a place where everything should be familiar to your character(s), but isn’t.

Contest #284

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

342

Contest entries

145

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: