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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✍️ 39 stories

“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 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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“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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“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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“His last gift” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #284

He steps off the bus and back in time. The town square still has one maple tree and a statue that has lost its name and meaning. The lead glass windows on either side of the church’s bell tower still eye him with suspicion and prejudice.Doc Maddox’s practice is still squeezed between Phillips Drugstore and Krantz’s Funeral Parlor. Barron’s Supermarket has taken over Roving’s Hardware and Lionel’s Feedstore. It now occupies one side of the square. Across the church are Della’s Bakery and Lunchroom and the office of Elton S. Quentin, esq,...

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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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“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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“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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“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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“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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“The Crimson Envelope” by Terry Maris

Submitted to Contest #284

The winter morning air was sharp, biting Evan's cheeks as he stepped outside. The narrow street in the heart of Boston was already bustling, the cacophony of car horns and the rhythmic crunch of boots on salted sidewalks filling the air. He adjusted his scarf, eyes squinting against the sun reflecting off the frosted roofs of parked cars.Evan was halfway to his office when his phone buzzed. With practiced ease, he fished it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen: "Urgent: Pick up from the mailroom."The sender was an unknown number, but ...

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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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“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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“Charlotte's Swing of Anxiety” by Alaina Grace

Submitted to Contest #284

Scene 1: Concerning Rice Farming and Stress Welcome to the tale of Charlotte Valentine. I’m your trusty narrator, and I’ll be telling you the story of how Charlotte overcame herself… With a heart full of hope, Charlotte Valentine skipped across the meadow of the farm she called home. Her family specialized in cultivating rice, dedicating a significant portion of their land to it. Over the years, the Valentines had gained acres upon acres of land, becoming the primary supplier of rice in their hometown, Tearmont. Charlotte was a y...

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“The Wish” by Sharon Nations Toler

Submitted to Contest #284

As she briefly glanced out the window, the woman could see wisps of snow drifting slowly to the ground and the neighbor’s Christmas lights twinkling in the distance.Her trance was suddenly interrupted by her husband’s voice: “Christina, is everything all right?”His voice was filled with concern, his deep brown eyes piercing her. She quickly turned to see her husband’s concerned face. "Yes…yes... Everything is just perfect!” She gazed into his gentle face and understood why he had been so concerned. The past year had been tough; it had almost...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 39 stories

“Midnight Call” by Viga Boland

“The Enchanted Reflection” by Jim LaFleur

“A child is born” by Rebecca Detti

“The Best Gift” by Helen A Howard

“His last gift” by Trudy Jas

“The Conch” by John Rutherford

“Hold on to the Air” by Vid Weeks

“The Fortune Cookie” by Murray Burns

“Where the Cranes Fly” by Kay Reed

“The Gift of NewLife ” by Patrick D

“The Crimson Envelope” by Terry Maris

“Curse of the Nutcracker” by Barbara Minshall

“Silent Reaper” by Scott Taylor

“Charlotte's Swing of Anxiety” by Alaina Grace

“The Wish” by Sharon Nations Toler

🌟 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

353

Contest entries

148

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: