Write about two characters on the verge of a life-changing event, but one has rigged the outcome.

Posted in Dramatic on Jul 24, 2021

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✍️ 90 stories

“3:00 A.M.” by Alby Carter

Submitted to Contest #62

It’s late, and my head still hurts from the fight I just had with Mom. I lay on my bed, chewing down hard on my bottom lip. My eyes scan the room for a hair band until I see one on my wrist. I don’t remember putting it there. I tie my hair up into a high ponytail that could use some work. I slip a couple of bobby pins into the back of it. My old mirror is cracked and shoved onto the top shelf of my closet, so it’ll have to do. I’m still demolishing my lip when I tip-toe to my bedroom door. One of the bobby pins is pulled from my ponytail int...

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“The Lavish Jungle” by Julia Boddie

Submitted to Contest #62

She was going to win and she knew it. She had practiced for this so many times. She knew she had what it took to survive one week in the jungle. She knew she wanted to enter this contest when she first saw the ad on TV. The goal was to survive one week in the jungle. The person who survived the best would win five million dollars. This was more money that Jeneatte had ever seen in her life. She was one of the first people to sign up for the contest and had been practicing her survival skill for weeks. John on the other hand, wasn’t looking...

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“The End” by Kristin Neubauer

Submitted to Contest #62

Warning warning warning: This story deals with a violent assault/kidnapping/confinement. It’s not graphic, but it is dark and disturbing. Younger readers should skip this one. Let me know if you think I should take it down.Bag over head.Scream.Rough hands.Scream.Cords cut into wrists.Scream.Trunk door slams.Scream.The bag over my head smells like vomit. Something sharp digs into my back. The car is hurtling down a road.I can’t breathe.Still I scream.I’m screaming as the hands drag me out of the trunk. I’m screaming as they sho...

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“Opportunities Aplenty” by Lynn Penny

Submitted to Contest #62

“I can’t believe I actually did it! I can feel my hands shaking, feel how shaky they are!” Sylvia pressed her hands against the exposed skin of Kitty’s chest. Kitty took hold of her hands and grasped them tight.“Your hands are more cold than anything else,” Kitty chuckled, leaning down to peck her cheek. “Trust me, you have this in the bag. Nobody deserves that extra funding more than you do.”“I’m not so sure. Dr. Vargo didn’t have anything good to say last time I went to him.” Sylvia gained that high pitched voice that always arises when sh...

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“A Twisted Contest” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #62

A Twisted Contest “I can’t believe it! I can’t, I mean, we were so close to the date!!” I squealed excitingly. “Yes, we are. Now calm down Alisha. Don’t get too excited about it...” warned my best friend, Leya. In another week or so, the most amazing contest was going to be held, “The Annual Artist Fair!!”. I was precisely getting all my supplies ready for that contest. Though it is one week ahead, it never hurts to be prepared. Leya was trying to calm me down because I accidentall...

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“ Luck of the Draw” by Charles Stucker

Submitted to Contest #62

Henry McCall sauntered down the street, calm, confident, ready for anything. People looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze. He rested his right hand on the hilt of his revolver, a Webley. In his gambler's clothes, dark pinstripe trousers and vest offset by a teal cravat, with a bowler hat on his head and a walking stick in his left hand, he presented the epitome of a British gentleman. Even his dark-blonde mustache, curled with wax, seemed elegant and refined.The main street of Gholson, Texas, with businesses and homes lining it, blew with ...

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“The Effects of Nature vs. Nurture” by Meggy House

Submitted to Contest #62

Opal Winehouse Research Laboratory-Established in 1962, A Tradition of Excellence-“May true knowledge never defy you.”-Valerie CrossThis is a very official report of paper from an extremely established laboratory—take that, Frederick Langford University (sorry, the lawyer in charge of producing this technical stationary was VERY bored)—to be used purely for research purposes. This report belongs to Amanda Driver and stealing any of the contents is copyright infringement and will be handled as such. Until published, the results of this report...

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“Fifty-Five” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #62

ShawnCarnivals were dirty places with middle schoolers making out with cotton candy lips between the tents and college students smoking weed behind the children’s rides. The reason why Wren wanted to come here was buried in the back of my mind with the electricity bills and memories blurred like pencil smudges. There are things I wanted to forget and I knew this experience was one of them. “I used to be one of them, you know,” I told Wren, hooking my arm through his protectively. We smelled deep fried goods and saw the hungry looks...

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“macaroni salad” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #62

The great thing about being successful: no one could question your actions anymore. Instead, every action became a tip for success. Before the book deals and the interviews, how many times had she been made a jester for liking cold, starchy salads drenched in mayonnaise and onions? But now, every sloppy forkful of macaroni salad seemed the mark of a great poetess. She’s feeding her muse. If paparazzi were around, she put on an extra little performance, picking up steak and spinach leaves between two fingers, eating with no fork. She’d learne...

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“The Ferry Ride” by Ruth Midgley

Submitted to Contest #62

(Trigger warning: homophobic language) They had been in line for hours, their rusted red hatchback pinned between a truck and minivan. Not knowing how long it would be until they got on a ferry, they had set up camp at a picnic table nearby, close enough to their car so Rick could keep an eye on it. Everything they owned was in that car. They had sold all the rest. "Just fucking ridiculous. Is everyone and their dog trying to get to the island today?" "I did ask you if we should book a reservation," Lynn said q...

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“A Question of Satisfaction” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #62

By 1859, Captain Trueshott had defended his wife’s honour so many times she invested in a pair of duelling pistols for this purpose. The days of the flintlock were ending, but as a weapon of choice for the habitual duellist, it was second to none. Agatha chose a pair of beautiful handmade weapons presented in a plush velvet-lined oak box. The 10-inch pistols fired large, heavy lead balls weighing half an ounce that travelled around 830 feet per second. They could therefore inflict severe wounds over the 30 paces between two adversaries. Desp...

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“Kings & Queens 👑 part one” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #62

Please give me feedback for this story!Christopher's POV:"Do we really have to do this?" My older sister, Allison, asks me.I roll my eyes. "No, the really huge, super important ceremony that mom just said is mandatory, doesn't matter at all.""Enough with the sarcasm, Crissy." She says, dropping on my bed.I sit in my desk chair, and throw an eraser at her head. "Don't call me that."My name is Christopher Micheal Reynes, but I go by Chris. The ceremony we're talking about is when we’ll find our soulmate. Our mom, the Queen, met our father that...

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“On the Way” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #62

Some people read to find themselves, others to lose themselves. You can replace ‘read’ with any other verb and the statement will still hold up. The night sky grew darker, the street lights brighter. I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Hello,” a woman said. She was walking with a friend in the opposite direction. “Hey,” I answered in a hoarse voice. That’s what happens when you try to talk after you’ve been quiet for a very long time. I was late learning to speak, but when I did start, I talked all the time. When that...

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“The Boys” by Lani Lane

Submitted to Contest #62

The Boys got him again. Jackson Creed, flanked by Kurt Marshall and George Paulson, the new kid with pimples, cornered Timothy into the stall and pushed his head into the toilet. The water wasn’t so bad. Timothy had practiced holding his breath at home, during bathtime. Sure, he flailed his legs and screamed into the water so bubbles erupted around his head, but he just knew he needed to make a show.But his neck—now that hurt. Jackson seemed to shove his entire weight against Timothy’s neck, and one minute into the torture, Timothy thou...

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“The Best Lie He Ever Told” by Julie Ward

Submitted to Contest #62

The first time Michael Ramirez set eyes on Mary-Claire McDonnell, he was on his way to an interview at Hat World in the mall. It was a blazing hot Thursday in the middle of June. The bus ride had been short but sweltering and the mall air conditioning felt like magic, cooling the sweat under his brand new oxford shirt.Michael wove his way past storefronts full of neon tank tops and Flashdance sweatshirts, Duran Duran mixing with Muzac, mixing with the theme from “Ghostbusters," mixing with the smell of baking pretzels. He rounded a corn...

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Write about two characters on the verge of a life-changing event, but one has rigged the outcome.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 90 stories

“3:00 A.M.” by Alby Carter

“The Lavish Jungle” by Julia Boddie

“The End” by Kristin Neubauer

“Opportunities Aplenty” by Lynn Penny

“A Twisted Contest” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

“ Luck of the Draw” by Charles Stucker

“The Effects of Nature vs. Nurture” by Meggy House

“Fifty-Five” by Scout Tahoe

“macaroni salad” by Masha Kurbatova

“The Ferry Ride” by Ruth Midgley

“A Question of Satisfaction” by Howard Halsall

“Kings & Queens 👑 part one” by Ari Berri

“On the Way” by Itay Frenkel

“The Boys” by Lani Lane

“The Best Lie He Ever Told” by Julie Ward

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who can suddenly only “remember” their future, not their past.

Write about a character who’s had their future foretold from birth — but isn’t sure if they believe it.

Write about a character preparing to go into stasis for decades (or centuries).

Write about a character putting something into a time capsule.

Contest #62

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

620

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: