Set your story inside a character’s mind, literally.

Posted in Fantasy on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 58 stories

“Inside the Mind of Jurgen Slinde” by Donald Catchings

Submitted to Contest #167

Inside the Mind of Jurgen Slinde By Donald W. Catchings, Jr. I’m an old soul. I drink my coffee black, though I’m only eleven and a half. Up at six every morning, I sit at the breakfast table and read a newspaper. My mother thinks I’m peculiar. My dad calls me Pops—says I remind him of his grandfather. Anyway, I brought you here to tell you about something more entertaining than my daily life. You are here so I can tell you about the craziest thing that ever happened to me, the reason why I read the newspaper every day, the reason I drink ...

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“Remembering My Hero” by Rylan Cordova

Submitted to Contest #167

After a night filled with monstrous dreams I finally wake up. Beads of sweat roll off my forehead as I sit up groggily in the bed. The night's dreams begin to become distant memories as I ruffle through the sheets to find my phone. With luck not being on my side I can't seem to find it. I give up with a deep sigh and lay back down. The grogginess of the early morning heavy on my shoulders. I glance around the dark room with a sinking suspicion that something is off. I sift around for my phone once more without getting up this time. There wer...

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“The Committee” by Kendra Ryan

Submitted to Contest #167

In the fading light of a mild October evening in eastern Pennsylvania, four women, indistinguishable from one another except by their ages, sit around an oblong outdoor table in a lush backyard. A brown-eyed girl, around eight, perches in the lap of a beautiful, skinny teenager who could easily be mistaken for her sister. Grandmother sits on her right, cropped white hair and those same copper penny eyes. To her right, a smiling woman in her early fifties, radiating a secure sense of self. A conspicuously empty chair is on her right, and beyo...

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“The False Goddess and the Tree” by Phillip Marvin

Submitted to Contest #167

“Where am I?” She asked. You decide, think of somewhere you’ve been. The voice inside of her head said. She tried to move her limbs but they did not respond. No. They were not there. Neither was her body. She was whole. She knew all her being was intact but it floated in something. Around her were lights. They swirled around her, riding an invisible current. When one touched her she felt a wave of warmth emanate from the contact. It felt—nice. Following the command, she thought of somewhere, and shadows came. They danced on the fri...

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“Parasite” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #167

Deep in the earth I awoke at last. My time had come.What time? I have no idea.Time for what? Time to live.Why? The only thing I know for sure is that I was awakened to wreak havoc upon mankind.And what an unsurmountable thing that may seem like for one so miniscule as I, barely the size of a mustard seed, eyeless and alone. My kind has existed since the beginning. To survive, we buried ourselves deep in the earth. While man built and destroyed over us, I slept…and waited. Build, destroy. Build, destroy…build, destroy.&nbs...

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“The Perfect Dream” by Ella B-T

Submitted to Contest #167

It was a gorgeous summer afternoon, everything was normal, and Harper Henderson was completely fine. Better than fine, in fact - she was perfect. She was sitting at the corner table of her favourite coffee shop, the sunlight pouring in through the window and coating her in a gentle golden warmth. She was wearing her favourite dress. It was sky-blue, and the kind of light, flowy frock that you can only wear on sunny days like this one. In front of her was a cup of tea, just the way she liked it - two cubes of sugar and a splash of cream. Sh...

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“Mind over Matter?” by David Bertoni

Submitted to Contest #167

Mind over Matter? Here I am, once again. That moment, once in a while, raises as an unexpected doubt; as something that when caught in ordinary things, it doesn’t appear; yet, that problem always persists. It doesn’t go away. Though I attempt tackling it through various, infinite, directions, the ways out seem all, almost, impossible. The problem of skepticism… Which can be reduced, ridiculously, with this simple question: is this hand, that belongs to my body, real? Or more, is this body, that I have, real? And all the objects that surrou...

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“Coma Girl” by Lilac St.Madden

Submitted to Contest #167

Coma Girl Written By: Lilac St.MaddenTHE DREAM ZONEThere...

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“A Light in the Dark” by Jeff Sheplawy

Submitted to Contest #167

I hear a light hum. I don’t know what it is, or where it’s coming from, but when I open my eyes to look, the sound abruptly stops. I’m sitting on an old oak table, worn down by many long years of use. At my side is an old brass lantern that baths the area in a warm yellow glow. My feet dangle over the edge and occasionally tap against a finely crafted mahogany chair that looks like it just came out of a woodcarver’s shop. I raise my eyes from swaying feet and behold the largest library I’ve ever seen. Rows upon rows of books spread out i...

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“Your Fossil” by Corrie McCue

Submitted to Contest #167

A wisp of smoke snags, caught as if in a spider web, then breaks apart–fractals of light and color, kaleidoscope….Struggling to stand as the air thickens, voices chattering incoherently. In the mirror before me, mother and sister laugh. How am I like them? I must stand. Stand. Wisps of smoke again. A few shaky steps to the bed. I hear you, chemical, as you hiss. Your hand reaches forth below me, through my spine, into my stomach and pulls me down. Down with vibrating electric. The ten times strength in little black crystals and I witness you...

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“Phantasmagoric: Dreamwalker” by Robert McReynolds

Submitted to Contest #167

Phantasmagoric describes something with a dreamlike, fantastical, unreal, deceptive, or shifting appearance, like an optical illusion. Dreamwalkers A gentle voice is heard in the darkness. There are people who believe that dreams have meaning behind them, some believe it's your subconscious mind working out problems you encountered during the day. And some believe it is God's way of speaking to you. But what if you had a dream that was so bizarre that no rhyme or reason could decipher them, a dream so realistic that...

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“The Witching Hour” by Vincent Cruz

Submitted to Contest #167

This is my mind. Or more specifically this is my mind at three in the morning swirling in the worst case scenarios of everything. And while I painfully lay here in waiting, waiting on those churning waters of dream to take me back, (my body falling in slow motion into the splashing pool), this is where we are, in darkness of mind and bedroom. A reality that is one part haunting, another part misery and dread. My thoughts are examining each minute detail of the previous waking life where all my problems and worries now seem plausible, insurmo...

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“A Whisper Breaks Through” by Mike Stanthom

Submitted to Contest #167

CW: Profanity The older man threw another log on the fire. The old cabin was warm enough where another log would have made it uncomfortable. Satisfied, he placed the poker back in its holder and sat in a chair a few feet from the hearth, the lump from the gun he carried on his hip only slightly noticeable. He sipped coffee as he gazed at the fire. It wasn’t more than a few minutes later when one of the windows shattered, followed by another one. The older man instinctively threw himself on the ground and grabbed the gun he carried. He he...

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“Make Believe?” by Ember Rain

Submitted to Contest #167

“Do you see it, Angie?” “See what?” Angie squatted down next to the child and looked around. “The dragon right over there. It is huge and green...” Are you sure it's not purple, Tabatha ”? “Purple? Why would a dragon be purple? This isn't some children's educational program this is real.” “Oh, right. Okay, let me just go and say hi then.” “Are you daft, woman? What are you going to do jump off the castle wall?” “We are in a castle? Of course, we are in a castle. Just this morning we were in the woods surrounding a castle....

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“A Crying Kiss” by Carla Carvallo

Submitted to Contest #167

Shards of glass sit on my palm. They embed themselves deeper every time I move. Darkness wraps around us. Not a single candle remains lit. My eyes can no longer make out his silhouette, but he’s here. I don’t have to see him to know that. The creak of a floorboard, that loose one by the kitchen. Then, his pace quickens. As he nears me, his hands reach awkwardly for me. They flail about rampantly, dreading the thought of my absence. His fingers graze my forearm, sending chills up my arm and throughout my entire body. A shudder grabs me and sh...

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Set your story inside a character’s mind, literally.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 58 stories

“Inside the Mind of Jurgen Slinde” by Donald Catchings

“Remembering My Hero” by Rylan Cordova

“The Committee” by Kendra Ryan

“The False Goddess and the Tree” by Phillip Marvin

“Parasite” by Tanya Humphreys

“The Perfect Dream” by Ella B-T

“Mind over Matter?” by David Bertoni

“Coma Girl” by Lilac St.Madden

“A Light in the Dark” by Jeff Sheplawy

“Your Fossil” by Corrie McCue

“Phantasmagoric: Dreamwalker” by Robert McReynolds

“The Witching Hour” by Vincent Cruz

“A Whisper Breaks Through” by Mike Stanthom

“Make Believe?” by Ember Rain

“A Crying Kiss” by Carla Carvallo

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a daydream sequence, before snapping back to reality.

Write a story about someone who overthinks every single thing, blowing the tiniest incidents out of proportion.

Write a story about someone who thinks their life is a romcom and they’re the protagonist.

Write a story about a character who can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.

Contest #167

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

232

Contest entries

97

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: