Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Posted in Fiction on Nov 10, 2023

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✍️ 94 stories

“The Snow Globe” by Robert McCue

Submitted to Contest #224

Outside their window the snow is falling. One of two sisters, not eighteen years old between then, has ventured out from under her mom's chenille blankets. There's no heat upstairs and the floors are bare wood, worn to a fine patina from generations of use. Downstairs the fireplace is going. The crackle and scent of smoke mixes with the smell of pine from the tall Christmas tree across the room, by the turn in the stairs. The red and green lights and the little touch of heat they give off are turned off until morning. Outside the wood siding...

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“The Nest” by Ora Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #224

I passed the nest every night.So I said that to the stranger: a sort of young thing. “These owls have lived here longer than me. Isn’t that perfect?”The park bench stretched wide between us while she waited for the bus, probably surprised to be confronted by an unfamiliar, older man. Her wide, glossy eyes told me it was more fear than wonder. Apprehension, maybe. Old fabric creaked as I sank further into the wooden bench, holding my binoculars up again. There they sat, high up in a moonlit oak tree, taller than any barn or building in t...

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“The Dream” by Samantha Jane

Submitted to Contest #224

Ivy awoke slowly and lay still for several minutes. Like other mornings, it wasn’t a fight to leave the pillows. There was no heaviness. There was a dream, soft and calm like this space between dawn and daylight. She lingered at the edge of awake, wanting to let the dream percolate. It felt real and important. Soft navy twilight. A harbor? Calm twinkling water. A solid man with broad shoulders covered in a cozy wool sweater the vibrant emerald shade of sitka spruce. She couldn’t see his face except for a hint of stubble. Tall, mu...

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“Why Am I Awake?” by Rae Perrin

Submitted to Contest #224

Why am I awake? I am an early bird but every morning my internal alarm clock opens my eyes during the 4 o’clock hour and I just didn’t understand why. My husband has already left for work and I have the entire bed to myself but for some reason, I can’t enjoy this time by sleeping until my actual alarm clocks goes off at 7am. So again, why am I awake this early every morning? Is it the millions of things I have on my mind that consists of bills that need to be paid, my son’s basketball schedule, my business that is definitely in the vall...

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“Feels So Good- Five a.m.” by Constance Blaize-Shorter

Submitted to Contest #224

Feels So Good Five a.m. By Constance Blaize-Shorter The alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., and my body feels like I've been in the worst accident ever! My knees and back are aching as they begin their morning ritual by strapping me to the bed. Before I leave the bed, I kiss my husband's lower back and slide from under the covers ever so quietly. The temperature in the house is crisp, and the sun has not come up yet. I want to lay back down under the covers, but I must keep this fitness train moving. My feet hit the ground; I raise my arms over m...

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“Sisyphus' List” by Brett Kube

Submitted to Contest #224

When his hand autonomously reached to snooze his phone’s 5:00am alarm, it encountered the sticky note he’d stuck on the screen the night before in anticipation of this moment. With the blurred eyes and clumsy movements of a delicate newborn, he peeled the sticky note off his phone and read what last night’s guilty conscience wrote to this morning’s beleaguered reality: “Get out of bed and get your shit together.” He had been unemployed for months now, and this was the first time he’d woken up before dawn since the last day of his old jo...

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“Livin' On Tokyo Time” by Jaymes Bluff

Submitted to Contest #224

“Brody, you’re gonna wanna get up, dude,” Toby shouted from the kitchen, accentuated by the sound of air popped popcorn and the roar of commentary coming from the living room TV. “The pre-show’s almost over, man, you’re gonna miss the good stuff!” I roll over and mean mug my alarm clock, taking dutiful note of the red digits glaring back at me. 2:47 a.m. “This better be worth it,” I mumbled to myself as I leapt out of bed and into my clothes, grabbing the first pair of shorts and relatively clean shirt from the ground and tossing it ...

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“Dawn's Early Light: Maverick's Runway Mishap” by Todd Nigro

Submitted to Contest #224

At the almost mythical hour of 4:45 AM, a time when even the most diligent of night owls consider calling it a day, our house was catapulted into chaos by Maverick, our 13-year-old miniature dachshund. Maverick, with his noble gray beard and a spirit that belied his years, had decided to kick off his day with a bang. In my bed, nestled comfortably under the blankets, I was deep in a dream where I was the undefeated champion in an intergalactic pillow-fighting league. Maverick’s barking, rhythmic and insistent, shattered that dream like a b...

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“Death De Facto” by Crowley Foster

Submitted to Contest #224

[ Caution! Story contains character death and hints at grief.] There was a tingle in his wiring, gently nudging him awake from his resting position beside the power outlet. He didn’t feel anything, as it took a while for all of his software to kick in – but once it did, he found that he still felt off. Just wrong. He peeked out of the window, checking to see what time it was, before remembering that he had a clock built into his system. An older clock...

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“"Dear Dera"” by Kike Mariam

Submitted to Contest #224

My alarm rings the second time, and I groan and snooze again. The persistent melody of the alarm echoes through the room, a soundtrack to my reluctance to face the day. It rings again after a while, and I finally muster the strength to get up and switch it off. I look out the window and see the first rays of sunlight gently kiss the horizon, painting the sky with hues of pink and orange. The world is still quiet and serene; a perfect time to hear myself breathe and think. The birds are chirping louder than usual, a symphony of nature that co...

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“The Lost Princess” by Adia Wendling

Submitted to Contest #224

It was just before dawn, when my alarm started its shrill screaming. I jumped up, rubbing my eyes, and slammed down the snooze button. I debated sleeping for a few more minutes, but I had something to do. Something urgent. So I climbed out of bed and put on my fighting leathers. I was just about to open my door when I heard the shouting. Not bad shouting but excited shouting. It was beginning. I grabbed the brass handle and opened the old oak door. Instantly I was met by a group of others rushing past my door, chattering with nervous ene...

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“The Afterworld ” by Marisa E. Cardin

Submitted to Contest #224

The alarm blared in my ear. I rolled over, slapping it off with a grunt and forcing my legs over the side of the bed. Another dawn, I thought groggily, glancing over to the window where the faintest bit of light was just beginning to appear. Thirty minutes to get ready, thirty minutes to get downtown, and sixty five minutes until I’ve officially missed my Monday dose. I’d never missed a dose before, not even this deep into the dead Chicago winter. The words of the current mayor, Salma O'Moore, rang through my head as I pulled a...

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“Cold Silence” by Lenester Williams

Submitted to Contest #224

Crash! Marcus shoots up in bed scanning his dark room, only slightly illuminated by the glow of the streetlight outside. His eyes shift over to his alarm clock resting on the nightstand reading 5:15. He knew there was no reason for anyone to be awake at this time. HomeAlone was fresh in his mind from the night before, so the idea of an intruder sent a chill down his spine. “Dad!” No one called back to him. His imagination began to run wild with the worse possibilities. Even that his parents may be in danger, but he was a kid what could he ...

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“there's this tree.” by Mira H

Submitted to Contest #224

There’s this tree. A fig tree. Awful stuff, really. I learned about the tree in high school English, the hardened plastic of a decades-old chair digging into my spine as I picked through the pages of another mandatory reading. Sylvia Plath and her bell jar. Obnoxious chewing on my left. A dirty sneaker balanced precariously against the metal legs supporting my weight. Sylvia was now speaking to a generation of young kids who couldn’t give two shits. I rolled my eyes and counted down the minutes to lunch, bored. And then I fell...

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“SLEEPWALKERS” by Henry Harris

Submitted to Contest #224

SLEEPWALKERS Russell Overstreet awakened before dawn to a brave new world. He could barely sleep. A libertarian candidate had never been elected President of the United States. He smiled wistfully as he sat on his king-sized bed, propped against its headboard. As campaign manager for the President elect, he played a key role in the historic victory. Now, he could finally relax after an arduous campaign that propelled his friend and libertarian candidate, Prince Witherspoon, to the highest office in the land. I...

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Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 94 stories

“The Snow Globe” by Robert McCue

“The Nest” by Ora Lawrence

“The Dream” by Samantha Jane

“Why Am I Awake?” by Rae Perrin

“Feels So Good- Five a.m.” by Constance Blaize-Shorter

“Sisyphus' List” by Brett Kube

“Livin' On Tokyo Time” by Jaymes Bluff

“Dawn's Early Light: Maverick's Runway Mishap” by Todd Nigro

“Death De Facto” by Crowley Foster

“"Dear Dera"” by Kike Mariam

“The Lost Princess” by Adia Wendling

“The Afterworld ” by Marisa E. Cardin

“Cold Silence” by Lenester Williams

“there's this tree.” by Mira H

“SLEEPWALKERS” by Henry Harris

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about two people living together who have opposing sleep cycles, and only cross paths at dawn and dusk.

Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”

Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.

Write about someone who can’t sleep due to jet lag, and decides to set out and explore their new city at night instead.

Contest #224

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

285

Contest entries

135

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: