Start the story with the absence of a sensory detail (eg. silence when there should be noise).

Posted in Fiction on Sep 29, 2023

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✍️ 52 stories

“What Would Gladys Think ?” by Chris Day

Submitted to Contest #218

The young man gently pulled on the reins, the rough rope feeling almost silky in his heavily calloused hands. The horse exhaled and shook its large head as it responded to its master’s demands, coming to a halt in the short, dew-rich grass beside the gentle stream. The horse appeared uncharacteristically nervous and agitated, a feeling that was shared by the knight mounted on its back. An indescribable sense of dread and uneasiness grew within him. He raised his visor and dutifully surveyed the forest. His sense of uneasiness did not subside...

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“Phantosmia Generica” by Gene Alexander

Submitted to Contest #218

Wednesday afternoon Bill knew he couldn’t be having a stroke, as he did not smell burning toast. His face was numb, and he couldn’t pick up his left arm, but no toast. He was looking right at Marie Dempsey, the lab director, and he could hear her making noises that sounded like a cat’s pre-yack meow. But no toast. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a bit. Bill wakes in an off-white exam room with a confusing stream of people coming in and out, doing inexplicable things, and ignoring him while doing things to him. Too confusing to be wo...

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“This wasn't Supposed to be a Romance Story” by Nick Campbell

Submitted to Contest #218

“You said that this was going to be a simple prank! This isn’t ‘simple’ at all!” “Hush, will you? We’ve already made it past the point of no return. You’re in this for the long run now. So, shut up, and take these.” “W-wait a minute! Ow! These are…no. No, no, no. I did not agree to this! You said we were just going to mess with them a little bit, you did not mention anything about rope or ball gags or–”“Relax. We’re not kidnapping them, but we can’t let them get away either. It’s a temporary thing. Listen, we’re just going to tie t...

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“At the museum” by Barbara Becc

Submitted to Contest #218

Something is wrong. Lexy knows it before she even opens her eyes. It’s not just the quietness, the hum of the ventilation system missing. Something is wrong with the world. She opens her eyes and sits up, trying to orient herself. She’s on the floor, which is rather surprising. The room is at least familiar, marble statues dance around her in the dim light of the skylight, but it’s just a trick from the last rays of sunlight coming through. Scrambling to her feet, she looks through the rows of statues. She’s in the Greece room, the ancie...

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“Muted” by Chelly Jo Welch

Submitted to Contest #218

Suddenly, I was acutely aware that I was the only source of noise left in the forest. The darkness was blinding- the silence, deafening. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, the sound of my breathing was like an alarm, a beacon in the night- a scream, alerting them to where I was. The night was filled with uncertainty and confusion, but there was one thing I was sure of: if I was found, I would die. &nb...

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“The Man all Upside-Down” by Lynn Spray

Submitted to Contest #218

On a moonlit night, four boys gathered by river’s edge. Unknown to them, an endless quiet was close at hand. And though their feet did fall, not a single sound was made. Neither roaring beast nor chirping insect could be heard. In these dark woods, there is naught but silence all around. For, its sounds were swallowed by the man all upside-down. Billy, the eldest boy, was the stone-skipping champion. He could always pick the most perfect stones for skipping. Once, he had even skipped a stone thirty-seven times. By the rules th...

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“The Silent Stager ” by Nyla Alimohammadi

Submitted to Contest #218

Rhosh stood on the edge of the tower in the sky, which peeked so arrogantly but delicately above the sea of clouds. Silent clouds. They rolled across the vision from left to far right where their enormous presence stretched seemingly without end. There would be thunder. Even here standing by her toes above the storms she expected to hear thunder. Nothing. Not even a ringing in her ear. She pressed against the alabaster spire's base to rise higher. Just several swoops over the beautiful white backs of the thunderheads, she hovered. What h...

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“Call The Cops!” by Rae Toonery

Submitted to Contest #218

When I arrive at the house, I see lights on. I dump my bike and knock at the front door, trying the handle. It’s locked. At some point since my last visit, she’s covered the windows with film, so I can’t see in. I knock some more and call through the letter box, “Sian. It’s me. Are you OK?” Nothing. There’s a small window to the side, but the glass is frosted. I peer through anyway, hammering with both fists. “Sian. Come on. It’s me. Can you just let me know you’re OK?” There’s something on the floor near the bathroom. A white shape. Is that...

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“can you find me now?” by CoCo Lee

Submitted to Contest #218

TW: violence, gore, mental health Static, my eyes open. I rub them, it's a new day... The sun rises gleefully. Hello! You smile daintily, what a fantastical morning. I sit up from my comfy bed and waltz to the kitchen, my stomach grumbling. From the refrigerator, I grab some milk and fix myself a bowl of cereal. A cup of orange juice sounds nice. After I eat, I sit in front of the TV, scrolling through the channels. After a moment of mind-numbing TV, I come across an animal documentary with cute little cats and dogs. I smile. *...

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“The White Crone” by Jay El Mitchell

Submitted to Contest #218

Blood. The taste is the only thing I have awareness of, my sole focus. Blood in my mouth, metallic and somewhat brackish. Awareness of my body comes back to me gradually, radiating outward from that point. The taste of blood in my mouth awakens awareness of my lips, my chin, throat and nose. I breathe in, expecting the coppery scent of blood, and instead am nearly overwhelmed by the fresh smell of clean linen. Blood and linens. That is the extent of my reality until I become aware of the existence of my eyes and open them. The white ...

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“Margaret” by Lala Green

Submitted to Contest #218

Contains sensitive content: death, firesGrandma’s chair grates as she rocks, back and forth, back and forth. Her knitting needles clack clack clack and the first bats of the evening chirp, searching for the moths at Grandma’s lantern. I sit on the top step of our porch, running my hands back and forth over the chipping wood. I’ve gotten more splinters than I can count, but the rough texture of unfinished wood is one of my favorites.I hear footsteps approach—my Ma’s—and the door squeaks open.The breeze carries the scent of chocolate and mint...

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“Something's Out There” by Daniel Feagin

Submitted to Contest #218

It was dark that morning on Hoxes V. A deep, unnatural dark. The little ice planet circling around the massive gas-giant in a far-flung star system passed beneath the titan’s shadow once every few Earth years. About 82, give or take a few days. And although one would expect darkness to accompany passing into the shadow of a planetary body, humans were unaccustomed to the kind of darkness that the giant brought. Sarrus dominated the sky of Hoxes. One massive shadow, concealing every star, every stray proton that would break the atmosphere o...

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“Beneath the Dross” by Sandy Houdeshell

Submitted to Contest #218

The lights went out suddenly. Screams filled the gym faster than smoke pouring in from the hallway as the thunderous herd of students clambered down from the bleachers. Instinctively, I reached for Maddie’s hand and gave it a squeeze, pulling her close. I’d dreamed about this moment with her for months—maybe that’s why it happened so naturally. There had been no smoke in my dreams, and the screams sounded completely different. “Pull your shirt up over your mouth and nose, now! We’ve got to move left, Maddie, toward the locker rooms.” “No...

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“Wing C, Room 312” by Karen Best Wright

Submitted to Contest #218

Sarah hastily walked down Wing C to room 312. She needed to be with her grandmother, Grandma Bess, whose life was rapidly fading. The atmosphere in the nursing home felt surreal; the odd smell of old people and cleaning disinfectants was not permeating the air as usual. It was strange that she could not smell anything.Her entire evening was peculiar. It began with the tragic car accidents on Route 64. She had been stuck in traffic for three hours due to police cars, ambulances, tow trucks, and even an emergency helicopter. All traffic had be...

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“Abreaction” by Joseph Kunkle

Submitted to Contest #218

Abreaction "Doctor, the signature of murder is everywhere: but there is no stink of death. Should be. But there isin't. It's the worst stink of all. The worse sense of all. And you want to know about my first brush with death?” “Yes.” Says Doctor Fringe. She’s the Department Psychiatrist. I don’t deny that I have issues. “Go ahead. Relax.” She says, “I’ve given you a mild sedative: 5% solution of sodium amytal to ease you in and counter another reaction. Play it back in your mind, like a video. We’re going deeper today. Get to the root and...

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Start the story with the absence of a sensory detail (eg. silence when there should be noise).

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“What Would Gladys Think ?” by Chris Day

“Phantosmia Generica” by Gene Alexander

“This wasn't Supposed to be a Romance Story” by Nick Campbell

“At the museum” by Barbara Becc

“Muted” by Chelly Jo Welch

“The Man all Upside-Down” by Lynn Spray

“The Silent Stager ” by Nyla Alimohammadi

“Call The Cops!” by Rae Toonery

“can you find me now?” by CoCo Lee

“The White Crone” by Jay El Mitchell

“Margaret” by Lala Green

“Something's Out There” by Daniel Feagin

“Beneath the Dross” by Sandy Houdeshell

“Wing C, Room 312” by Karen Best Wright

“Abreaction” by Joseph Kunkle

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin a scene with a non-visual sense. Describe a specific sound, smell, taste, etc to capture your setting, then expand the story out from there.

‘Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once.’ Use the senses to transport a character back to the past.

Write a story that begins, ends, or changes with a song played by a busker.

‘The worst meal I’ve ever tasted.’ Imagine a zero-star TripAdvisor restaurant review: capture the customer’s evening out that compelled them to complain.

Contest #218

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

334

Contest entries

97

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: