Start your story with an ending and work backward toward the beginning.

Posted in Fiction on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 201 stories

“A mother knows” by Sue Catrama

Submitted to Contest #89

Sarah stood there with her face pressed up against the window screaming for her son. The nurses were frantically trying to sedate her and remove Charles from the room. The sun was shinning through the church windows illuminating the alter as Sarah and her father's arms were looped while they each took a step in since towards Charles nervous stance. Beside him stood his brother Eric with the ring in his pocket. Ahead of Sarah her sister Maria strolled down the aisle like a pro. The pews were filled with family and friends adorned in thei...

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“Adela's truth” by Hayley Carter

Submitted to Contest #89

It was the beginning of the end. We were about to storm what used to be our home, storm the place that thought would protect us, protect our children but they damned us all to hell. I was the head figure of my battalion. The president of our Sect, had betrayed our people, betrayed us, and even betrayed me. I rallied my troops, transforming into something that no one can describe, a powerful being that glowed in the night sky. I had magic and wonderment, abilities that man could not describe in a single sentence. I was a powerful entity that ...

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“Fools Mate” by Jonothan St. Cyr

Submitted to Contest #89

White Pawn to f3 I woke to find myself alone in the bed, the clock beside the bed showed 08.45 and I threw back the duvet and made my way to the bathroom. The other bedroom door was shut and as I could not hear any movement downstairs I assumed my wife was still sleeping. I took my dressing gown from the hook on the door and went downstairs to make myself a cup of tea. We have been married for over thirty years, for the most part a happy marriage. In the beginning we had a very healthy and active sex life, but as age caught up on us, esp...

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“All Backwards” by Dale Lehman

Submitted to Contest #89

An explosion filled his ears. His chest burned as a dark shade began to fall over his blurring vision. He felt no surprise, only a curious confusion: this wasn’t meant to happen. It was all backwards. “Sorry, Nate.” Karyn spoke the words as she pulled the trigger, and there might indeed have been sorrow in her voice. But for what? They had won, hadn’t they? Erik was dead, the money was theirs, happily ever after beckoned. Why had she turned the gun on him? Somehow during his tumble into death, he had time to watch it all again: Erik clutchin...

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“Raha - Comfort” by Abigail Lilly

Submitted to Contest #89

C/W: War, violence, trauma I never understood why I do the things I do. A small child sat, sleeping on my shoulder. I had held him in the same spot for almost three days. The ringing in my ears should have been gone by now. My head throbbed and felt as if ten men were standing on it. My bones ached and burned. Everything in me was inflamed. The small light shone through and lit the cave just enough for hope to survive. Hope was a hard thing to kill, but harder, to thrive. I had hoped that I would see the shadow of a soldier,...

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“Hey, I love you, okay.” by Shan Lle

Submitted to Contest #89

Orion sat on the boot of his old Acura NSX, and blew out another puff of smoke from his cigarette. The white smoke made a lovely contrast to blue hues of the night sky. The starry night played as a backdrop to the lit up metropolis he called home. Although not the lit up parts, he belonged to the murky underbelly of the town, the people society wished didn't exist, but still needed in order to function. Someone needed to be getting their hands dirty after all. Orion had silver hair and silver eyes, unique features he inherited from his m...

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“A Sound of Thunder and the Smell of Sulphur” by Eric E

Submitted to Contest #89

*Please note: There are graphic depictions of violence and suicide in this story. It is inspired by, but radically deviates from a play called Free by David Grant and Lord of the Flies by the inimitable William Goulding. Thanks for reading.* Nothing can ever prepare you for your first time firing a gun. I’ve seen enough action movies to think that I’d be ready, but I wasn’t. Before it had even fully clicked that I’d sent a real bullet through Liam’s chest, there was a sound of thunder and the smell of sulphur. The sound gave new mea...

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“Her...” by George Puscuta

Submitted to Contest #89

Why?! ……. Why am I here? Where am I? ……. The floor feels… hard. Was it there a minute ago? I’m not sure! Where am I? ……. I can’t remember anything. I can see something crawling in a corner to the left. It looks like ants. Hundreds and hundreds of ants crawling across the floor. Where are they going? Why? Why am I here? ……. The ants, they’re glowing. Hundreds of ants are glowing green and blue. They’re glowing and they’re crawling across the floor towards the opposite wall. They’re just walking, one after the other. Just walking! Where am I? ...

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“The End?” by Kathryn Inglis

Submitted to Contest #89

The End? This was not how their story was supposed to end. There were still so many chapters they had hoped to write together, so many journeys toward possible futures that they had imagined spending side by side. She never anticipated being a childless widow before she had even turned forty-two. She’d never considered being faced with a hopeless situation, or the unenviable decision to allow them to stop treatment and let him slip away. Treatments that could prolong his life a little, but not fix him. Their plans ha...

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“Flipper” by Iris Miller

Submitted to Contest #89

“I think she’s dead,” Charleston looks over her body. He looks at Friga. “Flipper?” “She’s…” Friga looks at the safe in her hands. “That’s...I mean. That appears to be the case.” “Well?” “Well what?” “What the hell are we going to do?” “How the hell should I know?” “We shouldn’t have broken in,” Charleston grips his head, leaning against the counter. “I mean, she’s gotta have a partner.” Friga rolls her eyes. “We’ve been here six hours. I think we would have noticed that by now..” She sets the safe o...

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“Happy Marriage” by Jim Corinthians

Submitted to Contest #89

The sun glared in my face as I drove away from the courthouse. My foot felt heavy. I had signed my name along the bottom of the paper. It actually happened. This is the first time I’ve signed such a document. I never thought I would be signing such a document. I always feared I would sign such a document. But here I am, pen in hand, standing morosely across from my wife - my ex wife. She doesn’t look that upset. That’s one thing I always admired about her, she never really got sad about anything. One of the things I really admired abou...

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“Absent” by Kyaris Newton

Submitted to Contest #89

Augustus 31, Year 358 The ceremonial trumpets blared the first notes of a familiar tune. From her bedroom window, Princess Maeve Saoirse watched a parade of creatures from the fairy and elf kingdoms make their way into the palace halls. This wasn’t the first time she saw such a crowd; there was one every fifty years to mark the crowning of a new Fairy Queen. She sighed audibly at the thought of what was looming beyond the horizon. “What’s wrong, Princess?” Vaska questioned as she ran a brush through the strands of Maeve’s long lilac hai...

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“The Journeys ' End” by Carol Keefer

Submitted to Contest #89

Bells, flashing lights, as the nurse with their polished white shoes scurry down the sterile hallways, curbing their steps outside my mom’s room. As they glimpse through the door offering a polite smile or a nod, then continuing down the hall, a sea of faces blending into one. An agonizing turn of events, I began to wring my hands in appreciation of the realization that I will be alone for the first time since my childhood. And the painstaking task that lies before me, weighing the pros and cons of what the next step should ...

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“Episode one” by Jeff Duke

Submitted to Contest #89

“Good grief, pilgrims coming up the trail. Do not they know there’s three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Now I must move the portable satellite dish and hide my ear buds,” the wise man grumbled. Life on the mountaintop became monotonous. Because pilgrims never varied in their questions. Monks compensated with WIFI. “Oh, great wise man, what is the meaning of life?” they would ask. I am tempted to tell them to invest the money they spent coming in the stock market or a saving account, but that would deprive me of the tip money. I use th...

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“The greatest weapon” by Esha Mahmood

Submitted to Contest #89

She was draped in lovely white. We were invited for her wedding but we attended her funeral-in the same marquee decorated with lights and flowers. We looked grotesque, wearing gowns and jewels, washing our make up with tears. Her parents and Mehmed, her to-be husband were stricken. She had been overjoyed, even though it was an arranged marriage. But from what I had seen, Mehmed was the most compassionate and caring human alive in Turkey.The last time I saw Evren, she was laughing, her blonde hair dancing around her waist. But often there are...

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Start your story with an ending and work backward toward the beginning.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 201 stories

“A mother knows” by Sue Catrama

“Adela's truth” by Hayley Carter

“Fools Mate” by Jonothan St. Cyr

“All Backwards” by Dale Lehman

“Raha - Comfort” by Abigail Lilly

“Hey, I love you, okay.” by Shan Lle

“A Sound of Thunder and the Smell of Sulphur” by Eric E

“Her...” by George Puscuta

“The End?” by Kathryn Inglis

“Flipper” by Iris Miller

“Happy Marriage” by Jim Corinthians

“Absent” by Kyaris Newton

“The Journeys ' End” by Carol Keefer

“Episode one” by Jeff Duke

“The greatest weapon” by Esha Mahmood

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.

Start your story with a character taking a leap of faith.

Write a story where one person is trying to say goodbye but keeps getting interrupted.

Write about someone who is always looking toward the future.

Contest #89

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

719

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: