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

“Burning damage” by Giulia S.

Submitted to Contest #89

The flames were dancing in the night sky, lighting up the dark street and releasing an intense smell of burnt wood. The starry sky welcomed them: the stars, perfectly visible until shortly before, were covered by that bright, intense, red color. Joleen, Zoe and Maia were watching the house burning, standing in the middle of the tight country road. «It's over», was whispering Joleen, «it's over». The remnants of the old walls fell at their feet in sparks and immediately went out, even before touching the ground. «What have you done?», asked ...

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“A physical experience” by Anne Scherliess

Submitted to Contest #89

beep beep beep beeep beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepThere was just one consistent green line showing on the black screen of the computer. It was over.--------Have you ever tried to be born? It's a frickin nightmare! Pardon my french. It is though, so in case you are toying with the idea, you should really and truly know that there is no other way. To get to live a life on Earth, unfortunately, there isn't. So if you are trying to have a physical experience on Earth, you better be damn sure that it absofrickinlutely has to be Earth. There are so many othe...

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“At the Eleventh (11th) hour” by Aruna Bassie

Submitted to Contest #89

At the Eleventh (11th) hour....... My Mother is a bigger part of me than me that’s why it has become so hard to self love for me, So I started to self medicate with any and all type of weed ..... Normally anytime I wanted to do something somewhat wrong he’d get upset But a week ago when I asked him to hook me up he got through faster than he did to win our dollar bet The Saturday before we started with brownies and tea behind a closed door Then this Sunday the day before after floating high through the week while still fe...

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“The Day Before” by Brass JLV

Submitted to Contest #89

The hotel was bigger than she’d imagined, plusher than the pictures and videos had revealed and it still didn’t feel real. She had to pinch herself to confirm that it wasn’t a dream, that it was really happening to her. This was officially the best day ever! Excitement at the chance of a new beginning washed over her. “…Maria!” She turned back to face the accommodation manager, a sheepish look on her face for getting caught preoccupied. “Sorry.” She mumbled. He smiled in response and motioned her over to the door in front of hi...

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“Olly ” by Emma Williams

Submitted to Contest #89

My body went cold. I could feel Geer there, around me. The warmth was present but not affecting me, I was surrounded by a blanket of warmth and yet I felt none of it. Neither did he. My brother, he would never feel warmth again. He would never feel again. The wind blew the bodies, shifted them left slightly. Six hung still, motionless, and cold there. I could hear Geer talking to me, to someone about something. I did not care to notice until he started toward the wall. ¨Chan eli, He deserved more than to have a bag over his head.¨ Geer had a...

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“Apple Returns to the Tree” by Mathias Nobel Hadberg

Submitted to Contest #89

”Mr. Notka, why are you up here?” Thea Nootkamp closed the door to the stairway behind her. She needn’t have bothered; the wind rushing over the roof of the building would have done it for her. The visitor glanced behind him. His suit flapped in the wind. “Ah, the aide. I just wanted to see the city. It has been such a long time since I was here last.” “I am sure that we could have arranged a tour, Mr. Notka.” Thea replied and stepped closer to the man, doing her best to keep the wind from taking her cap. The man chuckled. “I app...

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“The Dream” by Aisha Khan

Submitted to Contest #89

James led the officers down the makeshift ladder. He could hear two of them grunting, but Officer Edison followed with a solemn vibe. There was a stench inside the tunnel, but James felt a little grateful because it didn’t make him nauseous again. The officers seemed fine too. Or maybe, he was thinking, the officers were used to worse occurrences than this. The only luminosity in the pitch blackness of the tunnel came from the officer’s flashlights; the few on the back were scanning the walls and the back end, but Edison kept his flashlight...

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“Three Mages and A Broken Country” by Tyra Kabugo

Submitted to Contest #89

I stare down the fox. “Why bother caring now? Everything’s already gone,” I say, eyes clouding with the promise of heavy showers. As much as I do not want to forgive Gareth, I cannot leave him nor can I turn away from him. We’re all each other has. Besides, given what we are setting out to do, the only people we can trust is the other. Both of us were once sovereigns- next in line to the throne. He was the carefree prince and I the damsel to woo the crowds. Now, thanks to him, we are nothing. Orphans. “Philippa, I-“ he tries to place h...

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“Bloody Innocence” by Rosana Maryjain

Submitted to Contest #89

BLOODY INNOCENCE "Mrs. Swan you are being charged with murder of Matilda Swan, your niece, daughter of James Swan, you are under arrest, do you have anything to say in this regard?" Mr. Watson sternly asked the woman who still had an imperious countenance, even when she was being charged of a cold blooded murder. The clinging followed by the clicking sound of a pair of cold handcuffs, encircling the fair and slender hands of Mrs. Swan, gave Mr. Watson a fleeting but evident sense of pleasure, as they were the cold and bloody hands of a murd...

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“Space Rendezvous” by Tim Gorringe

Submitted to Contest #89

Valentina was sitting at a picnic table in the long shadows of the pine trees. She was about to be the most celebrated women in the Soviet Socialist Republic.Along the stone path came the young Khazakstani couple. Sofia was carrying a tray of mutton stew. Amir was holding three small glasses and a pint-sized bottle of the local liquor. Amir felt very uneasy.“My name is Valentina,” said the visitor. She had short blonde hair, unusually pale skin, and an accent that was unfamiliar to the couple. Her eyes were dark and betrayed her exhaustion.“...

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“Robbery on the Steampunk Express” by Ethan Gardner

Submitted to Contest #89

Hanging from the side of a train, her handbag strap the only thing between her and certain death, Theodora began to question her recent decisions. If only she had stayed with her aunt, instead of following that mysterious mechanical man and landing herself in a veritable pudding of troubles. Then she wouldn’t be dangling here by her handbag, desperately hoping none of the gearheads found her and cut her loose. If she had just listened to her mother for once, she would have remained blissfully unaware of the whole affair. “Stay with your Aunt...

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“Archie” by Jill Amari

Submitted to Contest #89

Archer didn’t know what to say. He looked down at the man in the hospital bed in front of him and choked out, “That’s not my father.” Eight hours ago, his father, Ben, had been unmarred and healthy, driving the old family minivan to his latest art show. And who knew? Maybe Ben was still unmarred and healthy. But the man before Archer, the one dying in the white-sheeted bed in front of him, was not his father. Archer had never imagined his night going this way, with the one a.m. phone call from the hospital and his mother coming down the stai...

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“The Homes We Come To” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #89

2024 AD. The van that had picked us up from the rehabilitation centre stops at a ridge. Dense, dark greenery fills our vision. We are home! finally. To be honest, I never knew much about my ancestral home. In fact, even my mother or father did not grow up here. They too grew up in their adopted country, mingling with others who had arrived from similar backgrounds. They had limited access to the woods, just so that they could retain their instincts. Or so I imagined. I never had a chance to know them well enough. By the time I was weaned awa...

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“Her Dying Memories” by Aaron Measer

Submitted to Contest #89

As the bullet passed through her chest, Erin saw one thing: the face of the man who loved her. She collapsed in a heap on the concrete floor, her hands and feet numb and cold. The stink of gunpowder filled her nose, and for a moment, it reminded her of her father, the way his Sunday jacket smelled. With what little strength she had, she slipped her hand into her pocket and touched a cold, metal item. She wrapped her fingers around it and held it tight. Her lips trembled with the taste of blood, and as she died, her mind engaged a parade of m...

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“Crash and Burn” by Spense Long

Submitted to Contest #89

The lights of the emergency vehicles painted the forest with a mixture of reds, blues, and purples. Ashley sat on the edge of the ambulance, wrapped in a warm blanket, and taking small sips from a bottle of water. The EMT was still trying to coax her into going to a real hospital, but she refused, just as she had before. The EMT sterilized her leg and wrapped it. Even after he had walked away, the alcohol still bubbled deep within the tender muscle of Ashley’s calf. All along the borders, between the tree line and the yellow police tape, cam...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 201 stories

“Burning damage” by Giulia S.

“A physical experience” by Anne Scherliess

“At the Eleventh (11th) hour” by Aruna Bassie

“The Day Before” by Brass JLV

“Olly ” by Emma Williams

“Apple Returns to the Tree” by Mathias Nobel Hadberg

“The Dream” by Aisha Khan

“Three Mages and A Broken Country” by Tyra Kabugo

“Bloody Innocence” by Rosana Maryjain

“Space Rendezvous” by Tim Gorringe

“Robbery on the Steampunk Express” by Ethan Gardner

“Archie” by Jill Amari

“The Homes We Come To” by Suma Jayachandar

“Her Dying Memories” by Aaron Measer

“Crash and Burn” by Spense Long

🌟 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: