Start your story with someone saying “Thanks a lot” (sarcastically or sincerely).

Posted in Fiction on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 37 stories

“Horizon” by Emma Wu

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot," he said, all squinting eyes and balled up knuckles as he settled down in the foldable plastic chair. It sunk precariously close to the sand under his weight, and for a second Melanie thought it might break. She sunk into her own chair without a word, closing her eyes. She kicked off those old sandals and dug her feet into the sand, feeling soft grain and broken shells between her toes. The mild breeze and overcast sky had already shifted to a cloudless, lurid blue by the time the two arrived at Salta Bay, despite it being...

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“Thankless life” by Holli Walsh

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot,” I said earnestly at the news of my new promotion. I guess it was true what they said about the holidays being a very giving season. Ever since I became an independent adult, no one really gave or did things for me out of kindness. Everyone was too busy trying to get by day by day when you became an adult and had to pay bills. I smiled though chasing away my jaded thoughts. I texted my best friend, Jamie, about the good news. Ever since we started working in the office together as new hires, we got along instantly and hung o...

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“154 Juniper Lane” by Nix ♞

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot," I say to the mailman.He hands me a bill. Trekked all the way to the last house on my dead-end street where I live. Trekked all that way to my house at the end of a dead-end street in a snowstorm, may I add. Just to hand me a bill. Can you imagine?I suppose it's his job, but sometimes, they skip my number. It happens a lot, actually. I don't blame them. Today, I wouldn't have complained. It's the last house on a dead-end street. Would you go all the way to the last house on a dead-end street during a blizzard? Just to hand me ...

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“The Secret that we should have left unsaid” by Sim K

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot” Jade said…. In such a deadpan voice that I half believed she was just a programming speaking through a broken mic. Of course I knew it was all sarcasm but it was who it was directed at that made it a little surprising as to what she said. After all, the person at the receiving end of this sarcasm was quite the ace student, Scarlett, with what seemed to be a secret sort of Nero complex (and by secret I mean obvious if you really look into It.) but nevertheless an interesting person to have a conversation with. Everyone has th...

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“The Sleep House Dare” by Rowan Legend

Submitted to Contest #121

CW: Mentions Blood, slight physical violence and wood knocking. “Thanks a lot,” I said as sincerely as I could, my body couldn’t stop shaking at the face of another strange creature. But she made me feel safer by getting rid of another one that was trying to harm me. In all my years I never thought that a Vampire was standing beside me. Let alone, my friend. He was always a troublemaker but the adventure was always fun until that one night I decided to follow him. He wore a dark grey hooded jacket and dark jeans, his hair was always i...

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“Djinn Blossoms” by Maribeth Mundell

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot, Katya.” Lana stared at the desk, piled high with large inter office envelopes and paperwork marked “to be filed”. The phone hadn’t stopped ringing since she’d arrived at 7:30, and Katya, the boss’ secretary, was away for a week. It might have been nice if she’d finished up a few things before she left, instead of assuming Lana would pick up the slack. Katya was enigmatic; at times, a racing ball of bubbly energy, at other times, dark, and quiet. Lana had lived in town all her life, like many of the people in the office. ...

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“Amazing Grace” by Melissa Place

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot." Steve stood and clenched his fists as he reached for the door handle. "Wait man," said Martin. "Forget it," Steve said, just before the door slammed shut. Martin broke loose from Sami's embrace and sprinted towards the door. He stepped out into the frigid night air, but it was too late. Steve was pulling out onto the highway at a high rate of speed.Martin shook his head. Steve had definitely gotten the wrong impression, and ...

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“Seriously, thanks, a lot!” by Karin Morley

Submitted to Contest #121

Thanks, a lot, for having access to every thing modern medicine and alternative medicine have to give but not succeeding in making it work for you. All I can think is that you must have drunk an awful lot of coffee, as you somehow got yourself a coffee shop for twenty years, one you hung onto with both hands, come hell or highwater. What do I know, though? The ex-best friend, who was deemed unfit to let to stay indoors, in your house, when you left the country. The betrayal, woman, woman corpse. I have no one to talk to about this. No one ca...

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“Thanks, Darling” by Tanya K

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot for the ride!” I tell my taxi driver Gabriel. It was a lovely ride. We talked the entire way home as though we knew each other forever. At times, especially when he was laughing and I was getting glimpses of his beautiful smile and his mesmerizing brown eyes the colour of warm honey, I imagined us walking together, hand in hand, in the pale darkness of a summer night. The place is simple in my head: a path by a lake where sounds of gentle waves are almost tuned out by the noise of the people around us. There is an empty bench ...

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“The Sleeper” by Theresa Anna

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot.” “Of course,” the bot replies with a tilt of its blank, feature-less face. “We aim to make our Sleepers comfortable.” Kora sips the glass of blackberry water offered and shudders as she glances out the glass wall to the seventy story drop. Silver buildings crowd the crossword of streets, huddling against one another for warmth. The river crawls between, lazy and black, a sheen of ice sweating on the surface. White air buses hover in the air like frozen coughs. An endless winter, a long and sunless scream, encapsules the city o...

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“The Dispeller” by Michael Williams

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot, Ridix. You have brought us where we need to be," says a dark armored rider atop a wet and glorious dark stead of the night. The horse tramples forward shattering mud in its wake. The rolling thunder echoes through the misty clouds. Lighting cracks and roars illuminate the sky against the dark and dank hallows of the baron forest. Skinny trees and dead thickets fill the muddy space. Bones and charms strung up like chimes to keep the evil spirits away hang from the limp rotted limbs and from the worn-down old shack that a cer...

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“Thanks A Lot” by Tina Miller

Submitted to Contest #121

Thanks A lot I wished I had never seen the message. I’ve had this nagging feeling these past few days that has been telling me that something just wasn’t right. Then this morning as I get on my face book account to just scan to see what has happened since my last visit early last night. And there it was....the words in my messages that my daughter’s father is dying. My first thoughts go back to when we were together. What a life we had. We were so young. I was 15 when we had our...

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“"Chester" ” by Hope Savali

Submitted to Contest #121

Chester Jameson was the janitor of my elementary and then high school. He was the man who I used to see early in the mornings outside raking the leaves and cleaning out the trash bins on a regular Monday, and then upon the scaffold washing the windows on a Friday evening. Every day it was the same thing. Over and over again. I think Chester had kids because I saw his wallet perched on a window sill this other day, and no one was around when I found it. I didn't know it was his until I opened it and I saw a picture of him and two smaller kid...

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“A Wish upon a Bone” by Layal Baydoun

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot.” The bitter words left Mary’s mouth and harpooned themselves in Tima’s chest. In an instant, Mary had bounded down the stairs leaving behind the foul air of a rotten exchange. Tima bit her lower lip and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Ross, Mary’s father, stared at the space left behind by his daughter, turned to Tima and offered an apology for his daughter’s behavior. Tima shook her head, smiled shyly and watched Ross hurriedly follow his daughter. It was a while before Tima closed the door to the house and walked into t...

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“When Faith Speaks(Thanks a lot)” by Linsey Vega

Submitted to Contest #121

TW: (suicidal ideations/disablity/adult language)“Thanks a lot.” I never would’ve guessed those three simple words would irrevocably change life as I knew it, but here I am. Following behind a complete stranger like my last name’s Bundy or something! “What in the ever lovin hell are you doing Ben! Stop! turn around!” The thoughts ring loudly in my head like an alarm clock going off too early in the morning, annoying and persistent. Still, there was just something about the way she spoke the words that grabbed my attention and landed me smack...

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Start your story with someone saying “Thanks a lot” (sarcastically or sincerely).

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“Horizon” by Emma Wu

“Thankless life” by Holli Walsh

“154 Juniper Lane” by Nix ♞

“The Secret that we should have left unsaid” by Sim K

“The Sleep House Dare” by Rowan Legend

“Djinn Blossoms” by Maribeth Mundell

“Amazing Grace” by Melissa Place

“Seriously, thanks, a lot!” by Karin Morley

“Thanks, Darling” by Tanya K

“The Sleeper” by Theresa Anna

“The Dispeller” by Michael Williams

“Thanks A Lot” by Tina Miller

“"Chester" ” by Hope Savali

“A Wish upon a Bone” by Layal Baydoun

“When Faith Speaks(Thanks a lot)” by Linsey Vega

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone giving or receiving a gift.

Write a story in which someone gets credit for something they didn’t do.

Write about a character who struggles to express their thanks.

Write about someone in a thankless job.

Contest #121

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

147

Contest entries

113

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: