Write about someone who is stuck between two opposing sides and can’t decide which one to choose.

Posted in Fiction on Mar 8, 2024

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✍️ 49 stories

“The Hippocratic Oath” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #241

TW: Mention of sexual abuse, incest***“With regard to healing the sick, I will devise and order for them the best diet, according to my judgment and means; and I will take care that they suffer no hurt or damage…”I scan the cross-stitched words in the examination room of my clinic, framed in gold and screaming at me in scarlet thread, as I feel the prickle of what feels like a thousand knives at my throat. Five years ago, as I walked across the stage of a packed auditorium to receive a diploma from the medical school and a shiny new prefix t...

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“A Fable: The Gardener and the Potter” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #241

A Fable: The Gardener and the Potter Samuel, a slightly stooped, aging gentleman of humble means in a humble village, visited with his eldest daughter. “Is all well with you and your new husband?”“All is wonderfully well. He treats me like a precious flower. Seeing to my every want and need. Gordon is such a hard worker. He works from sun-up to sun-down in our fields growing the best crops any gardener would be proud of.” Marigold marveled.“Is there anything you need from me, My Dear?”“Well, the only thing I could request is that you pray f...

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“Church on Saturday” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #241

I had a friend in college who said he was never going to have children. At the time I thought he didn’t want the responsibility. Looking back now, I wonder if he was actually hoping to avoid the heartbreak.I can’t speak for all fathers, but the day my son was born, I saw his life flash before my eyes. He was going to dominate the other infants in the nursery, be valedictorian of his preschool, hit puberty at nine, and start at quarterback on the varsity football team his freshman year. After that, the visions became more serious and les...

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“In Too Deep” by William Maher

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #241

(Contains adult language)Sean sat alone in a dark confession booth, fighting back his tears. The mesh slat to his right took the shape of the crucifix. A door clicked open and light shone through the slat, before vanishing as the door shut.“I wondered if I would see you again,” said the priest, sitting beyond the divider to Sean’s right.The devil sat on his left.“Read it to me one more time, Father,” Sean said.The voice that spoke through the crucifix was soft, “I would be more help if you just told me—”“Please… Father… don’t. Just read me t...

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“Tug of War: A State of Limbo” by E.L. Lallak

Submitted to Contest #241

Downtown, a squawking crow perched on a third-story windowsill emits its harsh, guttural cry, piercing the stillness of the muted neighborhood like a rough-edged note: CAW. CAW. CAW. Its presence adds a touch of wildness to the concrete jungle below, evoking a sense of foreboding, turning joggers’ heads, and making dogs bark.God, Damn’t! Sandy moaned, hurling her alarm clock across the room like a quarterback. She didn’t have time to shower, let alone brush her bedhead. No toothpaste? Or brush her teeth.She cursed under her breath, strugglin...

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“You See,” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #241

You see, betrayal never comes from your enemy.An enemy is honest about their antipathy. An enemy will never pretend to be on your side.You see, betrayal comes from me.I'm the one who sits across from you, my elbows propped on the table, my hands clasped together, my chin resting on my fists. My eyes will be warm, full of understanding, my mouth pursed into a empathetic moue, the occasional tut-tut and tsk-tsk, a slight twitch of an eye, a narrowly missed frown, a barely perceptible nod or shake of my head.I will make the odd comment, using y...

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“The Shot” by Joseph Keener

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #241

He didn't need to do anything. He could just sit down at his desk and wait. The waiting would be the hardest part. The shame would come, and perhaps it would never stop. The thousands of employees under his company would be blameless, they wouldn't put it together until it was too late. The blame would fall squarely on the men in this room. For the last one hundred and fifty years, the painstaking process of terraforming the exoplanet Gupta-2125 had fallen on his company: James Adelade Space Innovations. The process had been beyond revoluti...

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“Splitting on the Fence” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #241

The battle cries erupted from both ends of the town square, ripping the still of the night into tatters.Oscar Ware jumped. He still hadn’t chosen. The decision’s weight crushed him until he froze, unable to act. How could you decide on something of this size? There were advantages and disadvantages for both teams. What if he picked it, and it was the wrong choice? What if he experienced buyer’s remorse? He needed to weigh every possible pro and con underneath a magnifying glass. Only then could he decide, and after much deliberation. He’d al...

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“Morbid Holidays” by Ev Datsyk

Submitted to Contest #241

Content warning: Implied murder, dismemberment, and misogyny.My family celebrates morbid holidays. We gather on dead men’s birthdays and gruesome anniversaries. If I am ever caught, I hope a trial of public opinion shames them. I hope they say I am the way I am because I was forced to attend a brunch commemorating Auntie Tanya’s skiing accident. Because we fought about the turkey on the day Joseph was diagnosed. Because I had to remember someone it hurts to remember.So many deathday flowers will ruin you. Today is the third anniver...

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“Spider and Moth” by Jem Gray

Submitted to Contest #241

Trgger warning: this story contains references to war and the trauma of war.Made up of the thinnest of protein fiber threads, the spider’s web prompts a cautious reflection about how nature can trick light. The silk is an invisible cloak splayed out with mathematical accuracy on a branch, or across the corner of a doorway, or between two rails.The subject is a particular web on your television. It’s not on the frame, but rather drawing you in from within - the many moving shades of a pixelated scene unfolding. A spider is weaving its silk de...

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“A Delicate Balance” by Martin Maynard

Submitted to Contest #241

In the softly lit room that served as Dr. Leslie Harper's office, a space adorned with calming artwork and shelves filled with psychology texts, the first meeting was about to commence. Dr. Harper observed the young girl across from her. Emma, a sixteen-year-old child, with her carefully poised demeanor that seemed almost out of place in the youthful casualness of her jeans and sweater."Emma," Dr. Harper began, her voice imbued with the warmth that had comforted countless others before, "I understand this is a challenging time for you. Would...

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“Lucky” by D'Spencer Luyao

Submitted to Contest #241

Lucky crossed the street in a set of long, quick strides, glancing back and forth the whole way as if a car would come hurtling out of thin air. He’d heard stories of worse things happening to better people, and his name was all title—not at all a descriptor. He reached the other side, as if by miracle, and disappeared straight into the trees. Lucky had been doing a lot of disappearing for a long time. He wanted to say he couldn’t believe he had tossed everything away for a man named Barney, lik...

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“A Mother's Dilemma” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #241

Maya sat on the hard floor with a box full of polaroid pictures in her lap. What was she going to do with this information? It was too much for her to swallow. She was only looking for the Easter decorations she bought for Anthony last year and instead she found this. She picked up a polaroid and examined it. It was hard to look at but she could not look away. How could Anthony do this to her? She did nothing but give him the best life. She loved him unconditionally. She sent him to the best sc...

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“Love for One's Own” by Morgan Aloia

Submitted to Contest #241

Love for One’s Own (I)75th of Nemulum, 313 EAPeyr MyarsaLeça stood at the lowest edge of the city of Peyr, their dutiful vigilance a bastion against the cruel and tempestuous swamp they dared not tread.They were alone in their alertness, if not in their duty, as from their periphery a figure approached on return from patrol of the docks. He was a younger man, shabby and scruffy, dressed in weathered green homespun. The only thing of any value on him was his wedding band, a single ring of solid iron. He nodded promptly to Leça, settling himse...

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“Dear Katrina” by Jim Gray

Submitted to Contest #241

Dear Katrina,Still the black waters. Let the moon set, and the sun rise with you once more. This small barren island holds only three of us now. Three lost souls, caught between warring titans. But on which bank of the Dnieper river does my fate wait, and hate.Sorry that it has been too long since my last letter. This war has brought many shortages and while food and bandages we lack most, the absence of paper and pencil has added to the eternal distance between us. And never has distance been so cruel. For though the void that keeps us...

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Write about someone who is stuck between two opposing sides and can’t decide which one to choose.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“The Hippocratic Oath” by Alexis Araneta

“A Fable: The Gardener and the Potter” by Mary Bendickson

“Church on Saturday” by Thom With An H

“In Too Deep” by William Maher

“Tug of War: A State of Limbo” by E.L. Lallak

“You See,” by Trudy Jas

“The Shot” by Joseph Keener

“Splitting on the Fence” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Morbid Holidays” by Ev Datsyk

“Spider and Moth” by Jem Gray

“A Delicate Balance” by Martin Maynard

“Lucky” by D'Spencer Luyao

“A Mother's Dilemma” by Madeline Honig

“Love for One's Own” by Morgan Aloia

“Dear Katrina” by Jim Gray

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who is convinced they’re going to be betrayed.

Set your story at a tense event where everyone is unsure whose side they’re on.

Start your story with an unexpected betrayal.

Write about a backstabbing (literal or metaphorical) gone wrong.

Contest #241

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

255

Contest entries

116

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: