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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write about a group of strangers — or people who know each other, but may as well be strangers — eating together.

Posted in Fluff on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 152 stories

“Phoenix” by Mary Evans

Submitted to Contest #100

The chair beneath Sarah Marino squeaked with age as she lowered herself onto it. In front of her, on the warm wooded second-hand table they had bought at Goodwill, were three plates filled with the warm food she had made. Being lazy and seventeen, she had only learned how to make a few dishes (omelets, spaghetti, stir fry), and so the pile of eggs and broccoli on the plates had already worn her taste buds of any flavor they could possibly have had. She was waiting for her father and little brother to come out of their rooms, though she didn...

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“Cold Noodles” by Chichi Baby

Submitted to Contest #100

I took a forkful of noodles and pushed it down with a glass of water, gulping it all at once. Father didn't raise his eyes from the newspaper, which he held over his plate of noodles. Mum with her patient, suffering eyes, looked over at me and asked if I was okay. I nodded slowly. None of us had any appetite for the food. Sister Grace had offered to cook, and I was disappointed, so disappointed, that after all the years and fortune Father spent on her while she was in catering school, she still couldn't cook noodles properly. Or maybe she co...

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“The Dinner Party” by Donavan Barrier

Submitted to Contest #100

The slop cascaded into the bowl like diarrhea. The squelch as the wet ingredients landed was disgusting on the ears. The lights around the house flickered every so often as the wind beat itself menacingly against the wooden house. Each of them took a seat at the table, seldom looking at each other. The room was quiet; the slightest noise could seem as loud as a boulder crashing through a window. They each chewed the stuff quietly, slowly enough that it seemed as if their jaws didn't move at all.        &nbs...

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“Valentine's day” by Iman Bellatrach

Submitted to Contest #100

A girl in amazon forest, taking pictures of the most amazing animals with great joy. She took the pictures to the magazine she works in. The editor saw Amanda’s work; he loved every single picture, and said to her:"this is your best last work you did for this magazine." she was happy for moment and then she was:"what? What do you mean by my last work here?!", He replied:"well Amanda you know the magazine aren’t doing well lately so the board decided to lay off some of the staff. I am very sorry. And hey look for the bright side Valentine's d...

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“Wrong table.” by Vedanth P

Submitted to Contest #100

I watched in my balcony as the wind blew the clothes from my neighbours clothesline away, the sky had gone dark grey. I shut the window barely missing him cursing the wind. The radio blasted out a warning to stay indoors in Spanish. I grabbed the keys to my house, switched off the lights in my room, grabbed my jacket of the coat hook and stepped outside as the wind ravaged the town, strewing the vegetables from the farmer market littering the tiny cobblestone paths. Which wound and crossed like a stitch in a complex yet harmonious pattern. I...

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“Tipping Point” by Sharon Williams

Submitted to Contest #100

Every year, the brothers put themselves and their wives through this ordeal. In the past, there had been big family Christmases with various relatives squeezed round the dining table eating an obscenely large meal, afterwards playing silly games and then staying over, people sleeping on blow up beds in the living room or on the sofa. Now, the parents and aunts and uncles were dead, and the brothers’ children were grown up and left home. Neither of their wives demonstrated an inclination to welcome the other into their home for the festive pe...

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“An Expensive Dinner” by Kayley Dickins

Submitted to Contest #100

He hated eating, hated food, hated that he was sat at a table with people he didn’t know having to experience both those things. There were butterflies in his stomach and they were wreaking havoc with the rice he was trying to shove down his throat, he wasn’t sure he could manage any of the curry at all unless something changed. His breathing rate had become more unpredictable throughout the evening and he was aware his deep breaths to steady himself were not working, and that they were becoming more noticeable with every bite. Exactly the o...

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“Three Times a Day ” by Jess A. Smith

Submitted to Contest #100

“You have to show them you are making an effort,” I said through clenched teeth, the sweet potato coating my mouth with carbs. “I know it’s hard, and I’d like to say it gets easier, but I’ve been here for over two months now and have done this three times a day...I’m still struggling.” I shrugged, no use in sugar coating it for the newbies. “What’s your name?” I asked, trying to distract her from the task at hand-cleaning her plate. “Mel,” she answered, but I knew that look. It was the look of horror and nothing I said at this point was goin...

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“Wedding Bread” by Hayley Johnson

Submitted to Contest #100

Orchestrated like the sweet, treat-producing hive of the honeybee, the organized chaos was flawless. Each person had a role and they each carried out the necessary tasks to fulfill it. Whether they were verbally instructed, given hand-written directions, or had an ingrained knowledge about this type of affair, I wasn’t about to ask. Though I knew the bride and groom, I felt like an outsider. Before the wedding had started, I stood awkwardly in the dining room, wondering if I should claim a seat while my fiancé took pictures with the rest of...

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“Salt” by Zelda Crist

Submitted to Contest #100

When you come to sit in this room, you will be rigid as though you are trying to avoid the eyes of some predatory goblin. The people who sat here now felt as though they were being watched, but by what they didn't know. It didn’t feel human; it didn’t feel malevolent. It was a feeling as though if you did something wrong you would be caught eventually, like you were being recorded by hidden cameras. They all had a headache pulsing behind their eyes, brains feeling swollen. Their throats felt the same, vocal cords paralyzed, so they sat in a ...

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“Nina” by Madhuparna Goswami

Submitted to Contest #100

Warm yellow light illuminated the gilded dining hall while rain thundered across the hills of the Darjeeling. The plush scarlet rug felt soft under the sandals and the boots. The smell of cardamom and cloves filed the mouths of the guests with bile instead of water. A lavish dinner was placed upon the burnished wooden table that winked darkly at the guests. Rajdeep sat at the foot of the table, studying and watching with alert eyes. The dinner comprised of seven guests. At the head of the table was Professor Sanwar Ahmed, the man responsible...

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“Twins” by Bob Menaces

Submitted to Contest #100

Have you ever heard of twins sharing everything? What about them sharing each other’s thoughts? This story doesn’t have anything to do with that but it’s nice to wonder about the different possibilities that could happen if it did. Could you imagine if twin females did share a boyfriend and didn’t know about it? That would be hard as twins are known to tell their counterpart everything unless they are male twins as guys are known for talking amongst each other about sharing females. But let’s get all the negativity out our heads as we observ...

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“A Birthday Party” by Carol Keefer

Submitted to Contest #100

“A Birthday Party”The lightning flashes, and the thunder echoes across the river, the afternoon waxes away, a typical day except it is my ninetieth birthday. I guess I should be grateful that God above blessed me with a long life. But there are moments when I want to leave these old bones behind and cross over the “Jordon” onto the other side. At this moment, reality reminds me that there is still life to live and enjoy what I have yet to discover.Deep down, however, there’s a part of me where memories of children dance i...

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“Escaping a Nightmare” by Maddie Pleimann

Submitted to Contest #100

Anna woke to a loud thunk. She didn’t open her eyes right away – she had been in this camp for months now and was quickly growing accustomed to the multitude of sounds reverberating through it.  “Alright, time to get moving Delta!” a voice screeched from the walls.   Delta. That was her barrack. No one bothered to explain how the camp was organized when she first arrived, but it didn’t take long to catch on that she lived in Delta. The camp consisted of a half dozen scattered buildings, each building with three rooms ...

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“Until Forever” by Fractoluminescence Spark

Submitted to Contest #100

You sit down and skim the menu while you wait, your nails drumming against the table. The waiter comes, and you ask for some coffee to calm your nerves, but you’re waiting for someone. You try leaning back, but you’re too tense and end up sitting upright, your back stiff.She's the first one to walk in - a confident stride, stepping to the rhythm of the music in her ears. She glances your way - she knows it's you, and turns sharply in your direction. She puts one arm over the back of her chair and asks for some coffee, but changes her mind se...

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