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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about a character experiencing anxiety.

Posted in General on Oct 12, 2020

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✍️ 92 stories

“Say nothing ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Something terrible happened after the delivery of the letter that would come to hunt Mr. Peter for a very long time. In truth, it wasn't really terrible depending on one's perspective. Indeed the milkman would have shrugged and been on his way should a letter such as the one sent to Mr. Peter on Wednesday have come for him. Even David from across the street would have laughed it off.The letter did not come in any particular order, so to speak, and Peter was half asleep when it came. He had a wife and a child but they were on holida...

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“The Dead at My Door” by Joshua Insole

They were still following us. We hadn’t managed to lose them, despite our best efforts. I could hear their frenzied footfalls and their growls filling the wintry night air, just behind us. How close were they, I wondered? One step? Two? If one of us stumbled as we ran up the path, would they be upon us before we hit the ground? Would they catch us even if we didn’t? Were we one or two seconds away from being tackled to the ground and devoured, our pained screams straining into the night?

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“24/7 Anxiety Around the Clock” by Bree Kokiri

“Deeeeep breaths sweetie.” Damon gives my shoulders a squeeze, and hands me my lunch. “Turkey and cheddar on whole wheat toast. With a little mayo smiley face in the middle.” He smiles his cheesiest grin and I roll my eyes as I take the brown paper bag“Alas, the bread will have smushed it.” I retort sarcastically. “You’ll just have to wear the smile instead, then.” He kisses me gently on the forehead, as I pick up my bag of supplies and my purse, and head for the door.“Are Brian and Britt still asleep?” I ask. ...

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“Family Vacations” by Najwa Zandlo

I had my first panic attack when I was fourteen, in the locker room after gym class. One of the girls – I think her name was Sarah – started screaming that I was choking on something. A few class heroes tried to dislodge the object from my throat using the Heimlich Maneuver. Someone ran to grab the gym teacher, an old lady named Mrs. Darlene who had gotten breast reduction surgery when she was young. They had clipped a nerve, leaving her nipples erect and crooked for the rest of her life. I was fascinated by them when I went to her class...

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“THERE IS NO HOPE” by Jannatul Purnia

There was a girl named Munia. She was an educated girl with high ambitions. From her childhood she was a very creative girl. Her aim in life was to be an astronaut and work in NASA. She achieved great result in her academic education. She got selected into the top university called 'Dhaka University'. Her family always wanted her to be successful in life. Her father wanted to choose the top subject of that university for her. But her aim was different. She sacrificed her choice for her father's wish. She got admitted for the top subject f...

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“Alone” by Daniel Deschenes

Jackson Williams sat in English just like he did every Wednesday. Literally. He was just sitting. He wasn’t actually there. Not mentally, at least. He was typically more attentive than his fellow classmates because he enjoyed learning the finer points of the English language. He often pictured himself as a mechanic, the classroom as his garage, and the assignments he got as vehicles and machines that needed fine-tuning. He’d pull out his grammatical toolbox and tweak and turn until each sentence hummed with precision and promise. And he d...

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“Reunion Anxiety” by John k Adams

“What are you doing here?”“Hi, Mom! It’s been a while…”“Well, you’re here now. Come in. You’re letting out all the dust.”Maybelle stepped aside and opened the door for Tom to enter. She offered her cheek for him to kiss. The house had the smell of home. ‘Only here,’ Tom thought. ‘It never changes....

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“Ready” by Tori Routsong

Jaime couldn’t stop pacing. The waiting room was too small. Should it be taking this long? Something was going wrong. Something was going terribly wrong. “Nothing is wrong.” His husband, Eric, hadn’t moved from his chair, one leg up as if this was normal, as if they were at home and he was about to do a crossword. “Calm down.” “Something is definitely wrong,” he insisted. “It’s been hours.” “That’s normal,” Eric insisted. “Look, Julie knows what she’s doing. This is her fourth kid. It’ll be okay.” “But can’t ...

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“B12” by Anthony Neal

I burst through the door and slammed it behind me.Sweat was trickling down my face, dripping from my brow onto my lip. I blew my nose on 3 squares of toilet paper, which I ripped off the roll and bunched up hastily.I used my sleeve to dry the sweat and the corner of my eyes. Wait – I’m crying? Why? And when did I start…?No – not here. Please – I need to stop. I’m starting to get that throbbing pain in my chest and that sinking feeling in my gut. That crushing sadness that I just cannot shake. I glided backwards and my...

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“Knots” by Adriana k. Maxwell

He is good with knots. Not tying words together, not putting them so they make sense, not connecting people, nothing figurative or important. But he’s good at knots and string. He makes loops, pulls string through, tightens. Words come thick and fouled like retching molasses.She is looking at him again, tapping her fingers. He knows she is going to call his name.He makes another loop, grasps the string, feeds the end through, pulls it, tightens.When he was young, he was the first to l...

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“That 'Good' True Love” by Tiffiana Harden

Love will make you do crazy things, the craziest things. And if you have never had true love before, it can be scary when you finally have it. I did not want to worry about our love; I did not want to panic about losing her, but the thoughts of her leaving me just kept entering my head, making me scared. I panicked. I did the only thing I could think to do to keep our love going. Well, to be honest, we did not have a love at first. It was just me fantasizing about her. I remember how we met. I worked at a company called The Se...

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“Suicidal Sister” by Jenna Williams

I look at Celeste with such intensity It probably scares her. But with her recent disappearances...Stumbling home drunk, though she's only eighteen, spending every night of the week with her friends, I have reason to worry. But I'm pretty sure she's been avoiding me, her own sister, for a specific reason. At least I think it's why.It was a few months ago. Mother made sweet potato Black Bean Tacos. I put three on a plate to bring to my sister, but when I got to her doorway I froze, and clenched my hands in fear, sadness, and most of...

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“Finding Hope” by Massiel Alberto

Finding HopeLory was a perfectly healthy young woman of 25 years old. She enjoyed walking in the park with her cat, she loved to see the sun rising and never missed a sunset because she said: “every sunset is unique”. And she was right.Lory lived alone in her apartment. The complex consisted of six apartments and she lived on the second floor. Her apartment was beautiful, nicely decorated with a big gray comfy...

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“Waiting for Dinner” by Keith Manos

“ . . . can you play me a memory? I’m not really sure how it goes, but it’s sad and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes” [Billy Joel]   Regarding Sue, his mindless sister-in-law, Jim decided to confront her later.              Of course, when she visited again.               W...

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“A Gory Story” by Dash Getem

My whole body had gone numb with fear. It was impossible to focus. I sat there, shivering in my suit, damp with sweat. I looked down at the little box I was confined in, then up to the judge’s menacing glare, and finally back over to the prosecutor.“...Can you identify that man in the courtroom today?”As hard as I tried… I couldn’t.I remember wish...

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Title: At Home

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