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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about a family dinner that includes someone unexpected showing up.

Posted in General on Mar 30, 2021

Submissions are closed!

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✍️ 81 stories

“Odd man” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

In the early days of November, a man appeared at our doorstep begging ma for bread and water. It was so early ma was still wearing the day's ideas over her head. Her eyes were still half-closed, the sun just coming up. The knock on the door had not been expected so ma had walked clumsily to the door and pulled it open.Over at the other house, someone was yelling. And ma cursed under her breath. It was to be the second day in a row where her neighbor, Mrs. Winifred, would be screaming at her son for not coming in the night before. M...

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“No Place Special” by Ian Gonzales

“Hey, Fish, what’s happening with those beans?” My head comes up at the sound of that voice, with its distinctive East London accent. “Underway, sir,” I reply, returning my attention to the task of mixing green beans with a can of something labeled cream of mushroom soup. Around me, laughter breaks out at my response. I can feel my ears burn; I’ve been on this ship a little over four months, long enough to discover that habits formed during four years’ service aboard military vesse...

19 comments 19
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“A life changing reunion” by Cam Croz

The long awaited day had arrived.  The day that everyone knew about, but not everyone completely cared for.  Today was the day to feast. The day to rencounter people long lost. 

4 comments 4
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“Moments” by Yoomi Ari

They say we live in the moment, that the past is always gone, and each day is something new, a stepping stone into a future we dream of even in the cold. For James, that is snow, that is those wintry days of bluster and ice. He sees the Earth of yesterday covered as white as any new page and the toddler inside of him rises as if armed with a rainbow of crayons, eager to set that right.Yet today, James is happy to simply walk in it, create a few footprints of his own . He watches them tumble, those feathered crystals, the...

7 comments 7
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“My Toy Soldier” by Bree Kokiri

“Leonard PLEASE I am begging you, play with your gadgets later and GET READY!” My wife, Roberta, is always fussing at me when I’m in my “tech zone”. But I guess I can’t blame her this time. It’s our first holiday as an “extended family” and I know she’s eager to make a good impression. Our Tommy won’t care, and that bride of his, Leah, is an absolute sweetheart….it’s meeting her parents that’s got Bertie in a tizzy. Our first encounter only included her mother, Ramona, at the wedding ceremony. A reserved and stern woman, I was left...

2 comments 2
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“Black Sheep” by Jay Graywall

I sit on a barstool at the kitchen island, swinging my feet and staring off into space while the influx of family milled around me, chatter rising and falling in volume, punctuated here and there by laughter. I can smell the turkey cooking, and the pecan pie sits on an oven mitt in front of me, covered by tinfoil. Even though I don’t like either of those foods, I’m not a heathen. I can still appreciate the smells. After all, for as long as I can remember, those have been th...

6 comments 6
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“Five souls” by Marte Van der linden

Old Henry Mortimer was extraordinarily wealthy and universally loathed, two traits which had served him well his entire life. He enjoyed fast cars, fine wines and a good argument.His relatives never asked him for money. Not after what had happened Aunt Gertrude. She hadn’t asked for much, oh no, just a few hundred, to fix that dreadful leaky roof, and he wouldn’t be so cruel to his own flesh and blood, would he? The roof had come crashing down the next month and Aunt Gertrude had ended up in a gloomy boarding house overlooking the ...

7 comments 7
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“The Shadow of a Father” by Lily Kingston

“He’s my son!” I exclaimed to my too noisy and too opinionated personal assistant, Shelly. “You’re not related to him! He has a father already!” I felt a tear threatened to fa...

3 comments 3
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“The Dinner Guest” by Whitney Trang

“Giana! Your mother needs her assistant chef!” Zeke knocked on his teenage daughter’s door. It opened, revealing a girl with brown eyes, a dark shade of chestnut brown hair, and a sprinkling of cute freckles around her nose. Her nose was just like her Aunt Illeana’s. “Give me five minutes.” Giana told her father. “I’m on the phone with Yori.”

6 comments 6
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“The Witches' Thanksgiving” by Bobby Gupta

“Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in?” Cynthia, the oldest witch, licked her fingers after she bit into her drumstick. She picked at her tangled gray hair. “What do you know, there’s my wand." “This is quite unexpected.” Samantha, the prettiest of the three witches, let go of her floating fork. She straightened her black skirt and turned to look at the cat. “Smells human and very fleshly,” sniffed Martha, the mature one, who rose up and pulled the front door wide open for the cat.&nbs...

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“Last Call” by John k Adams

Charlie kissed his little boy, Charles Jr. and girl, Jenny, good-night and went downstairs to the living room. He clicked the remote, surfing through channels on cable. Nothing grabbed his interest. Charlie looked at the clock. After ten. He was restless.The phone rang. It was the landline they kept for emergencies.“Is Miriam there?”“Who is calling?”“Sergio. Let me talk to Miriam.”Charlie paused. Miriam was his wife. Wherever she was, she wasn’t with this idiot.“She isn’t here. I’ll give he...

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“Frank” by Joshua Insole

1We all thought that Frank was dead. Had we known that he wasn’t, we would have killed him again. We buried him six feet deep – not in a coffin, mind you, but in a roll of old carpet that Mama didn’t want anymore – and patted the earth down good and proper.We’d buried him by the old well out back, under the watchful eye of the moon and stars. Jim and I dug the hole, taking turns because we only had one spade. Gary was there, too, but Jim and I both ...

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“"The Empty Place at the Table"” by Sue M

"The Empty Place at the Table" “We’ve never had such a beautiful Thanksgiving table," said Marsha.“You say that every year,” Mike responded with a smile.“But this year is different,” she answered, glancing over at the photo of their son Mark.“You’re right,” said Mike. “This is the first year he won’t be here.”“Well, maybe not in person, but certainly in spirit. I made sure to set a place for him right beside me,” Marsha said qui...

1 comment 1
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“Closure ” by Kaitlynn Flint

11/27/19 “Oh, the turkey is nicely cooked, James,” Mother said, chewing on the soft strip of meat. The room was lightly lit with candles from the chandelier. The warmth of the fire was comforting for each family member. 

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“An Unexpected Thanksgiving” by Heidi Slowinski

The house was quiet, just the way I liked it. I'm not very social, as a general rule. A quiet Thanksgiving was just what I wanted. My mom would be home later. We'd curl up and watch Elf together. We always watched Elf together on Thanksgiving night. It was the best! She would pull out my favorite blanket and make cocoa. But for now, I had the house to myself. All was quiet and I was ready for a nice long nap.I ate a nice snack. My mom always keeps my favorite snacks available for me whenever I want. My stomach full, I curled u...

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Title: No Place Special

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