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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone asking, “Can you keep a secret?”

Posted in General on Jan 18, 2021

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✍️ 446 stories

“Secrets for the Living” by B Easton

        “Can you keep a secret?” She asked, and my first thoughts were, of course I can keep a secret, I’m dead. Who could I even tell?               Her breath stank of half rotten food, and her decades old clothes barely fit her fragile body. Dirt raced up and down her body, some of it getting in her mouth as she talked, causing her every word to begin and end in coughing. As such, most of our games inv...

249 comments 249
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“Secrets Can Hurt” by Evelyn ⭐️

“Can you keep a secret?” Miley whispered in my ear.  I had never been a good secret keeper. Well, at least that’s what everyone told me. In first grade, my friend told me she might be moving and not to tell anyone. The next day everyone at school knew. I don’t know how it happened. I could have sworn I didn’t tell anyone. “Yeah, sure. You know what yes. I mean not… um… I love secrets. Secrets are, well fu...

222 comments 222
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“Three Funerals And A Man” by Roshna Rusiniya

Michael Sebastian, 44, breathed his last in the early evening of 8th November 2015 after his long-term affair with liver cancer. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Sandra and his two sons, Christopher and Benjamin. Michael was a man of many talents –– a musician, a chemist and a bar owner. He had an enigmatic personality and made friends wherever he went. He also had a flair for helping peo...

112 comments 112
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“Yellow Light” by Deborah Angevin

Just like a traffic light, I believe there are three types of people in this world.There is red: dangerous to be crossed over. These people are the ones who you will never befriend, the ones whose personality never match yours. And that’s Bella.How do I know this fact? Because I happened to overhear a phone call that she had in the old park behind the school building, the phone call that made me realize the personality of the school’s cheerleader squad captain.The phone call that made ...

168 comments 168
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“Hope For The Girl In Pieces” by Doubra Akika

"Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness-" Colleen Hoover."Would you like to tell me why you're here, Miss Valencia?"Try therapy, they said. It would help, they said. I didn't need therapy; I needed to talk to someone.It was sad that I had to pay someone to listen to me.People suck."Can you keep a secret, Doc?"I expect her to look intrigued. Sadly, it doesn't seem like it's the first time she's heard that line. She gives me a blank loo...

96 comments 96
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“Chief” by Zilla Babbitt

It was evening in the middle of Sun Month. The sun set over a golden hill, almost tauntingly. It illuminated two bent figures sitting slouched beneath a sage tree and flung papery pink flames across a shallow collection of valleys, the dusty soil baked and cracked by dry sun. “Can you keep a secret?” one of them said. 

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“Into the Icarian Sea” by Jonathan Blaauw

    Can you keep a secret?    Five simple words. This innocent question, posed as it was by a king, caused Daedalus untold grief. He had answered in the affirmative and remained true to his word, yet still King Minos had imprisoned him so that he may never speak of the monarch’s monstrous secret.    The injustice of it burned Daedalus, but his true lament was reserved for his fellow captive – his son. The boy was just as innocent of wron...

78 comments 78
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“To Meet in the Middle” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

 We said we would meet in the middle of every line. It wasn't a promise we gave to each other with pinkies intertwined. It was just a word we wrote inside napkins and left outside of old homes. I remember the sweat on his lower lips when he leaned in to program the words into our memories. California was home when he said he would wait for me. Waiting wasn't just looking at the moon when Christmas came and went. Waiting was mixing caffeine and vodka and singing songs he didn't really know.We kissed that n...

22 comments 22
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“Summer Break Blues Chapter 1” by C.j Dunstall

Part 1Don’t you just love the summer break? You can just sit on the beach with an ice-cream in your hand, soaking in the morning rays with your besties. It’s so refreshing. Unless of course, you’re like me that is a super omega klutz, who sees Travis Mulligan (a.k.a. the man of my dreams) and drops whatever they’re holding at the time. In this case a chocolate ripple ice-cream. Yeah. Sounds soo relaxing, doesn’t it? I think not. Especially when you had to go and buy a new pair of bathers last week because the same thing ...

114 comments 114
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“The Dying Embers of Innocence” by Laura Clark

Trigger warning: mentions of child abuse“Can you keep a secret?” We are out in the forest after the blizzard has calmed. Bundled up in thick coats, hand-knitted mittens and scarves which wrap around our faces so tightly that our breath is damp on our cheeks. My sister is older, a venerable 13, and she stomps in front of me, creating a row of tracks which I can jump into or not, depending on if I want to make an impression or not. I alternate between making my own mar...

90 comments 90
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“Can you keep a secret? (Part 1)” by Niveeidha Palani

Beatrix is in the front seat of her mother's car, chewing gum and scrolling on Instagram posts.She hesitates for a moment before sinking her phone into her pocket and leaning in, "Mum, why are we going to Grandma's house?"Mrs Lemons sighs and glares at Beatrix in the side-view mirror. "I told you already Bee, I have a conference I can't cancel so you're staying over at Grandma's.""But it's going to be boring!" she moans.Mrs Lemons shrugs grimly. "You can play a board ...

106 comments 106
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“Coming Out” by Thom Brodkin

Can you keep a secret? Now there’s a question. Of course anyone can keep a secret, it’s the next two questions most of us really want answered. Do you want to keep a secret and will you? In addition to that some secrets must be kept from the world whereas others need only be kept from one specific person. Mine falls somewhere in between.   My secret shouldn’t be a secret at all. This is 2020 and we live in a time where an African American can be president, an or...

89 comments 89
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“Daddy Killed a Lady” by Skyler Woods

 “Can you keep a secret?” My little girl whispered in my ear. Annabel had her tiny hand over her mouth. “Daddy killed a lady.”Daddy killed a lady? Why would my baby say that? Her father’s not a killer, is he? I wanted to believe my daughter. There was a killer on the loose. They called this killer, The Violator. According to the news reports, The Violator already killed seven people. The first victim was a mother of two. The police discovered the woman’s body in a pond. Some o...

60 comments 60
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“a friends secret” by B. W.

i don't know whats been going on with her. Hope was my best friend, i usually knew what was up. Though every time i have been with her for the past few weeks something seemed...off. she seemed to ignore me or just avoid me when i asked her about it. does she not like me anymore? what if she doesn't wanna be friends with me anymore? we've been friends since the first grade though, I'm sure that's not it. oh but what i...

89 comments 89
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“Can You Keep A Secret?” by Richa narula Phukan

Convalescing from stomach flu, professional game designer Abhay Kulkarni is confined to his room in his apartment on the 4th floor in Powai, Mumbai. His rear window looks out onto a busy running road and several other apartments right across his society. During an intense heatwave, he gazes out of his window at his neighbours, who keep their windows open to stay cool.

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Contest #55

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Title: Secrets for the Living

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