Include a character in your story that is often in an apartment building, but doesn’t actually live there.

Posted in High School on Oct 28, 2022

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✍️ 38 stories

“The Mysterious Case of Nancy Silverman” by Louise Loren

Submitted to Contest #148

Lightning struck the night sky, illuminating the silhouette of the monstrous tower. On the street below, a pale moon-lit face was upturned to the sprawling edifice. It belonged to a teenaged girl, standing outside the wrought-iron archway in the downpour, clutching her small valise white-knuckled. Sodden from head to toe, her hat was limp and soggy against her wet hair and face. Streams of water ran down her coat, dripping down the coattails, mixing with the mud. The girl stood still, her face fixed with an odd look, as one who is lost in th...

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“Bagel and I” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #148

Keith Romano broke my heart, so I married his dog.*My whole college degree, I’d been pining over this one guy. He was that incredibly popular jock: dazzlingly handsome and athletically built, Keith Romano had gorgeous messy brown hair, pale, mole-speckled skin and strong blue eyes. Ever since he’d offered to help me with carrying my luggage up to my room, I’d been set. All I wanted to do was marry this guy.He wasn’t like the usual toxic college jock. He was incredibly helpful and kind, which is probably why we’ve always been friends. I suppo...

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“The Complex” by LC Moran

Submitted to Contest #148

Mrs. Harriet Beaufort was not sure when she started hearing them. The muffled voices that seemed to come from nowhere. The odd sounds that were unlike any bird or bell she had ever heard. The footsteps and banging that were sometimes right against her great room wall and sometimes so far away that she had to strain to hear them. But she knew it had been for quite some time, at least since her dear Edgar had passed. When it had first begun to happen, she’d been sure it was the war returned to her doorstep. Those awful soldiers in their...

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“Apartment 403” by Autumn-Rose Oberhammer

Submitted to Contest #148

Apartment 403 was where it all began. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and we were walking to Benny’s café for a quick bite to eat. The sidewalk was too narrow for two lovers to walk side by side, so I walked behind her. I almost crashed into her as she stopped suddenly, pointing at a for sale sign in front of a quaint apartment complex on the corner of Henwood Avenue. She gushed over how each apartment had a small wrought-iron balcony overlooking the East side river. A month later we moved in, loading the moving truck like we were r...

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“Kenmore Apartments” by Samantha J. Kise

Submitted to Contest #148

“Hey, Steve.” “Hey, Naomi. How are ya?” The conversation was mundane, as usual. Naomi had lived in the same apartment complex for the past three years, and Steve was the maintenance man that worked on her apartment building. It felt like there was something broken every day these days, but what can you expect from a cheap-ish apartment in New York City? “I’m tired, as always. Any news on when the leak in my apartment is going to be fixed?” “Sorry, no clue. You know the management won’t pay for it unless they have to - leak’s not bi...

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“I'd Take It If I Could” by Amanda Blackwood

Submitted to Contest #148

Oh, Mark. What has become of you? It was obvious that we were both incredibly happy to see one another. We were both terrified at the same time, and both terrified for the same reason. We didn’t want you to get sick. I’d spend every single day here at your apartment with you if I could. Already your neighbors know me by name. I spend more time in your apartment than I do in mine. Five days a week I'm with you. We watched TV for a long time yesterday. Binge watching a series with you is a new experience. At one point you laid d...

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“Unexpected Visitor” by Tracey Camden

Submitted to Contest #148

Primrose was in the kitchen, cooking up dinner for both of the people who live in the apartment she owns. Vian was a good soul, often wrapped up in the other’s problems, but still helps out around the apartment whenever he can. Cypher, on the other hand, always never failed to get on her nerves. From bringing in the rent late, to being an absolute nuisance in general, he bothers Primrose to her everlasting nerve. Primrose was in the middle of cooking dinner for herself and her renters when she heard a crash of sorts come from upstairs...

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“I Practically Live Here” by Marie Moses

Submitted to Contest #148

“Someone’s going to see you,” Alex whispered. “You keep coming out of the room. This apartment isn’t that big.” John shrugged, “no one’s going to see me, trust me.” Alex sighed loudly, “you haven’t met my dad then. He’s going to see you and he’s going to kick you out.” “Trust me, Alex.” “Then you have to go home or hide, pick one.” John sighed, rolling his big brown eyes, “I’ll go.” “Thank you. You can come by tomorrow.” “Fine, fine.” Alex smiled, hugging her friend. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stood up off the soft carpet, l...

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“The Third Postman” by Jared Lenover

Submitted to Contest #148

This story includes violence and coarse language. “He threw it out, right in front of me.” Pearce was incredulous, but he hadn’t been in the gang very long. This kind of thing happened. “You got it back?” “Yeah. From the main garbage bin in the basement this morning. 1025 dumped it down the chute with his trash.” Pearce was holding a padded envelope, the kind with bubble wrap lining the inside. Hatch listened from his seat on the swings. Other members of the Postmen were milling around the dark playground, talking or getting assignme...

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“The Equipment Room Caper” by Michael Regan

Submitted to Contest #148

Constable Vic Clarke of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) looked perplexed. As he filled out the incident report:______________________________________________________LOST PROPERTY REPORTThe completion of this report will document the loss of Personal Property Vancouver Police DepartmentREPORT NUMBER: 1982-06-011Call 604 555-1212 and ask for a “Lost Property” report number. If thisnumber is not filled in, your report will not be recorded by the Department.NAME: John SchwartzSTREET: 1155 Beach St. Vancouver, BC SUITE/APT: Apt. #...

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“THE GHOST OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING IN VIA ARIOSTO” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #148

THE GHOST OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING IN VIA ARIOSTO Gaetano had begun to frequent that apartment building as a young man, when he was ( had been) a door-to-door salesman, first of encyclopedias, then of household cleaning products, then of kitchen utensils. That five storey building, divided into apartments ___on each floor there were four apartments____had been built in the seventies of the twentieth century. Then in the following decades, the area had thickened with ot...

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“THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT” by Del Gibson

Submitted to Contest #148

From the basement, I take the stairs to the ground floor. When I enter, there’s a creature in the corner. It’s putrid breath reaches me; I tremor in horrifying terror as it exhales death and rot into my face. It pierces me with large red eyes, then scuttles off along the ceiling – gone as if it never existed. It's freezing cold, and there is no power to the building, after a small fire on the third floor damaged the wiring. So far tonight, I’ve checked through the basement where all the staff lockers, changing rooms and showers are located, ...

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“Toby” by Cristi Ropp

Submitted to Contest #148

As I drank my coffee, trying to get my brain to realize my body was actually out of bed and moving about the apartment without it I heard her giggle. "Uh! She's doing it again!" I grumbled as I made my way down the hall to Addy's room. "Same thing almost every morning for the last 2 weeks." Her door was open a bit, so I peeked in and there was my beautiful, amazingly intelligent daughter sitting on her bed talking and giggling with absolutely no one. "It's normal for children to have imaginary friends." they said. And when they are an ...

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“The Squatter in Southside Sunrise” by T T

Submitted to Contest #148

For a week, I thought I’d been crying in my sleep. Every morning I awoke with a tear stained face and a damp pillow. On the fourth day, the leak revealed itself like a dripping wound. I found a trickle of water bouncing on my pillow and called Douglas, my scrimping landlord who attempted to be his own handyman. At the cost of sleeping on the couch for a night, he patched up the ceiling as best as he could with cardboard and drywall. Another week flew by and the ceiling took on a shape. A belly formed above my bed where water had sunk in. No...

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“Haunted” by Ivy Hodges

Submitted to Contest #148

Content warning: Mentions of mental illness, physical violence, death. ****** Even before Nick’s death, I had been funding a pretty good life for my therapist. Genetic predisposition for depression and social anxiety, plus two absentee parents, equals plenty of CBT fodder. But after losing my partner of three years to an unsolved murder? I basically became a full-blown basket case. The small mountain of empty pill bottles shoved into the bottom of my nightstand could have proved that much. A month before the anniversary of his death, ...

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Include a character in your story that is often in an apartment building, but doesn’t actually live there.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 38 stories

“The Mysterious Case of Nancy Silverman” by Louise Loren

“Bagel and I” by Zoë Page

“The Complex” by LC Moran

“Apartment 403” by Autumn-Rose Oberhammer

“Kenmore Apartments” by Samantha J. Kise

“I'd Take It If I Could” by Amanda Blackwood

“Unexpected Visitor” by Tracey Camden

“I Practically Live Here” by Marie Moses

“The Third Postman” by Jared Lenover

“The Equipment Room Caper” by Michael Regan

“THE GHOST OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING IN VIA ARIOSTO” by Mara Masolini

“THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT” by Del Gibson

“Toby” by Cristi Ropp

“The Squatter in Southside Sunrise” by T T

“Haunted” by Ivy Hodges

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about two neighbors who cannot stand each other.

Write a story involving a noise complaint.

Write about a couple touring an empty apartment they might rent.

Write about an apartment building being demolished.

Contest #148

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

195

Contest entries

90

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: