Start your story with a daydream sequence, before snapping back to reality.

Posted in High School on Oct 31, 2022

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✍️ 63 stories

“Adelaide's Cemetery ” by Lucy Joyce

🏆 Winner of Contest #167

Death was accompanied by the patter of nurses’ rubber-soled shoes marching briskly along linoleum floors. The smell of antiseptic solution. A gurney wheel, in need of oil, squeaking rhythmically as another patient was rushed past. Starchy white sheets, and the sharp and angular shapes of nurses headdresses. My body revolted against the crisp order in violent expulsions of browns, greens, and yellows against the bleached hospital whites. Veins stood out on my small, pale neck and spittle flew from my mouth as I screamed. The cool bed ...

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“Racing Conditions” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #167

Day 2A rabbit runs along a trail watched from above. I am the rabbit. A rabbit who runs faster and faster from a hawk I can't see but can feel closing in on me. I search for shelter but cannot find a hiding place...The vibration of the mobile phone on my right shoulder snaps me out of the daydream. I pull it out of its pocket in my running vest, and answer while jogging along the trail etched into the high western slope of Mt Fuji.“Hi Mom. Sorry. I’m running right now.” “We,” my parents always speak using the plural pronoun, “just wante...

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“The Winning Story” by Kate Winchester

Submitted to Contest #167

Around and around and around, Kate spun in her office chair. A child at heart but adult in body, she stopped spinning as she had succumbed to dizziness. I should check my second email, she convinced herself. I never check that one enough. Her second email was the same as her first, except this one sported a number two. Her creativity couldn’t be wasted on trivial matters. It’ll only take a minute, and then I’ll get back to work. She pulled up the browser and typed in her login information. This email ...

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“Second Opinion” by Shawn Forno

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #167

Brett’s carbon fiber ice ax slams into the translucent frozen waves of the icefall. Flecks and shards of brittle blue ice tinkle against his polarized goggles and the frozen rivulets of breath that coat his impressive beard. He kicks spiked crampon-covered boots into the uneven ice, anchoring him to the frozen waterfall hundreds of feet above the valley floor. In the spring, this icy cliff will be a deafening waterfall. But for now, the landscape is silent except for Brett’s ragged breathing as he climbs. Brett lifts his left foot and ...

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“Daydreaming of Love” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #167

My cheeks flush. My heart hammers in my chest as she sits down on my lap. Every word that might come up to comment gets stuck in my dry throat. Her soft fingers dig into my sandy hair. She asks how I wash it that it smells so sweet and feels so soft. I stutter through telling her about the shampoo I make myself with citrus fruits. She smells of mint and honey from the tea cart. Melanie is the goddess of my wildest dreams. How is this happening? Pink-brown lips curve in a...

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“The Alchemy of Nineteen” by Lindsay Flo

Submitted to Contest #167

“Your mother was nineteen, you know,” Aunt Melissa says, “when we started noticing.” Her declaration pulls me out of myself. Its not the first time she’s said this, and it won’t be the last. Today its particularly annoying, because its Thanksgiving, and I’m doing that thing where I imagine how life might have been different. You know. If my mom hadn’t gone crazy. I do this a lot, living a parallel life in my head. For example, instead of my father and Wren sitting on Melissa’s couch, staring blankly at the television and their phones, we’d...

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“Forward, With Purpose” by Tee L

Submitted to Contest #167

We meet at the foot of the path that leads up to the archery range. It’s probably my imagination, but he seems taller every time I see him. I frown and examine my legs. Maybe I’m getting shorter. There’s always an awkward second or so where we assess each other’s current mood and decide if we should hug. Like usual, that moment lasts too long for a hug to feel natural. It’s never been one of our things. My son grins as I hand him his old duffel, packed with his bow and arrows-- the same ones we’ve been practicing wi...

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“Lioness” by Eliza Troy

Submitted to Contest #167

Rose flattened his face with the backside of her new cast iron skillet. Crimson droplets splattered across the glass doors of the soda cooler flanking the conveyor belt. With a thud, his limp body fell face first to the ground. Pooled blood around his head contrasted against the off-white linoleum. She could hear her infant son wailing from the shopping cart and her daughter crying out her name. In complete stillness, Rose flit her eyes from the motionless body, to her kids, to the panicked people in line around her. Releasing her grip, the ...

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“They Both Grinned at the End” by Von Armstead

Submitted to Contest #167

TW: Descriptions of death.In the backyard lay a dead soul, limbs torn and dress ripped.“Maggie,” calls a woman, “your father and I are ready to start.”Margaret does not answer. She gets up from her bed and puts on her pale orange slippers. A triplet of white lilies rest in her left hand, a photograph in her right. She goes down the steps, to the backdoor, and pulls on it until it opens. “There you are, dear. Come here and let’s send daddy’s soul to heaven,” says the woman. She almost pukes at what she said, but she swallows it down in t...

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“A Yearning For Bananas” by Taria Karillion

Submitted to Contest #167

A Yearning for Bananas "Michael! … MICHAEL! …STOP! " I jerked back the blowlamp with a curse that my Ma, God rest her, would've clipped my ear for. My workmate pushed up his welding mask. “Jesus, Mary and all the Saints, you nearly torched your own leg, y' eejit!” he shouted through the biting, salty gusts. He shook his head and ran his big hand over his salt and pepper chin. "What the divvel were you playing at, lad? A welder can’t get distracted - especially strung from a shi...

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“The Chicken, the Egg, and the Two-Dollar Haircut” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #167

Ky crouched down behind a rocky outcrop while a hail of bullets peppered the nearby vicinity. The three men above him were intent on doing him in by overdosing him on some hot lead, but Ky was a rare breed. He was strong, courageous, and a dead-eye shot. With amazing swiftness, Ky let loose a barrage of shots that immediately felled two of the bad men. The other one took off, jumping on his horse and riding away. He was never seen in these parts again. “Oh, Ky! You saved me. And the ranch! How can I ever thank you?” Dorothy hugged him and k...

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“Just 18 years old” by MIMI 007

Submitted to Contest #167

All I wanted was a move-out. I recently graduated from high school and applied to a university far from my family, and here I'm packing my bags with a big heart, the heaviest thing I'm carrying. For a change, love, and new starts' sake, wait for me. I'm going to chill. I want to change my ways and get away from nostalgia and my lovely hometown. I want to change my perfume, smell differently, create new playlists and make some friends. I want to forget my first love, leaving it behind, and the fact that I went to prom...

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“Brown Sugar and Sweet Honey” by Gratian Fredericks

Submitted to Contest #167

The wind wafted across her golden hair and danced as it ruffled her pink sundress. I could see her; smell her. Like brown sugar and sweet honey. “What are you thinking about?” Her whispers were ghostly, as if she were speaking to me from another world—a better one—or a dream. Or perhaps she was trying to wake me. Had I fallen asleep in this meadow? “I’m thinking about what I’m always thinking about,” I told her as I propped my chin on my fist. “You.” Her smile was wide, as radiant as the setting sun behind her, filled with that bashf...

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“Prince Charming” by L.L. Williams

Submitted to Contest #167

Lisa looked beautiful on her wedding day. The custom-made, form-fitting, mermaid-style dress she wore accented her naturally curvaceous body. The white lace fabric complimented her sun-kissed copper skin. Her train billowed in the warm, light breeze that swept through the open-air castle on the early June evening. As she walked down the aisle, the candles adorning the floor cast shadows that engaged in their own interpretative dance. White flowers covered adorned the venue; the only decorations the...

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“Yolo” by Jeannette Miller

Submitted to Contest #167

“This was the greatest performance of my life. Every ounce of me was left on that stage tonight. The heart wrenching grief, the tearful monologue, the comedic timing in the second act. The standing ovation during final bows. They could not get enough. Bravo! Bravo to me! After tonight, this town will know my name. By tomorrow, the country; by the end of the week, the world. Accolades for my performance will come in messages, flowers, phone calls, and then the awards. (“Bravo Yolanda!” “Well done Yolanda!” “Your best performance yet!”) ...

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Title: Adelaide's Cemetery

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Start your story with a daydream sequence, before snapping back to reality.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 63 stories

“Adelaide's Cemetery ” by Lucy Joyce

“Racing Conditions” by Scott Christenson

“The Winning Story” by Kate Winchester

“Second Opinion” by Shawn Forno

“Daydreaming of Love” by Graham Kinross

“The Alchemy of Nineteen” by Lindsay Flo

“Forward, With Purpose” by Tee L

“Lioness” by Eliza Troy

“They Both Grinned at the End” by Von Armstead

“A Yearning For Bananas” by Taria Karillion

“The Chicken, the Egg, and the Two-Dollar Haircut” by Delbert Griffith

“Just 18 years old” by MIMI 007

“Brown Sugar and Sweet Honey” by Gratian Fredericks

“Prince Charming” by L.L. Williams

“Yolo” by Jeannette Miller

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who overthinks every single thing, blowing the tiniest incidents out of proportion.

Set your story inside a character’s mind, literally.

Write a story about someone who thinks their life is a romcom and they’re the protagonist.

Write a story about a character who can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.

Contest #167

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

232

Contest entries

96

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: