Write a story about a family dinner that takes place in any time period other than the present.

Posted in Historical Fiction on Mar 30, 2021

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✍️ 30 stories

“The Dent ” by April Osteen

Submitted to Contest #17

February 12, 1692 “Sláinte,” the group of men shouted in reply to the MacDonald Clan Chief, as they raised their mugs in the air toward him. Chief MacDonald, his wife, two sons, daughter-in-law and Captain Robert Campbell sat at the front of the large dining hall, their family dinner table positioned horizontally to the numerous vertical rows of tables, benches peppered with redcoats and tartan. It had been over ten days since Captain Campbell and his troops had arrived in Glencoe and billeted among the MacDonald homes. The me...

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“A Turkey I Never Ate” by Frank Delgado

Submitted to Contest #17

A Turkey I Never Ate. By Frank DelgadoEveryone has a Kodak moment that is locked in time; like a Thanksgiving where you can still see loved ones dress up, and a turkey at the center surrounded by stuffing and gravy on a long table, long after it happened. A time that you can still hear the sounds of sweet words and waves of laughter that flow like fountains among the family of long ago. Our family had a different experience.The year was 1961, and we were celebrating our Thanksgiving dinner at my Uncle Pete's n...

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“Thanksgiving on the Frontier” by Lily Lavender

Submitted to Contest #17

It’s the year 1864, I’m 18 years old. Like other cowhands I lead a labor-intensive life in the Washington territory. I get little sleep especially at roundup time or on a trail drive. I’ll rise before the sun, and have a quick breakfast of whatever is available. If I’m lucky I get bacon. I’ll then saddle up for 14- 18 hour day in the saddle. Being a girl I have to work twice as hard to prove myself to the men. The men are often retired lawmen, or outlaws, bandits and they don’t always get along, so fights among them are a regular occurrence....

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“Dinner at the Watermans” by Erica Penfold

Submitted to Contest #17

The glasses clattered on the tray I was trying to balance. My jittery steps threatened the lives of ten vessels, each one veering to the left and right like drunken stowaways. These glasses, kept prisoner, were determined to fall off and escape. Like any good sea voyage story, someone had to throw themselves overboard.I had just managed to prevent accidental dining death by involuntary tray suicide when Michael burst into the room. I heard a tiny mew escape my lips as I watched ten drunken sailors fall to their parquet death.“Oh god, sorry…I...

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“Their First Winter” by Katelyn Sherwood

Submitted to Contest #17

“Thomas, come here and add this log to the fire.” His speech was cut off with a big resounding cough.“But father, I’m cold and tired.” I squeaked out. I was always cold, but I knew that if I stood up, the tiny spot of warmth that came from curling up next to my sleeping mother would be gone. My legs shook at just the thought of crawling off the mattress and making my way across our tiny house my father build a few weeks earlier. He looked at me from his position of the other side of my mother and gave me a strange smile that looked...

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“An Evening as a Whole” by ML Lattice

Submitted to Contest #17

A still, yellow-hued candle sat in the freshly cleaned window. Its panes framed a view of cut down cornfields that grabbed the horizon by the throat. If you were to step out of the patched screen door and down the grayed cobble steps you would freeze clear to the bone as the wind sang a wind tune of frostbite. Little Beth was startled by the melody and slammed the door on the Wilson house. “Annabeth please sit at the table,'' her mother’s sweet, smooth voice rang down the hall. Little Beth kicked off her boots and through her swin...

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“A Heated Argument.” by Faye B

Submitted to Contest #17

October 14th, 2057. Dear diary, I had another fight with my parents. I know it’s not just their fault that the world is like this, but I can’t help but somewhat blame them, blame their generation. Of course, I feel bad about taking it out on them now. I always do. I know that they’re suffering just as bad as I am, really, we’re all in the same boat. But I just wish life was easier. Today, we all sat together around the table. We had potatoes for dinner. Again. I can’t remember the last time I had any...

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“She's Getting Older” by Rory Schwartz

Submitted to Contest #17

I watch as she struggles to make it down the hall to the bathroom. I watch her stumble to her wheelchair and miserably gaze out the window as cars zoom by our house. My grandmother's getting older. Osteoporosis has changed her life. Four severe bone breaks and eight surgeries later has left her dependent upon us for everything. And when you're an independent person, that breaks you.The holidays are especially hard. She loves to cook. It along with her knowledge of gardening and horticulture are the things she gets the most joy out of. I reme...

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“The First Thanksgiving” by Jane Pait

Submitted to Contest #17

It was their first Thanksgiving in the remote, lonely settlement. It had been a difficult but miraculous year. The men still lived in the caves, but they had built two small houses for the six women to share and a larger Round House for their meetings and shared meals. Though there were no tress, the rocks and mortar-like slime from the pit near the red rock mountain they had named Ruby Mountain were plentiful. No one had been sick and no one had gone hungry, though growing their food had been the biggest challenge. Their...

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“The Search for Eden” by Joseph McGrory

Submitted to Contest #17

April 6th, 1846Papa showed me some pages from his newspaper today. It showed some kind of advertisement but I couldn’t tell what it was for. It was some drawings of big fields with lots of corn and wheat. There were so many animals everywhere and everyone just seemed so happy. Papa asked if I wanted to go there and I said yes straight away. Everyone looked so happy and I wanted Mama and Papa to be like that again. They had been shouting at each other more recently, they are under a lot of stress. Mama said she didn’t like all of the moving t...

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“Willing Will Lifters ” by PASCALE DENANCE

Submitted to Contest #17

It was Marcus’s turn to host our annual meeting, to which – it is a strict rule with us – partners are not invited. So I went alone to our family dinner, granted that we are not “family”, in the ordinary sense of the word. We are co-researchers, part of a respected community of scientists, though our sub-group of will lifters is less known. Our job is to lift people’s spirits, using sheer will (never with any will bending, of course, that is strictly off bounds), to help them find their way; so many people err… Actually, I did a bit of erri...

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“Dinner at the Reeds'” by Hannah Spare

Submitted to Contest #17

Walter Hallaway watched out the window as the Taxi carried him to Brook Street. There was a quiet rainfall that morning, and the small raindrops fell down on the windshield, creating a pleasant sound the whole ride there. "What number did you say that house was, lad?" The Taxi driver asked. "Oh, 13." he repeated. Walter's eyes fell on a wooden sign before him, reading, 'Brook Street'. The wood was stained a dark color and was cut rather roughly around the edges. Walter's head turned slightly as they passed by the sign and ent...

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“ONE MORE NOTE” by Shekhinah Golden-Dove

Submitted to Contest #17

It was late November when my Grand Mother passed away; It was our last Thanksgiving together, the last time we would cook a meal together and sit down to one as well. She was sitting with us at the table and slipped away quietly, still sitting. It was so sad I felt as if I had slipped away too. For weeks I could not bring myself to make a proper meal for anyone. It took me days just to clear the dishes from the table after she had passed. It happened without warning, one moment she was there, the next she was sleepin...

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“On Laura Esquivel and My Meals ” by Rosario Yap

Submitted to Contest #17

“On Laura Esquivel and My Meals” “You are no Laura Esquivel!” I told the young woman in the mirror. Like scenes from a movie, I saw the petite woman prepared meals that punctuated events of her life. “You are like Tita in Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate.” I heard myself whisper to the woman again. Saying this opened some dusty boxes of memories I have long pushed under the rag. Memories, both happy and painful came rushing like stemmed water Dinegdeng nga saluyot. ( Okra leaves stew) How can I forget the first time I c...

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“Thanksgiving From a Can” by AJ Cooper

Submitted to Contest #17

We sat in a circle on the stone floor of the bunker. I looked at the calendar. November 28, 2099. Two months since the first bomb dropped. It was Thanksgiving now, but I knew it would be like none we’d ever had -- and not in a good way. My father finished opening up the canned foods and preserves then we joined hands to pray. “Father God, we thank you for this food and for the protection you’ve given us in this terrible time. We ask you continue to keep us safe and healthy and guide those outside. In your Son’s holy and precious name we pray...

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Write a story about a family dinner that takes place in any time period other than the present.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 30 stories

“The Dent ” by April Osteen

“A Turkey I Never Ate” by Frank Delgado

“Thanksgiving on the Frontier” by Lily Lavender

“Dinner at the Watermans” by Erica Penfold

“Their First Winter” by Katelyn Sherwood

“An Evening as a Whole” by ML Lattice

“A Heated Argument.” by Faye B

“She's Getting Older” by Rory Schwartz

“The First Thanksgiving” by Jane Pait

“The Search for Eden” by Joseph McGrory

“Willing Will Lifters ” by PASCALE DENANCE

“Dinner at the Reeds'” by Hannah Spare

“ONE MORE NOTE” by Shekhinah Golden-Dove

“On Laura Esquivel and My Meals ” by Rosario Yap

“Thanksgiving From a Can” by AJ Cooper

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a family dinner from the perspective of an in-law who's married into the family.

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

Write a story about a "chosen family" dinner, where no one is related by blood, but they still feel like family.

Write a story about a family dinner that involves some kind of reconciliation.

Contest #17

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

213

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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