Write a story that starts by establishing its setting in a different time period — without explicitly stating what that period is.

Posted in Historical Fiction on Jul 16, 2021

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✍️ 114 stories

“The Tardy Advocate Chapter 1” by Ian McKerracher

Submitted to Contest #44

What is this place!? The room was enormous, but John couldn’t know that by looking at it for it was filled with a deep dusk that defied registration on his senses. His eyes could not penetrate through this … stuff. Neither could listening for echoes be used to discern the largeness of the room because there were not any of those. None of the normal ways of knowing were ready to volunteer any information beyond the bare minimums of perception and any way of pushing them tow...

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“Maverick” by Kamalia Blunt

Submitted to Contest #44

"Giv'em Hell for me, Brother," chokes Maverick.His once ivory teeth become a crimson red as each inhale and exhale quicken faster than the rage of musket balls flying past our heads. We grip our hands as tight as we can around each other's forearms as we did on the day we first met during the Northern enlistment against the Confederacy. Amongst the troops, Maverick was respected almost as highly as General Kilgore, a man of few words but true to his name, and could make a friend and an enemy within seconds. Maverick was an impressive st...

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“Annihilator” by Kevin DuPont

Submitted to Contest #44

“This sorcery will not be tolerated. A warlock may dig oneself beneath the Earth to the realm of the Devil, but he shall be treated like no more than the sewage rat he his.” The other men in the tower murmured and jeered as the iron persuader was delicately placed on the mantle above a low-glowing orange fire. Together, the men in pointed hats and black cloaks looked like a row of bishops on a chessboard. “I shall...

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“Decision time” by Lynne Fellows

Submitted to Contest #44

“What I wouldn’t give to be that happy again,” Monika whispered, listening to the ripples of laughter coming from the staff room as her colleagues began their annual plans for their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Just thinking about it made her want to cry, even though they were on the cusp of a supposedly exciting, new decade. Life in Friedrichshain had been tough for the nineteen-year-old, made tougher still since her father’s escape. Following her mother’s death two years ago, her father had rediscovered his revolutionary zeal, spout...

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“The In Between” by Cynthia Grove

Submitted to Contest #44

It was time for a change, but that change didn't come in time. At least not in time as people usually understand its passing. My name is Annabelle, or Belle as I was known to my family and friends. The Belle of the Ball they use to tease.I was always considered one of the privileged and well educated in our community. But people rarely understand the fact that well educated doesn't always exude awareness nor does it exclude ignorance. Privilege can sometimes be a hindrance to possessing the right kind of knowledge.Considering my current plig...

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“Fleas ” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #44

- no,! It can not be 27.It is 28! - mended the greenish three legged old parrot, trying the real figures they were in.- Dat is gud. Ai laik.- Tell me, birdy, do you really like these rings above our heads ¿- Dat ¿- Yes, the ones getting out of the huge branch of the broken arm of our planet.- Nais - and the three – ok three and a half – legged bluish parrot a kind of tiny pillow hidden under his legs that looked more like some branches, full of feathers. It brought closer to his luminous &nb...

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“My First Day at My New School in my New Shirt ” by Kiara Grace Koeller

Submitted to Contest #44

I rubbed my eyes at the break of day, letting the sun sting my unadjusted eyes. Once my vision cleared I slowly crawled out of the thick blanket that provided warmth for me during the chilly night. Mama had laid out my nice plaid button down shirt and bow tie with black dress pants to slip on for my first day at my new school. The clothes were neatly folded and draped over my dresser. My dresser also has a faded picture of my friends and I on our first day of Kindergarten. I sure do miss all my friends from my other school, but Mama said I w...

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“Post-Human” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #44

When I look at Jake it takes me back to a much simpler time. I’m reminded once again of what it was like to be 13 years old— getting drunk when my parents went for a night out, chasing girls around, going to the movies, and my first kiss with Heather Bankley on a park bench and then getting teased the next day because she was taller than me. I’m reminded of what life was once like, before all this. Jake is the only thing I have to hold onto from the ‘real’ world I once knew. There are many things I’ve refrained from telling him about ho...

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“Mummy” by Journey Mohn

Submitted to Contest #44

Mr. Christopher Evans was a hermit. He minded his own business, and let others mind theirs. He read books, he drew comics, and, most importantly, he didn't interact with others. He was not quite old, but too wise to be considered young. His sight was just poor enough to require squinting, but not glasses. He had brown hair that was more pepper than salt and had started to fade at the hairline, just a bit. Christopher lived alone in a small cottage just outside the town of Alton, Hampshire, in the South of England. There was a lovely br...

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“The Recess Bell” by Julia Gibson

Submitted to Contest #44

The sound of dripping water was driving me crazy. Drip, drip, drip! If it would just stop, then I could get back to my classwork. I sat at the back of the third grade row and I could see the whole classroom. All the kids in my row were busy with their times tables. The teacher was listening to fourth graders recite their spelling words and the fifth graders had their heads buried in their history books. It seems that nobody else noticed the dripping. I looked around, but I couldn’t see where the dripping was coming from. Final...

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“A Lucky Quarter” by Emerson Fallin

Submitted to Contest #44

New York was busy as ever on Monday morning when Vincent Moretti stepped out of his apartment in Little Italy and began his daily commute to Park Row. It was another week of labor for the lad, but the thirteen-year-old was used to it by now because of his three year experience as a newsboy for the New York World. The pay was minimal, but it was enough to put food on the table. Plus, he knew for a fact that he would rather be at the World than the other newspapers in town. A friend of his from the Tribune always turned somber when he tr...

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“His words are mine” by Kristina Anderson

Submitted to Contest #44

A rooster crowed in the distance and carriage wheels scraped against the dirt road, birds chirped but she never heard it. Mariella scarcely heard any noises, while she slept or while she read. Words on pages, transported her to a world beyond the walls of her stoic home. Until the quiet tap on the door that morning. Next to her beloved bookshelf, the door stood ajar. She strained to listen for another sound. Did I imagine that? The noise came again and it startled Mariella. I must have fallen asleep again. She grasped her books from the maho...

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“TALE OF THE PHARMACIST” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #44

I was seated in a comfortable chair in the terrace of the building. It was night time and a pleasant soft breeze was blowing causing the live coals in the hookah in front of me to glow. Someone came and put in something on the coals, and they glowed brighter for moments as smoke curled upwards. I put the inhaler from the hookah between my lips and drew the smoke in. In seconds I landed on a sea shore with my bag. It was morning. The sea was calm and waves lazily lapped the sand on the shore. Two fishing boats came in from the sea and emptied...

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“A King's Daughter” by D J

Submitted to Contest #44

Steel against steel, my blade swam through the air, as swiftly as the eels in the depths of the famous river. The sounds of metal clashing and the smell of sweat around me stimulated the pumping blood in my veins. I stepped left and then right, dodging the sharp edges of my opponent, counting my movements in preparation for a strike. I feinted one last time – sliding neatly to the left, as my adversary attacked right, and spun around just in time to place the cool, sharp edge of my blade against the back of his hairy neck. He gasped in disap...

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“Journey” by A A

Submitted to Contest #44

Kria was late today. She had to attend the meeting for innovative approach on recycling of electronic waste this morning at eight. Her workday usually started early and ended by three in the afternoon. Post that she socialized with her friends and spent time on nearby beach or walked in the woods around.It was six in the morning. She will have to rush through her routine. She said her morning payers in her bed. She walked to her bathroom built with ultra-modern amenities based on the principles of bio-mimicry. Bio-mimicry was an inseparable ...

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Write a story that starts by establishing its setting in a different time period — without explicitly stating what that period is.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 114 stories

“The Tardy Advocate Chapter 1” by Ian McKerracher

“Maverick” by Kamalia Blunt

“Annihilator” by Kevin DuPont

“Decision time” by Lynne Fellows

“The In Between” by Cynthia Grove

“Fleas ” by Sandra Claros

“My First Day at My New School in my New Shirt ” by Kiara Grace Koeller

“Post-Human” by Matt Render

“Mummy” by Journey Mohn

“The Recess Bell” by Julia Gibson

“A Lucky Quarter” by Emerson Fallin

“His words are mine” by Kristina Anderson

“TALE OF THE PHARMACIST” by Sivaram Govindaraj

“A King's Daughter” by D J

“Journey” by A A

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that starts with two characters saying goodbye.

Write a story that starts with a life-changing event.

Write a story that starts with someone returning from a trip.

Write a story that starts with a character-revealing something unusual about themselves.

Contest #44

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

790

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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