Write a story that takes place in the same building but in two very different time periods.

Posted in Historical Fiction on Jun 10, 2021

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✍️ 154 stories

“If Walls Could Talk” by David Hobson

Submitted to Contest #85

“Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Robinson, I am sure you will be very happy in your new home. So full of character, plus you have the detached garage at the rear.” The agent gave them one of his best pasted on smiles as he handed them the keys. The young newlyweds, just back from their honeymoon, stood on the doorstep of their Victorian terraced house. Anna couldn’t control the huge smile on her face. “Oh, Colin, I’m so excited. Our own little house. I can’t wait to start decorating it.” “Well, let’s get in first. R...

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“Tempo ” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #85

Ok. So see you later – said the man in black , hanging out his phone, methodically. That man took his briefcase, and left the office he was working in, at exactly six o’clock of the dying day still immersed in the sun rays that were stubborn to fade. He went to the corridor, and stopped in front of the elevator. I still can not go - hitting his knuckles on the marble wall. But it us just a meeting, he said again to himself.He took a look at the round and silver watch above the elevator ...

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“The Portrait ” by Mehreen Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #85

The Portrait by Mehreen Ahmed On the crossing of Victoria and Harriet Street, stood a building of a massive block of grey apartments. Up in the front of each flat, balconies jutted out like open matchboxes, creating a blind spot for the incoming traffic. It posed an undeniable threat to the traffic on the road. Notwithstanding, the building had much to offer in the way of charm. It would have looked quite stark, had it not been for the indoor plants. Some balconies had synthetic black chairs placed around a white table of six. Co...

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“Alamo Again” by David Brown

Submitted to Contest #85

In the early nineteenth century, a group of less than two hundred volunteers, led by Colonel William Travis, Davy Crockett, and James Bowie, occupied and defended the Alamo for nearly two weeks against an army of Mexican soldiers over ten times their number led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. These brave Texan patriots died on March 6, 1836. It was a very wise Mark Twain, born just three months prior to the historic conflict, who would later quip, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” Several centuries later, the hymn o...

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“It is a nice place.” by Porce .

Submitted to Contest #85

It is a nice place. Golden drops of sunlight trickle through the windows, wettened with the pitter-patter of rainfall brief moments ago. Your finger traced a line, blurring the fog. Two more lines. A face, smile, stares back at you and you squint, the sun in your eyes. It is beautiful, outside. Tall buildings, rising high above the skyline tower over you, the dimly-lit second-floor apartment you're in. It is a nice place. You do not know the history, you are unaware of everything that had happened beneath your feet a mere hundred...

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“Rock-a-Bye Baby” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #85

TW: infant death As soon as I see the antique cradle, I know I have to have it. “Look, honey,” I say excitedly to my husband, pointing to the laptop screen. “Won’t this be perfect for the baby?” “Local estate sales,” he reads out loud. “Sweetheart, I thought we agreed we were going to go with a bassinet. My mom’s already picked out one she wants to buy for us.” “But this one’s so pretty,” I argue. “It’s solid oak and it dates back to the 1880s. And think how much the baby will love the rocking motion.” I can tell by his face that he’s not co...

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“Readers' Rest” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #85

ROWENA I wish I could remember exactly where I had heard the phrase, but I know I definitely did, and it wasn’t my imagination, I do know it was either an overheard conversation, or something on the radio or TV, not something I was talking about to a friend. One of those phrases that is funny but in certain circumstances, can make you uneasy. Everyone thinks they want to own a bookshop, until they own a bookshop. Okay, technically I don’t own the Readers’ Rest. I rent it. But I have still invested a lot of my time and energy and – no point t...

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“Happy Days” by Johan Rosenblad

Submitted to Contest #85

It was a happy day, full of rainbows and unicorns. Butterflies in gold and pink fluttered gracefully around the twisted, rusty beams and the scent of bluebells and buttercups permeated through my face mask. My schnauzer, Dogfood, had adjusted well to our cute little garden and had been chasing a dragonfly through the rubble heaps the whole afternoon. We had only been here a week and it was still a bit messy. I had spent most of the time removing the remnants of the former inhabitants and mapping the landmines. But today I felt like taki...

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“Open 25 Years ” by Yugel Losorata

Submitted to Contest #85

Open 25 Years The popular restaurant chain has an outlet co-owned by a celebrity icon, and which arouses interest and intrigue for its very location especially for those already around and aware during the 1990s. But Roseller is not one to be easily swayed by superstition nor pure paranoia. He lives through what his naked eyes see; things logical. As a brainchild of a business idea that has given him fortune, he fully understands the point of those behind the branch risking opening a diner at a location with a scarred past.&n...

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“That Unforgettable Piece of History” by Mariposa Red

Submitted to Contest #85

The noise in the room is what I would describe as unimaginable, if I had to pick a word. The wood was distractingly shiny and new under my feet, and I felt too dirty to be standing there. In front of me, a white sea topped with a surf of brown and gold. I could smell the expensive perfumes clouding the room, how expensive the silk gathered in lace gloves was. Behind fans, I could see painted smiles, but each glimmering eye was critical. Out of the corner of my eyes, I catch glimmers of dark eyes and skin, crowded together. Behind me, I...

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“The Room Shift” by Meera Dandekar

Submitted to Contest #85

The key rattled in the lock. The room hadn’t been opened in years. The key didn’t go through in the first try and had to be pushed in. The key was turned and the door shuddered open. The door creaked louder than the holiday crowd that was gathered at CressCount Hotel. When Lance entered the room, he felt a sudden warm air and the entire room was stinking of dead animals. “Are you certain you want this room, sir?” The manager did not believe that someone would have the balls to stay in this room. This room had its history and it was b...

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“Box of Treasures” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #85

October 4, 2019 Daniel Alderman walked into his bedroom after a short walk from school on a cool Friday afternoon. The leaves- changing color from deep green to a soft orange- scratched against the window softly in the breeze under a grey sky. The floorboard in the exact middle of the room creaks as he steps on it, he usually avoids that floorboard because of the horrible noise that gives him goosebumps, but he had been too lost in thought to remember it. ...

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“The Picture on the Mantle” by Cynthia Haltom

Submitted to Contest #85

"Hey Chloe, get down here, I want to talk to you right now"! Chloe hurried down the stairs to the living room where her mother was standing in front of the fireplace pointing at a framed picture on the mantle. "Why did you put that there"? "I didn't" Chloe responded taken aback by her mother's overly aggressive gesturing. "Um, I think you did because you are the only other person in this house and I didn't put it there so it had to be you". "No, it wasn't me and I have no idea what that picture is about so why would I put it there...

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“Fashioning Fatality” by Shannon Sullivan

Submitted to Contest #85

Just outside a decrepit mansion that sits on the edge of town, two young journalists were beginning to film the story of a lifetime. They had just broken the chains that held together the feeble fence and were now standing next to the abandoned mansion of grand proportion. A few chimney stacks could be seen poking their heads up above the tree line. The balconies loomed overhead; they clung to the walls for dear life. Those walls, which appeared to stretch for miles, were lined with an infinite matrix of white bricks. The arched windows were...

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“The Courtyard” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #85

It was still daytime, but the last of the sunlight was smothered by the high ceiling of the building. The courtyard was full of dappled light, and in other circumstances it could’ve looked quite romantic. Geoffrey was feeling anything but romantic just then however. Besides, the place was full of mostly old men talking trade. That wasn’t likely to put many people in a dreamy mood. Geoffrey was leaning against a stone pillar, wishing it would swallow him up. Across the courtyard, Rufus was laughing with Mr Richards, the very man that Geoffr...

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Write a story that takes place in the same building but in two very different time periods.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 154 stories

“If Walls Could Talk” by David Hobson

“Tempo ” by Sandra Claros

“The Portrait ” by Mehreen Ahmed

“Alamo Again” by David Brown

“It is a nice place.” by Porce .

“Rock-a-Bye Baby” by Jane Andrews

“Readers' Rest” by Deborah Mercer

“Happy Days” by Johan Rosenblad

“Open 25 Years ” by Yugel Losorata

“That Unforgettable Piece of History” by Mariposa Red

“The Room Shift” by Meera Dandekar

“Box of Treasures” by Chris Buono

“The Picture on the Mantle” by Cynthia Haltom

“Fashioning Fatality” by Shannon Sullivan

“The Courtyard” by Iona Cottle

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a major city that your character has a love-hate relationship with.

Start your story with the line, “That’s the thing about this city…”

Write about someone fighting to change their city neighborhood for the better.

Write about someone fighting to keep their city neighborhood the same.

Contest #85

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

671

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: