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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

A character finds an old roll of film, and takes it to be developed. What do they find?

Posted in Middle School on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 45 stories

“The Photograph That Had Her Past Engraved On It” by Latha Prakash

Submitted to Contest #144

Squabbling seagulls flew overhead. Rachel sat on the sand with waves crashing against her ankles. The waves of the sea produced an opera, that was soothing. The sea seemed like a beautiful woman dressed in a cerulean blue gown. At a distance, a little girl and her mother were playing in the water. The yacht rocked like a cradle and it felt as though the sea wanted to lul Rachel to sleep.She was physically miles away from the hullabaloo but her mind still lingered in the hospital. Pictures of the IV cannula, ice-cold stainless steel cot, the ...

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“Ghost” by Crazy Crypto

Submitted to Contest #144

"He needs the new set of photos by midnight." It's not my problem. How did it get this way? He used to shoot photos for high school graduations and weddings. The porn business just paid really well. Too well. Too well to quit his job. He walked up the narrow staircase muttering to himself all the while, trying to compensate for his nerves he began humming a little tune. He was supposed to meet this woman at 2pm at her studio apartment to take some pictures, and she didn't come to the door. Someone let him in, and now he was walking up the...

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“Heikel” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #144

I don’t really know why I gravitated to the old, dilapidated trunk in the antique store that afternoon while wandering amidst the many vendors’ galleries, but I did. It was as though I was compelled and drawn to the old trunk for reasons unbeknownst to me. I remember running my fingers over it, feeling the raised ridges of peeling paint as I gingerly lifting the faded, damaged lid. From what I could see at the time, it held an assortment of old clothing, costume jewelry, books, and other such items. It was an intriguing assortment of unknown...

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“The Old Camera” by Sasan Sedighi

Submitted to Contest #144

By seeing the garage sale sign in late Mr. Shepherd’s driveway, Michael slowed down his car and glanced into the garage on an impulse. It was packed. Obviously, Mr. Shepherd’s inheritors didn’t want to keep any of their father’s belongings, so they put them all in that garage for a quick sale. John Shepherd was a retired army colonel, and his wife Martha was a retired primary school teacher. And they lived two houses down the street from Michael’s home. Though they had never visited each other’s houses, they had frequently met on the stree...

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“Arabian Convoy” by Chris Rohe

Submitted to Contest #144

While rambling through some storage boxes in the basement one day, I came across a roll of film. The film was among past photos and other odds and ends, and I recognized that most of the stuff was from back in the 1990s. “I wonder what could be on this,” I asked myself aloud, though there was no one around. I rolled the film around in my hand. The yellow sticker on the backside of the film case had been worn down to make it unreadable. I had a sudden sense of profound curiosity to find out what was in that roll of film. How to get this...

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“The last case” by E. Roux

Submitted to Contest #144

A veil of dust collapses on the top of my head as I open the attic door. It’s been a long time since someone used it. The stairs unfold with loud creaks. I have to put some oil on them.Normally, I should wait for Jack to come back home but earlier he called to say that he’ll be late. So why waste time? At least I hope that if I fall, he will be back in time to get me to the hospital. The stairs continue their metallic scream as I step on them, but they manage to hold me.It’s been four years since my grandfather died and his house was the app...

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“The Proof is in the Picture” by Deborah Elliott

Submitted to Contest #144

Marcus was dying and he was vehemently opposed to it. He still had things he wanted to do, places he wanted to see. The only thing that stood in the way between life and death for him was money. Just three years ago, science had discovered a cure for his life-threatening condition; one injection that would reverse all of the damage that had been done in his body and prevent any reoccurrences. Unfortunately, the treatment was only available to the wealthiest. Not rich people; only filthy rich people, and Marcus hadn’t a sp...

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“It Was in Greenwich” by Ruth Reyes

Submitted to Contest #144

It was the day before the funeral, Abigail couldn’t bring herself to look over the boxes of photos for her father’s memorial slideshow. It would mark the start of sorting through her parents’ belongings then selling the house. She sat on the attic floor, boxes lay open, she couldn’t decide which one to sort through first. “Do you need help?” Andrew knelt down beside her with his hand on her shoulder.  She nodded, her shoulders slumped and her head hung low. “Let’s start with this.” He picked up the box in front of her and...

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“Esmeralda's Red Shawl” by Scott Dutkus

Submitted to Contest #144

1. The metal box rattled as she picked it up off the attic floor. Her fingers left marks in the dust frozen in time on the outside of the green-tinted box. Shaking it, she tried to guess it’s contents. “Coins? No, it sounds like one item. A pen? One of Uncle Pat’s war medals? Maybe a magic diamond that will make me rich and I can move to Ireland and become a sheep farmer?” She chuckled at the last guess.  Looking at the latch she saw a dial lock, 4 digits, all sitting on 0.  “Let’s see, Uncle Pat wore...

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“Old Secret of the New House” by Zach Martz

Submitted to Contest #144

Don Russell jingled the key in his hand and shouted to his approaching family with an exuberance he had never felt before. “Who wants to do the honors?” “Go ahead honey,” Maria told him, “You’re already standing there with the key.” With his wife and two children watching, Don inserted the key into the lock and turned. The lock opened without difficulty and the front door to the Russell’s new home opened. “Yay!!!” The family clapped and cheered, and entered the abode one by one, taking in the smells of fresh paint, plaster and wood as ...

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“Worth more than a thousand words” by Max Weihe

Submitted to Contest #144

Thud! A cardboard box from the attic hits the floor of the garage. A cloud of dust circles around the room.  “Hey, easy there” says Charles as he enters the garage with a freshly cracked beer in one hand. The remainder of the six pack rests with the other hand on the side of his protruding belly. He takes a hefty swig of his ale. Droplets spill from his beard onto his Hawaiian shirt.  Behind him enters Cynthia with her long silver hair down to her waist. She towers a good foot over her older brother. Despite their height diff...

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“Earl” by Chris Grevemberg

Submitted to Contest #144

 Life seemed great until I got busted smoking a little weed. My friends and I just finished playing some hoops when—Bam! The cops showed up and started hassling me over a single joint and a dime bag. It was my first offense, but that didn’t stop the judge from being all high and mighty. He told me the usual crap about straitening up and flying right. Who the hell is he? I’ve been around the block long enough to know what I can and can’t do. The last thing I needed was advice from some old man in a black robe. Regardless, my ru...

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“I Know Who I Am” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #144

Phillip Lavender eases into his chair, hoping its plush cushioning will inspire him to tear into his long-overdue review of the architectural plans for his client’s summer home.            Pushing the chair closer to the computer screen, Phillip feels something scrape against his left knee. Looking underneath the desk, he sees an envelope taped to its side.            Opening the envelope, he finds an undeveloped roll of film and a n...

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“Monotony, Spontaneity” by Kate Lewis

Submitted to Contest #144

My mom was a quiet woman. Her composure was always stoic, and she made sure to keep me and my siblings in a straight, well-kept line. She went to her 9-5 job every day where she worked in human resources. Dealt with work conflicts, rules, and unhappy customers every single day. Started each morning at 7:00 am with a cup of coffee with a splash of cream and oatmeal with brown sugar and berries. Her life was a well-practiced routine. I only saw her break it when we went on vacation or someone had a soccer game or a doctor’s appointment. S...

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“Captured Freedom” by Carmen Lee

Submitted to Contest #144

A 35MM camera can hold about 36 photos. Pictures are worth 1,000 words. This means a roll of film has the potential to hold 36,000 words. That’s like a chapter in a book. Or a chapter in a life. But what if that roll of film isn’t yours, and it’s supposed to be a chapter in someone else's life?I used to wonder how many photos I had been in where I didn't belong. How many times have I been captured in someone else’s moments? You figure that you have inadvertently ended up in the backdrop of someone else’s life at least a few dozen times....

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Contest #144

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