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A character overhears something at a black-tie event that puts the night in jeopardy.

Posted in Mystery on May 10, 2024

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✍️ 44 stories

My Words

Submitted to Contest #250

Flashing cameras created orbs of lights dancing around the lobby. It was not my first time at the Manhattan Club Gala, but the anticipation washed over me as if it were. My novel’s position as number one on the bestseller list was tenuous and hung on for dear life.Standing at the bar, I listened to the conversations floating through the air. Greetings were exchanged with various levels of sincerity, making it difficult to discern between friend and foe. We were, after all, each other’s competition for the coveted award.As...

19 likes 15 comments 15
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The Secret in Dragon Bones

Shortlisted for Contest #250 ⭐️

The walls of the event hall are glass. Transparent panes lead to a curved ceiling decorated with painted dragons, the modern walls a recent installment after a fire forced us to repair them. Instead of reconstructing the ancient style, the architects went for simplicity, clarity. Something different. It feels  at odds, though, with the rich warmth of the ceiling and the deep colors of the jewel-toned dragons. The glass lets the night in, and from my spot at the entrance, I watch the guests arrive in glitter and black and finery, paradin...

17 likes 22 comments 22
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What a Shame...

Submitted to Contest #250

“It’s a shame isn’t it?” “What is?” “That the groom is a whore.” “What?” “You didn’t know?” The pair lowered their voices then to a more appropriate volume, but I’d already heard more than enough. More than I should’ve.  More than I was supposed to. It’s none of my business, I reminded myself, gritting my teeth and trying to actually focus on the program that I’d only been pretending to read before. I tried. I really did. But little words kept slipping through. Words like “all the time” and “at their engage...

13 likes 10 comments 10
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The Gassing of Hampshire Manor

Submitted to Contest #250

A polite nausea rose up in Emmett's abdomen as he plunged back into the swarm of hungry entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians on the main floor of Hampshire Manor. His palms and armpits were swampy. He grimaced eloquently and nodded subtly at people who may have been making eye contact with him as he slipped through the crowd. Soon, he thought, you will all be dead. He tugged at his shirt collar, wishing he could loosen the tight bowtie that was ruthlessly strangling him.Moments earlier, wandering aimlessly through the halls of the mansi...

13 likes 15 comments 15
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Pier 33

Submitted to Contest #250

Hannah hated to admit how good she felt in the dress. The fabric, the cut, the draping, it all exuded richness. And the way people looked at her, with some mix of envy or longing. There was an allure to it.However, someone with a keen eye could see the fit was ever so slightly off. It was the littlest bit loose at the shoulder and just a tad long at the hem. A perfectly tailored couture gown, just not for her. For her roommate, Claire.The pochette was even more enviable to some. It was beaded and glistening with garish hardware meant to be r...

13 likes 0 comments 0
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THE STAR OF ALEXANDRIA: A GALA OF SECRETS

Submitted to Contest #250

The intricate patterns of the marble seemed to dance beneath her feet as she tiptoed through the sea of elegantly attired guests. Her eyes, trained to detect the slightest anomaly, swept over the crowd with a precision honed by years of experience. Every shimmer of silk, every glint of diamond caught her attention. Still, she remained vigilant, searching for subtle hints of trouble amidst the opulence. Tonight, she was not just Sarah Monroe, the detective, but Sarah Monroe, the chameleon. Dressed in a gown that mirrored the sophistication o...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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The Invincible Clementine Finch

Submitted to Contest #250

This story mentions violence and death. May 1, 1902In retrospect, it would have been safer for me not to investigate the case.I was bold–perhaps too bold. Years of being nicknamed the Invincible Clementine Finch had softened my reserve, probably. Or perhaps I wasn’t born with any. The name didn’t come without reason–not that I’m one to boast. I fell off a train as a girl with hardly so much as a scratched knee. I chased down an armed robber once with nothing but a hat-pin as a weapon. No need to fret, of course; he was just fine.&n...

12 likes 8 comments 8
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Hiding

Submitted to Contest #250

She hated these events, but her parents insisted that she attend. At sixteen, plump and uncomfortable in the fancy, hideous dress her mother had bought her, she was miserable. It was pink, ruffled, sleeveless and belted at the waist with bow at the back--a true horror for someone built like her—so she went around the large ballroom looking for a place to hide.She saw a large floral arrangement and walked over to it. It wasn't tall enough, but she saw a chair against the wall a few feet away, and slowly pulled it behind the arrangement. Slidi...

11 likes 5 comments 5
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Turkey in the Straw

Submitted to Contest #250

Elliot D'Blanca was a career diplomat in the United State Department.  Like his father and his father before him, serving his country in a diplomatic capacity was what he was born to do. Educated in the terms and meanings of the diplomaticese  language, Elliot moved in the elite inner social circles reserved for ambassadors and heads of state. Involved with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the Hague in Brussels, Elliot was hosting a gala for some of the top brass who occupied offices at the NATO Headquarters, strict...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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Formal Wear and ESP

Submitted to Contest #250

Inside the glittering museum gala, Lila Tinker fidgeted with her floor-length blue ballgown. Thanks to her work as a receptionist at an art gallery, she’d snagged an invite to the social event of the year, and she hoped it would add some excitement to her life. No date, but she had a killer dress from one of those rent-a-gown places.The dress covered up the scars from the accident, for which she was grateful. Snagging a cocktail that smelled like the tropics, she wandered out into the well-dressed crowd, ready to mingle—and to find some face...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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THE JUNE JAMBOREE

Submitted to Contest #250

"Miss Kayla Swanson, you are cordially invited to this years June Jamboree on the 2nd of June 2024. Dress code as required. Men in suits and a black tie. Women in black and white dresses. We hope to see you there." I can't believe I'm invited to this year's June Jamboree, the social event of the year. This is unbelievable. I wonder why I'm invited but I don't care. Keep the dramatics down Kayla. I'm calm. I have to find a dress, a black and white dress. I leave my home and go to the mall. I spend hours at the mall trying to find the right dr...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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A Night To Remember

Submitted to Contest #250

So far, the evening had been swell. The music hall was enraptured in gold decor. Tables were draped with fine purple silk and pristine silverware, while the food was hardly touched by its guests. Dispersed all around, the guests laughed boisterously and clinked their champagne glasses. One guest was enjoying her meal, however. More so, this woman was inhaling her food with restlessness. While wiping the bechamel from the corner of her mouth, a hand gently tapped her shoulder.  “Margot, you okay there?” spoke another woman wearing a brig...

9 likes 7 comments 7
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Inquisitive Consequences

Submitted to Contest #250

He was talking on his phone to someone else, but sitting next to him on the bus, I was subjected to his half of the conversation. “Yes, it’s a dinner party and of course you’re invited!” he insisted with such verve anyone within earshot couldn’t help but hear what he declared to whomever was on the other end of the line. “It’s open invitation. Everyone who wants to come, can.” A momentary shock froze me; I’d never heard of the likes of it, wondering how they could pull off a dinner event without a clear number of expected guests. Within mome...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Lion's Share

Submitted to Contest #250

Jen placed a beaded crown on her head and stepped back to take herself in. The gemstones draped haphazardly down her forehead and flowed like a waterfall down the back of her gently waved hair. Her diaphanous dress spiderwebbed across her curvy body showing off her thick, strong legs, rounded tummy and perky nipples. A pair of skimpy shorts that just about covered her bottom show through the gauzy fabric. She rubbed her hands over the waves of her body and smiled.  She used to hate this very same body. He made her hate it. He’d point ou...

7 likes 4 comments 4
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A Night They'll Never Forget

Submitted to Contest #250

A Night They’ll Never ForgetA Short Story  I took a steadying breath as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I slid my hands down my sides, feeling the rough texture of the sequins on my gown. My palms were sweaty, my face flushed and it took a conscious effort to slow my heart rate. Later that night, I left my LA hotel room to be chauffeured downtown in a luxurious car and spent the evening schmoozing with A-list celebrities. I certainly looked the part, with my done up hair and makeup, a fresh manicure and six-figure dress. Playin...

7 likes 5 comments 5
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