A crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. Where did it come from, and where is it going?

Posted in Mystery on Mar 1, 2024

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✍️ 63 stories

“Whispers of the Wind” by Drayton Garbade

Submitted to Contest #240

In the heart of the ancient city of Meridell, where cobblestone streets whispered tales of yore and towering spires pierced the sky, a crumpled piece of paper danced in the wind. It twirled and spun, a silent ballet orchestrated by the unseen hands of fate, until it came to rest at the feet of a young girl named Elara. Elara, with her curiosity as boundless as the sea, gently picked up the paper, her fingers unfolding its secrets with the delicacy of touching a butterfly's wings. The message, written in a hurried scrawl, read: "Meet me at t...

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“Letter to Santa” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #240

I will always remember Christmas Day a few years ago. I thought it was going to be a normal Christmas.The story really starts on Christmas Eve just before lunchtime. I did always hope it would be a white Christmas but today was just a typical December day, cold, wet and windy but no sign of snow. I stopped by the post box and dropped three late Christmas cards through the slot. I knew they would arrive late. But I would have felt guilty if I hadn’t sent them. As I turned round to head home a sudden gust of wind blew a piece of paper into my ...

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“A Father's Love” by Emma Lecour

Submitted to Contest #240

BASTIAN His desk was a mess. Papers littered everywhere, spilling onto the floor and piling up around the full waste bin. In fact, the whole apartment was a mess. Dishes in the sink, and dust gathering on the piano keys, because he wasn't the one who played it. The only room in the apartment that wasn't cluttered was the yellow bedroom. Her clothes were still in the closet, folded and hung up from the last time she cleaned her room. "What a change from last year," he thought to himself. Last year, her room was the messiest. Last year, h...

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“The Purple Ticket ” by Y. Zhan

Submitted to Contest #240

I look out at a vast blue ocean from the window of my train. The water rolls and tumbles over itself in smooth, gentle pillows. It does not break into white peaks or crash angrily along the rocky shoreline as I expect it to. Instead, it remains still as I travel alongside it, as if waiting for me to react first. It wins. I cannot help but give it attention. I feel strange not doing so, for though the ocean is vast, it is fleeting to my eyes. I worry it will be far behind me if I blink. And I cannot put more behind me. A sheet of ...

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“Pass It On” by Ed Phrampus

Submitted to Contest #240

Pass It OnA boy was walking down an old farm road adjacent from the farm where he lived.Upon walking down this road he happened to step on a crumpled piece of paper rolled into a ball. He picked it up and unwrinkled and found a message inside. It read Pass It On, but add a message before you do. He thought to himself self this is rather strange.Where did this come from , it's unexplained.He then thought about what message to write that would follow Pass It On? He thought maybe have a nice day, no that won't do.He thou...

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“Reality Check” by Johanna Parry

Submitted to Contest #240

Reality CheckDoes anyone really understand what “sustainable” actually means? Where do we go to get the “truth” about what our future is becoming? Are the ”Thought Leaders” abandoning us in their retreat into so-called “sustainable communities?” Is this a movement of people who are living within the so-called “privileged class” that will leave the 40-hour work week public behind - those who struggle enough just to pay all the bills - so they can act out their personal versions of “Survival of The Fittest?”Dr. Simon Michaux is working activel...

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“The Dutchess Flies At Noon. ” by Farai Gotora

Submitted to Contest #240

Thomas Hastings enjoyed the dying moments of his break. He took a bite of his last shortbread cookie, savoring the sweet buttery goodness. His tea was still piping hot. He grimaced at the steam before standing up and taking his full cup to the sink to dump out. The only reason he bothered with the stuff was a matter of social acceptance. All his colleagues drank tea and they all seemed to be functioning adults. He wished to be regarded in this way too. He’d been offered a cup of tea by one of the other teachers on his first day and in the in...

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“Crumpled Company” by C Zwick

Submitted to Contest #240

*tsh tsh tsh* I hear something bouncing as I take my afternoon stroll. I look back to see a small paper ball, carelessly bouncing down the sidewalk with me. It stops near my feet. I cock my head like a dog. Interested... but not intrigued. It's a random piece of paper, and its noticeably dirty too. I'm not picking that trash up. I continue walking as normal. The gentle wind, while inviting of odd guests, was cool and refreshing. Swiftly caressing both myself and the surrounding nature. Trees, flowers, bugs n blades of grass... all wistfully ...

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“Skyline” by Brandon D'Availa

Submitted to Contest #240

One would think you’d get used to the existential terror that permeated through every waking moment of your life, but somehow it felt acculumalative, like a snowball of shit rolling down a steep hill of even more shit. Mom said I shouldn't worry, speaking another tried and true permutation of “things will work out in the end”, as if it would be more convincing if she used bigger words. I didn’t even know what permutation meant, she said it out loud, unironically, in one of her spiels that passed as “advice”, thinking it sounded good. Dad’s a...

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“Purple Paper” by Kevin Alphatooni

Submitted to Contest #240

Wendy sat in her studio apartment and tried to write. She sat motionless for a long time, staring blankly at her purple notepad—pen ready to write down whatever came to mind. Her hand sprang into action, seizing upon a fleeting thought like a spider attacking a fly caught in its web. She filled the page and a smile crossed her face when she stabbed the last period into existence. Yet that smile faded after she reviewed what she wrote. She scowled, ripped the page out, and threw it into the trashcan. “Where did all the good ideas go?” sh...

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“Message on the Wind” by Jan Wall

Submitted to Contest #240

Message on the Wind The letter, caught by a sudden burst of warm air on this summer’s day, scurried from the scene as if it did not want any more tears to smudge the ink on its page. Until a few moments ago it had been gripped in Mia’s hand. She hadn’t realised she had dropped it. The shock of seeing her brother’s coffin being carried to the chapel had caused her to draw her hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs and it was gone from her grasp. Not that she had been able to stifle her sobs. Later that day she would go to the beach – then she w...

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“Follow” by Pamela Ann Elledge

Submitted to Contest #240

The storm has yet to pass. Luckily, the torrential rain has stopped, making the walk home much more manageable. I wish I could say the same for this wind. I made the unlucky decision today not to tie my long hair back, and now I'm dealing with those consequences. Being me, I did not bring a hair tie, thinking I wouldn't need it. Boy, how wrong I was. I mentally kicked myself for making such a tiny mistake as I made my way down the street, fussing and wrangling my hair out of my face so I could see where I was going so I wouldn't hit a pole l...

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“A Whisper in the Wind” by Seth Leroux

Submitted to Contest #240

The crumpled paper lay at Gwen's feet, flapping in the wind like a frantic bird. As she reached down to pick it up, her heart quickened. The message on the paper read, "A whisper in the wind for Gwen upon my deathbed. If you are reading this call 1-613-442-1037" Gwen's hands shook as she read the words over and over, trying to make sense of them. Who had left her this note, and how had it ended up at her feet? The sky above was a bleak gray, and the wind was cold and biting. Gwen hugged herself and zipped up her jacket, trying to ward o...

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“There Is Always A Plan B” by Marianne Holman

Submitted to Contest #240

CONTENT WARNING: This story alludes to domestic violence and potential self harm.The neon yellow paper skitters along the park path, dodging people, their pets, anything along its way. Her EarPods serenade her. Lost in the sounds of a favorite song, the last verses of Eleanor Rigby, it catches her eye. Without a conscience thought, she sings in tune, “All the lonely paper, where has it all come from?”She knows about loneliness too well to suit her. She fools the world that she has her stuff together as she carries her Hermes bag, looking chi...

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“Winds of Chance Revisited” by Odile Glatz

Submitted to Contest #240

The paper flew maniacally around, until it tapped Elena on the head. She snatched at it, hesitating to read the message scrawled on it. Never again would she fall for the treacherous wind message. She looked back mentally as she unconsciously squeezed the paper. Two years ago she had almost died. Carefree and naive, Elena had come across a paper blown in the wind. A thrill of adventure lit her brandy brown eyes as she read the handwritten message: Meet me in the gazebo at ten pm. There was a gaz...

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A crumpled piece of paper holding an unexpected message is carried by the wind. Where did it come from, and where is it going?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 63 stories

“Whispers of the Wind” by Drayton Garbade

“Letter to Santa” by Paul Simpkin

“A Father's Love” by Emma Lecour

“The Purple Ticket ” by Y. Zhan

“Pass It On” by Ed Phrampus

“Reality Check” by Johanna Parry

“The Dutchess Flies At Noon. ” by Farai Gotora

“Crumpled Company” by C Zwick

“Skyline” by Brandon D'Availa

“Purple Paper” by Kevin Alphatooni

“Message on the Wind” by Jan Wall

“Follow” by Pamela Ann Elledge

“A Whisper in the Wind” by Seth Leroux

“There Is Always A Plan B” by Marianne Holman

“Winds of Chance Revisited” by Odile Glatz

🌟 Similar prompts

Begin your story with the sensation of a breeze brushing against a character's skin.

Set your story on a sailboat, large or small, and entirely at the mercy of the winds.

Craft a story where a character finds themselves swept away by the wind, either physically or metaphorically.

Set your story in a lighthouse surrounded by powerful gale-force winds.

Contest #240

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

331

Contest entries

134

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: