A photographer captures an image of something unexplainable. What happens next?

Posted in Mystery on Jul 5, 2024

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✍️ 75 stories

“The Train” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #258

I feel I spent a lifetime on this train.Enlessly being jostled from side to side. Blindly staring at the scenery through dirty windows. Startled by a sudden whistle blast announcing a tunnel, then squinting against the hazy yellow sun. Occasionally all is obscured by the billowing white smoke from the engine. Dozens of unwashed bodies. Fragrant and pungent food shared with neighbors and whining children. Cigarettes, joints, pipes, and drink handed around with a wink and a smile. Voices sharing news and gossip, whispers, and giggles. A young ...

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“Day the World Changed” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #258

Day the World ChangedKelly barely arrived at work when news started breaking of a terrible accident that involved an inferno in the crowded downtown. She instinctively grabbed her camera gear and headed out into the fray. Chaos reigned as some pedestrians and vehicle traffic ran toward the source to rubberneck what was happening while others ran the opposite direction in fear of what was happening. What was happening? Nobody seemed to know for sure beyond the bone-jarring crash they heard and acrid black smoke billowing upward.Being a profes...

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“The Camera of Tomorrow” by Ralph Aldrich

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #258

Ryan Perkins is a gentle, quiet thirty year old office worker who enjoys collecting antiques. He resides in New York City and is well-known among the antique dealers. However, while walking to the convenience store this afternoon, something down an alley caught his eye. He notices three gold balls hanging over a door. Knitting his eyebrows together, he adjusts his hornrimmed glass. “ A pawnshop?” He tentatively enters the alley for a look, for he hasn’t seen that advertisement in years. ...

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“The Photograph” by Arthur Ni

Submitted to Contest #258

TRIGGER WARNING: Mental Health Issues, Suicide or Self Harm.Finding happiness after tragedy is a challenge. Some have no issues, others struggle and it doesn't get easier. Jon Fredrickson lost his wife in a tragic car accident three years prior. Obviously tragic as he lost his wife, but tragic in the sense that she didn't do anything wrong. No one really did anything wrong. Perhaps it was due to the weather, an animal that ran out in front of her, or bad luck. It happens, there isn't anyone to blame. Shouldn't blame the dead, that's hardly f...

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“Enigmatic Eyes” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #258

It could have been worse, things could always be worse, but this was pretty bad. So terrible in fact, she recognized her fate at the early age of ten and accepted it as her normal. Life was just that way for some, certainly for her. She longed for a safe place, even for a short time, somewhere she could go and not fear the world around her. She dreamed of a bed of her own, warm blankets and pretty new clothes; a hairbrush, a toothbrush and maybe some ribbons and one of those fancy hand mirrors, like princesses have in books. She daydreamed o...

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“I Do Not Believe in Ghosts, But???” by Beverly Goldberg

Submitted to Contest #258

I was awfully busy at the office and had hoped to go in for a few hours on Saturday, but one of my brothers called and asked me to check on Mom. "Emma, I had a long talk with Mom today, and I really think something is wrong. Can you drop in on her and see if I'm right?" Oh God Jim, first, are you overreacting. You do you know. Second, I'm planning to get caught up on a few projects this weekend and it means going into the office. Third, taking car service from Manhattan to Staten Island and back is big bucks. Remember, I don't drive. And wit...

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“The Spot” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #258

No one blinked. As they gathered by the image processor, taking time to adjust all of their eye sockets and each dial and module on the machine, they simply stared and stared at what they were looking at. No one thought to make a mental note of this; no one thought that their psychic connection could handle this. But there it was and they had to process it.Wild synaptic cheers came through the neuron feed. There was a great deal of speculation as to what would come next now that they had made this great discovery. Would there be some sort of...

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“The Creature in the Frame” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #258

Under the blazing sun, the air shimmered with heat above the hood of her old Mustang. The desert stretched out in all directions, a vast and unforgiving expanse of sand, rock, and scrub brush. Mountains rose in the distance, their jagged peaks a stark contrast to the flatness below. To Lyla, a wildlife photographer who had spent years capturing the untamed beauty of the Southwest, this was her home. This untamed wilderness with its surprising gems, hidden oases and gorgeous mountains was where she often found solace, her camera a constant co...

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“The Resolution” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #258

Who killed Ronnie Fells?Melissa’s finger paused on the “Walk” button most of the University’s bovine herd ignored. Couple times a semester, some oblivious moron, some entitled pedestrian constitutionalist with an immortality complex or a misunderstanding of the superpowers conferred with a doctorate got dislocated or ruptured at this corner near the student union. They made the button extra big and enameled the huge raised arrow so even a medieval lit major could spot it, and still, the world sporadically lost another great MBA, hotel manage...

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“Riches of the Past, Love Lost” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #258

How could you? What compelled you to do such a thing?The Washington Gazette had us on the front page holding a time capsule. The photo captured us in our youthful prime, clutching what we believed to be a time capsule unearthed in a building my company was working on.Our hearts raced with excitement at the incredible discovery. The media coverage would undoubtedly attract new customers and boost my fledgling company. We couldn’t wait to uncover the secrets hidden within the canister, our curiosity growing with each passing moment. The mayor ...

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“Twin Adventure: A Cherub, Rainbow and Giant” by Claudine Bailey

Submitted to Contest #258

Click! Click! “Sadie, come on.” Click! “One more,” fourteen-year-old Sadie said. Click! Click! Sean groaned. “That’s what you said half an hour ago.” Sadie sighed and lowered the camera. “Fine. Let’s go.” It was the summer holiday. Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry, who were on a diplomatic tour in New York, had sent the twins to Jamaica to spend the holiday with their grandma, Keturah. Sadie had created a scene about the arrangement, so their father had b...

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“The Mystery Girl” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #258

Carol opened the shoebox of old photos, most of them black and white. She felt like she was taking a trip down memory lane, seeing the photos of her family over the years. Growing up in a family of nine children, there weren’t as many photos as one might think. Her parents were not sentimental people. Still, by virtue of having nine children and countless relatives, there were nonetheless a fair amount of pictures.The first picture she glanced at was a hallmark 1970s shot. Her second oldest brother, Bill, had long hair and tight athletic sho...

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“Smile For the Camera” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #258

Shadow Specter whistles along to the sax solo in Junior Walker’s “What Does it Take?” as it plays in the background on the radio. His cheerful chirping abruptly stops when he develops the last four pictures he took at the annual Penn Yan Heritage Festival. Rushing to the telephone, he calls Mayor Ashford Simpson, telling him there’s something he has to see. Penn Yan’s cherubic Mayor greets Shadow with a hearty handshake and an open seat in front of his desk. He pats his toupee, which people in town call the “worst rug in the world.” “So, w...

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“Smiley Face” by Sierra Kingen

Submitted to Contest #258

“Change is sudden. Change erases what the mind thought it knew about the world and forces adaptation and survival. Out of change, is creation and innovation. In the year 2009, change became inevitable.” -Thomas Francis Director of Project A Earth was as it always had been. It rotated around the sun and turned to make day and night. It provided a thriving environment for those that inhabited it. It was a place millions of beings called home. Earth isn't what changed—the moon was. The moon grew dark and unstable. It began to rock off it...

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“The False Star” by McKade Kerr

Submitted to Contest #258

Captain Finnian, the famous intergalactic photographer, looked at the screen on the back of his camera and frowned. “That’s weird.” He muttered to himself. He held his camera up to the front window of his spaceship and snapped a few more pictures of the countless stars in front of him. Each time he took a picture he adjusted the camera settings before taking the next one. After several pictures he looked at the screen again, this time a look of confusion coming over his face. “Hey Quixly!” He called to his loyal co-captain, who also happened...

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A photographer captures an image of something unexplainable. What happens next?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“The Train” by Trudy Jas

“Day the World Changed” by Mary Bendickson

“The Camera of Tomorrow” by Ralph Aldrich

“The Photograph” by Arthur Ni

“Enigmatic Eyes” by Myranda Marie

“I Do Not Believe in Ghosts, But???” by Beverly Goldberg

“The Spot” by Kendall Defoe

“The Creature in the Frame” by W. H. Goodwater

“The Resolution” by Martin Ross

“Riches of the Past, Love Lost” by Scott Taylor

“Twin Adventure: A Cherub, Rainbow and Giant” by Claudine Bailey

“The Mystery Girl” by Kim Olson

“Smile For the Camera” by Michael Jefferson

“Smiley Face” by Sierra Kingen

“The False Star” by McKade Kerr

🌟 Similar prompts

A forgotten photograph tucked away somewhere is the catalyst for an unexpected journey.

Center your story around two strangers who bond over their shared love of photography.

Write a story where a photograph could change the course of history if it’s delivered to the right (or wrong!) person.

Start your story with someone who has lost everything but finds solace in photography.

Contest #258

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

289

Contest entries

88

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: