Make a mysterious message an important part of your story.

Posted in Mystery on Aug 4, 2023

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✍️ 40 stories

“The Gate” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #210

“What does it mean?” asked Trent. “How the hell should I know?!” growled Blaine. Trent looked at his friend, he wanted to say more, that much was clear. But he knew to do so would be folly. When Blaine was in this mood he was a dangerous sort. It was Blaine who had received the message though, so as far as Trent was concerned, it was up to Blaine to decipher it. “Tell me again what the message said,” Trent asked instead. You are the keeper of the gate. Trent had hoped that with a repetition of the words, all would become clear, but...

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“The Alien Syndrome” by Héctor Zalik

Submitted to Contest #210

"The Alien Syndrome" Urgent Communication: It is imperative that all missions return immediately to planet Earth. Sector B-4441 yields positive results. (High Command of Interstellar Search for Extraterrestrial Life) “Excuse me, could you perhaps be a bit less direct when telling others the truth about extraterrestrial life? Look at how you left this one, he can't even blink anymore, poor thing. We even had to close his eyes ourselves; he looks half-dead... and that's just not fair”. “I'll try” I was telling the head nurse at the militar...

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“Not A Simple Case” by M B

Submitted to Contest #210

Skreet Snickertooth - rat private eye - almost stepped on the envelope left under his door as he began his workday. Looking to the left and right and seeing nothing but his neighbors - an accountant’s and lawyer’s office respectively - he bent down and closed his door behind him. Skreet walked over to his desk and hung up his wet raincoat, careful to not get the envelope wet. It felt very light as he flung it onto his pile of bills and notes. He turned and noticed some dust on one of the windowsills had been disturbed, but didn’t consider ...

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“We were so stupid.” by Julian Fel

Submitted to Contest #210

I warned them. I warned them all. But nobody listened. For centuries, our species, no matter if religious or not, had debated about our creators. Congresses, palaces, and whole circles of the most educated and the most wise had debated if we were created at all, or if we were merely a whim of nature. And yet, we found no answers. We fought wars about the thesis of creators. Of the interpretation of their will. We killed for it. We bled for it. And as the few remaining groups dominated, we waged war for other things. Against us. Against natur...

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“Celestial Whispers: An Extraordinary Love Bridging the Celestial Expanse” by Reenie Z

Submitted to Contest #210

Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter In the beguiling landscapes of 19th-century England, an enchanting tale of love and wonder unfolds amidst the beauty, destiny conspired to bring together two souls certain to occur for an out of this world kind of love. Lady Isabella Thornton, a headstrong and compassionate thirty-five year old beautiful woman, unexpectedly came across Captain Alexander Westwood, an intrepid and magnetic forty-year old handsome officer, returned triumphantly from a perilous and daring expedition. From the moment their eyes met...

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“Blue” by Vale Scarlett

Submitted to Contest #210

BlueContains mention of war and hints of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and death.Fictional letters being sent between Darfur, Sudan and New York City, US 2003March 12Dear Amir,You’re so lucky. What’s it like? Do you have new friends? Don’t replace me. Amir, please wear blue. Amir, I like blue. It’s my favorite color. Please wear blue, Amir. Please.Your friend,LualMarch 23Dear Lual,It’s, like, always bright. And it smells of metal. When are you coming? Your friend,AmirApril 10Dear Amir,It’s going to be harder to send letters now....

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“The experiment” by Jim Cowles

Submitted to Contest #210

Three years down and the days have flown; I wonder if we’re any closer to our goal than when we first started? How could we know? Do we each have a separate goal, is there a collective goal, or what? They keep us separated, so it’s hard to tell if we’ve made any kind of progress. They said it was important to work separately, but maybe that's changed by now. I sure hope so. I think I’ll have a word with Ron, and ask him if he thinks it would be a good idea to come together, you know, as a team,...

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“The Old Masters” by Beatrice Gomes

Submitted to Contest #210

The ancient Pyramids of Giza are said to have been built over four thousand years ago. They tower over the Egyptian sands, the Great Pyramid taller than a thirty-floor building and nearly twice as wide. The pyramids are a massive necropolis where the old pharaohs were laid to eternal rest alongside their devotees with the expectation of becoming gods. They were constructed with great effort and care, each stone block weighing between two and thirty tons. Our best and brightest still haven’t been able to figure out how the ancient Egyptians w...

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“Messages in the Sand” by Joy Allen

Submitted to Contest #210

During her morning walk on the beach, Erin came across a message inscribed in the sand. Positioned on an angle a few feet from the ocean’s ruffled hem, it read simply, “GOOD MORNING!” “How nice,” thought Erin and she tried to imagine the sort of person who created this friendly greeting for random strangers to see. “A woman no doubt,” she figured, for starters. “An architect, maybe.” The carefully constructed, perfectly proportioned letters reminded her of her ex’s handwriting. An architect, her former partner Rory never used cursive, bu...

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“Mystery of Unabis” by Lucía Llavero

Submitted to Contest #210

A tempest threatened the island the moment Liliana landed at the airport. Her first impression was a chaotic and unbridled scenery of people running back and forth. Every electronic device announced the same communication: "A storm is coming to Sheol Island. Declared 1st category hurricane by our experts. It will reach the shore around six in the afternoon and endure until morning. "She requested a taxi and indicated the direction of her new residency: a small house which mediated between the beach and the rainforest, built with autochthonou...

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“Be Someone ” by Parul Shah

Submitted to Contest #210

In the front cab of a Ford F150, Betty McMiller lies sideways, blood trickling from her forehead. From the shattered windshield of a Range Rover EX, Dr. Hetal Sanghavi sees the side panel of the Chevrolet sedan lying on her hood. The babies, she cries, and then turns to see her own son still buckled in his seat but leaning forward limply, the formerly spacious rear trunk now smashed into a two-foot metal and plastic sandwich. In the backseat of a Chrysler sedan, an infant and a preschooler wail mightily, but to no avail. Their mother wi...

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“Letter Treasure” by Frank Chirico

Submitted to Contest #210

Max Evans tugged on his blanket falling off his shoulder, and pulled it closer. He sat in front of his laptop like he did most Saturday mornings – writing and working on his book, trying like hell to get out of the funk he was in; grunting through trying to find the right words. He stopped, put his head in his hands and sighed. He turned around to look out the window of his sixth-floor apartment behind him, watching those in the courtyard: a couple walking hand in hand, an elderly man feeding pigeons, and kids playing in the park. Pe...

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“The Ascending Spacemen” by Sudarshan Varadhan

Submitted to Contest #210

The airlock of the space habitat swung open, revealing the two fully-suited spacemen. Their costumes were dull white, along with tinted blue helmets and golden reflective visors. The two spacemen stepped out onto the gray alien planet, retrieved their long probes, and prodded the surroundings around them. Their equipment beeped and notified them of the collection of data. The mounds of grayish-blue sand camouflaged the space habitat along with the gray mountain ranges behind it. The spacemen's shoes crunched in the planet’s stillness. The cr...

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“An Ode to Ramblin Bill” by Larry Litton

Submitted to Contest #210

I was seventeen years old when my father, the man known as ‘Ramblin Bill, bought his ticket to the forever box. I don’t think of him as ‘dad’ or as ‘father’, because he wasn’t much of either one of those. Stomach cancer is one mean bitch and I watched him waste away from a jovial two hundred pounds down to a buck twenty in less than three months. Of course, that didn’t stop him from drinking and smoking while he spiraled down the drain. In those final days he often said, “I ain’t no damned quitter. Give me another smoke b...

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“The Gardeners” by J Tucker

Submitted to Contest #210

"You're not allowed in here." The white-coated intern placed the palm of her hand on the tall, hoodied intruder's shoulder and turned him toward the door. "You will go now, and enjoy your day." Her smirking lab partner was incredulous. The door closed and the two high-fived. "I didn't know you were skilled in the art of Jedi Mind Tricks." "Just communicating expectations and conveying authority." She quickly locked the door latch. "This is my lab. And I will defend it!" She struck a Wonder Woman pose. The poster behind her was of a ...

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Make a mysterious message an important part of your story.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 40 stories

“The Gate” by Jed Cope

“The Alien Syndrome” by Héctor Zalik

“Not A Simple Case” by M B

“We were so stupid.” by Julian Fel

“Celestial Whispers: An Extraordinary Love Bridging the Celestial Expanse” by Reenie Z

“Blue” by Vale Scarlett

“The experiment” by Jim Cowles

“The Old Masters” by Beatrice Gomes

“Messages in the Sand” by Joy Allen

“Mystery of Unabis” by Lucía Llavero

“Be Someone ” by Parul Shah

“Letter Treasure” by Frank Chirico

“The Ascending Spacemen” by Sudarshan Varadhan

“An Ode to Ramblin Bill” by Larry Litton

“The Gardeners” by J Tucker

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story after aliens have officially arrived on Earth.

Write about a character who has to grapple with something completely alien to them.

Write a story about a character who is trying to share groundbreaking news, but isn’t being taken seriously.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “We’re not alone.”

Contest #210

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

300

Contest entries

112

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: