Set all or part of your story in a jam-packed storage unit.

Posted in Mystery on Feb 10, 2023

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✍️ 46 stories

“Fist Bump” by Linda Lovendahl

Submitted to Contest #185

Wayne nudged the file cabinet drawer shut. “Only people lost in the past keep paperwork these days Pops,” said his fifteen-year-old son. He flashed a copy of an Excel spreadsheet on his phone toward his father but seeing no recognition of this action from him, he lowered his head and thumbed one handed to more interesting sites. He murmured, “By the way, did I tell you I’ve changed my name from Jacob to Jay?” His voice tightened, “ I can’t stand being associated with a loser in the Old Testament who couldn’t even walk without a li...

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“Box of Delights” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #185

“No you don’t!”The words were whip cracks and Jones froze on the spot. To attempt his exit now was going to invite pain and much, much worse. Not that he thought he was going to side-step a beating this time, not even with the fanciest of dancing was he going to get away with this. Jones had ridden his luck right down to the canvas of its tyres and it wasn’t going anywhere soon, and neither was he.He stayed where he was, not daring to turn and face the music that Mr Gershwin was conducting. Jones wasn’t a coward as such, it was more that he ...

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“Altered Perception” by SCOTT GEORGE

Submitted to Contest #185

Singleton Monroe had to suck in his stomach as he crept between the crates haphazardly packed into the Butcher's storage unit. Man, he thought sardonically. I need to lose some weight. However, as Monroe continued to squeeze through the metal crates and boxes, he began to give the thought some real consideration. His coat continuously caught on the pointed corners of the packages he tried to pass. Absent-mindedly, he gripped onto a box for stabilization. As his hand slid away, the sharp edges of the crate tore into his glove, e...

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“The Storage Unit” by Kimberlie Luster

Submitted to Contest #185

“Is this it?” I stop in front of the storage unit and check the number against the letter I am holding. “Yep, number 5309.” My brother says from behind me. “So what do you think we should do now?” I ask with a frown. I didn’t want to do this in the first place. When I received the letter from my grandmothers’ attorney I almost trashed it. She made her feelings very clear the last time we spoke 2 years ago and I had no desire to hear or have anything to do with her since then. “I guess we open it and see what the old coot thought you needed t...

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“Him Again” by Agatha W

Submitted to Contest #185

It’s been ten days and three hours since I last saw him. I’m dancing by myself to his favorite song. I wish he was here, with me. They are still looking for him. I remember when I called to report him missing, how I told them he hadn’t come home that night. It was a rush of red and blue, sirens screaming and lights cutting through the black of night. One by one our neighbors woke up and migrated out onto their porches, all of them craning their necks to see what all the commotion was about. They asked me all sorts of questions. When w...

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“The Shoe Queen” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #185

The Shoe Queen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------How many pairs of shoes did you give away? When? Yesterday. Only ten, but I cleaned out the closet last month when my sister and her godmother visited; they both took home five pairs. Ma, you have a problem! No, you are about to have a problem if you talk about my shoes. I moved almost all of the store inventory to the storage unit, and now it’s jammed-packed, but I will not bring the shoes back to your house: thirty years and the same complaints,...

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“Oh! The legends you find in my mind.” by David Drake

Submitted to Contest #185

“Ye present clans of the Eyinase! Hear and gather! Your Majesty brings you tidings to bend all round ears!” All four-legs of the clans raced to hear what King Myru had to declare. Rumors that the hated, barbaric Mosirus of the surrounding cardboard mounds and walls plotted against the beauteous bounty that was the birth land of Eyinase had abounded in recent spans, so the Visier advised the rotund White King to address their concerns. Especially the burgeoning females awaiting birth. The Land of Eyinase had grown considerably in the long ag...

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“Egypt in a Box” by Frameen W

Submitted to Contest #185

Egypt in a BoxWith a clang the door of the abandoned storage unit swung open.“It's been three years since she left me, two since she died. And this is all she bloody left to show for it” The father said with a grimace. “What a mess” the son said in dejected tone. “I told you we should have just handed this damned thing over to the lot owner for auction.” “I know dad I just… Its mom you know, and she was barely there for those last few years before she went missing. When I did talk to her she was always so absent minded, I just want to know w...

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“ GAWM or not? ” by Mark Nicholson

Submitted to Contest #185

Harris looked around the storage unit, it was stacked floor to ceiling with all Vargas’s cast-offs. Harris was growing to hate the perpetual mocking TOCK of the cheap nasty cuckoo clock. It was one of those mass-produced souvenirs that you bought when you were in the Alps. Just a lump of pine fashioned into a faux Swiss chalet with plastic doors where a cuckoo appeared once an hour to tell you that you were an hour nearer to death. It had a cheap Chinese battery-operated motion instead of the traditional Swiss-made mechanical motion. Harris ...

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“An Irresistible Offer” by Dan Coglianese

Submitted to Contest #185

Unit B212. That’s where they sent us. My mother sent me because I’m 19 years old and “have the energy”. My cousin Naomi is here for the same reason. Although she’s 20. Her mom and my mom are sisters, and apparently they have the same ideas about youth, our unlimited energy, and naiveté when it comes to free physical labor. Our great-grandmother passed away at age 95 last week. This storage unit was hers, and had to be cleaned out by the end of the month or they would lock it ...

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“Little Units of Life” by MJ Simons

Submitted to Contest #185

Impending summer has a smell. For some, it’s the briny scent of the ocean, for me it’s the chlorinated smell of a pool. When I was younger, I looked forward to swimming in the pool and eating nachos from the snack bar all summer. The summer before my freshman year in high school, there was one day when instead of swimming, my friends and I spent the day helping my brother look for some fancy baseball cards in our jam-packed storage unit. He promised to take us to the arcade and the carnival, so we readily agreed.I remember that day vivi...

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“Home staging” by J.P. Falk

Submitted to Contest #185

Claire and I stood in the middle of “the storage unit”, as Claire kept calling it. I’m not prone to phobias, but believe me, it’s damn near impossible not to feel claustrophobic, when you’re surrounded by endless rows of precariously stacked piles of heavy objects, some of them looking alarmingly sharp, most of them looking as if they may tumble down any second. Packed to the brim. You’ve guessed it: this was no ordinary storage unit. Not something built to harbour a couple of forgotten moving boxes and great-grandma’s favourite rocking chai...

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“Mr. Smith's storage unit” by Corina P

Submitted to Contest #185

Mr. Smith’s storage unit By Corina Pitt cw: foul language Mr. Smith’s storage unit rests on a quiet street in north London, just behind St Pancras. It stands between an abandoned Chinese restaurant and a non-operative costume shop, its exterior unrevealing of its purpose. I remember the first time we passed by it, the mortified look on my mom’s face as she pointed towards the dark blue door and warned me never to step foot in there. When I asked her why, she would always reply with the same mysterious tone: ‘He is a dangerous man’. G...

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“The Storage Unit” by David St.George

Submitted to Contest #185

Barb and Art Rogers walked towards Griffin’s Storage Unit Rentals from their car, arguing like they usually did. They had been married twelve years and although the marriage had enjoyed good spots of relative harmony, lately it seemed that one battle followed another. It was Saturday and this day began like other bad days of recent note. “We had better not be wasting our time with this, Barb,” Art said. “I can think of many more worthwhile things to do on my day off than this.” “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Art!” Barb yelled. “You know how muc...

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“The Best Social Studies Paper in History” by Savannah Wagner

Submitted to Contest #185

The sound of Tripp’s scraping skateboard welcomed the rest of his friends lounging behind the back of the grey building.“What’s up, Losers?”“The sky,” said Zane as he popped the cap off his plastic soda bottle towards Jake and Sam.“You guys are boring, I didn’t skate all the way up from Meadow Grove to sit around ingesting Dr. Pepper and Cheez-Its.“Actually, we’re all out,” Sam said dumping the rest of the crumbs into his mouth. “Woah, woah, woah. No one told us Pete Davidson was joining this party.” Jake teased.Tripp smoothed his fresh...

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Set all or part of your story in a jam-packed storage unit.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 46 stories

“Fist Bump” by Linda Lovendahl

“Box of Delights” by Jed Cope

“Altered Perception” by SCOTT GEORGE

“The Storage Unit” by Kimberlie Luster

“Him Again” by Agatha W

“The Shoe Queen” by Kimberly Walker

“Oh! The legends you find in my mind.” by David Drake

“Egypt in a Box” by Frameen W

“ GAWM or not? ” by Mark Nicholson

“An Irresistible Offer” by Dan Coglianese

“Little Units of Life” by MJ Simons

“Home staging” by J.P. Falk

“Mr. Smith's storage unit” by Corina P

“The Storage Unit” by David St.George

“The Best Social Studies Paper in History” by Savannah Wagner

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who doesn’t know how to let go.

Someone’s beloved collection is destroyed. How do they react?

Start a story with someone saying, “It’s mine, and you can’t have it!”

Write about a dragon who doesn’t know what to do with their hoard anymore.

Contest #185

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

138

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: