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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Start your story with a character staring at a picture they don’t remember taking.

Posted in Mystery on Mar 29, 2024

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✍️ 72 stories

“Good Dog” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #244

I didn't notice the photo until I was already home. I hadn't noticed it at the park because there was a fight going on over a kid's soccer match between two grown men. I wasn't paying attention to the why of it because I was busy recording it, and that was on top of making sure my dog, Murphy, didn't run off after all the little things that caught his interest. He's just a little thing himself, I didn't want him getting hit by a car or something.Regardless, I only noticed the picture on my camera roll because I have a habit of going into the...

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“The Captivating Image of the Girl in Green ” by Crystal Wexel

Submitted to Contest #244

“It just doesn't make sense!” Mandy slapped the Polaroid picture onto the coffee table. “Babe! I swear, I know it sounds like a lie, but I swear to you, I don't remember who that girl is, let alone ever taking her photo! “Mandy stomped her foot and put a hand to her hip, a playful smirk drew at the corner of her lips.“Tom O’Neil! Just get on with it and tell me who she is. I can see that the photo was taken years ago, so I’ve got nothing to be jealous of!”The two had spent most of the afternoon in bed making love and watching movie...

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“The Waterfall ” by Vince Roman

Submitted to Contest #244

A blood-curdling scream tore from Amelia's throat as she stared at the photo on her camera. It had been four days since she had arrived at the desolate ranger station nestled deep in the heart of the Steens Mountains. Her mission had been to capture the landscape for a prestigious nature magazine, promoting tourism to this remote region of Oregon. She pulled her pickup truck into a spot next to the ranger station and shut off the engine. Stepping out of the vehicle, she inhaled the thin, crisp air, filled with the refreshing scents of p...

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“The Park Picture” by Martin Harp

Submitted to Contest #244

My mom first noticed it when I was about 7 years old. We were at the park around the corner from my childhood home. I was playing on the monkey bars when my mom took my picture on an old Kodak disposable. Any child of the 90s will remember those old yellow bricks, the snap of the flash, the clicking of the cog as you turn the film to the next photo. You wouldn’t know what was in a picture until it was developed days later at your local drug store, a wild thought for the current generation living in instant gratification. I don’t even remembe...

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“gone.” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #244

The photo trembled in my shaking hands. My memory was foggy and distant with grief. I must have taken the photo because I was not in it. I strained my memory to remember the last moments of that day as I stood with camera in hand looking at my friends who stood with the lake at their backs. The fog began to dissipate. It was moments later, I hugged my friends, climbed into the car with my parents and put the horrific summer in the rearview mirror. I brought the photo to my face and that is when I saw it. I did not want to believe my eyes. Th...

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“In Tents” by L.B. Goldman

Submitted to Contest #244

Sometime late in the night Mal wakes up. She doesn’t need to pee and she isn’t thirsty. Her pillow is wet with drool; she wipes the cheek that’s been resting on it. It is too dark to see anything, but she can hear John’s steady, sleepful breathing.She checks her phone for the time, blinking sleepily at the bright light that emanates from the screen. Just past three in the morning. Brilliant. She lies down, turns away from John, and unlocks her phone. Just a bit of mindless scrolling before she goes back to sleep. Her phone opens automat...

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“I see him, Everywhere ” by Drucilla Ne Dean

Submitted to Contest #244

Hands shaking I stared down at the photo, one showing a tall dark haired man, his arms wrapped around a women’s waist both smiling and laughing under the autumn trees.“do you know either of these people?” The sound of the officers voice pulled me from my thoughts, nodding my head slightly i slid the photo back across the table “he was a close friend…” my voice trailed off attempting to work out how to get out of this one I just had to answer his questions in the least detail possible. Its easier to remember that way.“the girl in the photos h...

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“The Photo” by Jennifer Luckett

Submitted to Contest #244

(This story deals with illness and death.)The Photoby Jennifer LuckettI rearranged the pillow under my head, and the battle for comfort began. No nurses responded when I pressed the call button for something to help me sleep, though nothing eases the discomfort of my terminal cancer. Now, it’s maintaining a balance, but pain means I’m still here. I’ve been catching up on a stack of unread mysteries and unfinished writing. I’ve settled all my other affairs, and Jenny will take care of anything I've left undone. Chaplain visits have given me c...

2 comments 2
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“Higher Learning” by Landon Booker

Submitted to Contest #244

Shortly thereafter, the Commonwealth Attorney came to see me. Thirtyish in a stylish gray suit, he approached me with the confidence of a man holding Aces. He said “Jones! I know you think you’re smart but let me tell ya how this gone play out! First Ima tell the jury your co-defendant signed a statement saying the two of you committed this robbery. Oh! Your lawyer is going to object! And the judge will agree but the jury will have already heard it! Then Ima roll Troy into the courtroom in his wheelchair an...

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“The Undocumented” by Cailee Williams

Submitted to Contest #244

Staring down at the picture in my hands, perfectly lamented, I started to shake as my breath quickened. It was a picture of the moment that’s been haunting me since it happened. No one knows that this happened to me, but…how could I possibly be holding a picture of that night? The last night I had with my baby sister, we were so little when it happened, it was just the two of us. Neither one of us knew how to operate a camera, so, how could I possibly be holding a picture of the two of us in Crater Lake? I stood stock still until I heard my ...

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“A Message” by M B

Submitted to Contest #244

Kairi grunted as she pulled on her boot, her blue face scrunched up in concentration. Now, finally dressed for duty, the young empathic female felt a sense of readiness. Opting for the dress uniform, rather than the Patrol jumpsuit, seemed suitable for bridge duty — a task primarily involving data reading and system monitoring. Or so she hoped.  If her career in the Patrol had taught her anything, it was the unpredictable nature of their work; situations could escalate from mundane to critical in moments. Glancing at the chronometer in ...

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“Mirror Image” by Indigo Simmons

Submitted to Contest #244

“Woah, what’s up with your face in that picture?” My best friend, Beverly, questioned from beside me, her voice startling me as I dragged my confused gaze away from the image of myself that had been staring back at me for the better part of 5 minutes, and I furrowed my brow as I locked my eyes with hers and say,“To be honest, I’m not even sure where it came from. I don’t recall taking this photo.” As I finished my sentence, I slid my eyes back to my phone screen, analyzing the photo of myself, but I couldn’t seem to pinpoint when I had snapp...

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“A Vette & Retirement” by JR Bray

Submitted to Contest #244

“What in the world is this?” Bill stared at the picture on his phone and for the love of might could not remember where he was or even what he was doing when he took the photo. Did he even take the photo? His phone was never out of his reach, always on his belt, next to him on his desk and even within an arm’s reach on his night stand when he was sleeping. “No.” he thought, “I’m the only one that touches my phone so it had to be me.” Still the nagging question haunted him as he got ready for work. He woke up earlier than usual this morning t...

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“The Gaze of the Shambler” by Magnum Tenebrosum

Submitted to Contest #244

 Under a canopy of age-old trees, where sunlight only dared to whisper, Alex moved with caution. His path was lit by stories of the unexplained and the allure of the forbidden. The forest, vast and lying just beyond his town, whispered rumors—of those who'd lost their way, specters in the night, and spine-tingling legends. In this living, breathing place, Alex found his destiny, hidden among the fallen leaves and their secrets: a weather-beaten trail cam, a silent guardian of the woods. Heart pounding with adventure and eyes sparkling w...

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“The Haunting of Rosebud Cottage” by Kirti Rajwekar

Submitted to Contest #244

"Mabel, honey, come look at this." Mabel tossed aside an empty cardboard box, joining Celia on their brand new, second-hand couch. "What is it?" "I don't remember taking this one." Celia passed her a photograph from the previous day's moving in photoshoot that she'd insisted upon to test out her new film camera. The photo was blurry, like the camera had been shaking violently. "Maybe it took this when you knocked it off the counter?" "Yeah, but… look at this." Celia pointed to something at the top right-hand corner. Mabel brought it close to...

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