Write a story about someone who keeps coming across the same stranger.

Posted in Mystery on Jul 10, 2021

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✍️ 182 stories

“Hello From Another Time” by Eian Wright

Submitted to Contest #37

Jim walked in through his door and threw himself down on his couch. It had been a long, strange day. As he sat thinking, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw that it was his sister, Mindy. Finally some normalcy in all of this mess. He picked up, “Hey, Mindy. What’s up?”“Hmm, I see. Yea, I’m doing alright. Well, mostly.”“Oh, it’s nothing.”“No, it’s really nothing.”“Okay, fine sis. It’s nothing that you need to worry about anyway. I just had the craziest day today. It started this morning. I went out for my morning run, you know, and as us...

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“The Guy From The Lipstick Aisle” by Artemisia Pearl

Submitted to Contest #37

“I am so sorry. Let me pick that up for you, miss.” He said. He had bumped into me which caused me to drop the lipstick I was looking at. He picked up the lipstick and handed it to me. I looked at the color and I put it back and grabbed a brighter red color. I saw the man out of the corner of my eye. He was just staring at me. “What? Can I help you?” I asked, putting the lipstick into my cart. He blushed and looked away from me as I stood there, confused. “I was wondering, what kind of lipstick would look good on me?” I was surprised a...

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“My Stranger” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #37

This has been going on for years. The first time I saw him, I stood in one of those pharmacy cum general stores which every town had. When he first saw me, I don’t know. I became aware of him just as I planned to slip a magazine into my inner pocket and duck out. They never expected magazines to get shoplifted so I felt pretty safe. No one bought anything there. The whole store was crammed with stuff no one wanted.But then there’s this guy watching me, but not looking at me. He didn’t look like plain clothes, or what they call a ‘secret shop...

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“Him” by Ivy Spade

Submitted to Contest #37

I’m a 28-year-old female, I have deep-set brown eyes and my very short, wavy, black hair is neatly styled. I am recently married, with a kid on the way. I am on the way home from the store. When I looked behind myself I saw a car? “Ehh it’s probably just my imagination.” I thought to myself. It was dark outside almost 11 pm. “Ow!” I exclaimed “This child never stops moving!” I looked behind myself again. “It’s still there?” I panicked a little and took a picture, it wasn’t really good though. When I got hom...

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“Some Mother's Son” by Kate Le Roux

Submitted to Contest #37

I am sneaking out of the farmhouse and I can hardly believe my boldness. I am not a rule-breaker, and Mr Reece is a fair boss as bosses go, but it’s been weeks of rain and mud and horrible cows kicking over their buckets. Lucy’s invitation feels like hope, like an chance to leave the war behind and just be a girl again for an evening. The moon is out and the sky is clear enough to see my way as I walk the ten minutes through the little patch of woods between the farm and the cottage. I don’t dare use a light because of the blackout. I am so ...

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“A familiar stranger” by Pauline Da Rocha

Submitted to Contest #37

I close the letter, put it back in its envelope, and place the envelope next to me, on the bed.For a few minutes I stare into the void. I can't find the words. I only feel tears streaming down my cheeks. My life will never be the same again.January 4th:There is a snowstorm today. While a lot of people do not like to go out in this weather, I love it. I wrap myself up in warm clothes and head off to my favorite coffee shop in the city center, where I can warm up with the best hot chocolate I've ever had. Besides, the city is so small that eve...

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“The Man in the Shadows” by Lilly Blossom

Submitted to Contest #37

I saw him first on the bus. He was sitting in the back with an old-school fedora nearly covering his eyes and suspiciously wearing sunglasses on a dark bus. There were only two other people on board and he definitely, strangely stood out. His long trench coat reminded me of something from the ’50s. Maybe he was a spy, I thought. But a spy living in Michigan? I don’t know about that. I quickly forgot about him though as I went on about my day. But I saw him the next day too, on the same spot on the back of the bus, at the same time. I am pret...

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“Whistler's Story ” by Jenna Gareis

Submitted to Contest #37

That morning that he grasped the coffee cup tightly in two hands changed several lives. He was a narrow man, short but spindly like a miniature crane, with a gray beard swaying, alive, down to his angled knees. While sitting at the bar in the Growling Bear Breakfast Stop, off the interstate, he ordered coffee and shivered although it was warm. The waitress gave an empty smile when he asked her to keep his cup topped off. He was wearing a tunic dyed a shade of orange that she, nor anyone else, had ever seen or would ever see again and his wil...

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“The Orange Face” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #37

The day had been the same as always, a suit and tie kind of day where the shirt didn’t quite fit and the tie was way too tight. I’d survived though and chalked that up as a victory of sorts. I shielded my face as I watched the sun vanish from the sky. Like the click of my fingers or the snap of a bone breaking suddenly I found that my world was both bland and cold. It was like the very moment the orb of day had hit the horizon I was attacked by the night, a bitter and cold darkness. It made the world outside feel like it was reflecting my ve...

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“In the shadow of the mountain” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #37

The first time she saw him it was was raining, a cold drizzle that hung over the mountain and dripped down into the melting snow. He was standing stock-still on a rocky outcrop, staring at her. His features were blurred by rain and distance, but there was something familiar about him. His height, his build. The way he stood with his arms stiff at his sides. The scruffy grey coat. But she didn’t know him. She couldn’t. She knew no one. It should have scared her to see a strange man this far into the mountains, far from the settlements and far...

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“Persephone's Coin” by Natasha Arnold

Submitted to Contest #37

Huddled beside a radiator at the cinema, there were only two things on your mind: Joaquin Phoenix and a taxi cab. Your hands scurried in your pockets, pushing past the lint and left over nibbles of cookie dough. It always seemed like you had just the right amount of change. There was just enough change to get you a taxi to Grand Central Station, where you could take the Q32 to Harlem. And there maybe, just maybe, some bright-eyed Harlem girl would take interest in you and bring you inside. Harlem girls were always the pursuers. You’re b...

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“There are Worse Ways to Know Death” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #37

I first met him at birth. Imagine it. My mother, covered in blood, sweat, and pee after five hours of active labor, desperate to get rid of the things in her uterus. I came out first. Followed by a stillborn twin. “I’m sorry for your loss,” the doctor said as he handed off my twin to a nurse. They ushered Felix--as they would have named him--to a cuddle cot while they cleaned me off. A little while later, the nurses came back with Felix and I… and a camera. Family photos were actually a common practice with stillborns. As the poor nurse grit...

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“Stranger Danger” by Ujiro Asagbra

Submitted to Contest #37

He had a fetish. Before he took them, he wanted them to know he was around -looming, waiting and when he got them paranoid enough, he struck! He had always liked tall, slim and “homely” looking young ladies. He had first met the last two at a grocery store doing a little shopping, and then he had stalked them. He made it look like random coincidences like he would follow them to a grocery store and walk past their cart, staring at them, making sure they saw his face. Then he would follow them to an eatery and sit at a table next to them. He ...

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“Recognizable Stranger” by Carille Durbin

Submitted to Contest #37

Sylvia pushed her cart down the frozen food aisle. She was looking for the same pizza that she bought last week. Some frozen pizzas were better than others and this one had that rare combination of crisp yet chewy crust. She turned her head a fraction to study the pizzas to the left and caught a glimpse of an older woman. Sylvia didn't want to stare but she thought she recognized her. Where had she seen her before? Try as she might, she couldn't come up with an answer. The frozen pizza was in a stack to her...

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“Soulmate” by Kenya Truitt

Submitted to Contest #37

Katrina paused as she stood on the corner of Tyson and 56th Street. Her eyes caught the figure of someone who was familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why. She thought back to the days before when she was commuting to work. Her usual seat behind the bus driver was always occupied, and by that same guy… Or maybe it was just her paranoia. Or maybe not. Katrina hesitated outside her apartment, watching the figure of the male as he crossed the street. He was taking long strides directly towards her. As he cam...

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Write a story about someone who keeps coming across the same stranger.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 182 stories

“Hello From Another Time” by Eian Wright

“The Guy From The Lipstick Aisle” by Artemisia Pearl

“My Stranger” by John K Adams

“Him” by Ivy Spade

“Some Mother's Son” by Kate Le Roux

“A familiar stranger” by Pauline Da Rocha

“The Man in the Shadows” by Lilly Blossom

“Whistler's Story ” by Jenna Gareis

“The Orange Face” by Tim Law

“In the shadow of the mountain” by Marte Van Der Linden

“Persephone's Coin” by Natasha Arnold

“There are Worse Ways to Know Death” by Lily Kingston

“Stranger Danger” by Ujiro Asagbra

“Recognizable Stranger” by Carille Durbin

“Soulmate” by Kenya Truitt

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a valuable object that goes missing.

Write a story that takes place in the woods.

Write a story that starts with the reveal of a long-kept secret.

Write a story about a rumor making its way through the grapevine.

Contest #37

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

629

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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