Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end.

Posted in Mystery on Jun 26, 2021

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✍️ 206 stories

“Fly Me To The Moon” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #51

She hated the beep-beep coming from her phone to alert her that she had a message when she was in the middle of reading her favorite books. She didn’t want to stop reading but figured that it might be news from her sister who was 9 months pregnant and about to go into labor any second. She took her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the message. “I know that you only want to be friends and I am okay with that for now. Just keep our secret okay? I know that I am asking a lot but please k?” She looked at the number and it was her...

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“The Slums and the Station” by Fatima B

Submitted to Contest #51

It was a rare sight for Brian—seeing the lazy shift of the sun on its way to rest. For six years, it was the energizing view of the sunrise he has grown accustomed to glimpsing as he sets out for work early in the morning just like he did hours ago. When it was time to go back home, it was always the light of the moon that would greet him in the darkness. Today, however, golden streaks of sunlight poured out from the west, striking patched roofs of iron sheets in mismatched colors that dominated the small houses crowding the whole place. Th...

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“The Midnight Bride” by Candice Ramaiah

Submitted to Contest #51

The motorcycle navigated through the laterite road; some places were slippery from rain that evening. Deva and Kugan were brothers who lived in a joint family deep in the rubber estate, which was only accessible through the muddy laterite road which became impassable during the monsoon season. Each week, they would make that motorcycle ride to the nearest town to buy home essentials and groceries like rice, sugar, washing soap and other household items. Their dad worked as the headmaster of the interior schools which served the people from...

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“Second Guessing -- A Mostly-True Story” by Lydia Wilen

Submitted to Contest #51

The house phone is ringing. It's usually the doorman telling me, "Your food delivery is here." Then I say, "I'm not expecting a food delivery." That's usually followed by a few seconds of silence as the doorman checks the name or apartment number on the bag of food before apologizing to me for his mistake. This time the doorman said, "A package was left for you" and he read the name, my name, that was printed on the bag, along with my apartment number. I told the doorman I'd be down to pick it up soon. Who left me ...

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“The Father” by Chaitali Giri

Submitted to Contest #51

The place is quite at a distance from Mohan's house. Except a variety of wild insects and a narrow rivulet of dirty water, there was a serious scarcity of the existence of life. The moon was full and the big trees around were castings shadows three times bigger than their sizes, covering the place fully where Mohan was standing. It was to take left from the main road, then a very large field of wild thorny shrubs and at the end of which there was a narrow slope that takes one down. Standing on the end of the field one can only see the leafy ...

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“The Appointment” by ArturN Nistra

Submitted to Contest #51

Dear Ms. Ciderland. We hope to see you tomorrow at 6 pm for your appointment regarding life pressing issues. Your presence is not just expected but required. The address is the same as the envelope. Please don’t be tardy. Yours, Audus BulmerShe placed the letter over the kitchen counter, wondering how could she have forgotten of such an appointment. The address leads to an old downtown building, filled with law offices stuck in the 1960s’, decorated with wallpapers and colorful carpets. Something about grandma’s will. She glances at the lett...

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“The window” by Nessrine Boukhari

Submitted to Contest #51

There has been a window in that abandoned house , in the very end of the road. A large, golden ragged window that was kept intact despite the instability of the roof that threatens to fall at any instant whenever a car passed nearby.A window painted in shades of golden and violet, too pretty to be part of the not so elegant fifty years old house.Some people swear that they saw a ghost of a kid standing there, behind that window in the middle of the night,People swear to have seen the shadow of a sparkling black orbs following their every mov...

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“ THE MYSTREY OF THE LOCKED ROOM AND THE GREAT DETECTIVE” by DAVID A JONES

Submitted to Contest #51

“Tell me precisely what happened,” said the Great Detective to the three servants who he’d summoned before him. “And don’t leave anything out,” he added. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner had dispatched the most talented and tenacious detective of Her Majesty’s Constabulary to investigate the dastardly murder of Lord Burlington-Smythe, who had been found dead in his study, earlier that morning. The Great Detective had already carried out a thorough inspection of the study, as well as the interior and exterior of the building...

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“The Chicken Detective ” by Sherlock Holmes

Submitted to Contest #51

Carl climbed over the fence. He was slightly angry. Only slightly–Carl didn't appreciate people who were too angry. He was (slightly) angry because it was three a.m. on a Tuesday, and his landlady, Mrs Hudson, would have something to say about his going out so early as soon as he got home. He would say what he always said: duty calls, and then he would nod solemnly. Carl Eatsbourne was the foremost Chicken Detective in all of North America - well, all of the world, probably, if it hadn’t been for that b...

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“The Empty Town ” by Eunmi Kim

Submitted to Contest #51

When I woke up, my head was spinning. I was on my bed, but when I sat up, I realized how messy my room was. Everything was scattered on the floor. The picture frames I hung on my wall were shattered and all over the floor as well. I slowly got up from the bed, careful not to step on any shards of glass. I remembered nothing. I couldn't find any reasons for my room to be THAT messy. I wouldn't do those to my room, even when I'm mad. Did a robber break into my home? I frantically searched for my purse under the clutter and found it u...

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“Burned” by Anaya Dennis

Submitted to Contest #51

“Thief!” the jeweler yelled as he ran from behind his stand and began chasing after the boy. The boy’s small eyes widened in surprise, realizing that he had been caught. He had been sloppy with how he had snatched the amulet off the stand. So sloppy that he let someone see him. Even worse, the jeweler himself. With the big man now chasing after him and attracting attention, the boy buried the necklace in his pocket, pulled his gray scarf over his face and began to run.&n...

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“To Key or Not To Key by Sheri McComb” by Sheri McComb

Submitted to Contest #51

A woman stood on the sidewalk in front of a burned-out structure on Seventh Avenue. She was plain, nondescript, forgettable. Average height and build, brown hair, dressed conservatively. She was holding the leash of a small, yappy dog. She pulled sharply on the leash. “Spencer!” she said to the dog. “Stop the barking.” The dog looked up at her and tilted his head to the right, looking at her. “Good doggy,” she said to him. They both look...

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“Dawn Bird” by George Davis

Submitted to Contest #51

His three adult children surround his death bed. His eyes are closed however on each breath they tighten from the pain that he suffers. His eyes open wide and with them he summons his eldest child Martha. She steps close, leans to hear his struggled whisper. “It is in the safe and it must stay in the family so that the family will always stay a family.” He inhales deep then exhales. “Dad is gone,” Martha says. Thelma weeps. “What was that about a safe?” Thomas asks. Martha’s glares stop his inquiry. ...

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“I” by Isobel Juno

Submitted to Contest #51

You love being the center of attention. You love being adored by the rest. You’re kind and sweet and caring and your personality is what makes people want to be around you. You’re also smart, you know your stuff, people want to work with you, people enjoy hearing your ideas and seeing you get so excited over future projects. They love your smile. They love your face. They love your body. You love that. You know your smile is a radiance of good energy, people like your company, they like your aura. Your face seems to be molded by goddess...

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“Toxic Hair” by Cadence Terra

Submitted to Contest #51

Long black strands of hair coated the bathroom floor. Every girl knew who they belonged to. I knew because, in the past, I had watched Aura firsthand yank a dirty rubber band out of her frizzy hair, taking clumps with it. She would then use her fingers to smooth out the frizz with the underlying scalp grease and her hair would fall to the floor in large quantities. I’m surprised she didn’t notice me noticing her. I noticed her because it was impossible to not notice her. Rumor was that when she was fifteen, she shaved off her eyebrows, but n...

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Write a story that involves a mystery — it doesn't need to be crime-related, it should just include something that remains unexplained until the end.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 206 stories

“Fly Me To The Moon” by Marcia H.

“The Slums and the Station” by Fatima B

“The Midnight Bride” by Candice Ramaiah

“Second Guessing -- A Mostly-True Story” by Lydia Wilen

“The Father” by Chaitali Giri

“The Appointment” by ArturN Nistra

“The window” by Nessrine Boukhari

“ THE MYSTREY OF THE LOCKED ROOM AND THE GREAT DETECTIVE” by DAVID A JONES

“The Chicken Detective ” by Sherlock Holmes

“The Empty Town ” by Eunmi Kim

“Burned” by Anaya Dennis

“To Key or Not To Key by Sheri McComb” by Sheri McComb

“Dawn Bird” by George Davis

“I” by Isobel Juno

“Toxic Hair” by Cadence Terra

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars.

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Write about someone who returns as an adult to a place they last visited as a child.

Write a story about someone who's haunted by their past.

Contest #51

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

1248

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: