Write a story that hides something from its reader until the very end.

Posted in Mystery on Dec 22, 2023

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✍️ 101 stories

“Loyal to the end” by Staff.David Moore

Submitted to Contest #230

Loyal To The End Oh man, he’s late! Oh man, he’s late! Dang it, where is he? Where can he be? Usually, he is home by now and we are sitting on the couch watching our favorite show. I know that I am sounding a little paranoid about it, but I have been cooped up in this house the entire day by myself and just about to go crazy if I don’t get some company soon. Why can’t every day be like Saturday or Sunday? We get to see each other the whole day and have the oppo...

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“Heart Murmurs” by Debra Snyder

Submitted to Contest #230

“So, no sharp pains, nothing unusual going on?” The stethoscope was cold, sliding across Charles’ back. He breathed deeply again, shaking his head. Dr. Singh moved back to the front of the exam table. “Everything looks good, Charles. Just give us a call if anything seems off.” Dr. Singh smiled, motioned toward the exam room door and continued to enter information to his tablet. Charles drove the eight miles back home along the familiar route, humming to himself. He kept his window open a crack to take in the refreshingly cool early ...

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“The Carlton Case” by Korinne H.

Submitted to Contest #230

There was nothing unusual about the Carlton family, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me begin this story with two initial facts. Number one, on the morning of July 19th, a murder was committed in the Carlton house. Number two, one of the Carltons did it.As I said, there was nothing unusual about the Carltons. Come to think of it, they were quite boring. Common run-of-the-mill folk. Quite simply… well, simple. They lived in the smack middle of Tennessee, in a small town called Honeytree. A population barely reaching 4,000. Mr. and Mrs. gr...

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“Rapture Loaves” by Esa Manley

Submitted to Contest #230

Even aliens love to eat bread, as revealed by the rainbow-hued broadcast that eclipsed Earth’s skies with their massive mother-ships. The anticipation built from decades of sci-fi predictions crumbled when faced with the straightforward announcement. We were expecting vaporising photon rays from invading forces, slobbering tentacled terrors with razor-sharp claws and murderous intent. But no, instead they brought toast. Earth’s militaries were prepared for war, but our skies opened on interstellar friendliness alone. We eagerly poised our ca...

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“The Trigger” by Brilee Theriot

Submitted to Contest #230

TW: Self Harm, Suicide, Death, Gore, Forced Insanity, Manipulation, Gun Shots. “The sounds of the hospital always seemed to put me on edge, the beeping, the yelling, the screaming, the blood… and the chains,” I spoke calmly. “The what?! There aren’t any chains in hospitals.” The voice said. I looked up at the ceiling and saw nobody, but I decided to answer anyway. “Yes there is, that’s what they used to restrain us. All of us.” “That’s not normal, are you sure that was a hospital?” “I mean that’s what they said.” They ...

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“The One Who Spilled His Blood” by Cedar Barkwood

Submitted to Contest #230

*Trigger warning, includes mental health, physical violence, alludes to self-harm*I held my knees to my chest; that numb horror was creeping over me again; with the shadowy images of his blood, a shudder coursed through me leaving chills in its wake. I can hear voices saying my name, trying to break through the haze that has made me freeze, and go blind to the world; I feel another shudder rip through my body as I think about him. His pale skin, the way his green eyes had met mine zealously. How he had sacrificed so much to be with me. How q...

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“Benni” by Jason Lefrois

Submitted to Contest #230

Clarence’s feet slid into his worn-out brown leather slippers before the old radio clock even blared to wake him up. Still spry in his older years he jumped up to start his day. Clarence’s face showed that of someone who has experienced much life and joy and had many stories and lessons to share. But no time for that, today is Christmas Eve. Which means one thing: get to the woodshop and build Benjamin, his grandson, the perfect rocking chair that he’s been asking for, just in time for Christmas. Taking his first sip of coffee as the lights ...

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“I Must Have Forgotten ” by Kai Lockhart

Submitted to Contest #230

(Before reading, trigger warning for mentions of homicide and criminal investigation) “Sir, I don’t think you are understanding the severity of this situation,” the police officer said to the man with ragged, stained clothes and blonde hair that looked like it had been cut with kitchen shears. “And I don’t think YOU are listening to what I am saying, I have killed no one. End of story. Now let me go home,” The man once again tried to get out of his seat, forgetting he still had handcuffs chained to the table and jerked backward back down on...

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“To Go Too Far For Sex” by Jarrel Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #230

tw: gruesome death Mom always told me, “Don’t ever look towards the stars. That’s how your dad died.” So I’ve avoided staring at the night sky for years, even though Dad has been dead longer than I can remember, so I don’t think anything I do can kill him again. It wasn’t until I entered adulthood when I started looking towards the stars for answers behind my mother’s back, only looking back down when she’d turn around. At first the stars gave me no answers, but then I realized that I had to ask it questions first, such as “How can ...

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“Momma” by Daniel James

Submitted to Contest #230

Idle hands are the devil’s playground, that’s what everyone says, but if that’s true, what, then, is imagination? Worse yet, a child’s imagination? They can dream up anything, known and unknown, real, fantasy, friends. An imagination that can even blend into reality itself. Bea didn’t know if that’s what she had done or not, but she felt certain of one thing when she woke up this morning. Nothing anyone seemed to say could change her conviction, much less her mother. “Oh, come on, Bea,” her mother’s voice said. &nbs...

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“Mitchell’s in the Barn, Again ” by Ryan Darnowski

Submitted to Contest #230

It was some minutes past midnight, when Emma looked out her bedroom window. Out at the barn across the gravel driveway. From the glow of the gooseneck lamp, the right double door was partially ajar. Damnit! She thought. Grandpa Mitchell’s in the barn again. Once awhile, usually once or twice a week, Emma had noticed her grandfather would get up in the middle of the night and sneak off into his old barn. The old man was nostalgic, and he had built the barn with his bare hands during his thir...

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“Josephine” by Karla Garcia

Submitted to Contest #230

“Take my hand! Come on, just a little further!” Clay took her hand and crawled up the jagged cliff side, groaning in pain as he struggled to make his way to higher ground. He could hear the loose rocks beneath his boots falling deep into the ravine below. “Don’t think I’m going to make it darlin’, I think it best you just carry on without me. I’ll only slow you down.” Josie turned around and knelt beside him. She took his face into her hands, looked deep into his eyes and kissed him gently. “I’ll not leave you. We make it together or...

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“The Passenger” by Sara Akins

Submitted to Contest #230

As the mournful night drifted by her window, Susanna knew nothing of her future, and very little of her past. Every person in the train car, including herself, drew shallow breaths under the dampened light. Cigarette sighs hung in the air, and a dozen sullen eyelids drooped down to the floor. Susanna stole secret glances at the others, when she dared. She liked to imagine what brought them here, onto this dark, creaking train, hidden beneath the belly of midnight. One woman had coarse hands and sensitive eyes. She was loosely wrapped in a w...

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“Water” by Aaron Chandler

Submitted to Contest #230

The Vendetta. To most who observe this rickety cargo ship at ports and landing pads, it’s nothing more than a random patchwork assortment of ship parts. The Vendetta isn’t one ship, it’s a scrapbook of other ships, which have gradually conjoined and merged into this jumbled, ragtag star striding entity. But to Elise Duthie, it was home, a stronghold and in the more dire of circumstances an intergalactic getaway car. Life as a smuggler wasn’t easy, especially since wormholing had been outlawed for its ‘high risk of fracturing the spacetime ...

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“Whispers of Emerald” by Gail Ormsby

Submitted to Contest #230

In the whispering heart of Emerald Valley, shrouded in the emerald embrace of ancient sequoia, nestled the quaint bookstore, "Whispers of Time." Its facade, weathered by whispers of a thousand autumns, bore a faded inscription: "Where stories find whispers, and whispers find you." Inside, the air held the musty scent of aged paper, sunlight filtering through stained glass windows, painting the floor in kaleidoscopic hues. Here, amidst towering shelves groaning with the weight of tales untold, resided Eleanor, the bookstore's enigmatic owner....

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Write a story that hides something from its reader until the very end.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 101 stories

“Loyal to the end” by Staff.David Moore

“Heart Murmurs” by Debra Snyder

“The Carlton Case” by Korinne H.

“Rapture Loaves” by Esa Manley

“The Trigger” by Brilee Theriot

“The One Who Spilled His Blood” by Cedar Barkwood

“Benni” by Jason Lefrois

“I Must Have Forgotten ” by Kai Lockhart

“To Go Too Far For Sex” by Jarrel Jefferson

“Momma” by Daniel James

“Mitchell’s in the Barn, Again ” by Ryan Darnowski

“Josephine” by Karla Garcia

“The Passenger” by Sara Akins

“Water” by Aaron Chandler

“Whispers of Emerald” by Gail Ormsby

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story framed by a single scene: something happens, a flashback or inner monologue intervenes, and then the story ends with the rest of the original scene.

Write a story in which a character achieves a new level of clarity about how they’re really feeling.

Start your story with someone uttering a very strange sentence.

Write a story in the form of a list.

Contest #230

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

362

Contest entries

108

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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