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 May 8, 2021

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✍️ 79 stories

“The Scar” by Book Worm

Submitted to Contest #12

She hated disfigurements of any kind. A chipped cup, a run in the socks, a dent in the car, a broken toy truck, a dysfunctional clock. She would go about restoring them to the best of her ability. And if she couldn’t, she’d either smash them to smithereens or chuck them in the trash can. Repaired objects always seemed to get her goat. She would be forever conscious of the defect that had been set right, the tear that had been discreetly mended or the broken ends that had been carefully stuck together. However hard she mig...

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“The Hunted ” by Liam Motter

Submitted to Contest #12

In a night with no stars and no moon, a shadow stirred in the darkness. The creature knew it was being hunted and it knew by what. The howls in the night were closing in on them, she had to get her daughter to safety, she had to hide her. “Elaynia stay close, they are near now,” she whispered forcefully. Out of the shadows came a girl with red hair and freckles who was probably the age of six. “Mother I’m scared, what is out there?” Elaynia said fearfully. “Silence Elaynia, we must move stealthily, or we will both have an arrow-” Elaynia’s m...

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“GHOSTS OF OUR PAST” by Daisy Njeri

Submitted to Contest #12

GHOSTS OF OUR PASTKris stood over his desk, sweat forming on his brow, as he recollected his thoughts. She would talk, his campaign would be no more, his wife would leave him, his son would know. The list went on and on, and he could feel his headache’s intensity increase by the second. Exasperated, he reached out for a glass of water, which he accidentally knocked over. As he tried to clear the documents from the desk before they got wet, he felt that wave again. Fear was numbing him, and soon, he too would have to talk. The time was coming...

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“ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #12

ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERSA William J. Maccabee MysteryBy Andrew Paul Grell“No, I don’t miss Texas at all, not at all. I’m happy here in Marengo. The Iowa River has everything I need, fish, boating, quiet. And not getting Texas hot is a definite plus. That, and not having to be known as the guy who let them slip away.” William J. Maccabee, Billy Mack to his friends, just left the Friends Meeting House which the tiny Jewish community rented every Saturday for Sabbath services. As usual, he walked the fou...

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“657 Boulevard” by William Webster

Submitted to Contest #12

“Eric, look what I found.” He plopped down beside her in the recliner and began to scan the page on her laptop. She engaged the mousepad and three houses on Zillow, which she found attractive, popped into view. Tilting her head, she pulled her auburn hair behind her ear, a habit he noticed she did whenever she was preparing to ask for something. She did it that morning when she asked him to pick up their daughter from day care. “I don’t think I will make it back into town in time to get her; can you pick her u...

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“The Mystery of the False Surrender” by Robert Sullivan

Submitted to Contest #12

Sean Doyle is going through his father, Alvin J. Doyle’s, papers in his study/attic; the latter’s funeral had been over the weekend and now it is his job to sort out what to keep and what to toss. His wife Diane of eighteen years is helping him. Downstairs, their sixteen-year-old son Seamus is playing video games in the living room. Diane sees her husband absorbed once again in thought so she excuses herself to ostensibly go to the kitchen to see about dinner. Sean reads aloud ...

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“Moonrock” by Nina Hadzi

Submitted to Contest #12

The way the town of Moonrock works, is that the people never question the things that happen there. Some say the place is haunted, some say that aliens have invaded it, and some others think it is plain corrupt. No resident has yet been able to explain this place, and this is probably for the best. It's because none of them are able to look at it from the outside. You must be confused, so let me share with you some of the weird occurrences of this town by explaining a typical day. In the morning, the children go to school, and the par...

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“Something Fishy” by Catherine Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #12

Chapel Trail is a small town in the middle of Nowhere Iowa. There’s a college on the edge of town, and some old military trail used to run right by here. We’re surrounded by farms, so in the summer it’s corn as far as the eye can see. When they start harvesting in the fall, you can smell it even up on Main street.There are four guys that I pal around with.Chuck lives a couple houses down from me and I’ve known him basically forever. He’s pretty much a goof. His dad owns the grocery store.Roger lives on the other side of town. He th...

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“I’ll Love You Forever” by Kayla Wood

Submitted to Contest #12

Everyone in town loved Clara. She was voted most popular in high school. All the girls wanted to be in her friend and all the guys wanted to be with her. She finished high school and followed her dream of writing for the local paper. She volunteered at the local women’s shelter and tutored underachieving kids most days of the week. She was certainly something special.The whole town showed up for her funeral.Everyone wore purple, Clara’s favourite colour. Her friends and family spoke at the funeral. They told stories of long, sleepless nights...

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“The Lie” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #12

It was well past midnight, and on any other night of the year, I would have been dead asleep, but this was Christmas Eve, so I was wide awake when I heard my dad’s patrol car crunching the gravel in our drive. Softly, I crept along the hall until I stood, silent as a shadow, peering into the kitchen. It felt like one of those Norman Rockwell moments; my mom, still young, sitting up with her crosswords in our bright yellow kitchen, waiting for my dad to come home at the end of his shift. I’m not sure how, but I knew that this image of her, wh...

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“Memory of the woods” by Kimia Kiani

Submitted to Contest #12

I started to run. Eyes full of tear. I couldn’t breathe. I don’t know how many times I shouted his name while running under the rain, I don’t know how many times I hit the ground but when I reached the train station my knees were bleeding, my throat was aching and there was no tear left in my eyes to cry them out.I didn’t call his name anymore. I didn’t because I was standing in the middle of an empty station at 5 am under the storm, soaking wet, bleeding and it was like I had lost it all. I had lost this game, called life.***9 months agoI s...

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“Off The Menus” by Lisbeth McCarty

Submitted to Contest #12

My dinner party was not supposed to become a crime scene, but it did. There was a sneaky thief among us, and we needed to find the culprit by the end of the night. Even though the party was supposed to be fancy as far as having a four-course meal, I had let the guests know that they could feel free to dress casually. After all, I had a new rescue dog named Angel, and she had a habit of jumping on people to greet them. I wouldn’t want anyone’s expensive clothing to get ruined. &n...

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“Chantilly Cat” by Melinda Care

Submitted to Contest #12

A cat ran down the cobbled street in Chantilly, Virginia. The bare trees stood tall around the Chantilly Courthouse as leaves littered the streets. Autumn was setting in and there was a coolness to the air. A group of mean boys chased the cat away from an alley. It stopped behind a hamburger joint to lick its sore paw and stare into the window. People were seated at neat little tables with the classic red and white cotton tablecloths. The cat could smell the hamburger and French fry grease mingling in the air. It began t...

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“Banana Pudding” by Hana Obissi

Submitted to Contest #12

Case stuffed her face. She rummaged her fridge, for anything. Banana pudding, in particular. She could taste it. The downshift version in her fridge didn't taste quite right, but it was still pudding. A good-sized pan of it. She took a few spoonfuls, which somehow emptied three fourth the pan. No no, it didn't taste right... She swallowed some more. Eventually, it'll come. She felt bad because she forgot what taste she was craving, in the mess, but eventually, it'll come.Her roommate, an older woman, shuffled into the kitchen."Again?" She sa...

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“Blue Spider” by Shauna Stevens

Submitted to Contest #12

Twisting downwards, in a spinning spiral the microscopic blue blob landed daintily on the copper straw. Weaving down through it till the creature reached sturdy flesh. Perhaps happily, or just greedily the tiny speck bit down onto her scalp, then the pain came.A throbbing ache of burning fury that engulfed her scalp, and the speck grew in size.Feeding on the spiritual energy the spider sent out a fine silken web, leaving some intwined in the girls hair, the now larger speck moved on in search of its next host.Tiffany fell to the ground,...

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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

✍️ 79 stories

“The Scar” by Book Worm

“The Hunted ” by Liam Motter

“GHOSTS OF OUR PAST” by Daisy Njeri

“ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS” by Andrew Grell

“657 Boulevard” by William Webster

“The Mystery of the False Surrender” by Robert Sullivan

“Moonrock” by Nina Hadzi

“Something Fishy” by Catherine Kennedy

“I’ll Love You Forever” by Kayla Wood

“The Lie” by Unknown User

“Memory of the woods” by Kimia Kiani

“Off The Menus” by Lisbeth McCarty

“Chantilly Cat” by Melinda Care

“Banana Pudding” by Hana Obissi

“Blue Spider” by Shauna Stevens

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that takes place in a small town where news travels fast.

Write a story about a character with a sidekick.

Write a story featuring a protagonist with a knack for getting to the bottom of things.

Write a story that features an ensemble cast of characters.

Contest #12

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

175

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: