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

Posted in Mystery on Jul 17, 2021

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✍️ 128 stories

“The Heirloom” by Barbara McLay

Submitted to Contest #37

Two children had discovered Wilma’s discarded heirloom in the mud of the evaporating lake. Now she would have to get it away from them and leave the place she had lived all her life, where her ancestors had fought the original inhabitants to take the land, where they had chopped trees with ancient axes to build crude homes and clear the land for farming. She’d lived here ninety years. The last twenty years, she’d lived alone. Her husband was buried in an oak-shaded grave on the northern-most corner of her seventy acres. He lay near her paren...

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“Eric Did Not Steal the Pen” by DA Sayson

Submitted to Contest #37

It was written across the whiteboard. It was one phrase that would change the rest of Eric’s life. I patted Eric’s back as we walked across the room. All eyes were on us. Sera had already taken her seat and she looked up with a worried look at the two of us. She waved. I smiled back. Eric walked awkwardly towards the coat rack. He went to put away his raincoat. The rest of the class, still drenched in rain, followed behind him. He placed his raincoat next to a flowery pink one. It must have...

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“The skeletons in their closets” by Fiona Kerlyn

Submitted to Contest #37

Millie could feel the waves of anxiety rolling off of her sister. Laura was sat beside Millie on their beige settee, overlooking the vast blue of the sky through the french doors. Their parents had rented this flat for its proximity to Millie’s college and Laura’s job as a fitness trainer.They were both expected at their perspective places this Tuesday morning. However, after breakfast, Laura had snaked her fingers through Mille’s and guided her to the settee they were now perched upon. Mille waited patiently for what Laura had to say but he...

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“Shadows of the Moon” by Hope Fabillar

Submitted to Contest #37

Atticus rifled through documents he discovered while spring cleaning and was agasp that everything he'd been told was a lie. How could he not have seen it? He continued thumbing through the spiral-bound pages and newspaper articles that filled a deep rectangular tub, like seawater to a sinking ship, in total disbelief. It was all there in black and white for him to read. The one person he trusted the most had betrayed him. He snatched his mobile from the table behind him. "Hey, you need to get over here. ...

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“The Real Story By Mitzi the Elfin Nanny” by JoAnn Fogarty

Submitted to Contest #37

My name is Mitzi Finkelstein and I am the Elfin Nanny in charge of Santa's reindeer. The reason I oversee these "Special Pet's" is because I speak reindeer; a gift I inherited from my mother Mona.This began as a part time job taking care of the big guy's reindeer population. Back then there were only two. Dasher and Dancer; born the end of May. A year later it was Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid were born three years later.Things got a little hectic after Donder who insisted his name be changed to Donner because Donder sounded as if he wa...

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“The letter” by Cara O'Hearn

Submitted to Contest #37

It was a fine morning in April, a school day, when Marjorie woke up, the sun rays caressing her face. She was a young girl, just shy from turning ten. “I’m turning two digits tomorrow!” she whispered to herself excitedly, her French accent well pronounced. Marjorie lived in a small urban area in Lyon, France, her house a majestic masterpiece surrounded by a beautiful garden. Little did she know of what was about to happen in the next moment or two.“Marjorie!” her mother called from downstairs. “Oui Maman?” Marjorie called back. “Come down he...

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“The NeverDue Well” by Lois Lindenfeld

Submitted to Contest #37

People of Sanderson County hadn’t thought of it in years. Perhaps that would have been best. Some thing are best left buried and gone.Marly Sanderson would have done that except for that pesky college assignment. It was 2020 and the coronavirus was sweeping the nation. As a result, college and university students had been sent home and were given assignments that they could research more readily from home. So here Marly was searching through old dusty files and historical records trying to find some tasty tidbit that she could write about.Sa...

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“The family secret:” by Vicki Ellison

Submitted to Contest #37

It was December 31,1961. when Linda J, was born, she was a pretty baby. She had red curly hair, and light brown eyes. She had dimples on each side of her mouth, which was deep when she smiled. She crawled at 6 months and walked at 11 months. She was a fast at learning thing she needed to know, Linda mom was a very tall woman and her dad was tall as well. Her dad use to play basketball in high school and in college, her mom also played basketball in high school. Her mom was a pediatrician who love working with children and babies. The mom had...

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“Secrets Unraveled” by Zoe Lamotte

Submitted to Contest #37

Aylin had been organizing his messy notes on everyone in town to find suspects when he jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock on his window. On the second floor. His first thought was this was Ryusei trying to play a joke on him, but then he remembered Ryusei was in California, and thus there was no way he was here now. He pulled a machete out of his desk as he slowly walked to the window, pulling back the curtain, and was shocked to see Lucca was there, standing on a ladder. "Lucca?" He asked as he opened the window, "What a...

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“Call it even” by Nicole Leah

Submitted to Contest #37

“Eve is dead. She has been two years.” Silence. Your ears are ringing. A heatwave threatens to push you backwards. Anna falls gingerly into the armchair and ducks her head into her hands; her eyes mirror your own, and you grit your teeth to push angry tears back into your depths. Let go. “Wh-Why were we not told before; I am her fiancé?” “And she’s my sister!” Anna c...

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“Q2 Discovery” by Tom Moser

Submitted to Contest #37

“Frankly, the password is printed on the bottom of the keyboard,” the lawyer admitted to the two police officers. “I know how bad that is, and the only thing that makes it worse is that a quarter-million dollars are missing from our trust account.”Senior partner David Young sat in an interview room with police Lieutenant Randy Brooks and Detective Yolonda Pryor, explaining how his firm had been the victim of a fraudulent transfer of money from the firm trust account to a bank in Grand Cayman Island. The Seattle-based law firm had over 300 la...

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“A Hidden Heritage, A Deadly Secret” by Scarlet Noble

Submitted to Contest #37

It’s the middle of our shared lunch hour when I told James the secret I’d been keeping since I found out a year ago. James knew there was something wrong; I’d been keeping to myself all week, avoiding his calls and messages. He and I had been friends since first grade, he knew me better than my parents did, and I’d do anything for him. But he had to know, because things were getting complicated. Very complicated.After waiting in line for what seemed like the better part of an hour, I finally sat down at our usual cafeteria spot- in the back,...

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“Chicken Masquerade” by Alex Santana

Submitted to Contest #37

Something is very wrong. The way she fidgets, the way he’s looking at me. The cold coffee on the tabletop. “Darling,” she starts, a timid look in her eye as she swallows. “Do you want me to get you anything before we start?” She stands before I can answer. “Water would be nice, thanks.” I hope my expression is more nonchalant than I feel. My parents had called me into the kitchen moments upon my waking up. A chilled April breeze from a window long forgotten woke me, as did the soft knocking from my mother. She asked me down to the kitchen, s...

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“Father Dearest” by Ashley Rose

Submitted to Contest #37

"He's not dead." My mother said, tears brimming the edge of her eyes."He never was."My mom and I were talking about my father. At least, I was, my mother refused to speak of him. She told me my father died when I was the age of 5. I'm 16 now; 17 tomorrow."Hey mom," I took a seat next to her on the couch. "Yes, dear?" She turned off the television and looked to me with a small smile. That smile. The smile takes form of a lifeboat in the middle of a dangerously vast ocean, it's the only thing keeping me afloat.I hang on to that lifeboat in a d...

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“Lies and Secrets” by Jessica Todd

Submitted to Contest #37

It took a long time for me to understand the difference between telling a lie, and keeping a secret.I suppose in a way, there is not really a big difference.You lie to divert the truth, and to keep a secret you lie.However, lies are told all the time. A child takes a cookie before dinner, lies to their parent in hopes of earning another treat for dessert without having to tell of the naughty indulgence they had without consent. A husband lies to his wife about paying the bill when she asked, when he feels like doing it later and not having t...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 128 stories

“The Heirloom” by Barbara McLay

“Eric Did Not Steal the Pen” by DA Sayson

“The skeletons in their closets” by Fiona Kerlyn

“Shadows of the Moon” by Hope Fabillar

“The Real Story By Mitzi the Elfin Nanny” by JoAnn Fogarty

“The letter” by Cara O'Hearn

“The NeverDue Well” by Lois Lindenfeld

“The family secret:” by Vicki Ellison

“Secrets Unraveled” by Zoe Lamotte

“Call it even” by Nicole Leah

“Q2 Discovery” by Tom Moser

“A Hidden Heritage, A Deadly Secret” by Scarlet Noble

“Chicken Masquerade” by Alex Santana

“Father Dearest” by Ashley Rose

“Lies and Secrets” by Jessica Todd

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a valuable object that goes missing.

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

Write a story that takes place in the woods.

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

Contest #37

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

627

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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