Write about a character who, for whatever reason, retreats to a remote cabin.

Posted in Mystery on Jan 13, 2023

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✍️ 62 stories

“Cabin in the Wilderness of My Mind” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #181

Cabin in the Wilderness of My Mind My asinine, dead end job really has left me on the edge of depression lately. Add to this catching my scumbag boss in the sack with my brainless Barbie of a wife and the fact that my creditors seem ready to foreclose on the precious few possessions I haven’t hocked to satisfy my 15-year addiction to the...

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“Big Snow Sixteen” by CDJ JDC

Submitted to Contest #181

Where’s my red book bag?” I yell from upstairs. “How would I know, Leah? Find it yourself”, my dad yells back. Very flustered, I start to search the house looking for the bag. I end up finding it after twenty minutes. “Thank goodness”, I mutter to myself. It’s the first snowfall of the year, and my best friend and I made a pact. The very first snowfall that happened after we got our licenses would be the year we go on the hike. Not some boring old twenty-minute hike through the forest but a three-hour hike up one of the biggest mountains in ...

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“To The Peaks” by Irene Duchess

Submitted to Contest #181

Twelve-year old Quinn Dasher walked down the street, away from his house. He was supposed to be helping unpack, but right now he didn’t really want too. Besides, they still had almost a month till they had to move. Quinn didn’t understand why he and his dad were going to move, but as least they were going somewhere that sounded exciting, even though he had no clue why they were going to a place so far from anyone. His dad’s exact words when he first announced they were moving were, ‘We’re moving to the peaks,’ which prompted Quinn to believe...

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“Lynchburg” by Jarrel Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #181

Donald Smith decided to build a cabin deep in the woods when he learned that he was the werewolf terrorizing his hometown of Lynchburg, VA for the past year. He started to piece his memories together, the fleeting images of places such as Blackwater Creek and the Budget Inn, places he would have no reason to visit, places coinciding with reported incidents of werewolf attacks and missing persons. He did remember once a month waking up with a debilitating headache and covered in blood. His wife, Abigail, claims to have known about his conditi...

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“Two Mutual Friends (and their Quest)” by Zain Faaris

Submitted to Contest #181

“Tranquil here, ain’t it?”“Mmm…ya, I guess. To be honest, I don’t get the appeal. It just seems like any other random café to me.”“Maybe it doesn’t seem that way to you because you befriended him long after he stopped showing up here…”“And yet, in all these years of having known him as a friend, the two of us never hung out here.”“I stopped being a regular here after one fine day.”“Food sucks here?”“What? Nah…that ain’t it. Although, the taste isn’t what it used to be. Honestly, I can’t blame them, knowing how intense the past few years have...

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“Siobhan's Winter Retreat ” by Ashley Taylor

Submitted to Contest #181

“I can’t believe the friends you are starting to make, Siobhan,” Debra said as she folded laundry. “These people are bad news for you.” Siobhan looked at her aunt skeptically. “My friends are helping me.” Debra scoffed. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through…something. “Look at these pictures you took, Siobhan. What are they? Look how you are dressed!” “Auntie, what-” Debra quickly sauntered over and placed the phone in front of Siobhan’s face. “I thought when you moved out, that you would at least respect yo...

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“Get Away” by Mandy Waters

Submitted to Contest #181

Eli had to get away. She needed somewhere to go. She needed to get out of town, out of Orilon. Urgently. People were after her. So, she had retreated. But not too far; she needed to be able to easily travel to her old home every so often to visit her dad and take care of business. Accordingly, she went to the farthest place she could manage while not too far as to abandon civilization. She ended up purchasing a 30-acre lot equipped with one home on the far outskirts of Orilon. Desolate enough to hide for a bit, but close enough t...

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“cabin journey” by Robert Barr

Submitted to Contest #181

I woke up cold, wet, hungry and slightly disoriented. ‘Where was I’? I slowly sensed that I had been lying on the cold, hard ground in the forest instead of my warm bed. ‘What am I doing here?’ Slowly memories flooded back into my brain like waking from a strange dream. I had been accused of something that I did not do. I escaped to the forest because of the gossip people were spreading about me. I needed time to think. ‘What should I do now? ‘Survive,’ I tell myself. My name is Robert, and I was a high school teacher. I...

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“Paul in the Crying Woods.” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #181

Once upon a time, in a world not so different from our own, there lived a man named Paul Bleugen. He was a kind and gentle soul, but he was plagued by a terrible affliction - extreme Schizophrenia. The hallucinations that plagued him were so severe that he could not go a single moment without seeing all manner of twisted and terrifying visions. One day, in an attempt to escape from these constant nightmares, Paul retreated to a small cabin deep in the woods. He hoped that the peaceful isolation of the cabin would help him to find some resp...

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“Healing” by Ryan T Stahl

Submitted to Contest #181

“Haze, I know you don’t understand, but I need to do this. It’s only for a couple of days, ok?” April pleaded as she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt the one person who has been her rock for the past twelve years. "I’m trying hon, I really am, but why did you leave in the middle of the night?”Before April could answer, she stated, “I know you’re upset about your mom’s passing, and I want to be here for you. I can’t if you won’t let me though.” &n...

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“Last Moments of Freedom” by Samantha McWilliams

Submitted to Contest #181

It had taken us nearly three days to get to the cabin on foot with no vehicle or cell phones. I had been taking a piss, leaning one hand against a tree, steam rising from the place in the snow where the hot liquid splashed. I didn't look down at the dried blood covering my jeans. “Jimmy!” The sound of Keisha’s shouts was enough to get me scrambling as I pulled my pants around my hips and stumbled in her direction. My heart kicked into a trot and I let the speed of it keep my head above the wave of fear that threatened to freeze...

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“The Young Lady Lula Sallow” by Kat _

Submitted to Contest #181

Life is a fickle thing. Always evolving, growing, fading, dying. Time is unchanging, always moving forward, never looking back; it has no mercy on those who take it for granted. Lula Sallow knew that better than anyone else alive or dead. At a glance, she was a strange young woman, 26 years of age, with salt and pepper hair and dull gray eyes. ‘Genetic disease,’ she would say when questioned. She was asked so much she began to believe her lie as well. Some days she would see herself in other women, with their long ginger hair, ...

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“The Cabin” by David B Fraser

Submitted to Contest #181

Earl poured himself a coffee, grabbing some milk from the propane fridge to top it up. He sat on the bench of his pine table looking about for signs of the flying squirrel. It had kept him up half the night skittering about, trying to scratch its way into the garbage pail. Earl was sure it was a ‘flying’ squirrel because it had launched itself into his face one night when he tried to beat it to death with the cookstove poker. He had cornered it by the bookshelves and it ran up and ...

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“The Untimely Death of a Dream” by Crystal Bacon

Submitted to Contest #181

“I think this is it, Gil.” Hattie flashed the information sheet she had printed from the internet with a picture of their new home at her husband. Gil was quiet. She looked down at the well creased page and up again, comparing the photo to real life. “This is going to be so great!” They struggled to make it down the goat trail that served as a driveway. The couple were pulling a trailer too large for their car which caused the weary sedan to protest in metallic screeches along the bumpy dirt path. &nbs...

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“No Where To Hide” by Kenneth Kendall

Submitted to Contest #181

Brady gripped the steering wheel a little harder as he hit the apex of the two-hundred-and-seventy-degree transition from the 101 to the 405 freeway. Unsure why he was speeding to the last place he wanted to go. No, the second to last. Home would claim the top spot. It was the stress driving every part of him, including the car. As he released the pressure on the gas pedal, the car slowed to a manageable speed. He looked up and thought, ‘One mile. Make a decision. Face it or flee it.’ Looking over his left shoulder, pulling the left indicato...

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Write about a character who, for whatever reason, retreats to a remote cabin.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 62 stories

“Cabin in the Wilderness of My Mind” by Bob Faszczewski

“Big Snow Sixteen” by CDJ JDC

“To The Peaks” by Irene Duchess

“Lynchburg” by Jarrel Jefferson

“Two Mutual Friends (and their Quest)” by Zain Faaris

“Siobhan's Winter Retreat ” by Ashley Taylor

“Get Away” by Mandy Waters

“cabin journey” by Robert Barr

“Paul in the Crying Woods.” by Emanuel Diaz

“Healing” by Ryan T Stahl

“Last Moments of Freedom” by Samantha McWilliams

“The Young Lady Lula Sallow” by Kat _

“The Cabin” by David B Fraser

“The Untimely Death of a Dream” by Crystal Bacon

“No Where To Hide” by Kenneth Kendall

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who realizes they're on the wrong path.

Write a story about someone who has to “move mountains” to get what they want.

Write about a character who’s climbing a mountain, whether internal, external, or both.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Let’s go for a walk.”

Contest #181

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

278

Contest entries

125

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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