You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you.

Posted in Mystery on Jul 15, 2021

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✍️ 412 stories

“Dead Boy Blues” by Adelaide Brenner

Submitted to Contest #52

I just ran over my dead ex-boyfriend with my Toyota Corolla.Well, "ran over" is kind of inaccurate. More like my car passed through the ghost of my dead ex-boyfriend."Chris!" he shouts indignantly. Maybe if I run him over again, he'll go away. I throw my car in reverse."Chris, no, don't-"It doesn't work. He's still standing there in his stupid leather jacket and motorcycle gloves, now looking significantly more grumpy than he did before. I roll down my window."What do you want? I have work in ten minutes," I holler at him. He scowls."I need ...

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“LIFE WITHOUT HIM” by Pearl Johnson-Obi

Submitted to Contest #52

I woke up the same way I always did; with the sun getting in my eyes through that annoying rip in the curtain I never fixed – not that I don’t have enough money to fix it, I just 1)Always forget 2)Don’t want anyone in the house 3)Don’t care enough. Pick your excuse.I had the same dream I’ve had for over a year now; I was home and Chris was here and we were celebrating Christmas together like we’re supposed to, he made his special Turkey roast which I always call Turkey a la Scorche`. (For obvious reasons) while I ordered pizza and pretended ...

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“DOUBLE TAKE ” by Elaine Casey

Submitted to Contest #52

DOUBLE TAKE Jake Heath hung his jacket on the metal hook behind the cabin door and headed straight for the fridge. Pulling out a can of coke he pulled the tab and threw it on top of the formica table that sat in the center of the room. He took a bite from a shriveled cold sausage left over from the early morning fry-up, then washed it down with the creamy froth that rose in bubbles to the to the top of the can. Johnny Munroe came in behind him and threw his oilskin coat over the wooden hard-backed chair. Heading straight to the fridge he ...

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“A Lover's Death” by Grace Jarvis

Submitted to Contest #52

“I’m leaving. It’s for your own good, Lyla,” he says with a sigh. I nod, not quite understanding why. I just don’t want either of us to get hurt. Maybe that’s why letting him go is so easy. With that, he turns and walks into the rain not looking back. Funerals are always sad. I wish they were happier and celebrated life instead of it being a memory of death. “I’m sorry for your loss,” a neighbor whose name I didn’t know says. “Thank you.” Condolences. They bug me to most because on an occasion like this ...

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“Spectral Future” by Calvin Belton

Submitted to Contest #52

That turn of phrase used to confuse her incessantly, “looked like you’ve seen a ghost”, as if ghosts were real. That was when she was a child, before she understood that not everything other people said was literal; that it just meant being scared of something from your past. It was before she understood a lot of things. She’d been here, her hometown, for - a good while at the very least. Since “it” had happened time had become difficult to ...

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“The Last Dance” by Ema Fancher

Submitted to Contest #52

Ominous clouds overhead threatened to heave tears on the mourners below. Rain was the furthest thing from Angelica’s mind. Surrounded by black-clad family members on all sides, she’d never felt more alone. At 32, such fate seemed unfair. No one can foresee an aneurysm; they attack indiscriminately. Still, why did it have to be Luke? They’d traversed a long road to end up where they were. And now, there were no more roads to travel. Her insides felt hollow. Her heart had surpassed aching and now resided, vacant, in her chest. She didn’...

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“Cheating Death” by Rida Arif

Submitted to Contest #52

I thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of me on the street, smiling at me. My heart seemed to halt its inner workings and fall right out of my chest and onto the pavement. I am not sure what to do – should I run? Act normal and greet him the way I would under normal circumstances? Slap him across the face and scold him for putting me through so much pain? He seemed to make the decision for me, cautiously putting one foot after the other as I gawk. I note every detail – his faded red hair, crooked teeth, the crunching of grave...

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“rising from the ashes” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #52

A part of me died that day. The Battle of Mount Wi was the turning point of the war and the fall of the Southern Plateau tribe. We lost so many loved ones and loyal warriors to the last battle of the Cruel War. The few of my people that were left were taken as prisoners of war to the Northern Kingdom, where they rot in cells and worked as slaves for their empire. I remember that day as horribly as the others. We had a perfectly planned attack. We were smaller, less armed, less uniform, and quicker to assemble.&nbs...

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“Comatose Minute” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

Submitted to Contest #52

Sandy Parker is amazed at how many people showed up at her husband Hayden's funeral, she never realized how many people he had known, over his lifetime. "Why don't you go and take a lie down. I can see everyone is taken care of and look after the food." Sandy's sister assured her and gently persuaded her to go upstairs. "Yes, I think I will go and lie down…the day has been very draining, and please make sure the kids are not left alone," as she says this she moves very slowly up the stairs, only wanting to lie down and sleep f...

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“In Ruins” by Amy Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #52

In Ruins By Amy Lancaster There was no one to blame for a tragedy of that nature, but the routine motions of everyday life that follow are a living death for many. She knew that only too well. The body responds mechanically, but the mind is elsewhere, relentlessly searching for understanding and meaning in an impossible quest. Despite the futility of it all, she couldn’t stop herself. It seemed that even if it drove her mad, she felt some strange consolation in the searching. Somewhere in the fog of consciousness, T...

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“Together Again ” by Cynthia Grove

Submitted to Contest #52

The day started like any other. With a startled jump at the persistent, vengeful alarm clock, piercing her ears. The sunlight charged through the window, attacking her as if she were sitting under lights in an interrogation room in the presence of witty, brutal detectives. Why won’t you wake up it screamed at her, while she took revenge by reaching for the clock and vehemently turned the nagging little pest off until its next assault tomorrow morning. The dream! Again the dream had crawled into her thoughts, snaking through the cobwebs that ...

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“Reunion” by Amy Tran

Submitted to Contest #52

The most important person in my life died a year ago and after he did, I was but a walking corpse, sluggishly moving onward and waiting for the day that I get to meet him again. My family and friends had repeatedly told me to move on, that he wouldn't have wanted for me to live this way. I wanted so badly to prove to them that, no, what we had was a once-in-a-lifetime connection, that this wound was so deep it would not heal with time. It would not even become a faded scar, it would forever ache and ooze an unending stream of blood. I hate t...

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“All too Soon” by Emily B.

Submitted to Contest #52

The town of Mandolin was melancholy but quiet and peaceful. Outside of a young man and woman were in the woods. So their secrets wouldn’t be heard. The young man confessed his love to the woman. He knew it was hopeless she was going to marry a Lord named Gabriel. He said holding back his pain, “Lillian I know that he’ll provide a good life for you. I can not lie and say that I’m pleased about him being yours. While I can not be. But I love you too much to keep you away from a prosperous life. A life I would not be able to provide you.” ...

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“Just Like You” by Itxy Lopez

Submitted to Contest #52

In the corner of Mel’s Coffee Shop, beside the window where I can people-watch and think. This is where I sit every day. I take a big bite of my muffin—the type of bite you take when you’re alone—and sip my coffee. Chocolate chip muffin (it was—is—my daughter’s favorite breakfast) and black coffee. The same every day. I’d never been a routine type of woman. Not until last year. Since then, I’ve found that doing the same thing every day is grounding. Good for me. The best part—or is it the best part?—is that when you don’t have friends or f...

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“Miscount” by Clarisse Mardoux

Submitted to Contest #52

Times Square, New York, 2019 “Hi.” Marquette Winters stopped in her tracks and stared. Business in Times Square rushed by as usual, but Marquette couldn’t take her eyes off him. “Don’t you remember me?” He stepped forward and grinned. Marquette couldn’t speak. She turned and ran, shaking her head in disbelief. It’s a coincidence, She told herself. It can’t be possible. As impossible as it was, she still couldn’t...

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You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 412 stories

“Dead Boy Blues” by Adelaide Brenner

“LIFE WITHOUT HIM” by Pearl Johnson-Obi

“DOUBLE TAKE ” by Elaine Casey

“A Lover's Death” by Grace Jarvis

“Spectral Future” by Calvin Belton

“The Last Dance” by Ema Fancher

“Cheating Death” by Rida Arif

“rising from the ashes” by Taylor Pastore

“Comatose Minute” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

“In Ruins” by Amy Lancaster

“Together Again ” by Cynthia Grove

“Reunion” by Amy Tran

“All too Soon” by Emily B.

“Just Like You” by Itxy Lopez

“Miscount” by Clarisse Mardoux

🌟 Similar prompts

Twenty minutes before you are about to get married, you find your mother and your fiancé kissing passionately.

Every year, one person is sent to the moon. This year, though you hid in terror, it is your turn to enter the rocket.

"Come with us,” two burly men in gray suits say, grabbing you by the arm and handcuffing you. “You know what you did.” But you have no idea.

You are the only one in the supermarket during a blizzard. Feeling creeped out, you decide to leave, when suddenly you find a baby abandoned on the floor.

Contest #52

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

958

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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