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

“Tiny Hands” by Jessica Sennett

Submitted to Contest #52

A leaf snaps underneath my toes as I hurriedly walk across the scratchy concrete to get to my house. My younger sister, Elle, pushed me down and ran away, blanketed with laughter, with my flip flops hidden away under her arm. She loves to torment me. I don't mind, though. Our family has always been so close. Like, we are the type of people who eat meals together and go on bike rides. We even do karaoke nights on Wednesdays! I've never taken anything for granted, especially not after they saved me from my original drug-infested family. There...

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“I HATE YOU” by Mathias Nobel Hadberg

Submitted to Contest #52

Karina noticed the streetlamp wink out at the top of the hill. They had already been lit by the time Helena and she had left the university building to head home, but they should not be turning off again for another 18 hours at the very least. The cone of the darkness it left behind left an impression on Karina, like it had a weight in her vision. “Hey Karina, what’s up?” She let out an involuntary squeal and practically leapt a foot to the left. Helena stood at her side, at first with a confused expression then the beginnings of laughter....

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“Icing on the cake” by Drke Dero

Submitted to Contest #52

Time heals all wounds, which is a true statement. But also I think you just get stronger to handle some wounds. Emotions are one of those wounds that do not go away unless you feel them out and learn to handle them, hence why I say you get stronger. Because you learn to deal with them better. They also say the truth hurts but lies are worse. That is also defiantly true. I had a partner once who would do nothing but lie to me. I saw the good in him and hoped he would change. I was wrong. He even lied about dying, he to...

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“Ireland part 2” by Rachel Alex Wall

Submitted to Contest #52

“But you’re…” “You would have thought so.” “But.. How?” He smiled at her, his gorgeous crooked smile, she’d always loved. She was in too much shock to smile back. She just stood there doing an impression of a goldfish. Bob, Bob, Bob. “You’re going to catch a fly” He said, still grinning triumphantly. She fought to regain her senses. “You are going to explain, right?”She wanted to reach out to touch him, make sure he was really there and not just a dream. But, she was too afraid. He tilted his head and frowned, his face darkened for a second...

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“The Grin” by J.T. Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #52

Up until that moment Scott had not had to think about his brother for 15 years. In those 15 years, when the guilt had finally been pushed deep into the recesses of his mind and he could finally look at himself in the mirror again, he had built a name for himself in his local community. He began to ascend the corporate ladder at their father’s company and last fall took it over as CEO. After the grief subsided he finally married Anne and with her had 2 lovely daughters, with a son on the way. He coached his eldest daughter’s softball team, ...

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“Blackbird” by Chloe Berry

Submitted to Contest #52

The evening was bleak and drizzly, and my boots slipped slightly on the damp pavement as I began my walk home. My aching eyes took a moment to adjust from the harsh fluorescent strip lights of the office to the fading daylight outside. It was only just gone five, but already the November sun had fallen to the horizon, taking with it what little afternoon warmth it had provided and casting the world in shades of muted grey. I shivered inside my coat, scrunching my hands up inside my sleeves to hide them from the cold that was gripping my fing...

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“The Lazarus Protocol” by Mandy Baker

Submitted to Contest #52

It had been the Monday-est Monday ever. I was walking home with the rain pouring down and soaking my entire body despite the umbrella I carried. I was tired, I was wet, and I was cranky. All I wanted was to catch the train and get home where I could peel off my wet clothes, take a hot shower, and collapse. I was in no mood for delays, when someone bumped into me suddenly, it was enough to basically send me over the edge. “Would you please watch where you are going...

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“PRESUMED DEAD” by Audrey Taele

Submitted to Contest #52

It's true what they say that goodbye is the hardest thing to say. More so, when you know that you'll never see the other person ever again. To me, it came as a shock, as I didn't expect such a misfortune would before me. At least, not in the soonest time possible. I had hopes Edward and I would grow old together, enough to see the births our grandchildren. Most especially since longevity ran in both of our families. I had just finished my morning shift at the call center where I worked and happily drove to the drug store. E...

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“Lives Well Lived” by Taylor Lazar

Submitted to Contest #52

Amelia Dansel never left her home. No one ever traversed near her home either, which made her life of solitude easy. Townsfolk told stories of her and her quaint abode. Stories of the wretched Lady Dansel and her unsettling dwelling. Stories of odd noises in the night that would flood down the streets into ears of sleeping citizens. Stories of a bone chilling breeze that coiled tight around daring passerby. It seemed no one had but a single positive utt...

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“Smile from the Dead” by Natalie Fullerton

Submitted to Contest #52

I thought he was dead. But there he was, right in front of me on the street. Smiling. An unforgettable smile that even thirty years later still immediately sent warm pins and needles through the layers of my skin. His beautiful dark hair was the same immaculately manicured style. But his face had aged. Well composed wrinkles had settled into eyes and forehead. My heart began to pound with so much force I could feel every beat through my veins. Was what I was seeing and hearing real? It was. B...

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“The Return” by Rebekah Pena

Submitted to Contest #52

“You thought he was dead, but there he is, right in front of you on the street, smiling at you.”“Why is he smiling at me?”“Isn’t it obvious he’s happy to see you. You thought he was dead, he’s not.”“Ah, that’s not how I raised him. He wouldn’t smile at me.”“Okay, he’s not smiling at you. What would he do then?”“Probably just stare back at me, all nervous as he should be.”“Were you tough on him as a kid?” “Only as strict as I should be when he got bent out of shape. But that’s not the reason.”“Is it because of your role, not as his fathe...

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“It Had to be Him” by Glen Benison

Submitted to Contest #52

I saw him crossing a busy street in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. He was sauntering in his typically casual yet threatening swagger. As usual he seemed to be tempting the oncoming vehicular traffic to take him out. I knew immediately it had to be him. His gait was just as I would have expected of him. He moved slowly and gracefully as though he might have once been a ballet dancer, which he never was. His calf muscles flexed into tight sinewy balloons with every step he took. And as always, he moved into each new stride by pushing off from ...

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“To do it Right” by E. H. Duncan

Submitted to Contest #52

It was 9:32 a.m. and I was already late for another day at work. I had stopped at the little coffee shop on Riverside to fuel myself for another late night at the office. It seemed as if that was all I did anymore. After my traumatic experience with my former boyfriend, my life seemed as if it had been through a hurricane. I went from the manager of my own business to a lousy receptionist at an office working for only a few dollars more than minimum wage. I went from a house owner to being late for every payment of my rent in the shab...

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“The Side Street Man” by Eunice Amero

Submitted to Contest #52

1258 Words The Side Street Man “It’s not fair Mom. Why did Gus have to die?” I should have been the one, even though it wasn’t my fault. The truck that hit us ran a red light.” Melba cried uncontrollable. “Don’t cry Melba. I know it wasn’t your fault.” Repeating the same story again Melba continued, “We were laughing and talking, planning for our wedding. I got so excited I hadn’t noticed the truck was coming because I had the green light and wasn’t expecting the truck to run the red. Why, Why Mom. He took the only man I loved ...

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“ESSENCE OF LIFE...” by Priya Sankar

Submitted to Contest #52

On a fine morning, again my day started with hearing a lot of arguments among my parents. I reached my school sadly and it was also my pre-exam revision time. So I was a little bit tense about my exams and scores. After the session over, I received my mathematics paper on that day and I scored first in my class which was never happened in the academic year. I was quite surprised and happy with my results and went back to my home. My mom and dad were waiting for my arrival as every student had reached their home. Due to my test paper distribu...

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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

“Tiny Hands” by Jessica Sennett

“I HATE YOU” by Mathias Nobel Hadberg

“Icing on the cake” by Drke Dero

“Ireland part 2” by Rachel Alex Wall

“The Grin” by J.T. Schmidt

“Blackbird” by Chloe Berry

“The Lazarus Protocol” by Mandy Baker

“PRESUMED DEAD” by Audrey Taele

“Lives Well Lived” by Taylor Lazar

“Smile from the Dead” by Natalie Fullerton

“The Return” by Rebekah Pena

“It Had to be Him” by Glen Benison

“To do it Right” by E. H. Duncan

“The Side Street Man” by Eunice Amero

“ESSENCE OF LIFE...” by Priya Sankar

🌟 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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