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

“Birthday Surprise” by Kathy McGinnis

Submitted to Contest #52

As the curly, blond, young-looking teenager stood outside the antique shop, she was trying to see if there was anything she could afford to buy her Mom for her birthday. It was almost dinnertime and she knew she needed to find something quick so she could catch the next bus home. Several items stood out, including a pretty bracelet of twisted gold and silver as well as a heart within a heart necklace. She craned to try to see the price tags, but they weren’t visible from outside. She doubted she had enough to purchase the...

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“Him” by Jelena Gavric

Submitted to Contest #52

I never came to terms with his death. It was so sudden, fast and without much fuss. By many accounts, it is a preferable way of dying. I wasn't even there. Actually, by the time I personally comprehended the possibility of him dying, he was gone. Didn't make it to the funeral either. To fast, to far, to expensive, to late… Wasn't there when he needed me, really needed me; now that he is lying dead in the coffin in the middle of the living room… Well now he doesn't need me there for sure. The others, they can go and fuck the...

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“The Man in the Raincoat” by Roland Okili

Submitted to Contest #52

There is no rhyme or reason to any of this. No purpose to this hell I'm living. But I must leave something behind, if only a miserable account of my story. To whoever is reading this, I must warn you; it is not cheerful. I was born on November 6th, 1989 to a single woman whose name I may not divulge. I had a decent childhood. We were poor, but my mother made up for it with all the love she could give me. Be it birthday parties at pizza places, occasional trips to county fairs, or expensive gifts once every few years, she made sure I had ever...

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“Unfortunate but a little fortunate” by Ammaela Khan

Submitted to Contest #52

Father, I came to see you. If you are free, I said in a gentle tone. Come in, my daughter, Father replied. I calmly walked inside and asked You are going for war…Father? Yes… Amelia. He replied to me with a pause. I wanted to meet him a last time with a smile but I couldn’t hold my emotions in, because I knew it could be the last time, I was ever to see him again. I busted in to tears, I couldn’t pause myself for a second. father came up to me and hugged me, Amelia he said you are a brave girl please don’t do this you know I would...

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“Where Is The Body?” by Manoshi Roy

Submitted to Contest #52

Where is the body? I should have taken the underbridge. It’s very difficult to cross the road during morning rush hour. There was a long line of pedestrians, all waiting for the light to turn red. Giving them a tough competition was the equally long line of vehicles on the road. The drivers grind their teeth whenever the light turned red. In this battle between the legs and the wheels I was a liability with my crutch and a limping le...

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“Princess” by Yirui Tang

Submitted to Contest #52

He was supposed to be dead. Gone. Deceased. I saw him breathe his last in the dim hospital room where he was admitted months earlier. I saw him, immaculate and pumped full of preservatives, in his white casket. The same white casket that was lowered into the ground. So then... how is he alive? It should be impossible, yet here he is, standing in all his dark-haired glory. I've got to be dreaming, right? This is the kind of stuff that usually happens to the protagonists of cheesy rom-coms. But if it i...

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“In Death” by Navya Jain

Submitted to Contest #52

I closed my shop and clutched my bag tightly. It was raining cats and dogs and I'd forgotten to bring an umbrella, though I didn't mind. It was late and a few drops of water couldn't hurt. I took the usual short-cut through the alley to get to my house and saw someone leaning against a wall, head down. I walked faster, I knew all about the kind that hung in alleys at night, looking for innocent women to prey on. My hand clutched around the pepper spray in my purse, defensively. It took me a minute to realise that the creep was fol...

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“THE VALIDITY OF A DREAM” by Margeaux Reed

Submitted to Contest #52

The easiest way to know for sure you are dreaming is to kill yourself. I know, it sounds a little harsh (and potentially permanent), but think about it: When is the last time you have dreamt your own death? The answer must be never. We can get close, sometimes so close we actually soil our bed linens. But, alas, we wake in the tangible world in shitty pajama bottoms and a whole basket of embarrassing laundry. This validity of a dream while one is inside of it had never occurred to me until recently, when I went back to visit my hometown in ...

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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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“The Comeback” by Amarachi Apu

Submitted to Contest #52

"Zed, get the van." Jax, the dark washed up brown-haired leader of the gang ordered. Zed responded with a slight nod and walked towards a widely spaced dark alley. "Jay, Luca! You've got the entrance" He said snapping his fingers. They nod slightly and fade into the shadows. "What about me?" Lila asked from behind Jax. "You're going with Zed... Keep it together, I can't have you messing this up" Jax replied, not moving an inch from where he stood. Right almost immediately, an all black Enzo van pulled up beside 'em. "Get in!" Jax orde...

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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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“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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“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” by Dolapo Omoleme

Submitted to Contest #52

I stopped in my tracks when I spotted him. He’d already seen me from where he was sitting on the edge of the street. He had his characteristic smile on his face. I stared at him with my mouth wide open and my eyes wide in shock as I decided between believing my eyes were deceiving me and believing what my heart was telling me. His death had had a big impact on my family. We’d searched for him for weeks without so much as a clue as to what happened to him. He was my best friend, and I was determined to find him and find out why he’d run awa...

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“Haunting Smile” by Indrajit Vyas

Submitted to Contest #52

I was sweating profusely and the back of my shirt was completely drenched with it, as I stared at a familiar pair of perfectly aligned glistening white teeth that belonged inside the mouth of a charismatic man in his late twenties, standing across the street smiling at me. I said charismatic didn't I? scratch that, he is was not charismatic, he was a hypnotic snake who charms people and makes them dance to his tunes. Rubin Hunt, the most despicable homo sapien I ever knew. This piece of non-recyclable trash was supposed t...

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“Loneliness” by J L

Submitted to Contest #52

The strong scent of tulips and warm river water lies in the air; the first a light, airy smell, the second has the aftertaste of dirt. She likes the second better. It's grounding. Her empty cloth bag is dangling awkwardly from her shoulder and her left shoe is causing her little toe to hurt. She wouldn't admit it openly but the pain is, in a way, reassuring. Tomorrow she will be alone for a whole year but in a way it feels like she has been alone for much longer. Not in a bad way. In a really good way, actually. It feels like it has been a l...

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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

“Birthday Surprise” by Kathy McGinnis

“Him” by Jelena Gavric

“The Man in the Raincoat” by Roland Okili

“Unfortunate but a little fortunate” by Ammaela Khan

“Where Is The Body?” by Manoshi Roy

“Princess” by Yirui Tang

“In Death” by Navya Jain

“THE VALIDITY OF A DREAM” by Margeaux Reed

“The Return” by Rebekah Pena

“The Comeback” by Amarachi Apu

“It Had to be Him” by Glen Benison

“Smile from the Dead” by Natalie Fullerton

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” by Dolapo Omoleme

“Haunting Smile” by Indrajit Vyas

“Loneliness” by J L

🌟 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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