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

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 412 stories

“The Ghost of a Boy Made of Glass” by Yolanda Wu

Submitted to Contest #52

Cigarettes had always made me choke and splutter.Mum had been adamant about keeping me away from smokers. When we walked through the dust-filled streets of the city, where people left their office buildings during their lunch break to smoke in alleyways.She would always throw a dirty look at them, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, telling them with her eyes, “I have a child”, as if their eyes were on her too. As though they cared as much as she did. She had never quite succeeded in passing on her hatred of smokers to me.I mention this only...

12 comments 12

Read story

“IT'S DARK” by Khizra Aslam

Submitted to Contest #52

Trigger warning: depictions of suicide “ He was young, vicenarian, so intelligent and smart. How did it happen?” You whispered with dry eyes, full of sorrow and grief. The sky was clear yet there was a dark cloud on your head. The cloud was hefty yet it wasn’t pouring down so the pressure was building and building and building and BOOM, with a roar, it started raining cats and dogs. Your cries were ear-splitting and tears were running smoothly down the cheeks. The walls were echoed with the wails and the air became much heavy to breat...

12 comments 12

Read story

“Three Hundred and Twenty-One Pages” by Holly Pierce

Submitted to Contest #52

Weeks and months were spent typing away, and I was separated from almost everyone around me. I didn’t want to talk to anyone after his death, and I was sure my book would be published, and a big success. I spent hours on end searching for the perfect publisher, a publisher worthy of my book. I wrote the book lovingly, remembering everything about my brother before he had died. My fingers flew through the words, typing the last sentence of my book. Finally finished! My phone rang, and I picked it up. My sister Nora was calling, and I prepared...

15 comments 15

Read story

“Back from the Dead” by Vicky S

Submitted to Contest #52

It was a day like any other. The sun was shining and the birds tweeting while balancing on the slender overhead branches of the trees. There was a cool breeze which was welcome as I jogged through the park, beads of sweat glistening on my brow. I’d made good time, not quite good enough to beat my record but still pretty good, when my mobile started to buzz angrily inside its little pouch. Pausing next to a bench to answer, I smiled at the man sitting there, apologising for interrupting his calm. He ignored me and continued to stare stonily a...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Never The End” by Deepti Kumari

Submitted to Contest #52

He was giving me an innocent smile and judgemental stare. But.. I have a long list of questions for him. They (questions) are Where were you? Don't you missed me even for a single second? Why didn't you call? You could atleast text me? What if I did the same thing to you?... But all my queries died when he gets closer to me. 'That's his magic.' Let's begin with our first meeting. My name is Rosy and he is David. We were not in the same college, company or any organisation. We met accidentally on the highway. We argued over a piece of pap...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Three Minutes” by Tvisha Yerra

Submitted to Contest #52

Three minutes.That’s how long it takes to get to the hospital from South City Center Mall.Three minutes is the difference between life and death.Between breathing and not.“Lin, you know you’re just an unnecessary waste of space in this world… Why don’t you just die?”I wish Amy would just go away, even though she does make good points. It’s my birthday, I should be going out, with my friends.“If only you had them.” Jule cackles. She’s right though, if only... I look at myself through the mirror and decide that I will go out today.“W...

21 comments 21

Read story

“Silver Blades and Memories” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #52

It came as a single shivering droplet first. Like a warning. The next heavenly tears fell with more force, like the sky was hurdling angry balls of water at the ground. Bryden winced when a raindrop shattered onto the tip of her nose, and she immediately regretted it. “What’s wrong, Crybaby Brybry? Afraid of a little water?” came a mocking voice from behind her. Many laughs followed this tease. She whirled around, the grocery bags banging against her long legs, to see Arlo flanked by his childish gang. “Arlo . . .” she h...

10 comments 10

Read story

“A Second Chance” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #52

It’s been fifty years since he left me. My face now wrinkles and I have plenty of frown lines. When people pass me on the street, they no longer offer me a friendly greeting. Instead, they walk past me, laughing at an inside joke I’m not allowed to know. Some smile at me as I walk past them, trying their best not to stare at my wooden cane. I smile back, but my teeth are rotten from the lack of care I’ve shown them since he left me. I had been pretty once. Twenty-five, freshly graduated with a political science degree, and the entire wor...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Why a Red Day?” by ℤ ℍ☮️

Submitted to Contest #52

It is a pink day. With cotton candy clouds and a watermelon sky. The horizon is flamingo and dancing with wisps of coral flame. I walk on the yellow cobblestone path, spreading my thick wool hood over my bumpy arms. The chilled air hollows my red cheeks and sends vibrations down my limbs.The trees are thin and black, they taunt me with his name.TobiasBut I push his name away. I push the sight of his freshly dug grave away from my head because it numbs my inside and turns my lips grapeseed purple. The walk is long and the howling wind threate...

8 comments 8

Read story

“The Land and the Sea” by Victoria Haneveer

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #52

"Well, that's that then," my father said, his eyes fixed on the clay earth below my open palm "he's gone. Dead."He turned and walked to the greenhouse, his head down-turned, his arms hanging limply at his sides. My fingers slowly moved toward my palms, pulling the red earth into my balling fists and pressing grit up my nails. My eyes moistened the freshly overturned soil. So Roman was dead. That was that.I believed my father wanted the best for me, so when he told me Roman had died I believed him without question. I saw pain in his eyes. The...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Big Daddy Comes back ” by Rebecca Lee

Submitted to Contest #52

Sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor, Raven McIntyre appeared to be in some of trance.“What is she doing?” Christina McIntyre, Raven’s mom, asked her husband, as they both stood out in the hallway, peeking at their youngest daughter.“Well, I thought she was doing her yoga, but she has not moved … you don’t think she is stuck in that position, do you?” Jeffery McIntyre asked his wife in a stage whisper – knowing Raven could hear him.Though her eyes remained closed, a slight smile appeared on Raven’s face. “Neither one of you knows how t...

17 comments 17

Read story

“On The Edge” by A. S.

Submitted to Contest #52

Heavy bass thumps in my ears in time with my footsteps. My arms ache from the relentless motion of the broom. Dirt tickles the inside of my nose. Sweat trickles down my brow. Light filters through the cloudy air, millions of otherwise invisible particles brought to light by the single slanting ray. I pause what I’m doing to look around the room, the uneven layer of dirt showing no sign of the two hours I have been sweeping. Red fingers rip the long white cord from my ears forcefully. Eardrums throbbing with the missing melody, I let my phone...

28 comments 28

Read story

“The Clock” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #52

Iris always heard the dead lay down their burdens. Nobody mentions those left behind who must attend to the clean-up. Now that both her parents were gone, the rest could go too. Everything her mother, Mabel, collected over the decades now covered the driveway and front lawn of her house. Iris priced it to sell in this one-day garage sale. No more knick-knacks. She couldn’t shoe-horn one more end table into her home. Mabel had lingered and now it was over. Never a hoarder, she also never threw anything out. She decorated in early hodgepodge...

7 comments 7

Read story

“PRINCESS SALLY” by Opeyemi Lawal

Submitted to Contest #52

Someone told me, school is a place to learn and acquire knowledge. Yes I believe this is true: everything changed when I got admission into the University. I had to move to the hostel. My parents wanted me to learn how to live alone. They wanted me to be independent. I never wanted to leave home because of my brother. My brother, Nick was the only person who understands me. He was my favorite person; we get along so well. We always spend quality time with each other.Welcome to my world, my name is Princess Sally Jones; a college student who ...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Rebellion” by 𝕊𝕦𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕚 🤍

Submitted to Contest #52

“I’m so sorry, your father passed away a few minutes ago,” I say. Immediately, the woman breaks down in sobs. I sigh, my face devoid of any emotion. I’ve done this way too many times. Enough that my own mother’s passing did not stir me at all. It’s unfortunate. Just imagine going to your mother’s funeral and not feeling anything. Staring with a blank face into the coffin of the person who raised you. Sometimes I wish I’d have gotten tagged as a teacher, or engineer, or even just a regular doctor. But no, I am a nurse. A nurse whose job is to...

12 comments 12

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

Romance – 112 stories

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

Science Fiction – 125 stories

"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.

Horror – 112 stories

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.

Winter – 197 stories

Contest #52

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: In Reverse

$50

Prize money

958

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 31, 2020 EST

Won by Natalie Strawbridge 🏆

Title: intro to disaster preparedness

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

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

“The Ghost of a Boy Made of Glass” by Yolanda Wu

“IT'S DARK” by Khizra Aslam

“Three Hundred and Twenty-One Pages” by Holly Pierce

“Back from the Dead” by Vicky S

“Never The End” by Deepti Kumari

“Three Minutes” by Tvisha Yerra

“Silver Blades and Memories” by Scout Tahoe

“A Second Chance” by Rambling Beth

“Why a Red Day?” by ℤ ℍ☮️

“The Land and the Sea” by Victoria Haneveer

“Big Daddy Comes back ” by Rebecca Lee

“On The Edge” by A. S.

“The Clock” by John K Adams

“PRINCESS SALLY” by Opeyemi Lawal

“Rebellion” by 𝕊𝕦𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕚 🤍

🌟 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 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: