Write a story framed by a single scene: something happens, a flashback or inner monologue intervenes, and then the story ends with the rest of the original scene.

Posted in Narrative on Dec 22, 2023

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✍️ 90 stories

“THAT NIGHT IT HAPPENED” by Vijay Likhite

Submitted to Contest #230

THAT NIGHT IT HAPPENED. I am Dagadu, working as domestic help with Pendse family for the last 20-25 years. The three senior brothers had two sons and a daughter each. I have witnessed the next generation growing up, getting their degrees and settling in their professions. The eldest of them, Mohan aged 28 was a C.A. The younger three pursued I.T. Engineering. Prabhakar Kaka’s son Sandeep earned his doctorate recently in Space Technology and had got a posting in NASA in Houston, USA. The younger lot planned a party in the bungalow built ...

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“A Meeting Upon a Bridge” by Abigail Stallings

Submitted to Contest #230

Content/Trigger Warning: Contains language some may find offensive; Self-harm briefly mentioned. The salty drops of water from my eyes fall to join the flowing water of the river below me. How stereotypical, crying over a man. I silently scold myself and wipe my eyes with my coat sleeve. You get five more minutes up here to pull yourself together, then you need to get down. My feet dangle over the edge of the bridge as I watch the lazily flowing water beneath me. The sun is saying its last goodbyes to the world and will soon disappear over...

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“The Name” by Ana M

Submitted to Contest #230

In the air, the scent of September hung over a small European village at the beginning of the fourth decade of the twentieth century. Ray was in the church, holding his tiny niece, barely a month old, in his arms. It was her christening, and he had the honor of being her godfather and choosing her name. Although he had been confident in his choice just moments ago, now, looking into the baby's blue eyes, he was questioning his decision.The priest was busy with the final preparations for the baptism ceremony. Ray glanced at his brother and si...

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“The Last Picnic” by Matt Ward

Submitted to Contest #230

The Last Picnic It was a beautiful day in early September. The kind of day his late father called a Glory Day, the requirements of which were a deep blue sky and, if there were any clouds at all, they had to be the soft, very white, billowy type. And the temperature neither too hot, nor too cool. Perfect picnic weather. And a picnic was just what he had planned for himself and his sweetheart-wife of 47 years.&...

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“Hell wasn't real.” by Robert Hall

Submitted to Contest #230

I vividly saw hell and truly believed if I stopped breathing, I’d be there. Forever. I had two days off work and a friend, Joe, asked me if I would be interested in buying a four-finger bag of pure PCP from the chemist who made it, for one hundred dollars. This is a horse tranquilizer. Sure, why not? I had no idea. After what occurred over the next several days, I could say this. Comparing LSD to PCP, LSD is a shot of beer, and PCP is a fifth of whiskey. PCP is one of the most absolutely horrible drugs on the face of the planet. I'...

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“The Red Line” by Emily Lozano

Submitted to Contest #230

TW: Child abuse The Red Line The little girl on the Red Line train is crying as silently as an 8 year old, with years of practice, can. What had been screeches a moment before have been slapped down to mewling noises and sniffles. That slap having been delivered by her mother. The other riders scattered throughout the car ignore this weeping girl, as is polite. How a person raises their child is none of our business. This is covered in the unspoken contract of public transportation. Roxie generally complies with these terms but on oc...

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“The Scream of Life” by Gaby Roberts

Submitted to Contest #230

“Push, you can do it Susanne, come on now.” The white fluorescent lights are blinding, the nurses are too loud. Why is it taking them so long to get him out? The eight months felt like eternity, I just wanted my boy in my arms, but still, there's a sense of guilt in me I can’t shake. “Concentrate Susanne, we’re almost there. You’re doing great.” All of those voices are overwhelming me . I can feel all of my muscles contracting and expanding painfully, do all women feel like this? The nurses keep talking and telling me what to do, but I'...

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“Too Little, Too Late” by Sidney Boni

Submitted to Contest #230

The man stared down at me, his eyes cold. Hard. I gazed back; my teeth bared in a grin or grimace—I couldn't tell which, only that my mouth was open. His wasn't. It was a flat line under those cold, distant, lifeless eyes. Why did those matter to me so much? It was absurd that these were the things I focused on compared to the pain surging through my legs, the bone-deep fatigue in my arms, and the burning in my chest. Especially compared to the gun in his hand. The gun in my face. "You played hard," he said as if that meant anything ...

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“ "Harmony in the Meadow."” by Brian Hastie

Submitted to Contest #230

The antique clock on the wall ticked away the seconds, its rhythmic sound echoing via the dimly lit room. Sarah sat at the tired table, her trembling fingers clutching a dwindled letter. The phrases on the paper danced before her eyes, transporting her again to a time forgotten. As the memories flooded in, she felt herself standing in a sunlit meadow, the fragrance of wildflowers filling the air. A more youthful model of herself laughed, her carefree spirit obtrusive in every step. In the space, an acquainted discern approached – the one w...

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“Knocked Into Next Week” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #230

Greg Van Fleet drifts in and out of consciousness. “His helmet is split in half,” a voice says. “He’s lucky his head isn’t in the same condition,” Head Coach Steele Stoneman replies. “Guess we’ll get the money for padded goalposts now.” Greg tries to stand but can’t move. He gasps for air. His heart pounds and Greg tries to remember how he wound up flat on his back… Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow High School hasn’t scored a point in two weeks, which means Greg, the team’s kicker, and third-string end hasn’t played at all, while his best...

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“New Year, New Beers, New Chairs” by Sharon Falduto

Submitted to Contest #230

“I’m excited to check out the remodel,” Angie told Sarah. “They got new chairs.” The college women were driving to Angie’s hometown, an hour away from their dorm. “I wonder what else they changed?” Angie pondered. “Did they upgrade the whole menu, or just get a new air fryer?” “Are new chairs a huge draw?” “Oh, yeah. The old chairs were upholstered in linoleum stripped from mobile home kitchens.” “That’s weirdly specific, Ang.” Angie parked in front of a new neon sign touting the name “Symposium” and a large banner advertising, “...

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“Mastering all trades” by Omar Ayadi

Submitted to Contest #230

I first heard of it as a saying, then as a myth . Old tales of blues men , crossroads and hell hounds. Tales of greed, desperation, and unholy offerings. While some believed in such things, I couldn’t begin to consider it. Then as time went by, I started to hear strange stories, here and there, reports of overnight success, great sudden luck, or once unshakeable obstacles miraculously vanishing. But again, I always chalked it up to coincidence, human willpower and admirable persistence.If you would know ten people and if...

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“The Monster of Time” by Amalee Bowen

Submitted to Contest #230

(Trigger Warning: Contains mention of death due to neglect) They say clocks used to make a sound. An incessant ticking marking the passing of time. Our clocks today are more accurate, I think. Time marked only by a steady changing of numbers, silently progressing until you suddenly realize it has all slipped away. These days, everything changes in a blink of an eye. Empires rising and falling like the soundwaves of a song, newly made and newly destroyed with each new wave of technology. Life is a frantic hum and we all race to keep...

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“The Depths We Go” by Kristina Raynor

Submitted to Contest #230

Nina could hear her daughter’s breath. It had been three minutes since the rescue team was alerted of the catastrophic failure. Another fifteen minutes before they’d reach the submersible. She shouldn’t be alive right now. She knew the type of impact she’d experienced should have crushed her instantly, but here she was, somewhere between life and death. Everything felt like a dream as she talked to her daughter through the emergency radio. “You have to stay awake.” Lynn tried to keep her voice steady as the rain continued to beat against her...

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“Mama's Kitchen” by Lola LaForge

Submitted to Contest #230

The short scene on the movie she had been watching inexplicably and instantly lifted her depressive mood. It took her a few minutes to process how the image of the farmhouse kitchen had snapped her out of the dark feeling she'd carried all day and propelled her into a sense of purpose. The kitchen was the view in the background of the scene in which the main character in the foreground was sitting in a chair in an adjacent room watching a television program. The maple branches outside the curtained window in the scene casted moving shadows a...

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Write a story framed by a single scene: something happens, a flashback or inner monologue intervenes, and then the story ends with the rest of the original scene.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 90 stories

“THAT NIGHT IT HAPPENED” by Vijay Likhite

“A Meeting Upon a Bridge” by Abigail Stallings

“The Name” by Ana M

“The Last Picnic” by Matt Ward

“Hell wasn't real.” by Robert Hall

“The Red Line” by Emily Lozano

“The Scream of Life” by Gaby Roberts

“Too Little, Too Late” by Sidney Boni

“ "Harmony in the Meadow."” by Brian Hastie

“Knocked Into Next Week” by Michael Jefferson

“New Year, New Beers, New Chairs” by Sharon Falduto

“Mastering all trades” by Omar Ayadi

“The Monster of Time” by Amalee Bowen

“The Depths We Go” by Kristina Raynor

“Mama's Kitchen” by Lola LaForge

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which a character achieves a new level of clarity about how they’re really feeling.

Start your story with someone uttering a very strange sentence.

Write a story that hides something from its reader until the very end.

Write a story in the form of a list.

Contest #230

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

362

Contest entries

108

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: