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Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards.

Posted in Narrative on Jul 26, 2024

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✍️ 63 stories

Dear Aunt Beth

Winner of Contest #261 🏆

January 27, 1997 Dear Aunt Beth Thank you for giving me a dollhouse for Christmas. I love it! Mom says I need to write you a letter to say thank you. Thank you!Love your neice Hanna December 26, 1998 Dear Aunt Beth,  Thank you for the chemistry set! It is really cool! I already made a volcano! It exploded everywhere and the turkey got wet! Dad was mad but mom thought it was funny!  Love  Hanna April 25, 1999 Dear Aunt Beth,  Thank you so much for taking me to Disneyland! I had the best time ever. I specially liked the...

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HOPE

Submitted to Contest #261

Hope Bradford had spent more than twelve years in the isolation ward of St. Margaret's Hospital. Diagnosed with a highly contagious and dangerous disease at the tender age of five, she had lived a life confined to sterile, white walls, cut off from the world outside. Her room was her universe, filled with medical equipment, books, and the occasional gift from a visitor who could only see her through a glass barrier. Hope was a delicate figure, her once rosy cheeks pale from years spent away from sunlight. Her long, dark hair, often tied back...

27 likes 25 comments 25
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The Backhanded Blessing: A Professor Deshpande Mystery

Submitted to Contest #261

Thank you for your blessings. May the milk of human kindness never curdle. “Neither an especially profound expression of gratitude, nor a particularly lavish gift,” Saanvi observed, turning the silver vessel in her fingers. “A puja kalash, but probably not a pricey one.”“Looks like silver-plated stainless steel,“ Wei Zhao told Professor Deshpande. The University’s youngest tenured professor remained standing, her chairman presumed out of wholly unnecessary deference. “The engraving’s why I brought it to you.”“I’m relieved,” Professor Deshpan...

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Hello Mary

Submitted to Contest #261

TW: Kidnapping, abuse, pyromaniac tendencies and masochismDear Mary,The doctors are asking me to write notes. Notes to people, to say thank you for things, and you are obviously my first choice. Thank you for teaching me how to fold origami. In every fold of the paper, I found immense comfort, I do it now that the doctor said I am stable. They forced some food down my throat and told me a bunch of lies. Now I fold origami and argue with doctors, not a very interesting life. I wish they would let me talk to you.-Aubrey, September 19thMary,The...

22 likes 15 comments 15
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Family Matters

Submitted to Contest #261

CW miscarriage28th June 1978Hi TomThanks for the card and gift, it can't have been easy getting that posted. Pammy and the baby are doing really well. We've named her Annabel. No doubt it will become Annie or Belle by the time she goes to school. Can't believe I'm looking that far ahead, but the last nine months flew by. Hope you can get leave and come to the Christening. I'll let you know the date in plenty of time, so you can get a cheap flight, not that I imagine there’s much to spend money on where you are.All the bestDavid6th Nov 1...

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Her Eulogy - Diary of a Grateful Lady

Submitted to Contest #261

The third of the calends of April in the year 1032, being the 32nd year of the reign of King Henry 1On the afternoon of my ride to the top of the hill, our hill, while Morag, my aunt, mother, maid, and friend (my everything), cared for my beautiful twins, Roland (your namesake) and Anna, I remembered the fateful day I met you. I regret my rudeness and cruelty at the time. Still, if I had not cursed you, you might never have risen to be the saviour I needed, the one whose self-sacrifice and courage have enabled my return to this blessed place...

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The Keepers of St. John's

Submitted to Contest #261

To Ms. Danton, A hearty congratulations on the success of The Scottish Play! I have to admit, after the Katie Davis kerfuffle we were all a bit nervous, but after the curtain went up, the production went so smoothly it could have been professional. Little Michael Monmouth Jr. was entrancing as Banquo, and let’s not forget how our Gretchen swooped in to save the day… what a wonderful actress she might turn out to be! The show might have been better for it. What a marvelous directorial job on your part! On behalf of all the thankful ...

14 likes 12 comments 12
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Dear Aunt Janice

Submitted to Contest #261

Thank you so much! Dear Aunt Janice,Mother says I am supposed to write you a thank you card for the jumper you gave me on my birthday. She said I have to be specific, so I guess I like the green baubles that stick out from the Christmas tree, even though my birthday is in July. Thanks anyway. From,Alfie —  Thank you so much! Dear Aunt Janice,Mother says my last thank you card was not appropriate and also that I should say sorry for mentioning that my birthday is not during Christmas-time. This seems like an obvious fact, but I apologise...

13 likes 16 comments 16
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Hoping We'll Talk Soon

Submitted to Contest #261

Dear Mom, Thank you for the red bag you bought me. I never thought I’d say that. It’s large and, well, forgive me. Obnoxious is the only word I can think of. But you don’t care what other people think, ha ha. It hangs on my shoulder and way down to my knees, as you know because it’s a duplicate of yours. And it can get really heavy and puffy the more I stuff into it. The bag sat deflated in a corner of my closet for the longest time, just hanging there, the side punched in from emptiness. Again, sorry. I didn’t use it until I started going t...

12 likes 6 comments 6
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Five Thankyou's

Submitted to Contest #261

Trigger warning: Terminal illness, grief and suicidal thoughts.Martin stared at the crumpled and untidy shoe box resting on the coffee table. Organisation was never one of Ellie’s strong suits; the fact she had managed to pull this together was a small miracle. Each of the five envelopes, peeking at different angles from the lidless cardboard container were a threat to Martin’s composure. They looked like white teeth, waiting for his hand so that they could bite down and drag him back into despair. He knew he couldn’t stare at them forever, ...

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Lessons

Submitted to Contest #261

It was all dark, all-consuming. She was choked mentally. Dumb physically. Blank in the mind – till she started thinking of terrible things. She had a nervous lump in her throat which stopped her from talking. She was afraid of the darkness numbing her tell-tale horror stories, because of its deepness and what she felt like a tangible girth – on the one hand, she would be glad because it stopped her from thinking terrible, terrible things – on the other hand, its motionlessness and depth scared her. She was silent. Breathing in, one breath at...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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Show Appreciation, Communicate Clearly, and Assume the Best!

Submitted to Contest #261

From: Maxine Leyland <maxine.leyland@digipencils.biz>To: Jay Collingwood <jay.collingwood@digipencils.biz>Subject: Re: Conference room projector29 July 2024, 10:37 Message:Hi Jay,Thanks so much for your clear request! I hear you, that projector is giving trouble big time, and I'm on the case of getting it fixed. I thank you for your patience, in advance - Kelly, James, Linda, and Jude are all out sick today, so we're a bit tight staffed in IT today. Not to worry though, I'll get to it as soon as I can!Thanks,MaxFrom: Jay Col...

10 likes 12 comments 12
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The 'Postcard' Murders

Submitted to Contest #261

27/07/24 Dear Michael, I must say thank you for handling the murder. It was rather a difficult situation, with the information that Tina had on me. I’m sending this postcard to you to double check that you have done everything strictly to the instructions that I gave you.1. Have you made sure that the bullet has been cleaned of fingerprints? The casing as well?2. Have you made sure that the suicide note is written by the typewriter in Tina’s office? If this has not been done yet, please ensure to call ahead to warn of a bomb threat to the lo...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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Secrets In Ink

Submitted to Contest #261

A card adorned with flowers and a golden wax seal:“Dearest Licht,“Thank you very much for the flowers! They are lovely, and smell so sweet. How did you know hydrangeas were my favorite? I don’t recall ever telling you. Of course, I do tell you a lot of things, so I suppose it would not be odd if it slipped my mind! I do not have much time right now, and I do apologize for not having the time to take you into town and show you around. The palace has kept me as busy as a bee! I do have next Saturday off, so how about we go then? I’ll meet you ...

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Snail Mail Sets Sail

Submitted to Contest #261

The door to 3500 Business Drive Suite E chimed as the mail carrier came striding in, sweating from the record-breaking summer heat and humming “Woke Up This Morning” by A3.  “Hot one today, Mary,” he said, setting a small stack of mail on the office manager’s desk.  “Would you like a bottle of water?” Mary asked.  He sighed, getting temporary relief from his fatigue and weariness. “You’re a lifesaver.”  She reached into the mini fridge under her desk and pulled out a frosted plastic water bottle then she reached into her ...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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