Write a story inspired by the phrase “Back to square one.”

Posted in Narrative on Apr 14, 2023

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✍️ 81 stories

“Click” by Katie Rickey

Submitted to Contest #194

The sound of glass breaking, a car backfiring, the whisper of a seatbelt clicking into place... There really was no way to tell what would set her off. In this case it was her professor slamming his hands on the desk in front of her. It was done to make a point, she was sure, dramatize his lecture, and excite students. But for Ashley it was like a gun had gone off, she leapt back, tripping over her chair. Too close. "I see you." Someone yelped, and Ashley wasn't sure if it was her or not. She scrambled backwards, barely registering the...

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“Veronica” by •Bubble _ Tea •

Submitted to Contest #194

Veronica Man wearing a Space-X tee shirt covers his brow to see better through the backlit window. He lowers his hand satisfied and enters the foyer just off the Centre Street sidewalk. May I ask a question? He settled on the redhead with a natural wave sculpted to her face. Name tag Rosie. Rosie, who cuts your hair? One of these ladies? Melanie. She’s in the back. Latina holding court by the basins piped… Mel! When’s your first appointment? Half hour. Who’s asking? Gentleman is ask...

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“Mom’s Gone—Back to Square One ” by Rita Kimak

Submitted to Contest #194

The informal definition of “back to square one” is: “back to where one started, with no progress having been made.” Some say that it originated from the many board games from the 19th and 20th centuries with numbered squares where a certain square may carry a penalty of moving your piece back to the beginning; back to square one. At this very moment in my life just 28 days since by dear mom died, I can think of no better example of this than when dealing with our&nb...

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“Peaceful Shrieks and Shrills” by Cienna Johnson

Submitted to Contest #194

Band class.Shoving the mouthpiece onto my trumpet’s body, I listen to the sounds around me. The choir of woodwinds, their melodies blurring together till they sound like one. The tuba blaring lowly in the back row. The trombone joining him for fun, both of them bubbling with laughter when one misses a partial or hits a wrong note. The french horn, his own melody so soft and unique, the alto sax thundering above everyone else. A rain hanging in the air, the loud kind of power. Followed by a downpour. The percussion section, bringing everythin...

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“Back to Square One” by Al Newton

Submitted to Contest #194

“Back at Square One” by Al Newton The spacecraft shot out of the launcher with incredible force, hurtling past the majestic planet rings and towards coordinate 739a. My grip on the armrest tightened as I dug my fingers into the soft fabric, trying to keep myself steady. As I gazed out the window, my vision began to warp and blur. The last clear image I had was her standing in the observatory window of the space station, waving goodbye. Though she wore a brave smile, it was clear that her heart was heavy with the weight of our impending s...

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“Restart” by Noelle Tofigh

Submitted to Contest #194

“Zap! Crash!” Dead again. Theo Fenton died. Not actual Theo, but his avatar, StarWarzPizzaKid4658. Theo tapped buttons on his controller until StarWarzPizzaKid4658 was back up and running. “Theo, could you turn that down, please?” Theo didn’t hear his father, standing ten feet away in the kitchen of their apartment. To be fair, Theo didn’t hear much of anything when he was playing. He was in the game when it was on. “Theo!” StarWarzPizzaKid4658 was on a roll. He’d never made it this far. Stars were flashing as he collect...

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“Detective Sutton Returns to Square One” by Anna Driscoll

Submitted to Contest #194

“Winston and I were back at square one.” The detective paused significantly, looking each member of the group in the eyes before continuing. “Or so I thought. As Winston brought to my attention , the last piece of the puzzle had been staring me in the face all along.” Adam glanced at his watch. Detective Sutton had been monologuing for nearly forty minutes and he finally seemed close to the end of his story. He was recounting seemingly every thought he’d had regarding the murder since his arrival, and he hadn’t even hinted at who his p...

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“The Assignment” by Andrea Ben-Yosef

Submitted to Contest #194

The Assignment Emma sat at the lab table staring through the microscope. The universe was beautiful but still wasn’t quite right. She kept turning it around, looking at the shifting patterns inside. She had been working on this universe since she had started at university and she hated to throw it out and start over. She had a meeting with her advisor the next evening to discuss the matter. Emma sometimes still had a hard time believing that she was really here, studying at the top universology program. Emma was not the usual stude...

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“The Gambler's Creed” by Larry Parks

Submitted to Contest #194

I got up from the poker table and was busted again. I have lived in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas for the past ten years. I moved here at age 25, and everybody who knew me said it was a bad idea. Ever since I was a teenager, I gambled on everything. Growing up on the rough streets of Chicago, everything was about survival—anyone who wanted to play cards or shoot dice sought out me, Stanley Pickens. Growing up, I was not a bad child; the worst thing that happened to me was when my mother came to my school, and my teachers would tell her. "S...

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“Digging for Sandcrabs” by Clementine Herold

Submitted to Contest #194

When I was younger, I used to go to the beach and look for the little sandcrabs after the tide washed up– Stuck my hands down as they crowded up into my palms, tickling my fingers– Toddling over the edges and through the cracks of my cupped hands, they’d crawl out as I watched them fall. One by one by one by one. While I was doing this, the others were building sand castles and jumping over waves. I liked the sandcrabs. Years later, I had the opportunity to dig again. For bio class, we picked our favorite animal and presented it. I de...

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“One last eulogy ” by Amy May

Submitted to Contest #194

Trigger warning: Contains contexts of suicide, physical violence, death, and substance abuse 1999 "Hey, back to square one!!!" I whinged, as I threw a board game piece at Harry's eight year old face. We were conversed in a rainy day game of snakes and ladders, yet the only snake i was focused on was my cheating little brother.Monopoly was a much easier game for him to pull the wool over my eyes, he would always demand to be the banker and as i was busy arranging the property cards as the ever important real estate agent, he would wait until ...

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“Lies” by Elena Moore

Submitted to Contest #194

Lies (There is nothing wrong). When Mr. Divel announced there was going to be a test, the entire school erupted in berserk and frantic studying. These tests were to come in brief amounts of time, and were exceedingly difficult and punishing. With Mr. Divel, it was that, and just that. Nothing more, nothing less. Mark on the other hand, had never studied for a single test, and had got by like that for quite some time. He would stare at the snow falling outside, hoping for a snow day as it was that time of year. But since Mark had just switc...

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“Beyond Words” by Abigail Selinger

Submitted to Contest #194

Arthur sat in his study, his eyes fixed on the blinking cursor on the page in front of him. His fingers hovered over the keyboard but his mind was blank. He ran a hand over his tired face and leaned back in his chair, wincing at the loud squeal it made. Looking around his cluttered office, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Scraps of paper, pens, and empty coffee mugs were scattered haphazardly as if a bomb had gone off. The only semblance of order was the shelf of books neatly arranged alphabetically against the wall to his right.His ga...

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“Things We Need To Hear” by Ashley Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #194

Dearest Angel, Hey Baby, your mom told me what happened last week. I know you are hurting right now, I just want you to know that I love you and I am always here when you are ready to talk. First, I cannot believe your job would be so stupid as to let you go for no good reason. You are excellent at what you do, you have plenty of proof of that fact. Your clients love you. Your projects are pristine. For God’s sakes, your work is on their company webpage! You did not deserve for this to happen. They must be the biggest idiots born thi...

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“The Square Room” by Latoya Edwards

Submitted to Contest #194

THE SQUARE ROOM Nia Cantu was a beautiful vibrant teenager with talent and ambition. She was an honor student, played on the volleyball team, played the trumpet in the marching band, ran track, and was on the dance squad. She even was popular at her high school amongst all the other students. But that was just her life outside of her home. Home life for Nia was even better. Her parents were loving and supported her in all her endeavors. They had c...

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Write a story inspired by the phrase “Back to square one.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 81 stories

“Click” by Katie Rickey

“Veronica” by •Bubble _ Tea •

“Mom’s Gone—Back to Square One ” by Rita Kimak

“Peaceful Shrieks and Shrills” by Cienna Johnson

“Back to Square One” by Al Newton

“Restart” by Noelle Tofigh

“Detective Sutton Returns to Square One” by Anna Driscoll

“The Assignment” by Andrea Ben-Yosef

“The Gambler's Creed” by Larry Parks

“Digging for Sandcrabs” by Clementine Herold

“One last eulogy ” by Amy May

“Lies” by Elena Moore

“Beyond Words” by Abigail Selinger

“Things We Need To Hear” by Ashley Elizabeth

“The Square Room” by Latoya Edwards

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story inspired by the phrase “It’s hardly brain surgery.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “I’ll eat my hat.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “The short end of the stick.”

Write a story inspired by the phrase “The plot thickens.”

Contest #194

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

213

Contest entries

118

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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