Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Posted in Narrative on Jul 19, 2024

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✍️ 105 stories

“Psych 101” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #260

Amelia started her familiar routine that occurred with every breakup. She opened up a pint of ice cream-this time it happened to be Chunky Monkey. She considered a bowl but thought,”Why bother?” Amelia inserted a spoon into its creamy surface and headed towards the bedroom with the full container. She turned on her favorite mindless home improvement show that provided background noise as she went over the details of the restaurant showdown. Y...

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“A dip in the moonlight” by Shauna Waddups

Submitted to Contest #260

The rope was beginning to tear into his flesh, having all but worn away at the tender skin of his wrists, his ankles. He always knew he'd get got one day, but this? Bound to an armchair in a soon-to-be-flooded sewer? No. This was not the way he'd planned to go. Not that he'd actually planned his demise per se, but had he, there would be decidedly fewer faeces and rats.Blinking away the blood and sweat that had trickled into his eyes, he tried to focus on the area around him, his vision still blurry from the pistol-whipping he'd received only...

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“Sweet Caroline” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #260

When the alarm goes off at 6am and I turn over to look at Gilbert, he is already awake and staring at me with a big smile on his face.“You ready?” he asks.“How long have you been awake?” I counter.“Since 4,” he responds casually.“Since 4? Are you going to be ok to drive?” I ask.“Are you kidding? I’m so ready. Let’s get some coffee and get this show on the road,” he says gleefully, practically jumping out of bed.I stay curled up like a fetus, watching him bounce to the dresser, opening up drawers and singing We Like to Party.“And everybody’s ...

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“I don't remember” by Irving Soto

Submitted to Contest #260

-Ladies and gentlemen. -Announced the handsome host from his plush chair-. Hold on to your seat as tightly as you can because today we have a very special guest. Please welcome the six-time winner of the noble prize for literature. Give me a magnificent round of applause for Mr. Luis Ramirez! -The roar of the crowd shook the studio walls- Tell me, Mr. Ramirez, do you know why you are here today? -Sure. You don’t have to ask me. We’re here for me to tell you about how I wrote my masterpiece! The story that catapulted me to fame and that no o...

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“Familiar” by Patrick Perkins

Submitted to Contest #260

“Familiar” Julien sat in his back yard. The book seemed magnetized, as he brought it to his stomach, it pushed away as if there were two magnets with opposing polarities. He thought it was weird. He felt the push against his stomach as he kept lowering the book. He wasn’t sure why this was happening, was there a magnet in the book? Was the magnet in his stomach? Then he thought “There must be two magnets. One is in my st...

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“Almost There” by Cheyenne Burgess

Submitted to Contest #260

Macy rested her chin on her left hand as her left forearm was perched in the sill of the fully open passenger's side window. Loose strands of fire red hair whipped around her face as she hung her head out in the passing wind. She held her right arm out into the balmy air, letting it flow swiftly in between her fingers as they sped down the open highway. She let out a sigh of content as she closed her eyes and allowed the bright white of a blinding Florida sun to diminish the blackness that lingers behind shut eyelids. She always loved suns...

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“The Shooter” by Katharine Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #260

The electricity was thick in the humid air. Another severe storm warning was in effect—the third in less than two months. Who would have known it was supposed to be summer and the sun was supposed to be out? The wind and rain were getting old fast, but something about this storm seemed a little different, and this time, it caught my attention. The forecasters called it the big one and made wild predictions about power outages, extreme flooding, and hurricane-force winds. I rolled my eyes at the little white letter...

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“A Dance with Desire” by Rose D

Submitted to Contest #260

From the moment I first saw him, I knew he was different. The role of a succubus is to visit men and women in their dreams and give them all that they need to feel entirely satisfied before sucking their life force out of their throat. Before him, I thought all that was needed to fully satisfy a human was indulging in a night of animalistic, soul-breaking sex. But something about this one was different. His eyes never loitered down to my d-cups. His hairs didn’t stand on end when I whispered sweet nothings in his ear. His words didn’t begin ...

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“Divinton's retribution” by Pres T

Submitted to Contest #260

The sunset clouds are not just reserved for dusk time. The skies are bathed in a deep yellow hue, that disproportanetly skews the landscape into a hellscape like no other. Coughing and wheezing of the old and new can be heard within earshot. No physician can truly know the long-term repercussions of living in this environment. By the time a body meets the coroner, they select one cause of death to list on the certificate anyway. This is Divinton, a city that once had many of the positive superlatives you can find in the dictionary. But...

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“A Fantastic Dream” by W.T. Partin

Submitted to Contest #260

The A/C hummed softly above me as I leaned back into my office chair. My pocket vibrated once again, likely another text from Janet. I didn’t dare to pull my phone out. Darren had already written me up once this week for phone usage, and I wouldn’t be caught out again. Hopefully it wasn’t something urgent, or something to do with the kids. I felt like Janet would be calling if something truly terrible had happened. She was probably just sending me the grocery list for tonight’s pickup. Janet was finally going to make her famous Southtoast Ch...

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“Don't Wake Up” by Shellie Kinard

Submitted to Contest #260

Sonia woke with a start, heart racing, bed sheets damp with sweat and clinging to her skin. Her body was frozen in a state of sleep paralysis, but she was able to wriggle her fingers. Little by little, she worked feeling back into her limbs until she could roll onto her side. The harsh red light from the alarm clock on her nightstand temporarily blinded her, and she blinked to clear her vision. 3:47 a.m. Another restless night. She rolled back over with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. This time, the nightmare had started in the ...

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“I Stand Amid the Roar” by Holly Wild

Submitted to Contest #260

First, I was electric. The motorcycle roars beneath me, a living, breathing force that thrums through my entire body. It’s as if I’m not just riding but merging with its raw mechanical energy. Trees blur past in a fiery cascade of reds, oranges, and yellows. The wind fights against me, my helmet shielding my face, while my black curls whip around in the breeze. This is the peak of exhilaration, I think, grinning wildly. If only I could bottle this euphoria and share it with the world. Maybe I’d give the first few bottles away for free, just ...

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“The Water” by Brandy Perry

Submitted to Contest #260

As I sit here at the kitchen table allowing the sun that has crept in through the window to warmly embrace my skin while offering the security for which I yearn, I cannot shake the urge to want to reveal what has been on my mind since last night. What I experienced was nothing like what I had ever experienced before. I am confused as to whether the bizarre adventure was scary enough to be a nightmare or just an unsettling occurrence beyond reality. Would anyone even believe something so weird came from my mind? I questioned myself. Th...

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“Dream Twist” by Bill Cusano

Submitted to Contest #260

It's one thing when your main character stops listening to you. Every author experiences that moment when their creation transforms from a marionette to a real boy, and now you are stuck feeding him, teaching him how to wipe himself, and putting money aside for college. But no one ever told me the upstart would invade my dreams and visit other characters while I sleep. Tell me that has happened to you, and I will stop taking NyQuil PM and just try to enjoy it.I will admit I was grateful the first time he came up with a plot or...

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“According to him” by Yvette Okeke

Submitted to Contest #260

“Woooh that’s my song right there”! I scream as Orianthi’s “according to him” blasts over the car cd player. It’s been about half an hour since I left Sam at the Paragon Hotel just outside of Orange County and I can still smell the scent of him all over me. “According to him I’m funny irresistible everything he ever wanted...” I sing along feeling euphoric as the wind blows through my goddess braids, thanks to the open top vintage Mercedes sports convertible I drive down this familiar route to Queens New York pretty often. Is it even ironic ...

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Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 105 stories

“Psych 101” by Vesta Bartholomew

“A dip in the moonlight” by Shauna Waddups

“Sweet Caroline” by Sophie Goldstein

“I don't remember” by Irving Soto

“Familiar” by Patrick Perkins

“Almost There” by Cheyenne Burgess

“The Shooter” by Katharine Schmidt

“A Dance with Desire” by Rose D

“Divinton's retribution” by Pres T

“A Fantastic Dream” by W.T. Partin

“Don't Wake Up” by Shellie Kinard

“I Stand Amid the Roar” by Holly Wild

“The Water” by Brandy Perry

“Dream Twist” by Bill Cusano

“According to him” by Yvette Okeke

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story with a big twist.

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Contest #260

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

429

Contest entries

131

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: