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

“Eleanor” by Cameron Addams

Submitted to Contest #260

It was January when Bridgette passed. We knew the time was coming, the cancer had come back with a vengeance, but the hole in my heart has yet to heal. She was my everything. We met in middle school, became high school sweethearts, and got married right out of college. We struggled with infertility so we never had kids, but our lives were full. The night before she passed, she asked me to help her put her wedding gown on one last time. She was already pretty thin when we got married, but now the dress hung off her body, like a little girl pl...

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“Dolion” by Penny Pepper

Submitted to Contest #260

Amalie was outside waiting for the bus, muddled, when she pulled the arm of her so called ‘friend’, and he turned around.“Okay Dolion. What’s been going on?”“Nothing. Look, I got to get home, I’ll see you later.” And just like that he was off in the crowd of teenagers waiting to get home.That week he and Amalie were supposed to work on some school project that Dolion had even seemed excited for, but then the Tuesday after they got the project he started to avoid her and now it was due that Monday coming up.And how much had they worked on it?...

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“On An Upswing” by Caelie Domzalski

Submitted to Contest #260

Emma remembered reading the headlines: “Housing Crisis Solved, Roofs for All” “The World Hungers No Longer: Global Food Distribution Achieved” “Diplomacy and Disarmament Leave World Peace in Their Wake” “Climate Change Slowing, Heading for Reversal, After Unprecedented Global Summit”After a lifetime of “once in a generation” events, between wars and pandemics and extreme weather phenomenon, record unemployment and record homelessness and record corporate profits with record cost of living increases and record gaps between the wealthy and the...

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“An Alaskan Vacation” by Frank McCoy

Submitted to Contest #260

An Alaskan Vacation It was day 48 of the continuous Alaskan Summer Sun and Eric was still lost. His shelter for almost the last 2 months was nothing more than the torn fuselage of his bush plane that had crashed after an engine failure. The remains of his wife and only passenger lay a mere 10 feet from the wreckage, in a shallow grave.They had been flying along the North Slope of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska as part of a wilderness getaway that Eric and his wife had done every summer for the last 3 years. He had just turned back to he...

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“Home on the Mountain” by Delsin Jagr

Submitted to Contest #260

The dawning, yawning morning meekly beckoned as its first rays wiggled through the white sheer curtains, landing gently upon the closed eyes of the bed’s lone occupant. A middle-aged man. His hair more gray than brown, but still possessing the smiley optimism of a man still firmly in his prime. As his eyelids slowly opened, James became aware of the empty spot in the bed next to him. And of the sound of running water. Of a shower behind the closed bathroom door. James smiled to himself as he eased quietly out of bed. On tiptoes, ...

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“Corruption in the Creek” by Amanda Sloan

Submitted to Contest #260

Twinkle lights illuminate the bridge leading to the event center decorated with balloons and streamers. It was Prom, and I had spent the entire afternoon helping my students transform the drab event center into a "Night Among the Stars." Looking at how everything came together, I was filled with a sense of pride. Our school was an online high school, so this event was extremely important as it was 1 of 4 times we held in-person events. With our limited resources and manpower, we still managed to turn the plain cinderblock building into a dre...

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“Ignite” by Alyssa Mamuszka

Submitted to Contest #260

I woke up and the world was on fire. Orange light and incomprehensible sound roared in my ears on the other side of the tent fabric. My camping partners were already up and yelling, shadows flitting across my vision in a frenzy of movement. The tent flap zipped open and Patrick’s head appeared, framed by a world unbeknownst to me - trees ablaze and sparks flying, smoke and heat like a wall of death blasted me in the face. He grabbed my sleeping bag and tried to get me unzipped, frantically screaming something that I couldn’t hear...

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“Fretting Under Flagrancy ” by A. R. Kuhn

Submitted to Contest #260

Suddenly, upon finally waking to my surroundings, I was a serial murderer. I could only tell this by two things—of course, it’s not detrimentally obvious at first; it took a few moments, a few breaths, a few blinks, and then I noticed the incessant dripping sound. Vexing me. Drowning me. Calling me. The space I’m in, wherever it was, was dim and cramped and horrible. I blink, blinded with static-y swarms, and identify the dripping; it sprouted, red and copper, from the length of my arms and pooled around my fingertips before drooping i...

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“To Wake Beyond the Trees” by T.A. Burt

Submitted to Contest #260

Nothing could keep me from my bed that night. Not the hunger pains in my stomach, nor the sweat that soaked my clothes, reeking like a bad day. I needed to sleep more than anything else, even if dinner and a shower would, without doubt, make it more restful. I couldn’t say the reasons why I was so hungry or sweat-drenched or sleep-deprived. To tell the truth, I don’t really remember why I was in such a state. There are flashes of memory—glimpses surrounded by a pervasive fog—but nothing substantial, nothing with which to draw any conclusions...

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“Through the Willows” by Cassie Varney

Submitted to Contest #260

Naella hurried to finish her chores. She had only just begun watering the garden when she heard her name being called. She looked around and spotted nobody. What? She thought to herself. Is it my imagination?“NAELLA!” The call sounded urgent, but still, she could not find the source. She began pacing the garden, hearing her name every so often.As she reached the tiny spring in the back of her yard, the call seemed louder. She ducked under her willows to her hidden reading spot. It was her most treasured secret, now she was worried someone el...

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“The Dirt and the Man and the Dream” by Ben Smith

Submitted to Contest #260

It was all a dream. Lane’s eyes shot open and saw darkness. His mind teetered between wakefulness and sleep, still trying to separate his thoughts from his senses. A cold, damp breeze chilled his body. Insects chattered off in the distance. It was all a dream. The realization sprouted in his stomach and spread through his chest like an itch below the skin. All of it was gone. Or, rather, had never been. The family. The love. Safety. Security. Warm meals. Football games on TV. He had created it all, a poorly-drawn picture he fell face-first i...

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“Roadkill” by James Wogan

Submitted to Contest #260

You couldn’t have asked for a better day at the practice diamond. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was comfortingly warm. It was one of those days where the heat from the sun and the cool breeze of the wind came together in perfect harmony. Springtime in Texas—there’s nothing quite like it. Mike held up his glove in front of his face. There was a loud, crisp ‘pop!’ as the baseball caught the webbing of his glove. “Dang, dude, are you trying to take my eye out or what?”&...

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“Cafe con Leche” by Cristina Ochoa

Submitted to Contest #260

Café con leche, yo quiero pasar Por un parquecito en la capitalYo quiero beber, yo quiero comprar— —me un cafecito en la capital “Again, Mommy, again!” Bebe clapped her hands. “Again! Again!”“Ok baby, but first, you have to tell me something.”Bebe looked up at her mother and nodded. “What is it, Mommy?”“You have to tell me what your most favorite thing in the whole wide world is.”Bebe look...

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“It's now, or this tomorrow” by Eva-Ma Eh

Submitted to Contest #260

Life has changed tremendously after “the incident”. Don't I miss going out to a restaurant or ordering in. Or just some coffee and oatmeal! Abby thought as she picked up her colorful breakfast pills and put them on her silver plate. Plates weren't used anymore since there was no food one could put elegantly on a plate to serve to anyone. Nevertheless, Abby still used her last plate and sat down at a table, even for two minutes, because it structured her day and reminded her of better days. She looked at the pills with disgust and sighed. It ...

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“Life Could Be a Dream” by Kat Rosania

Submitted to Contest #260

"Sweetie, it’s time to get up!” My mother calls. I roll over lazily, covering my head with the duvet. The sun cuts sharp and bright through the blinds. The inviting smell of coffee and bacon wafts from the kitchen. It’s Saturday and I cannot imagine why I need to wake up, but I obey, squinting in the light, and pad down the hall. My mother is scrubbing eggs off a pan in the sink, already cleaning before breakfast has been touched. No one is looking, no one asks her to do this, but she always wants things to be perfect. She doesn’t want...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 105 stories

“Eleanor” by Cameron Addams

“Dolion” by Penny Pepper

“On An Upswing” by Caelie Domzalski

“An Alaskan Vacation” by Frank McCoy

“Home on the Mountain” by Delsin Jagr

“Corruption in the Creek” by Amanda Sloan

“Ignite” by Alyssa Mamuszka

“Fretting Under Flagrancy ” by A. R. Kuhn

“To Wake Beyond the Trees” by T.A. Burt

“Through the Willows” by Cassie Varney

“The Dirt and the Man and the Dream” by Ben Smith

“Roadkill” by James Wogan

“Cafe con Leche” by Cristina Ochoa

“It's now, or this tomorrow” by Eva-Ma Eh

“Life Could Be a Dream” by Kat Rosania

🌟 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: