Write about somebody breaking a cycle.

Posted in Narrative on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 42 stories

“Horrors of the Wal Mart Zombie Clearance Aisle” by Matthew Eubanks

Submitted to Contest #151

For years I had the suspicion that Wal-Mart shoppers were not human. On the horrible day I discovered the truth, it was because I needed Tide desperately. Tide is only sold at Wal-Mart in Southeastern Alabama. I was willing to bear the unbearable. Little did I know where this one small change would lead me. For the record, I am loyal to Costco. Stepping over discarded cans and trash and climbing over a dirty...

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“She's gone” by Glenn Holt

Submitted to Contest #151

They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting something to change. Truth be told Anthony always hated that saying because it made him feel broken. He wanted to quit feeling the way he did but it seemed too soon. Ever since his wife died a year ago, getting up seemed purposeless. It felt as if a giant weight pressed against his heart everyday and every night. He moved slowly and deliberately as if two bricks were on his feet and dumbbell weights were around his wrists. He could only move whe...

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“"The P Word"” by Robin Gadsden

Submitted to Contest #151

"Please, don't do it!" P said."You're right," I said. "I don't feel like it!"It stared at my notepad then I glimpsed at my MacBook Pro. I wanted to write. I have so many ideas. I look at my lamp. But P is there looking at me."Of course, you cannot do it," he said, his long, dark curly hair exacerbated my problem. He's gorgeous! He's a combination of every handsome, dark-haired actor past and present: Valentino, Power, Clooney.He laid there on my bed, his white shirt opened down to his navel, a sort of Fabio lite with his tight trousers and k...

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“Wild Renewal ” by Valerie Vince

Submitted to Contest #151

She knows I don’t want to die alone so she will come and that’s the long and short of it. Maura thinks about Jane before she's fully awake. She pulls on the baggy jeans strewn across the chair next to the bureau, laces her arms into a blue flannel shirt and heads to the kitchen to make tea. The sun’s just up. She peers out the window into the yard to see if Betta and Troop, her mama goat and kid, are stirring. Maura doesn’t need to be thinking about dying, because she’s perfectly healthy. In her early sixties, she lives a simple outdoorsy ...

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“The Purging Pond” by Karen Leidy

Submitted to Contest #151

The Purging Pond: An Aquatic Odyssey I was profusely sweating. Severely dehydrated. Wholly depleted of energy. Hiking for over an hour in the southwestern desert at midday in August will do that. No, I am not a masochist. I do not enjoy pain and suffering. Just the opposite: I am a dyed-in-the-wool hedonist. So what was I doing in such a hellish place? many of you are wondering. Believe me, upon my awakening this morning, I didn’t plop my feet on the floor and yawn and stretch and say, “I think I’ll traipse through the desert today until I...

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“The Medic” by Douglas J. Veverka

Submitted to Contest #151

She dreamt of this day since she wore pigtails and jelly shoes on her way to elementary school. The rolling fields of soybean, wheat, and corn passed by outside the yellow bus, as she tucked into the brown seat, leafing through a tattered book titled The Ocean. Turning the pages slowly, her eyes glued to the photos and words inside, she arrived at her favorite page with quiet excitement. Her delicate finger traced the shape of a large fin emerging from the water. She lifted her head from the image and stared out the window,...

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“A Song For Someone” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #151

A Song For SomeoneGinny awoke with The Voice strong in her head.It had broken into her imagination and freely taken whatever It wanted. She was fine with this, for after all, she’d given this Force full permission to do so.She began her day with a prayer. Having woken knowing that a new day had begun, her brain began to percolate.It told her of all the things she had to do, all the tasks done, those left behind, those that still needed to be done.This devious organ went to the many ways it could distract her…both naughty and nice....

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“She Rather Likes it in Hell” by Dawn Locklear

Submitted to Contest #151

She Rather Likes it in Hell Madison is a scared, wimpy, grown woman that lives with a beautiful, enlightened little girl in her body. Being middle-aged, Madison is damned happy to be unhappy. She rather likes it in hell because it’s easier than being happy. Complaining about everything, everyone and especially not being young anymore. Oh sure, she tried to make a good show of developing joy, actually faking it so The Little Girl could be happy. But truly, living in the chaos of complaints and processing mixed-m...

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“The Old, Evil Songs” by Julia Kinderknecht

Submitted to Contest #151

Die alten bösen Lieder… Drew couldn’t shake the growling, painful slog of Robert Schumman’s song out of his head. Maybe that was a gift; he needed to learn it for his recital, after all. Though he would sing it in German, the English translation he had studied always seemed to float beside the song like a faint shadow. The old, evil songs, the wicked, depraved dreams, let us bury them now; fetch a large coffin. Drew had always been an emotionally delicate person, though he tried to conceal it with what he hoped was a reasonable dose of...

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“Circles” by Mary Agwu

Submitted to Contest #151

They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Does that make me insane? To look at me nobody wouldn’t jump to that conclusion. I’m a normal guy name Jake who grew up in a middle class family in Middle America. I had a very typical childhood catching frogs by the creek and playing peewee football. I was even voted “Best Hair” in my high school yearbook and now I have a standard career as a financial adviser. But I surprisingly have been caught up in the same pattern for the past two years....

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“The Nest Egg” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #151

Doris shouted a perfunctory goodbye as as Jim departed for the golf club that evening. She volunteered at an organization which supported victims of domestic violence and had spent the afternoon at the thrift shop, assigned to unpack and sort donations with a bouncy young lady of her daughter’s age. She was ready to sit down and relax.“Hi, I’m Lily,” the new volunteer had said, proffering her hand. “Nice to meet you. Just tell me what to do and I’ll have at it.”Doris had smiled, enjoying Lily’s self-confidence. It was a stark contrast to her...

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“Shoot Second” by Shawn Kirkpatrick

Submitted to Contest #151

Shoot Second They sat in four very evenly spaced rows consisting of five two person tables in a high school chemistry room like setting. The one exception was that the thick tabletops were white. All computer tablets were to be turned off by 7:30 PM sharp, when Captain Harris would address the group with their beginning shift briefing. This was a carefully selected group set to run main patrols overnights from Wednesday through Saturday over the next ten-week shift cycle while most of the district 28 Police Department...

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Write about somebody breaking a cycle.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 42 stories

“Horrors of the Wal Mart Zombie Clearance Aisle” by Matthew Eubanks

“She's gone” by Glenn Holt

“"The P Word"” by Robin Gadsden

“Wild Renewal ” by Valerie Vince

“The Purging Pond” by Karen Leidy

“The Medic” by Douglas J. Veverka

“A Song For Someone” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

“She Rather Likes it in Hell” by Dawn Locklear

“The Old, Evil Songs” by Julia Kinderknecht

“Circles” by Mary Agwu

“The Nest Egg” by Bettina Karpathian

“Shoot Second” by Shawn Kirkpatrick

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who wakes up in their past life, or as a future reincarnation of themself.

Write about a character who keeps ending up in the same place.

Repeat the same line of dialogue, from the same character, three separate times.

Write about a character who’s expected to follow in someone’s footsteps.

Contest #151

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

233

Contest entries

110

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: