"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't.

Posted in Nonfiction on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 218 stories

“The Day between Winter and Spring” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #47

Author’s Note I realised on a re-read that the second person authorial perspective had shifted. I thought about editing this out but then wondered if the characters and story were telling me this was the right way to tell it. Please let me know if you think this works or is just confusing – it’s fine to be honest about it!!! Just say it, or you’ll regret it. Just say it. Take a deep breath or gasp it on a shallow one. God knows you’ve rehearsed it enough. But talking to yourself, or to...

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“What If...?” by Artemis Nightingale

Submitted to Contest #47

Your heart clenched as he stares at you, with those warm brown eyes of his that are usually busy glaring at you in contempt. That is when, for the very first time in your life, your mouth doesn’t run off like it normally does. At that very moment, you knew you needed to let it all out. He had to know the truth. Yet your lips still stayed shut and all that remained before you two was a sad sort of silence. Your other classmates didn't seem to notice the two of you. They themselves too busy with their tearful goodbyes and their fervent promise...

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“Point ov You” by Hope Wells

Submitted to Contest #47

Stories from the streets27th March 2016I’ll never forget the first day you met me. Yesterday I went into Margate and opposite McDonalds there you were, in a sleeping bag. I felt compelled to stop. You spoke to me. You told me you had lost your son through a brain tumour. I then told you God had lost His son too and understood your pain. You listened to me telling you about New Life Church and how you could find help there. When I walked back up the street, you waved and said “I’ll see you tomorrow”. So I will be at New Life tomorrow.Of cours...

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“Graduation Goodbyes” by United Fandom

Submitted to Contest #47

Graduation day. It was the day you had both looked forward to, and dreaded, all year long. Twelve long years of school had been leading up to this moment. It had been raining all week, but mother nature had smiled upon this day. The sky was clear and blue, the sun was shining brightly, and it honestly looked like the most perfect day for an outside graduation ceremony. The school had decided to host the ceremony on the football field this year, which was just fine for you. You adored being outside more than anything else, as one could tell j...

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“Hesitation Cut” by Kerry Hutchings

Submitted to Contest #47

"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't. As she, with apprehension, stared in the eyes of her father, who until today had been an absentee parent in her life. She had not seen him in over 10 years. This all stemming from a beyond irrational disagreement between the two. A massive misunderstanding on his part. Did that really deserve a decade of silence from the man? The little voice in her head grew louder and more impatient. Almost demanding, bullying. “DO...

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“Your Existence ” by Rashmeet Kaur

Submitted to Contest #47

You are about to get fucked! After all these years of mental torture and societal burden, you have finally come to this decision to prove everyone’s perception wrong, no, you are not a lesbian or a transgender, you are straight, completely straight, you are just a bit weird, but that’s okay, because you are ready to have sex with a straight guy at last.You have been dating Sam for three months now and it’s the first time you have actually fall in love with someone , you know it’s pure and blooming with each passing day, and now you are ready...

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“Here With Hope” by Marisol Flesher

Submitted to Contest #47

Again. He’s doing it again. You watch from a hidden corner as he slides the blade across his scarred flesh. The gaping cuts were terrifying, angry red lines decorating his arms and thighs. How you wished to jump out from the cupboard and stop him every time this happened. Each bloody cut scarred your heart a little more. While you felt like crying you don’t have the right when he never did. Cold blue eyes staring at the stinging wounds like they weren’t carved into his own flesh but someone else’s. Others may not see but y...

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“We Are Exercising an Abundance of Caution” by Matt Strempel

Submitted to Contest #47

Phone in hand, you walk through the peak-hour pedestrian throng, reading the confession you spent the morning typing and retyping. You’ve stopped yourself sending it three times so far–once at the last second for using the wrong ‘past’, and the other two times because you’re petrified of the repercussions. Dams breaking, avalanches, an atomic bomb whistling as it plummets to earth—these are the scenes playing before your addled brain.You have no appetite but have ingested three strong coffees. The effect is one of agitation built on a gelati...

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“Becoming Unmentionable” by Rhonda Everett

Submitted to Contest #47

"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't. He turned to walk away. You could feel the energy deplete from your body slowly as his hand slipped away. You had never met him before as far as you knew, but his touch was so magical and electrifying, and yet it was as if you had felt it before this moment. He was tall, dark and mysterious and gave you an immense feeling of danger and excitement all balled up into one. The moment was so perfect like you had once experienced it in a far away dream. From o...

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“Ready, Set. Not Ready Yet” by Kyla Jernigan

Submitted to Contest #47

Tonight: You know this is your chance. You can’t back out now. You want it over with. Your heart can’t take much more of it. Neither can your brain. You have to say it. You have to do it. But can you? Can you really face what has plagued you for more than five years? You stare at him and wonder. Are you ready? Are you finally ready? You weren’t ready before, but are you now? Three days before: You knew he’d be here. Your friends had mentioned him being here. You aren’t sure if that’s why you wanted to come or not. You don’t want it t...

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“First Love ” by Sierra Butler

Submitted to Contest #47

"Jackson, wait!!" you call out.He turns to face you, an agitated look on his face. "What is it?""I...." You look down to your old, dirty converse. “Just say it,” you remind yourself. You know you'll regret it if you don't.“That's what I thought,” Jackson says. “You're just wasting my time.” He turns and walks away, leaving you there alone. You look up, just as he rounds the corner.“Why can't I just say it? It's only three simple words.”You sit in your bedroom, gazing out the window. You are lost in thought. You pay no attention to the cars p...

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“Forever” by M. Kayla

Submitted to Contest #47

You saw him from afar.White shirt. Sweatpants. Messy hair. His phone in his right hand. His left hand in his pocket.No wonder you loved him. He is the definition of perfect in your eyes.He took his eyes off his phone and noticed you. He slipped in his phone into his right pocket and jogged towards you.He took a seat beside you. You inched away from him.Too close, you thought.You were fidgeting. Not knowing how to start off the conversation.You took a deep breath."It's now or never," you mumbled.He heard it. You knew it from the way his ears ...

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“Can You See Me?” by Linda Rossi

Submitted to Contest #47

“Just say it,” you silently reminded yourself. As a child, you had wanted to visit the Moore’s house with its four children for years. “I want to be a part of all the fun.” It was such a magnificent house in a child’s eyes. There was a large porch with a swing and there was a table that always seemed to have a pitcher of cold, tart lemonade ready for serving after a long hot day of play. Children lucky enough to visit the Moore’s house were always treated to yummy cookies and snacks and fudge and peanut butter and jelly s...

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“Get Loud” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #47

You’ve put it off long enough. What’s the point in hiding? Hiding means you think you’re doing something wrong. You’re not wrong, you’re right. You’ve spent enough time unlearning everything the world tried to press into you about fitting a specific mold. Nobody fits a mold. You know that now. Everything that isn’t the truth is a lie. Remember that. Stop pretending to be something you’re not. The first step is to be real. The real real. Get rid of the fake, the false, the façade. Sure, you were good years ago but lately? Rubbish. It’s the ...

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“Sorry with no caveats” by Ipshita Majumdar

Submitted to Contest #47

How do you extract an apology from someone you have hated consistently for close to three decades of your existence? Of course, you can simply choose not to. But an irritating inner voice, of an 8 year old, screaming and venting, demands closure and peace. You try to drown yourself in the noise of fax machines, traffic, heavy EDM music or even the vacuum cleaner in moments of desperation. Anything to avoid the stifling silence and the tears that rumble in your throat. Shabbir, a friend of your father had cracked a stupid banana joke ...

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"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 218 stories

“The Day between Winter and Spring” by Deborah Mercer

“What If...?” by Artemis Nightingale

“Point ov You” by Hope Wells

“Graduation Goodbyes” by United Fandom

“Hesitation Cut” by Kerry Hutchings

“Your Existence ” by Rashmeet Kaur

“Here With Hope” by Marisol Flesher

“We Are Exercising an Abundance of Caution” by Matt Strempel

“Becoming Unmentionable” by Rhonda Everett

“Ready, Set. Not Ready Yet” by Kyla Jernigan

“First Love ” by Sierra Butler

“Forever” by M. Kayla

“Can You See Me?” by Linda Rossi

“Get Loud” by Matthew Turner

“Sorry with no caveats” by Ipshita Majumdar

🌟 Similar prompts

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks.

You looked out the window and, not for the first time, thought about how wrong the weather forecast had been.

Suitcase in hand, you head to the station.

You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late.

Contest #47

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

881

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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