Write a story where a particular piece of clothing appears three times.

Posted in Nonfiction on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 59 stories

“Tatterdemalion” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #145

“Tatterdemalion. Ragamuffin. Slubberdegullion.”David’s great-aunt knew a dozen ways to call him slovenly and unkempt, but he paid her little mind. Since the Catholic Mass she dragged him to each day was tedious, he found crawling under the pews much more fun than listening to Latin. As usual, his great-aunt pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and sat him firmly on the pew. A twinkle in her eyes belied her stern expression.“Behave,” she whispered.And he would. For a bit.She fretted over his crisp white shirt, now sullied by dirt, du...

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“A Throuple of Fashionable Friends” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #145

I loved being a thread in the fabric of a throuple! It allowed me to be me while still connecting unconditionally with a select set of others. We were not a tawdry one-night stand – we were indefinable. It’s like you always had a backup. When one of us needed a time out, there’s another to fill that void. What a RELIEF! Often when enthralled by whatever intellectually enchants or challenges me at the moment I’ll sink into myself; become vacant and unavailable to those who care. If one fraction of this threesome was physically or emotionally ...

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“One To Three” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #145

“I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”A choice? Choices were usually for other people. Destiny didn’t choose to feel run down or to be limited to medical care at the free clinic. She didn’t choose to wait three hours just to be seen by whichever doctor was next in line, but at least she had this choice.“What’s the bad news?”Experience had taught Destiny that the bad news was typically far worse than the good news was good. Her choice, therefore, was determined by a primal need for self-preservation."The good news,” the doc...

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“Born Sniffy” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #145

Sniff Eat, Sniff Sleep, Sniff Poop, Sniff Drink Sniff Walk, Sniff SQUIRREL SQUIRREL SQUIRREL! My Luke barks at me in a language I barely understand causing his shorts to crinkle, His spiky walking boots giving him extra air as he ridiculously stamps his feet at my behaviour, I can’t help it! It’s in my blood, squirrels are my nemesis, Well anything small and annoying are on my list, Birds, rats, squirrels, foxes, cats and the rest, I mean I wouldn’t eat one, I’d have to catch one first, The moment I catch a whiff the shutters come down and I...

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“The Brotherhood of the Traveling Jockstrap” by Sharon Hancock

Submitted to Contest #145

Friends since childhood, four young men gathered in camaraderie before every competitive sporting event. Wes, the wrestler of the bunch, sat on a bench in the musky locker room with panic in his eyes; tossing items out of his gym bag and mumbling. “Wes, ten minutes till weigh in. Why aren’t you dressed?” Bo, the group’s Tae Kwon Do competitor, checked the time on his phone and frowned a concerned look at his unprepared comrade. Jeb, a skydiver, recognized the distress on Wes’s face for what it was: panic over a po...

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“Safe Spot” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #145

Foley Gaspers nearly ran out of fuel driving to Venice Beach in a 2000 Camry he had stolen from his girlfriend, Sarah. He abandoned the car on a narrow one-way street.He walked to the boardwalk, intending to make his way to the pier for a jump and a swim, but had issues. Fish to fry. He was under the impression Sarah was having an affair with a co-worker.She was tired of his unfounded accusations. Why would I want to sleep with Kingston? You’re the one with the problem, Foley. You can’t even figure out whether y...

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“The Daughter I've Never Known I Had” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #145

You wouldn’t think much of me if you met me at the local café. My insipid appearance has been an excellent façade over the years. Nothing can obscure my special powers better than loose jeans and floral T-shirts. I can’t help but giggle at the eye-rolls and gagging sounds my plastic crocs trigger when I stroll downtown.I no longer wonder why I’ve been entrusted with these powers. Just accept that it’s some type of karmic compensation for the lack of talents in other domains of my life.If looks matter nothing to me, why do I buy left-behind c...

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“Little Black Dress” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #145

Glancing up from swiping bottles and boxes across the scanner, Katie hardly recognised Sean in his chic Italian jacket and chinos. She half wondered if the fatigue of the late-night cashier shift, as well as the monotony of the job, was making her mind play tricks on her. He looked flustered at first, but then grinned at her before dashing back across the store in pursuit of a little boy. She paused mid beep; it was Sean in the flesh. Watching him give chase, Katie leaned back on the swivel seat and thought back to her French evening cl...

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“Drinking With the Enemy” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #145

Having an entire city, near enough an entire nation giving him the silent treatment must have been odd for General Linus Lumin. Being from the Empire of the Holy Proclamation, he probably wasn’t surprised. His red and gold armour glittered in the bright midday sun. Danielle remembered similar armour from battles with elite soldiers of the empire called Nephilim Knights. Lumin’s armour had a symbol of the sun across the breastplate. &nb...

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“THE HOUSE WITH NO DOOR” by Kate Baker

Submitted to Contest #145

THE HOUSE WITH NO DOOR We played there as children, innocent and excited to be anywhere that wasn’t home. Somewhere a call from mother couldn’t be heard. It was ‘off the beaten track’ as I’d heard adults say about places that were hidden. Thirty years later, this house is hiding from itself. The seventies in rural Cornwall was a life in the slow lane. Too far for Londoners to make a short visit and enough sea that those from nearby France didn’t bother to enter England via our county. It was, and still is, a quiet plac...

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“Like Father, Like Son, Like Son, Like Son.” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #145

T/W - death, animal hunting and implied racism._____________My father died today.But I won’t remember a faded man in a hospital bed rasping for breath. Not if it can be avoided. As my Range Rover crunches through the rain-showered gravel of his drive, my mind crunches through my favourite memories of him coming home. That sound will always mean one thing to me – that he is alive and has returned. Though it can never be true again, it can always be a comfort.I swing open the split, stable-style door. The man never rode a horse in his life, bu...

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“To Hold You With These Scarlet Hands” by Gem Cassia

Submitted to Contest #145

When I come to him, he is scattered amidst a garden of crushed glass and wilted metal. His head is twisted to one side, mezmerized by the sanguine floret blooming beneath his cheek. He must have anticipated my arrival; his eyes drift upwards as I approach, completely devoid of surprise. Thorny edges of broken things perforate my knees as I kneel amongst the carnage. I have never seen him before, but he considers me with a certain yearning, like he has been anticipating me for a long time. It’s a shame this is no place to exchange ple...

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“An Unvoiced Biography ” by Latha Prakash

Submitted to Contest #145

She hurled me into the truck. I thought that it was time for me to assume another duty but the decaying and putrid odour was an eye-opener. I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by rotten vegetables, discarded meat, diapers, plastic and whatnot. Reality struck me like a lightning and my misconception was gone with the wind. I was in a trash truck and was soon going to rot in a dump. One look at my stained and disfigured self and anyone would concur that the dump was the right place for me. But I wasn't always like this. I was born...

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“Octopus Game” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #145

In the control room Jason laughed out loud when he saw the first ten customers walk into Stage One.“This is dope. We did it!”“It’s going to be a fun day,” Phil replied.“And we got green uniforms this year instead of the red ones, more low key for lunch outside.”“Yeah, yeah,” Phil said, sounding impatient to get things moving. Phil was Amaze’s Chief Experience Designer, why he took things a bit too seriously. He picked up the microphone, “Good morning Amaze Loyalty Program Customers. We welcome you to the first day of the Amaze loyalty s...

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“The Black Glove” by SEAN MILLER

Submitted to Contest #145

Boris stared intensely at his lit cigarette, watching smoke trail off its tip. He was supposed to have quit those damn cigs for good, but this last month had hit him like a truck. He needed something to take the edge off. A month ago he lit his first cig in two years after he received the notice. He had fallen behind on payments for his shop before, but this was different. He was way in over his head. Boris told himself it was only temporary, that he’d find a way to get out of debt once his store brought in customers again. But the neigh...

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Write a story where a particular piece of clothing appears three times.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 59 stories

“Tatterdemalion” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“A Throuple of Fashionable Friends” by Stevie B

“One To Three” by Thom With An H

“Born Sniffy” by PJ Aitken

“The Brotherhood of the Traveling Jockstrap” by Sharon Hancock

“Safe Spot” by Mike Panasitti

“The Daughter I've Never Known I Had” by Gabriela D. Martin

“Little Black Dress” by Rebecca Miles

“Drinking With the Enemy” by Graham Kinross

“THE HOUSE WITH NO DOOR” by Kate Baker

“Like Father, Like Son, Like Son, Like Son.” by Katharine Widdows

“To Hold You With These Scarlet Hands” by Gem Cassia

“An Unvoiced Biography ” by Latha Prakash

“Octopus Game” by Scott Christenson

“The Black Glove” by SEAN MILLER

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who wakes up in someone else’s clothes — or utterly weird apparel they don’t recognize as their own.

Set your story at a global fashion event — or a carnival ball.

Think of an item of clothing from your childhood, and write a story inspired by that.

Write about a character who decides to give themselves, or someone else, a fashion makeover.

Contest #145

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

165

Contest entries

96

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: