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Write about a time you approached a situation with one strong feeling or belief, only to have your perspective shift completely by the end.

Posted in Nonfiction on Nov 8, 2024

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✍️ 42 stories

The Wooden Duck, the Flashlight, and the Chew Bone

Submitted to Contest #276

My morning routine is simple. Before my feet hit the floor, I thank God for waking me up today. I thank Him for His love, another day of life, and whatever it may bring. I thank Him for my well-being and that of my family and friends.      After that, I make my way to the kitchen and start the coffeemaker. I love my morning coffee! On my way to the kitchen, I pass two tall bookcases in the living room. It’s still dark, so the only light I see is the glow from a salt lamp, which I notice is slightly illuminating ...

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Letters on the Nature of the Mind

Submitted to Contest #276

Geneva, the 8th of May, 1821 Most esteemed colleague, Doctor Jekyll, with the highest regard I address myself unto you. It was indeed a profound honour to make your acquaintance here in Geneva. It was a gathering most successful, where I was privileged to partake in the wisdom of several eminent physicians hailing from all corners of Europe. I was at once deeply fascinated by your ideas concerning the duality of the human mind. To encounter such a distinguished and keen-minded counterpart was most unlikely indeed.Personally, I have long spen...

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Old Dog, New Beginnings

Submitted to Contest #276

I put on my satin lilac maid of honor dress as I cautiously avoided getting mascara on it, along with the rest of my face. This is not how I thought I would be feeling the day of my best friend’s wedding. I pictured this day to be full of excitement, happy tears, and maybe even a subtle nod at my boyfriend to what could be us one day. What I did not picture was me getting ready alone, tear streams adorning my makeup, and no boyfriend in sight. It was your typical “I didn’t see it coming” situation, although apparently he saw it very clearly ...

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Cry Me A River

Submitted to Contest #276

Mom lets go of my hand as our house comes into sight, the sun hiding behind the pointy, black roof, right above the triangular window that’s always open because Dad likes it cold. A familiar sight. Goosebumps on my arms.“Don’t tell Dad you already ate, he made dinner.”, Mom says, taking out her bundle of keys and searching for the right one.“Do I have to eat it though?”, I ask.“Of course.”We’re greeted by a dim, warm light and lively chatter as Mom pushes the door open. I wait, let her go first, then follow right behind her into a different ...

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Mother/Daughter relationship

Submitted to Contest #276

It's that time. Time for my mom to give birth to me. A six-pound, twelve-ounce baby girl born to happy parents. My mom told me she had a hard time coming up with a name for a girl, so she named me after her uncle’s wife, Shermayne. As I look back on my baby photos, it was clear that I spent a lot of time with my grandmother growing up, whom I absolutely love and adore. She has her flaws, but that’s another story for another day. My parents ended up splitting when I was very young, around the ages of two to three, leaving my mom to become a s...

9 likes 1 comment 1
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The Encounter

Submitted to Contest #276

The EncounterI noticed the glassy eyes first, then her unsteady stance. Before she could speak, her son, William, rushed to the door to receive the box of food I was offering. She backed away demurely and unsure of my presence. I knew William from the mentor program, but this was the first time I met his mother. There was no father, only older siblings who had moved out of the apartment of this Title 8 housing complex. William thanked me and quickly bid me goodbye. I gave a cursory glance inside before leaving—two pieces of furniture and a s...

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I Used To Think That Trust Is Overrated

Submitted to Contest #276

Friendship and trust is something I’ve been weary of for a long time now. As a kid, I cherished my friends. I’d go above and beyond for them. But some saw that as something to toy around with, and others saw it as a weakness. Eventually, friendships would start with them saying “you can trust me, I promise,” and end with me saying, “I thought you promised.” By seventh grade, the words “you can trust me” were an immediate deal breaker. The second a friend uttered those words to me, I would stack layers upon layers of uneven bricks around myse...

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No Cardiac-Pulmonary activity

Submitted to Contest #276

I grew up as a curious little girl, always asking "Why?" whenever I didn’t understand something. One day, my world was shaken. My grandfather passed away after heart surgery, and it left me completely bewildered.“Daddy, if Grandpa went for a heart surgery, how come he died?” I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.“I don’t know,” my father replied quietly. I could see the sadness in his eyes, the kind of sorrow that he probably wouldn’t let me see in front of him. As per tradition, men were supposed to be strong, and crying was not an opt...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Catching Flies!

Submitted to Contest #276

“Don’t overextend or hyperflex your left knee!” Melissa Reynolds thought, as the loud race gun sounded at the start of Sunken Meadow State Park’s grueling three mile cross country Season Opener. Dr. Thompson’s stern voice and warning still reverberated in her ears as she gingerly headed out on this course. He had performed two surgeries on her left knee already and cautioned about a third if she wasn’t careful. The last thing Melissa wanted to do was to ‘blow out” her left knee again and have to undergo another eight months of painful and gr...

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Devrishi

Submitted to Contest #276

Warning : Heartbreak, True factsI don’t remember anyone who wasn’t living in the slums, or getting orphaned at a young age or dealing with a congenital disease, telling me that their childhood was glum. I had none of these, I had great parents, and yet, my childhood was utterly depressing. I had no friends till I was in Class nine. I remember having a best friend when I was in Prep and Class one, but ultimately I had lost them. I barely spoke to anyone..So I won’t waste my time narrating my childhood days. I will just begin from the day I go...

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Shh… Confessions from the library

Submitted to Contest #276

What images spring to mind when you think about libraries (if you ever do)? Shelf upon shelf of musty books - loose pages and old bookmarks drifting languidly to the ground as you browse the coffee-stained contents? Bulky filing cabinets that ominously threaten crush injuries, as their rickety drawers are slid open and index cards rummaged? Perhaps vigilant, careworn mothers, trying to do “the right thing” by immersing their toddlers in literature, while desperately hoping to escape before the next meltdown disturbs the smothering silence? F...

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Valencia Street

Submitted to Contest #276

This is a true story.   We had literally just stepped in the doorway from our week-long vacation at Panama City, and I was already bored. My life was that of a typical teenager, where nothing riveting or sensational ever happened.  After I put down my bags, my mom asked me to go pick up the mail from our next-door neighbor, Edie. She is a nice enough old lady, I thought, though I honestly did not know too much about her other than she was married (though her husband was rarely seen) and their adult son Abel, lived with th...

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Forgiving Your Monster

Submitted to Contest #276

Forgiving your monster is something that is not new to those who have created one before. Yet, the experience is just the same I’ve learned and calculated. Experiments with different names but similar traits that make me think that I can cure any kind of illness, mental or otherwise, with time and my care. My most prized experiment that left me not only with the most amount of data was the one that also left me with the most amount of scars. My own Frankenstein… Frankenstein reached out to me after his last outburst that left me in shambles ...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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Some Kid's Angst

Submitted to Contest #276

What made you read this? It’s a stupid story. You should go back, choose something else, before you realize how silly this story is going to be. This is your last chance. I'm about to start droning on.  … You’re still here? Why? Nevermind, I don’t want to know why. I don’t need to know that you’re only reading because you pity poor little me. I’ll pretend you’re reading because I’m good at writing. Even if you like my writing you might not like what I write about so I’ll warn you that this story isn’t worth the time it takes to read. Wh...

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The day after

Submitted to Contest #276

“What the fuck happened?” Her eyes are red and puffy, probably from crying herself to sleep last night. I lean back in the chair, taking my time. The truth is I don’t know and I don’t know if I care, but she deserves at least a half-baked answer. The room is empty, except from the two of us. The seven little round tables we eat lunch at are seemingly in a random and unusual order. There isn’t much on them; a couple of pens, a few coffee rings, a pack of smokes and a lighter. The light blue, comfy dining chairs are pulled out, as if everyone ...

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