Write about an encounter with someone new to you who changed your life forever.

Posted in Nonfiction on Nov 8, 2024

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✍️ 104 stories

“That Day at the Pool” by Kano Childs

Submitted to Contest #276

I don’t think I ever faulted my cousins that day. That day when the air was so thick and the heat was so vain it showed little mercy on anyone who dared to taunt its ways. That day when every kid on the block felt a little constrained, a little conflicted as to whether a dip in the local pool was worth the three-minute sprint from porch-to-concrete, driveway-to-STOP sign, and finally a mad dash across oncoming traffic to blissful relief from our notorious 1990s Chicago summers. We were all far too naïve to think our [pre]teen minds perceived...

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“Cool Day” by Isobel Carson

Submitted to Contest #276

Today, I have an attitude. The kind of attitude that almost always guarantees there will be bundles of joy for me. It was a bitingly cold late December morning, but the sky was bright blue and and even the train station I'd arrived at was feeling hopeful and jolly with its scraggly little Christmas tree and train-related ornaments. Small patches of earth were covered with delicate head-drooping snowdrops doing their best to survive the winter chill. It all made me glad to be alive. In the distance church bells were ringing their lovely son...

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“The talented guitarist ” by Joan Earley

Submitted to Contest #276

Hart was the cousin of our cousins, the Gunneys. Auntie Sylvie was my mom’s favorite sister and so we spent a lot of time in the summers with the Gunneys: swimming in their little circular pool, staying in their house in their scenic English coastal village. The Gunney kids were older than us and we were in awe of them. They had lots of friends, they went windsurfing, they stuck up for one another. In time, they even started drinking and smoking. They were demonstrably cooler than our other cousins. The main contact was Daisy, th...

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“Book, Club, Best friends” by Lillian Eason

Submitted to Contest #276

Walking down the 300 hallway at Dryden high school, my heavy backpack making my back ache and my tongue swiping over my teeth trying to dislodge the food stuck there from lunch, my eyes were roving over the new faces all around me. Why on planet earth did they put band class right after lunch?! My reeds are going to be made of mold, and my clarinet too! I thought angrily. I was a short freshman in Dryden high school. I had my straight, blonde hair back in a braid as usual, my gray, college sized backpack painfully hanging from my shoulders.&...

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“I once knew a priest” by Laura Monsonis

Submitted to Contest #276

I once knew a priest. I remember when my mother told me that I would have to go to mass for two years to be confirmed. I instantly started complaining, to which I received a blunt response: “You will go.”With this, the conversation was settled and as usual, no debate arose. So, a few weeks later I found myself at the doors of the church. It was not a church like the others, large and solemn, in fact, if you did not pay attention you would pass it by. Small and rectangular, that church was swallowed up between two large buildings. As decorati...

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“A Ray of Encouragement ” by Anthony Andrés

Submitted to Contest #276

I felt my heartbeat quicken as I heard the ringback tone. One hand was absentmindedly playing with the curly cord, while the other was holding a piece of paper with a number on it. I regretfully stared at the ten digits as the ringing continued. Making phone calls already stressed me out, and the fact that I was about to interview a famous stranger added to my anxiety. “Why am I making this call?” I mentally lamented, even though I knew exactly who was at fault for my current panic attack. A couple of weeks before I picked up the phone...

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“A Precious Encounter” by Luciana Francis

Submitted to Contest #276

This story isn't one of fiction, but a real life blessing. People come and go. Some people come into our lives only to turn out to be a lesson, others cross our path to help us get somewhere. But there are some, rare as they are, who come into our lives because they were meant to, at this precise moment in time, for a reason. These rare gems are the people who are indispensable, and who never leave your side no matter what. They are worth it all, they are worth opening up to, trusting, being vulnerable with, sharing both laughter and tears w...

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“Greece, I will never forget you” by Filip Cucu

Submitted to Contest #276

It has always been rather tough for one like me, shy and often misplaced, always sitting gatherings out by the corner of everybody’s eyes, to get properly acquainted with strangers in a natural and fun way. I don’t know whether the impression I make on others is ever strong enough or too strong and I have always tried to be reserved and ‘play it safe’, so to speak. Whenever I choose to initiate a conversation or get to know someone else, I pick my words carefully and I make it through; however, if I am faced with an unexpectedly difficult si...

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“SANTA WHERE ARE YOU?” by Stormy Whiff

Submitted to Contest #276

SANTA CLAUS WHERE ARE YOU? By Stormy WhiffThe anticipation in the air is p...

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“Onward and Homeward ” by Jennifer Dzielak

Submitted to Contest #276

Onward and HomewardBy Jennifer M. Dzielak Well, here she was, back in one of her favorite cities, Boston, or Beantown, as many affectionally call it, like her niece, Chelsea. Astra has always loved Boston and the vibe that the city carries; all of its history, culture, food, architecture, and people. She has also been very fascinated by the many educational institutions nearby like, Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, and others. Astra came here for a conference focused on women in business. She was excited that this year included m...

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“The Interruption” by Kelita Sim

Submitted to Contest #276

It was a non - peculiar morning when a peculiar breeze found its way beneath my duvet, tickled my toes and nudged me awake to let me know it was time to get up.Don’t laugh but I was convinced and still am, that the breeze, which had no obvious source, was and is of the holy kind. Has anyone else ever experienced that? A helping hand you didn’t ask for or think you needed? Some unexplainable, let’s say Force, outside of your control that influences your plans? A Force that gives you power or piles on pressure? That holds you back or hurr...

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“Thoughts under The Lunar Eclipse” by Evi Urk

Submitted to Contest #276

“We are all made of star-stuff” said Carl Sagan with loud, yellow letters in the cover of a magazine. For more info, one needs to read more on page eight. Outdated of its time, it was used primarily as a coaster for a hot cup of coffee for the past couple of weeks. There were a few pointillistic coffee marks all over its glossy surface. It was positioned right next to some used yellow paper, some old, scratched notes yet right in front of the shiny, metallic laptop, right in the middle of the wooden office. It was obvious ...

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“New Hope Encounter ” by Delina A

Submitted to Contest #276

When I first moved to Georgia, everything felt unfamiliar. The city buzzed with activity, but it was a hollow kind of noise that didn’t quite reach me, especially from where I came from. I moved to the city of Atlanta during their hot summer leaving behind the only home I’d ever known—a country where everyone greeted each other by name. Here, I was just another face in the crowd. Starting freshman year at a new high school in a whole new continent didn’t help either. Everyone already seemed to have their place, and I was the outsider trying ...

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“The Second Meet” by Lee B

Submitted to Contest #276

The Second Meet January, 2013 I met Paul while I was out one night at one the small town’s many bars. I was new to this place and eager to make friends. I moved to this little city in search of work, as employment rates across the country had been plummeting and some light research on my part had revealed that this area was one of the highest employed places throughout the region. I walked into the bar wearing my typical low-cut blouse and tight jeans. Oh, how I loved to show off my curves. My brunette hair hung loosely ...

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Write about an encounter with someone new to you who changed your life forever.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 104 stories

“That Day at the Pool” by Kano Childs

“Cool Day” by Isobel Carson

“The talented guitarist ” by Joan Earley

“Book, Club, Best friends” by Lillian Eason

“I once knew a priest” by Laura Monsonis

“A Ray of Encouragement ” by Anthony Andrés

“A Precious Encounter” by Luciana Francis

“Greece, I will never forget you” by Filip Cucu

“SANTA WHERE ARE YOU?” by Stormy Whiff

“Onward and Homeward ” by Jennifer Dzielak

“The Interruption” by Kelita Sim

“Thoughts under The Lunar Eclipse” by Evi Urk

“New Hope Encounter ” by Delina A

“The Second Meet” by Lee B

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a date you went on that took an unexpected turn.

Write about something you do now that has become routine, but that the old you — or friends and family from your past — would never believe if they couldn’t witness it today with their own eyes.

Write about a relationship or friendship that was unexpected or so outside your usual type that you kept it a secret from your loved ones. (Bonus points if it didn’t stay secret for long!)

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

Contest #276

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

226

Contest entries

109

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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