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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Someone in the story has a lot of hard lessons to learn.

Posted in Sad on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 35 stories

“The Pulpit” by Emily Butt

Submitted to Contest #14

There is nothing comforting about the hymns being sung. There is nothing angelic in the face of the man who calls himself an Apostle. He stands at the pulpit, wrapped in artificial light, and it makes the young girl's heart bleed. She wants to have blind faith. She wants to be like her brothers and sisters, with their closed eyes and gentle voices. They sway in time to the music. She doesn't like the music. But she moves alongside them, eyes open and yet unseeing.The sermon is short. It's short but long and filled with malice, vaguely disgu...

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“A Diner Takes In Two Men by Kaleb Bennett” by Kaleb Bennett

Submitted to Contest #14

There’s a hold over a diner, a song by ‘Bob Crosby and the Bob Cats’. It’s a song, ‘Dear Hearts and Gentle People’, but it’s also a mascot, a welcoming symphony to the most open. It let in two gentlemen in plaid suits, one blue while the other preferred an oak brown. They sit two tables from the entrance, right beside the window. The man in the oak suit, he’s calmly furious, and his partner, an older gentleman, he’s along for the ride. What did they order?    The old man asked “Burger, steak burger without the mayo, with fries...

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“The Daughter of Darkness and Light” by Alyssa Clark

Submitted to Contest #14

“Poor dear. She barely touched her food. I wonder how much longer until she finds out,” one of the maids muses as she gathers up the dishes.  “If she hasn’t figured it out by now she never will. Just look at her!” A second adds. “But the Queen is set on keeping her in the dark for as long as she can.”  “And when she does find out there won’t be much reason for her to stay here.” “A good thing too. Then maybe the King will be able to relax for once.” The two laugh and continue to gossip as they clean.  A knot forms in my stomac...

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“No Extration Treaty” by Gary Hoffman

Submitted to Contest #14

                                      No Extradition Treaty   “How’d it go?” She cocked her head to one side and got a slight sneer on her face. “How do you think it went? Older man, younger woman, body much better than his wife has. Also, I did manage to brush my ‘bigger than your step-mama’s’ boobs against his arm a couple of time...

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“Love Is Complicated” by Shannen Quiros

Submitted to Contest #14

In all of my 23 years of life, I’ve had to learn a lot of harsh lessons...The one that hurt the most was about romantic love. When I was around seventeen years old, I met this dude that I’ll call “L”. When we first met in a multiplayer game, “L” wasn’t welcoming to me but something just pulled me towards him. I couldn’t explain it but at that moment I didn’t want to lose him. I asked him if I could add him to my in-game friend’s list. He gladly obliged and said yes so I was pretty happy about that. The days went on and turned into months as ...

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“The Guy From Work” by David Morrison

Submitted to Contest #14

He was jealous, angry, and bitter. Just the mention of "the guy from work" made his insecurities boil up inside of him. Peter didn't like feeling this way, but the lessons he learned from the past were too hard wired in him. Women were evil to him, but he needed their love, or at least, he believed he did. After all society tells us that we are failures if we are not loved. Something that the 41 year old didn't realize is, that if one is unable to love themselves, than it would be impossible for anyone else to. He had been dating Juli...

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“A Thanksgiving to remember” by Sam Donavon

Submitted to Contest #14

He pulled off the road and into the gas station. There were some good ol’ boys sitting around the picnic table. He asked for directions. The good ol’ boys decided to have a little fun … at the stranger’s expense of course.They told him the place he wanted was down that road yonder a piece, turn right at the church, ya can’t miss it, and go a little piece, it was on the right.He thanked them and started for his car.“That’s five dollars,” the good ol’ boy said.“Really.” he said.“Yup, five dollars.”He reached in his pocket and took out some coi...

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“Indian Entourage” by Daniella Idogho

Submitted to Contest #14

Indian EntourageI am Oriona, named by my father who is a Hunter. Orion was the name of the brightest constellation in the sky, it was time for Holi in India, New Year for us, Hindi peoples. I spoke English very well so I knew that, I would be some one of status. I never went to school, but I read a lot. At an age when women must marry, I was preparing to be married. I loved God and he loved me. But something was going to happen that will break or make; pacify or enrage me. Because I never had education, I doubted how God would able...

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“THE PENNY” by Theresia Riggs

Submitted to Contest #14

THE PENNYIt was market day in Orville and all the farmers and peasants made their way to town - riding in their wooden wagons, or walking. Some of them led a cow or a calf at the end of a rope - with their wives walking behind the animal, prodding it along with a stick to hasten its pace. The women carried baskets on their arm’s filled with chicken eggs, and fresh vegetables. They walked with a shorter and quicker step than the men, their stiff, lean figures wrapped in shawls pinned over their chest. Every now and then they passed a grand ca...

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“The Intruder” by Sharron LaJean

Submitted to Contest #14

Leigh flung her arm out of the warm blankets to silence the radio alarm at her bedside. Sunlight streamed in between the slats on the window blinds. She was glad for the morning routine she had established, except for the time of morning required to accomplish it. “5:15 is too early, even if it’s almost summer.” She thought to herself as she rose slowly off the mattress, listening to the popping and cracking of her joints while rising to a standing position. She slowly rolled her neck to one side, back, to the other side, and around again. “...

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“The Core's and The Matti's” by Steph Marini

Submitted to Contest #14

Pacey turns on the light in his apartment to see Hannah, sitting in the living room. He drops bags of groceries in fright.  “Hannah.” he gasps. “You left your window open, so I let myself in.” she says with a smirk. “They told me you couldn’t get parole. When did they let you go?” “An hour ago, for being a good girl.” “That’s great, I’m so happy you’re out.” he hugs her as she stands from the sofa. “So, everything’s okay now?” he asks. “Everything is right again?” “Well, I wanted to tell you in person, Jacob is coming.” “Jacob? You said...

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“Alienated ” by Enyonam Agbemadzo

Submitted to Contest #14

I remember getting off the plane and realizing I wasn’t in Ghana. I was somewhere else. Somewhere incredibly foreign to me. My father had lied to us and told us we were moving from our quaint town of Albany, Georgia, to Ghana. But instead we had arrived to a country not full of black faces, but full of brown faces. A sea of female faces covered in black from head to toe, and men with curly hair and dark features. I thought to myself, this couldn’t possibly be worse than the small southern town we’d come from that was still very much segregat...

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“Ava Learns the Hard Way” by Elisient Vernon

Submitted to Contest #14

The Bee Is Not BadAva sat on the step and looked at the world. The world was her backyard. There was so much to see. A traveling wind touched each rose in her mother’s garden and came to land on her face. Itfelt good.She had to share her good feeling with someone. “I’ll pick a flower for my mother,” she said.Ava jumped over the side of the step. She landed softly on the grass and wiggled her toes. The long blades of green grass tickled her bare feet. As she stooped to pick the flower, she saw a flash ofgold. Thinking it was a butterfly, Ava ...

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“Unbroken Circle – A Christmas Story” by Elizabeth Johnson-Murphree

Submitted to Contest #14

 Mark Mooney lifted himself from a lumpy mattress; rubbed his side with one hand while reaching for the half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels on stacked wood crates. As the last of the amber liquid slid down his troth, he knew that there was not enough left to dull his troubled mind. It was Christmas Eve; all he could think of was his wife and daughter. He had messed up; he should be home with his family instead of living in the cold dingy room above the Gentry General Store.The alarm clock leap to life once again from snooze...

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“The response” by Death Eater

Submitted to Contest #14

“Why are you always running your mouth. You always talk about how that woman next to us in the store is a bitch and doesn’t know any better when she just saying her opinions on matters I know damn well you think the same. But when I ask you things I need to know you always keep it shut. Like your zipper is broken. I know there is no zipper on that thing or lid,'' she huffs out her words in annoyance. The woman's feet are heavy against the wood floor. Her thin hands fly around her golden hair pulling at it and twisting it. “Like yesterday for...

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