Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Posted in Sad on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 72 stories

“See You At the Movies” by T.M. Kehoe

Submitted to Contest #147

It was the third time he noticed her, sitting in a back row of the theater, staying until the end of the last credit. He thought he was the only person who did that.She was not attractive, but she was pleasant looking, with mouse-brown hair and what looked like a decent figure. She always dressed in long skirts, with oversized cardigans covering up her top half. It was hard to see her face, lit only by the flickering movie screen.The last credit rolled, the screen blanked. The house lights came up, showing a magical illusion for what it was…...

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“A Higher Plane” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #147

I had been riveted by the images on the screen to pay much attention to the man sitting next to me. The initial jolt of our otherworldly encounter had worn off soon after we started watching the narrative of my life on the large white screen – from diaper days to salt-and-pepper adulthood.When the lights came back on, I blinked to readjust my vision to the bright light and, subtly, inched away from the stranger’s elbow. He offered an opaque smile and stepped around the coffee table, making himself comfortable in an armchair across from mine....

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“Well, That Was Terrible” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #147

“Well, that was terrible,” he says, leaning back in his seat, as the screen fades to black, leaving the theater in darkness. “Absolutely,” she agrees, shaking her head. “What were they thinking, releasing another rom com with that same, tired formula.” “Same old tropes, same old plot twists, no effort to be fresh or imaginative. The entire story was so utterly predictable. Boy meets girl, boy fights with girl, boy makes up with girl. Happily ever after.” She laughs. “Perfect summary. I couldn’t have said it better. And how about those charac...

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“Moments in the Dark” by Amber Versailles

Submitted to Contest #147

The screen dims as the credits roll down the screen. I try to turn my head without being obvious, but I can’t see her in the dark anyway. I tap my leg impatiently, waiting for the lights to come back on. “What did you think of the movie?” I hear her ask softly. I turn to face her in the dark, wishing I could make out more than a few shadows of her face. I’m not even sure if she’s looking back. “It was um … really thought provoking.” I think I see her nod. I have no idea what the movie was about. There were some action scenes and ...

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“The Best Seats In The House” by Cierra Lynn

Submitted to Contest #147

“Should I get up? Should I say something?”Eric whispered in my general direction from the seat to my left, “No, no, I’m sure it’s fine,”Julia answered from my right, forever not wanting to make a fuss about anything, “The credits have been over for like…5 minutes now, the movie for like 20, so?” Eric complained not bothering to whisper anymore. The theater was pitch black all around, soundless without a movie playing, and blind without the theater screen or any lights on inside of the giant room. “Just give it a minute I’m sure some...

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“The theatre of pain” by Stavros Apostolou

Submitted to Contest #147

A cold shiver caresses my spine as our hands touch. I turn to face her but the darkness is too deep to make out her features. I trace the silhouette of her face with my gaze, it seems gentle. And the warmth of her hand shocks me to my core. This peculiar, newfound feeling, hoists colourful flags of emotions throughout my chest. In that moment of contact my stomach folds onto itself, twists, stretches. It doesn’t last long though, the touch. I find myself having pulled back, holding the bicep of my arm in an attempt to soothe...

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“When the Credits Roll” by Rama Shaar

Submitted to Contest #147

We froze in our faded velvet folding seats. It was dark and utterly quiet. The credits rolled on a black backdrop, but there was no music. Like terracotta soldiers, everyone stayed in their seats with their eyes glued to the black screen, unable to move.It was Colette who came to first. She slowly tapped on my arm without turning towards me. I stirred.“Don’t do that, Jack!” she whispered.“Do what?” I whispered back.“Tug on your beard like that. That looks painful!”“Well, not as painful as what I’ve just seen!”“I’m going to kill you!”“Justifi...

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“The Y-Box” by Jace F.

Submitted to Contest #147

Content warning: rape, homophobic languageHe was too nervous to do it while other people were in the theater. Now that they're alone though, it's a different story. He keeps his eyes on the black mega-screen as he reaches over."Reese!" Natalia says."Wh-a-a-t?" Now he looks over. "It was your idea. C'mon. The theater's empty. We have like, five minutes and a hundred fucking trailers until the next movie."The theater is dark. Reese's face is dark. All Natalia can see of it are the metal rivets in his nose and lips. They bite into the dark like...

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“Stella's Endgame” by Jasz Garrett

Submitted to Contest #147

I waited for the lights to startle us back into harsh reality, and for Avery to wake back up. The movie couldn’t have been that boring to her, could it?***The popcorn was too salty, but I wasn't going to say anything. I was finally on a date, and I would probably eat a frog if she told me to, to be honest. Ah, to be 15, and on your first secret date with a girl.My mind faltered at the thought of my family laying out their church clothes for tomorrow morning, and leaving my dress blatantly hung in the closet. Isolated. Alone.I shook my head f...

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“A Theatre Alive” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #147

Charlotte placed her head on Ramsay’s shoulder, her foot brushing against his leg, the final seconds of a black and white forties movie she couldn’t name fading to black, and a feeling tearing into her that instead of sitting here in an abandoned theatre she should be back with her Mom in the hospital, in that wooden chair that pushed against her back, and the monitors whose beep gave her a week long headache. The credits rolled. She held Ramsay’s hand, trying to convince herself she’d earned a night out after a full year consumed with trips...

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“Into the Light” by Sam Street

Submitted to Contest #147

[Content warning: suggested violence, existential themes] I sat in the blackness of the theater with my sister sobbing quietly at my side. If it hadn't been so dark, I'm sure that the faces of my fellow moviegoers would have matched my own. Shock, terror, confusion. My sister inched ever closer, and a disembodied voice filled the room. I thought it had been in my head but the sounds of surprise that flurried around me brought me to the understanding that it wasn't in my head, or at the very least it had been in everyone's head. The whole...

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“The Space Between” by Carmen Lee

Submitted to Contest #147

Tingling. That is the word that described her being at the moment. She felt her body tingling. It was like she could feel her insides moving. She has been alive her whole life, an obvious statement, but being alive and feeling alive are not the same. She could feel herself being alive. It was a simple effect, brought on by the simplest of interactions with another human. Humanity at its purist. The simplicity of, boy likes girl or girl likes boy. She couldn’t tell you when it changed, from him being a man she knew to a boy she like...

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“The Night of the Blackout” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #147

The Night of the Blackout The lights in the movie theatre had just blacked out. The screen was not in view. I could not even see it from where I was sitting, despite being six rows up from the front. And there was an emptiness inside me as well, as I was sitting all by myself, or so I thought at the time. This night’s theatre experience had not started in that way. I had walked in as part of what I believed to be a couple. But it had become a dark night for me in every sense of the word. Still, I did not feel like getti...

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“Black to Black” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #147

My eyes were drinking in the blinding darkness. I felt my heart beating fast in my chest, each thud quickening my breathing and increasing the unpleasant build-up of sweat on my palms. My nails dug into his hand; my fingers bound to his in a sudden paralysis. It seemed the same had occurred to everyone else – nobody dared speak, for what if it was simply part of the movie? Speak and you’d ruin the atmosphere. Speak and you would become excluded and asked to leave. So, what if I was asked to leave? I yearned to leave the cinema right now, to ...

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“When The Lights Turn Off” by Kate Jean Pierre

Submitted to Contest #147

I have been meaning to see ‘The Batman’ for a while now, and today I finally got the chance. And to my luck, all the seats were already booked so I got the last one. The wait time left for the movie was 30 minutes, so I decided to look around the theater. I walked into a mini arcade and saw children playing. I remember wanting to play in arcades when I was younger, but my mother wouldn't let me because she claimed it was for boys only. There was one other adult in the arcade. A man. He appeared tall, with dark hair, and a mysterious look. So...

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Start your story with two people sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the lights to come back on.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 72 stories

“See You At the Movies” by T.M. Kehoe

“A Higher Plane” by Gabriela D. Martin

“Well, That Was Terrible” by Ian Gonzales

“Moments in the Dark” by Amber Versailles

“The Best Seats In The House” by Cierra Lynn

“The theatre of pain” by Stavros Apostolou

“When the Credits Roll” by Rama Shaar

“The Y-Box” by Jace F.

“Stella's Endgame” by Jasz Garrett

“A Theatre Alive” by Michael Mackenzie

“Into the Light” by Sam Street

“The Space Between” by Carmen Lee

“The Night of the Blackout” by John Steckley

“Black to Black” by Zoë Page

“When The Lights Turn Off” by Kate Jean Pierre

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who has been nominated for a prestigious award, but isn’t sure they deserve it.

Start or end your story with someone realizing that life isn’t like the movies, for better or worse.

Write a story about someone who keeps being cast as the hero but is actually a villain (literally or metaphorically).

Write about a relationship that has been greatly impacted by a movie.

Contest #147

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

179

Contest entries

94

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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