Write a story about someone facing death for the first time in their life.

Posted in Sad on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 88 stories

“Business As Usual” by Jeannette Miller

Submitted to Contest #163

The clinking was driving me nuts. The sound of the silverware scratching at the plates felt like fingernails sliding down a chalkboard in my mind. People gulping their drinks making that “ah” sound like it’s the most refreshing drink they’ve ever had while others were making moaning noises like this was the most satisfying meal of their life. No one was speaking and yet I could hear everything they were thinking. They knew what had happened today and were going to eat and drink as if they didn’t know which was making this harder. I stopped ...

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“Peace Lily” by Jo .

Submitted to Contest #163

It was August when they found her, skin pale and lifeless. Her eyes frozen in momentary fear and blood tinting her blonde hair to a disturbing shade of pink. Her death was brutal according to the daily paper, but of course there were no details. Everyone wanted the details; Everyone except me. I didn’t want to think of the strangled screams and pleas of life that she gave, I really didn’t want to think at all. The first letter came to me in August, bloodstained and torn. Two words written that sent shivers down my spine. Letters conti...

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“Colorblind” by J.M. De Jong

Submitted to Contest #163

Ya ever feel that quiet tugging urge at the hind part of your mind, that pressing crave to be a hero and to save a life?Perhaps it's just me and is it supposed to fade as ya get older? I dunno, but ya know what happened?That itch of mine hit me good in the face on my fourteenth birthday and I just gotta say… I was not thrilled like I figured I’d be. I had imagined things goin' very VERY differently if ever an instance as that, came up.Dreams are considerably better than reality, anyhow…right?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..It was...

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“The Healing Game” by Marly Smith

Submitted to Contest #163

I met the devil at a Long Island gas station on a sunny day in December while on patrol. Although much of the events are cloudy, certain things are forever a part of me. My mind functions like a broken record replaying a couple of minutes of the encounter over and over again. His intention was clearly articulated: “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you!” He tried. He really did. He pulled the trigger. He shot me. He hit me twice. He tried fifteen times. Lucky for me, the devil is a poor shot. Hu...

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“Death is Only an End” by Daniel James

Submitted to Contest #163

You always told me that everything has an end. That you had an end. That I had an end. I didn’t believe you until the day you died. That day stayed with me.Light spilled out from cracks in the clouds attempting to block out the sun, filtering further through the leaves of the trees that towered over us. Butterflies and dragonflies flitted and hovered around us, their gentle hums like music. The grass tickled my arm as I laid by your side, arm around you.“I hope you’re not about to cry,” you whispered weakly, a t...

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“Reaching” by Gregory Wright

Submitted to Contest #163

At first the dare seemed simple. It was a cake walk. On a hot summer day on his grandfather’s farm, David and three other boys: Pete his cousin, and two younger boys, nine and six, from the farm down the road, were rolling in the grass, enjoying the hot summer weather and the soft breezes coming over the bean fields, when the allure of the decrepit chicken coop at the corner of the farmstead presented a challenge. It was a lazy dare by Pete, almost an afterthought. But being the tester of limits, the magi of misdirection, he was always up to...

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“2022 Hours” by Laurie Roy

Submitted to Contest #163

The clock said 2022 hours when the phone rang. It said 2022 hours when the screaming could be heard before the phone was even to the dispatcher’s ear. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and the briefest flash of sorrow crossed her mind. It's not my emergency. She recited the mantra. It gave her comfort.The scream was more animal than human, the feral quality of it brought her pulse leaping before she even knew what was happening. What she did know, before she even said the words "Emergency dispatch,” was that death was on the other en...

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“A Matter of Life or Death” by Lyric Monroe

Submitted to Contest #163

Margot thought about her grandmother as the boat rocked from side to side over the river. She thought about the lie she had told her when she left. “I’m just going to visit Leah.” She hoped she would make it back home before the sun rose. “Thanks.” She told the oarmaster as she climbed out. He nodded as silent as he had been during the ride. He pushed off the shore and disappeared over the water. Blue grass crunched beneath Margot’s feet. She glanced to her left, then to her right. The witch had told her she would need ...

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“Curious Rescue” by Kate Winchester

Submitted to Contest #163

She lay limp and almost lifeless. A once comforting, soft, and fluffy friend was now foe, cold and harsh on her face. Despite her best effort, her body just wouldn’t move. Disoriented, Brielle could neither comprehend her surroundings, nor could she recall what happened. Her vision was a camera out of focus, blurry and distorted. A sharp pain radiated throughout her body. Heaviness had befallen her, and she wanted desperately to sleep; however, the minute she closed her eyes, she feared, would be the momen...

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“The Donor” by Elena B.

Submitted to Contest #163

[TW: depictions of death]For the better part of the course, I had presumed the eye sockets to be empty. Where the eyeballs had gone was unclear to me, but I rested in the comfort of not having to stare into them.One autumn afternoon, however, I had dared to peek through the slit between her eyelids. I had become desensitized to the smell of formalin by then. That, and to the sight of corpses. One of my lab-partners pulled the green sheet away, unveiling the body on the metal table, and the fumes that seemed to become more potent week after w...

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“My First Dead Body” by Ed Friedman

Submitted to Contest #163

My First Dead Body “My Aunt Carmela died”. These were Roseanne’s first words when I walked into the candy store where she waited for me. I was 19 and Roseanne was 17. We had been dating for a few months. “The wake is at the Gun Hill Funeral Parlor…tomorrow”. I wasn’t sure why Roseanne shared that detail until I realized she expected me to go with her. The thought of this terrified me on so many levels. I had never been to a funeral and had no desire to go to one now, but I could tell that this was a social convention and I needed to ...

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“Time with Grandpa” by Amanda Scopa

Submitted to Contest #163

This weekend was so exciting. My Grandpa moved in with us. My Mama and Daddy say he is sick. He doesn’t look sick to me. I don’t see any bandaids. He isn’t throwing up. He isn’t running a fever. My Mama said he needed for us to take care of him so he came to stay. Whatever the reason I’m just happy to see him. He seemed sad so I ran and jumped up on his lap. He gave me snuggles and I gave him the tightest hug I could. Grandpa helps t...

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“Ambivalent” by Patricia Conroy

Submitted to Contest #163

[Content Warning: References death, mental illness, minor child abuse, minor violence.] I could easily find my way around hospitals by the time I was 12. I knew every hospital within a 50 mile radius of our house– my mother had spent extensive time in all of them. She was born with a ventral septal defect, a hole in her heart, almost an inch in diameter. Or as my grandmother described to me, “the size of a man’s thumb.” I remember thinking an inch didn't seem so big, but for reference, a newborn’s heart is only the size of a walnut. She h...

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“Irezumi” by Lucky Ooog

Submitted to Contest #163

We pulled up outside the ramen bar we’d been pointed to. Daisuke was driving, Taiyo sat in the passenger seat staring out the window with his headphones in and I sat in the back, trying not to sweat too much. Daisuke tapped Taiyo’s shoulder and nodded toward the restaurant. Taiyo pulled out his headphones, stuffed them in his pocket, and reached for the door handle. His eyes were as lethargic and bored as ever. That’s what scared me so much about him, everything was routine. No matter what the job was, he always looked like he was standing i...

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“An Unusual Encounter” by Odelya Rapoport

Submitted to Contest #163

He was not what I had expected, and yet, there was something oddly familiar about him. He reminded me of the sun in winter and when he spoke, it felt like a gentle rabbit sitting on your chest. All you wanted to do was reach out and touch it. That was his greatest weapon. I was very young when I first met him. Things were simpler back then. Days seemed to blend with ease and I thought I had found my happiness. I had been lying in a field. Summer had hit its peak and large stalks of golden wheat surrounded me like a soft, yet somet...

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Write a story about someone facing death for the first time in their life.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 88 stories

“Business As Usual” by Jeannette Miller

“Peace Lily” by Jo .

“Colorblind” by J.M. De Jong

“The Healing Game” by Marly Smith

“Death is Only an End” by Daniel James

“Reaching” by Gregory Wright

“2022 Hours” by Laurie Roy

“A Matter of Life or Death” by Lyric Monroe

“Curious Rescue” by Kate Winchester

“The Donor” by Elena B.

“My First Dead Body” by Ed Friedman

“Time with Grandpa” by Amanda Scopa

“Ambivalent” by Patricia Conroy

“Irezumi” by Lucky Ooog

“An Unusual Encounter” by Odelya Rapoport

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone breaking an awkward silence at a family dinner.

Write about a character who is living through a major historical event — whether they know it or not.

Write about a character who risks everything to pursue their heart’s desires.

Write a story in which someone says “You'll never be content.”

Contest #163

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

234

Contest entries

126

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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