Write about a character reminiscing over something they should have said, and how their life would be completely different had they said it.

Posted in Sad on Nov 11, 2022

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✍️ 67 stories

“Maybe More” by D. W. Rogers

Maybe More The road was foggy, and Jack was exhausted, but he had a Thanksgiving dinner to get to at his parent’s house. Thanksgiving and Christmas were the only times he ever went back to see his family anymore. He was fresh off of work. Cleaning toilets for a living was not exactly a prestigious job, but at least it paid for his one-bedroom apartm...

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“Unexpected ” by Lisa Pulliam

The sky was gray and cloudy. And the man hanging out under the pantheon wore a trench coat and hat. I was nervous to meet him. He would tell me what happened to Todd. The man I used to meet at the cafe with the lights that glowed warm like the sun. The man I was considering marrying if he said he wanted to. The one who replaced my memories and fears of past relationships with a gentle laugh and twinkling...

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“A Simple Yes Would Have Done I, and It Did” by John Steckley

Why did I not say ‘yes’ so long ago? Why did I say, ‘I don’t know’? It immediately took negative effect, causing Henry to turn and walk quickly away, cursing under his breath the words still discernible, and slamming the door once he had left the room. If I had said ‘yes,’ my life would have been so different from the way that it is now.. Instead of my finding and losing a long knotty string of commi...

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“Warmth” by Jasz Garrett

Rain pattered like a lullaby on the cabin's windows. Clara had woken up to grab a glass of water. She stumbled in the dark, leaving the lights off to stay sleepy. Coming into the living room, she dropped her cup, glass cutting her bare feet. A girl that looked identical to her sat on the couch. I'm half-asleep, she thought as she navigated broken shards. To her horror, even after she flipped the lights on, her ...

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“What if's” by Laurie Roy

Aer Lingus flight EIU517 was on final approach coming into Boston. Home. Well, almost home, an hour and half drive north, but still New England, still home. As the landing gear clunked out of the belly of the plane I looked out the window, the familiar city scape of Boston getting closer. My heart hurt. My brain kept asking, what if? For Twenty-six years, almost to the day, I've wondered what if. If ‘what if’ was a cancer I'd be dead of it by now. If I had a nickel for every time I'd wondered ‘what i...

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“One Simple Word” by Denise Mastrocola

Pushing past the wall of humanity leaving the coffee shop with their steaming cups of gourmet brew, I walked to the counter, ordered my simple hot chocolate, and found a seat in the back corner by the window. White swirls against the glass reminded me of another winter day, many years ago, when a question was asked, an answer was given, and one simple word changed my life.I began my journey blindly, not realizing when I heard the music, stepped into his room, and looked into th...

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“Promise Me Something” by Anna Cogbill

In almost every way, I have the life I’ve always dreamed about. I’m sitting in a house I own. It’s small, but big enough for me, and I have artwork I like on the walls; still-lifes of Tuscan streets and hanging flowers. I have food I like in the refrigerator – tapenade and marzipan and braunschweiger with fancy crackers – and beautiful wine glasses that I like in the cabinet, next to dusty bottles of ...

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“Summer’s Grief” by Kalani Brown

You told me that we would be together forever, but you lied. You said that you’d never lie to me and that you’d always be there for me, and now you’re gone. You’re in the ground, and I’ll never be able to speak to you, cry to you, or tell you how much I love you. I’m so mad at you Summer, but I forgive you. I just can’t forgive myself because I lied, I didn’t stay with you, and now you’re gone. There were so many things that I wanted to tell you. Our last conversation was so normal:Hey babes how ...

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“Letters To Someone I Knew” by J.C. Marie

When I first met him, I had absolutely no idea how big of a role he’d inevitably play in my life. He was innocent, in my eyes, at least. A college boy, who enjoyed college girls’ company. So, what was the harm in calling us over? I walked to his side of the car, he was in the passenger's seat. His face was so bright and happy. He was a little sweaty, but...

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“Carolina” by AB Holden

There were years when I had too much time with her. The first night we met in a crowd of hundreds. She appeared in the darkness with a smile that lit me up. I didn’t ask her to dance, but I wanted to. I watched as she bobbled through the others, floating in and out of my vision. I don’t remember how we started talking. It was cut short by the flashing blue lights, a stampede of teenagers acting older than we were...

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“The End of Glory ” by Aaliyah Hussain

TW: depictions of gun violence and suicide For eight years I watched her sing. Her alluring voice, a force to be reckoned with, ranging from a low hum that strokes your ears to a cavernous powerhouse, causing every atom in your body to buzz with energy. For years, I ...

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“I Remember the Beauty of the Falling Leaves” by Villem Vercelli

Story includes mentions of mental and physical abuse. A butterfly whose wings sported the dance of emerald and lapis lazuli floated from the ground into the cyan sky until it didn’t. It fluttered in place, between the green of the grass and blue of the sky, split in two by the horizon. There it stood. There are certain things in this world one can’t ever forget. Certain moments i...

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“Please, Forgive Me” by Marissa Marie

TW: Grief/Loss of a loved one. “I’m so sorry… I love you with all that I am, and I really didn’t mean what I said to you. Don’t go,” I plead with wholehearted regret. I desperately yearn for the words to resonate within your mind before you get the chance to slam the front door closed without a moment’s glance in my direction. By some miracle, of which I know I am entirely undeserving, you hesitate in th...

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“Okay, then.” by Baxter Renfroe

There were probably a lot of reasons why I said “okay” to Nell if I really stopped to think about them. If I was really honest with myself and with everyone else I told this story to, I would have all sorts of reasons for telling her “okay” even though…I should back up and tell you who Nell is. In those early days, I decided I would hitchhike from Spokane down as far as I could get, which happened to be around Sacramento...

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“Death of a Smile ” by M B

I should have said no: That would have been the end of it, but I needed the dough, and it seemed like such a simple job. If I knew then what would come to pass, I would have declined that job the second it left those pretty lips. She came to my office one dreary afternoon. She couldn’t have been more than a few years over twenty. She was a classy dame in a fine dress, with her hair piled o...

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Write about a character reminiscing over something they should have said, and how their life would be completely different had they said it.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 67 stories

“Maybe More” by D. W. Rogers

“Unexpected ” by Lisa Pulliam

“A Simple Yes Would Have Done I, and It Did” by John Steckley

“Warmth” by Jasz Garrett

“What if's” by Laurie Roy

“One Simple Word” by Denise Mastrocola

“Promise Me Something” by Anna Cogbill

“Summer’s Grief” by Kalani Brown

“Letters To Someone I Knew” by J.C. Marie

“Carolina” by AB Holden

“The End of Glory ” by Aaliyah Hussain

“I Remember the Beauty of the Falling Leaves” by Villem Vercelli

“Please, Forgive Me” by Marissa Marie

“Okay, then.” by Baxter Renfroe

“Death of a Smile ” by M B

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a world devoid of logic, where feelings govern all decision-making.

Write about a character who must confess their true feelings by midnight, or risk losing it all.

Set your story in an unfiltered world, where people are always honest about how they feel.

Write a story about a character who acts like they ‘don’t have feelings’ — except they’re just putting up a facade.

Contest #172

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

195

Contest entries

91

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: