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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✍️ 63 stories

“Flowers” by Wren Lune

Submitted to Contest #172

The flowers on the table are wilting. Dying, getting uglier. More grotesque than they had been last tuesday, the day she had bought them downtown from the local florists. She spent a considerably large amount of time downtown these days. Doing what, he didn't have the capacity to ask, nor the patience to await a response. She sauntered into the living room early in the evening. He kept his eyes glued to the television, unblinking and feigning obliviousness. He pretended she was a mere figment of his imagination, some...

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“What if?” by Drew Herron

Submitted to Contest #172

*Addiction & Profanity* The man walked into the dimly lit bar. Daylight pushed its way through the front windows, illuminating the front half of the room. Of the few pairs of eyes inside, most met his own before returning to their drinks. He made his way to a stool void of surrounding patrons for at least three seats. He sat on the cracked pleather cushion, pushing out its stuffing as he did. His unkempt beard was overgrown and the hair on one side of his head had been pushed flat by a pillow. The feeling of his arms on a wooden bar was...

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“White Whale ” by Noelle Schlette

Submitted to Contest #172

I should have told him sooner. We'd avoided our feelings since 6th grade, but we grew into different people when we finally began dating at 21. I never got to confess my own feelings. Kenneth found out in 6th grade when I sat across the table from Will Lewis, trying to get him to guess my crush. I thought he'd never guess, so I let him play in the first place. However, I couldn't contain my smile at the mention of Kenneth's name. Will proudly shouted how I liked Kenneth right in his face before running down the hallways, boasting that he k...

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“BLOOM” by Jenn Brown

Submitted to Contest #172

"Enter the womb The canal to life Touch the flesh That will never mesh with you. View the unknown Smell the aroma of beginnings Enhance the lighting Of these dark days". I read this every morning with hot tea, a slice of lemon, and a half stick of cinnamon. Then I start my bath with a squeeze of vanilla and aloe under the rush of hot water from my unique and vintage faucet. I tiptoe across the bubbles making sure I carefully embrace the heat towards my body. I am alone. Fairly lonely. Nothing more than the rain to keep me company ri...

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“What Could Have Been” by Autumn Vise

Submitted to Contest #172

Gods above, he hated paperwork. Ish scanned through the monthly statements and bills of both the warehouse he called home and the nightclub he owned. Running a business wasn’t an easy task, that he had known before re-opening the Deviant, but it was a choice he knew would pay for itself in the long run. Always a popular spot, he knew that under the correct management, the profit the club would bring in would be enough to support both business and home. Scanning through the numbers and calculating the math, that was proving to be the case te...

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“What If...?” by Flash Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #172

What if...? That was the question that Vance hace always asked himself. What if I had actually told the truth? What would've happened then? His mind would fill with thoughts about every possible outcome, but for some reason in all these possibilities Vance would never actually tell the truth. No, he would just find any way to avoid answering the question honestly. But he just couldn't help but wonder... What if...? Vance woke up to someone shaking him. He groggily lifted himself out of bed and looking at the person rushing around th...

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“If Only” by Samantha James

Submitted to Contest #172

*This is a story about grief and loss* Leaning my head back, I close my eyes and bask in the sunlight. The gentle breeze caresses my skin, causing goosebumps to rise to the surface. A storm is moving in, here to wash away the last of winter and prepare the land for a healing spring. The summer was full of drought and wildfires. Smoke clouded the sky, consuming all but a small amount of oxygen for the rest of us. The fall offered very little reprieve, only raining a few times in a matter of weeks. The leaves changed all too quickly, barely...

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“It's Time...” by Katy Rose

Submitted to Contest #172

***Trigger warning; themes of attempted suicide, death, afterlife and missed opportunity***#The hairs on her arm stood alert as the cold wind swept across her skin, her mother would have called her foolish for not wearing a coat and any other day Charlotte might have cared. But not today. Today she felt numb and unfeeling. She thought back to that dreaded email, unable to comprehend the meaning behind those little black characters on the screen.Was it true? Was he really planning on leaving for the US. Charlotte kicked a stone hard and it fl...

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“A Letter to my Daughter” by Kara Reed

Submitted to Contest #172

Note: this story contains brief and implied situations of domestic violence and addiction. To my daughter: There are a thousand things I should have said in my lifetime: I love you. I need you. Stay. Go. This isn’t right. But none of them compare to the one thing I should have said to you. None of them would change anything that happened in my life, at least not for the better. I still think of the night your mother and I received that phone call. I can still hear the phone clatter to the kitche...

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“The moon is beautiful, isn't it?” by K Ahmad

Submitted to Contest #172

12AM. Angelic, ethereal, eloquent, the moon gleams, the sky so clear you can see every crater. Millions of stars scintillate. I’m engulfed in the beauty of it all as I sit and gaze through my window, this is becoming quite the routine; every now and then I open my mouth and speak my feelings. Who else am I meant to talk to? It sounds insane but part of me believes that you’re one of the millions of stars in the sky, that you’re out there listening to my every word. It’s comforting. My heart yearns for you, for your touch, your scent, your fo...

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“Ripples of War ” by MichElle Colpo

Submitted to Contest #172

Ana Perelli watched Mother over her breakfast bowl of CheeriOats and wondered when the deep creases etched above her forehead began to stick. At ten years old, she knew better than to ask her about them, so as to not hurt her feelings, but she couldn’t help but stare anyways. She would look down at her soggy cereal bowl if Mother glanced her way, but since she had been gaping down at her plate of greens plucked from her victory garden for the last fifteen minutes, Ana figured it was safe to keep staring. &...

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“A Poet's Plainness” by Talia Pierce

Submitted to Contest #172

Sometimes I feel as if… I should’ve been more open with them. But these years have been on count for long enough, my love. I deserve some rest, no? “Elise?” She puts her pen down and looks up from her desk. “Marie? It’s 6:30 in the morning… why are you here?” “Ma’am, your rehearsal for the JUX Festival is this morning, at eleven. The Festival of Arts? I reminded you last night, do you not remember?” “Oh, yes- yes you’re right. My apologies, Marie. I got caught up in talking with my husband. I’ll let you know when I’m...

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“Left Unsaid” by Hayley Taylor- Wigginton

Submitted to Contest #172

TW: violence, substance abuse “On your feet Emerson.” I stand with hands above my head, legs spread-eagle. The door swings open, clanking into the wall. The guard’s belt is slung with weapons— gun, taser. I shift my eyes away from the gun, away from his stare. I fix them on a point beyond his shoulder. He pats me down, cuffs my hands. The walk to the courtroom is endless. The overhead lights reflect in the shining laminate floors, the hallways echo with the click of heels. My mouth is dry, hands sweaty, heart r...

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“Promised for Eden” by Leighton Jeffy

Submitted to Contest #172

They closed their eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on the senses. Where is it the most cold? Where the northern wind knaws, on the tips of their fingers and the nape of their neck. Where is it the most warm? On their arm pits and shoulders, safely shielded from the cold under a leather jacket. What’s the loudest sound you can hear? The ripping engines of the jets overhead seemed to blur out all else, so they waited, and once the noise had started to subside, what is the quietest? They struggled for a second, really intensely listening, ...

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“Pink Lipstick ” by Sophie Maree

Submitted to Contest #172

By the time he reaches the gas station, Jim would have to make a decision.Either I tell her, or I don’t.His cowboy boots kick up dirt as he trudges down the pathway, dust smoking behind him like the exhaust pipe on an old car. Exhaust... Exhausted... I am exhausted.He squints ahead, only a few more steps to the gas station. Or maybe it was further? Walking for hours on end was starting to screw with his mind. The heat wasn’t helping either.Why have I waited this long to tell her? if I do end up telling her that is.The smell of petrol cr...

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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

✍️ 63 stories

“Flowers” by Wren Lune

“What if?” by Drew Herron

“White Whale ” by Noelle Schlette

“BLOOM” by Jenn Brown

“What Could Have Been” by Autumn Vise

“What If...?” by Flash Gonzalez

“If Only” by Samantha James

“It's Time...” by Katy Rose

“A Letter to my Daughter” by Kara Reed

“The moon is beautiful, isn't it?” by K Ahmad

“Ripples of War ” by MichElle Colpo

“A Poet's Plainness” by Talia Pierce

“Left Unsaid” by Hayley Taylor- Wigginton

“Promised for Eden” by Leighton Jeffy

“Pink Lipstick ” by Sophie Maree

🌟 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

188

Contest entries

90

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: