Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write about a character who’s so afraid of making the wrong choice that their indecision ruins the very thing they were hoping to keep safe.

Posted in Sad on Oct 31, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 85 stories

“My Bad 🔪” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #70

Second part of My mistake. Feedback please!"No." I whisper. "No, no, no, no."I didn't mean to. I swear, I didn't. It was an accident. Can killing someone be an accident?I drop to the ground next to his body, but I’m too afraid to touch him.He lays facedown on the ground, the blood-soaked glass still in his stomach. He's dead, I already know that. The blood is bright against his green shirt.My stomach churns, and I back away, suddenly not wanting to be anywhere near him.Then I hear a voice from outside.“Ryan? Are you in here?” Someone calls.I...

251 comments 251
Read story

“The Chains that Bind Us” by Mira Caplan

Submitted to Contest #70

"Quiet, Sora. Please." I whispered, trying to calm my young sister. Sora was only four. She didn't know what was happening, why we had to hide, and who was searching for people like us. We were what they called "Claimed." The mortal hosts, in a way, for the Spirits and their magic. I had heard of places where they considered our curses a blessing, powers being allowed to grow, taught how to control the extremities of our magic. Our kingdom wasn't one of them. I could hear the footsteps of the officials overhead, and I clamped my hand ov...

259 comments 259
Read story

“Breaking the Kingdoms” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #70

“Legend has it that every time a child was born and was marked for great things by the fates, it attracted the attention of the dark fairy, Freyja. She granted the child, most often a prince or princess, but sometimes a farmer, or a merchant’s child, a gift. Maybe beautiful voices or wrinkle-free skin. Something every little boy or girl wanted. But there was always a twist. She took delight in making people desire her gifts so much that they were blinded by the thorns in the shadow of her rose. Those with beautiful voices lost their ability ...

32 comments 32
Read story

“Bulldozer & Pushover” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #70

I just don’t understand what went wrong.This is his second apartment, not including his freshman college dorm. Remember when I told you how the college demanded he vacate the dorm’s premises in 24 hours? It was only his second month of college! You would think they would understand 19-year-old boys better. It’s ridiculous. Oh, the usual things. The alcohol wasn’t even his. And it was his roommate’s stash. How would my son even know where to buy drug paraphernalia?I know, right? He doesn’t even vape! Everyone vapes, but my son ...

46 comments 46
Read story

“A Troubled Invention (Part 2)” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #70

Title: A Troubled Invention (Part 2) Author: Haripriya Authors Note: Hello everyone! Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a happy Monday! Just a quick note, this story is part 2 of the story I wrote yesterday. So if you have not read yesterday's story, I suggest you start with that one and then read this one. If you have already read yesterday's story, you're right on track! I hope you enjoy the second part as much as you liked the first one! Under the dome, everyone was doing fine. Ok, maybe not everyone since that is a bi...

119 comments 119
Read story

““Being safe is not always better than being sorry “” by Alkaa Sharma

Submitted to Contest #70

“Being safe is not always better than being sorry “ “Ana” the protected , naïve girl has always been too dreamy about her whole life in general. Her larger than life dreams often kept her docile spirit anxious. She would often wake  up in the middle of night, with her heart racing like a wild horse, breathless, with her head spinning , her stomache getting  upset , feeling nauseated and a fear that its her last night and she would be rushed in some ambulance to some ICU of the hospital and she would breathe her last with everything...

7 comments 7
Read story

“Malfeasance” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #70

There wasn't a moment in my future where I thought I would be sitting in a damp tent on the west side of main street, a woman's choppy, purple bangs staring me straight in the face. She scrunches her nose at me, eyes sealed tight. "You gonna pay for that?" she mutters, jabbing a thumb haphazardly toward a tips jar. I begrudgingly fork over a small fortune, the labor from my summer job weeping over the pointless expenses. Kiki had better been right about this. The girl's nose ring moves over to the right. I try to take my eyes off of the dang...

20 comments 20
Read story

“Your Clock is Ticking” by Gip Roberts

Submitted to Contest #70

You switch to your right side. You can't tell if the beats have slowed or not because you can't hear anything. And you prefer it that way. There's this habit that you've always hated of ending up on your left side while tossing and turning, begging your overactive mind for relief in the form of slumber. That always results in heartbeat awareness as the muffling of the pillow amplifies the inner workings of your organs. Your legs are moist and cold, but your face feels like it's severely sunburned. This isn't a tanning bed, though, this is yo...

4 comments 4
Read story

“Illicit” by Amy St. Pierre

Submitted to Contest #70

Her suitcase was open. Clothes were strewn everywhere.          What would she need? What was the weather like in Minnesota in the fall? It would be cold, right? So that meant sweaters, hoodies, jeans, and probably coats and hats and mittens and long underwear. Did she even own long underwear? Probably not. If she did, they’d been thrown away or donated a long time ago.          She glanced at the clock. Derek would be home in less than six hours. So sh...

6 comments 6
Read story

“Evergreen -- Cavetown” by Elliot Thomas

Submitted to Contest #70

It was nearing midnight, and I knew it was going to be another sleepless night. I was wide awake staring at my blank, white ceiling, a Panic! song blaring through my headphones. I stood up on my bed and traced my fingers across the ceiling. Smooth. It would make a great canvas. I put on my art playlist, a mixture of some of my songs and an assortment of my favourite songs and artists. I let a few songs pass, letting myself be absorbed into the music. Polaroid came on, and my lips curled into a smile. I felt my heart sync with the beat. I squ...

22 comments 22
Read story

“Inside The Room With The Grey Walls: Part 2” by 🎀 Ɪᴍᴀᴀɴ ᴋʜᴀᴋɪ 🎀

Submitted to Contest #70

Before you read:This is a part 2 of my original story “Inside The Room With The Grey Walls”, which I submitted a few months ago. You need to read that beforehand so you know what’s going on in this part!Enjoy!Recap:I open the door, and my eyes land on the woman sitting behind what was once Mr. Ayton’s desk. She’s typing on a computer, but that’s not the first thing I notice. No, it’s her deep red hair that catches my attention. She looks up from the computer and stares at me with piercing, sea-green eyes.Her lips part slightly in surprise. “...

7 comments 7
Read story

“Kissing A Lie” by Kemani Grey

Submitted to Contest #70

I knew exactly how things were going to end; I knew the trap I was setting for myself. I should have backed out when I had my suspicions, but I didn’t. I let it play on like a long-lasting movie. A videotape, forever to keep rolling. Now I stared at a blank screen, the suspense and thrill of the story gone. The truth’s exposed. I could feel the room turning and my sanity seeping from me. I was on dangerous grounds. I was at the gates of hell. Or at least I felt like I was. I hadn’t done a bad thing, so said the crooked, misshapen society...

6 comments 6
Read story

“An Artificial Dilemma” by Philip Clayberg

Submitted to Contest #70

Every day I stand for hours in the department store window, frozen like a statue. Pedestrians walk along the sidewalk, unaware that my mask-like face is watching them. To them, I am just a mannequin. Some people stop to look, probably wondering what they might look like in the clothes that I wear. Other people walk past, talking with their companion or companions, oblivious to my existence.After the store closes for the night, the curtains are drawn and we are removed from the store windows. Our clothes removed and replaced with a new outfit...

137 comments 137
Read story

“Under My Wings” by Kate M

Submitted to Contest #70

Author’s note: For every mother (or father) who has ever watched their child drift, and for every child who has ever flown away.You were soft and safe here, under my wings. My feathers shielded you from the bitter cold, my lips caressed your forehead. You had nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. You were just smiles and big green eyes, a perfect child, happy as can be. You slept in my nest, the nest he and I built, the nest he left, the nest he never came back to. He flew overseas on strong, powerful wings, but he was lost somewhere, a p...

9 comments 9
Read story

“If Two People Were Hanging Off A Ledge..” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #70

Have you ever heard of the scenario where two people are hanging off a ledge, and you can only save one person and you have to decide who to save? Well Molly Lovel wondered how she had come to be in that very situation, in real life. One second, she, her boyfriend Hayden, and her mother, had been climbing a mountain, but the next second Hayden and her mother were sliding down. They barely managed to hang on before they fell over the edge and died. Molly froze, unsure of what to do. Then her brain woke up and she rushed over to them. She tr...

3 comments 3
Read story

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone who’s so obsessed with a goal that it leads to the destruction of their closest relationship.

Sad – 154 stories

Write about a character who everyone thinks is guilty of something terrible, but isn’t.

Thriller and Suspense – 179 stories

Write about someone trying to atone for a mistake they’ll never be able to fix.

Angst – 192 stories

Write about two people who know they’ve made a mistake, and one of them wants to tell the truth but the other wants to lie about it.

Kids – 120 stories

Contest #70

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: To Err Is Human

$50

Prize money

731

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 04, 2020 EST

Won by Irene Rebello 🏆

Title: What you made me.

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢