Write about someone telling their family they won’t be continuing the long-standing family business.

Posted in Sad on Oct 31, 2022

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✍️ 175 stories

“Left to Burn” by Inkstained Introvert

Submitted to Contest #69

My family burns things. I used to be afraid of fire. I used to huddle in the corner of my room when my parents told me it was time to go. I would shriek and grasp at doorknobs as they carried me out, sobbing. I would cover my eyes and cower away from the flames, cling to my sister Jessie’s legs as she watched our mother and father go door to door. Recruit people to join them, or else die. They always burned, in the end. My parents worked for the Emperor. Was he real? I couldn’t have told you. He was from a different planet, supposedly, and h...

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“Maybe it's time” by DREW LANE

Submitted to Contest #69

Eleanor pushed the table against the wall of the living room and threw a white linen cloth over it. She wiped the coffee cups and polished the numbers Brenna had painted in black on each of them to identify which cup was which. Seven in total. She crawled underneath the table to plug the small hob that would keep the Americano pot hot for the whole afternoon. Only the velvet cake was missing - judging from the smell floating out of the kitchen, it would be ready soon. She opened the window and stepped to the side as salt, sand, and pines not...

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“One Word” by GRACE LARSON

Submitted to Contest #69

Only 3 hours of freedom left.I sighed and squinted into the setting sun. Its warm rays fell over the town stretching out beneath me, blurring the sharp edges of the buildings and illuminating the dusty streets with its soft, ruddy light. It looked almost peaceful in that moment - the constant bustle and clatter of the streets could not be heard from my lonely perch on the mountain. It was easy to forget up here, in the still, clear air, the constant chaos of the town that would overwhelm me as soon as I descended. It was easy to forget the w...

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“CUTTING TIES.” by Patricia Green

Submitted to Contest #69

Jenny watched as her sister lovingly snipped and combed the client’s hair, and the little wisps of hair floated to the floor all around her. “Would you like a fringe? I can leave it a little longer so it won’t go too far back up, when it dries.” Donna asked her client. “Oh, yes please, I do like to have a little bit of a fringe!” “Would you like a blow dry, or just leave it to dry naturally?” “It’s very thin and it dries very fast, so it should be okay without a blow dry, thanks.” Jenny finished brushing down her client, then showed her...

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“Typecast ” by Zinnia Hansen

Submitted to Contest #69

Suffocating in the stiff silence of the fish course, I blurted it out. “I finally decided on a major.” “Oh yes? What is it going to be? Economics, Pre-Law... Please don’t tell me you decided to go for History. Useless subject.” My father looked up from his halibut. “Undergrad is your time to experiment, but I hope you’re preparing for grad school. I want to be sure I am leaving the company to someone at least partially competent."“Theater.” My mother pursed her lips, setting down both her knife and her fork. “Theater.” She re...

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“17 January at Crispy Donut” by Priyanka Choubey

Submitted to Contest #69

17 January 2012 Everyone was on the table having breakfast. But Pia was not eating anything her anxiety was eating her. Pia abruptly in front of the whole family said, ‘Father-in-law I cannot run our age-old ‘Crispy Donut’ bakery anymore. I am sorry but in the 10 years of marriage, I gave myself to the family I took care of our house, our business but in return my dreams are died. I am living like a single despite I am your son’s wife.’ And she looked at her husband and said, ‘this family business is our responsibility not only mine whi...

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“FAMILY FORTUNES” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #69

His name isn’t Bork, but for convenience it has been shortened from a ten lettered word. He was approaching 70 and had 2 sons and a daughter. He had a rugged build with a big moustache and his wearing a dhoti and turban proclaimed him to be a farmer in India. He was a graduate and had later moved into farm business. Dealing in onions was the first business that his father had started. However with extensive farmland he had inherited, Bork ventured to deal wholesale in other vegetables as well. As business grew, a company had been float...

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“Different” by Hope Mwaura

Submitted to Contest #69

Growing up, I always felt out of place whenever they’d start talking about the business. At first, I thought I’d grow out of it and come to love these business meetings and the view of everyone in a slick business suit that look like they’ve never experienced a single wrinkle. They look suffocated by how buttoned up their shirts look. I always wondered how they could sit behind a desk staring at numbers and letters for hours on end. At the age of twenty, I still don’t have a liking for working in an office. I’ve always loved the outdoors. If...

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“Famiglia Affari” by Kaitlynn Flint

Submitted to Contest #69

"Famiglia Affari" The room was pitch black except for the bright light directed at the terrified man, who was tied tightly to the chair. A wide piece of tape covered his mouth, making it impossible for the unfortunate fool to talk. All that came from him were muffled cries, pleading sobs, and pathetic weepings. On the other side of the blinding lamp, three men dressed in expensive suits sat in the same folding chairs the fool sat in, only they weren’t held against their will. The man in the middle sat with his right ankle resting on his...

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“A mission's birth.” by Jordan L

Submitted to Contest #69

The family were all drinking the delectable red stuff from out of glasses and feasting upon the juiciest meats they could procure. Today was a celebration, the day they were handing over the family business to Vali, they were all cheering and dancing whilst consuming the food almost endlessly. They jeered so carelessly that their drinks were dying the three long tables with their crimson colour, and even the scraps from the meat were beginning to litter the room. Vali would have ordinarily asked them to stop, since washing the stains off of ...

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“Deprived of Sound” by Ben Kun

Submitted to Contest #69

The art of piano had been ingrained in the Dubois bloodline for generations, stemming all the way from 1824. The eldest child was always the successor of the grand-master of the house and school. It seemed as if the following successor would always have more talent than the previous, creating the now well-known notion that the Dubois Piano School was the strongest in the world. The current grand-master, Camille Dubois II, dubbed “the greatest Dubois” had been looking to retire soon. Under her leadershi...

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“Out of the Pile” by Zethu Dlamini

Submitted to Contest #69

The unrelenting sun seared through the dusty streets of Kondi as the newly-formed construction site droned with bulldozers, graders and other earth-moving machinery. Among the bustling workers, Thando hauled a long water pipe from the delivery truck that had just come in; the first of the numerous trucks to arrive on the day to cater for the large sewer-line project ahead. He was almost too pre-occupied to see a man wearing a clean-cut black suit walking slowly towards the truck. He stopped and removed his hat to scrutinize the man approachi...

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“Family Business ” by Susannah Emrys

Submitted to Contest #69

“Get up” I tell the corpse. Nothing. I stare down at the body. Olive Barkley. She’s been dead for a few hours now, and has already gone stiff. We’d cleaned her body of the urine and excrement, and released gas to prevent bloating. I did this so she wouldn’t be embarrassed, which is usually the reason that they refuse to re-enter. Of course she’s a little purpleish, but that’s no reason to stay dead. Her finger twitches, and I immediately grow alert, but no. Sometimes they move a bit after death, b...

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“The Urge Is Real” by Violet James

Submitted to Contest #69

Victor eyed the gaggle of girls, sitting on the floor in the living room. Sally licked her lips and winked in his direction. His loins tingled, and he bit his lip to quell the urge to take them all. It’s what his father wanted, what Victor had been bred to do, but not anymore. Not this time. He’d made his decision. He was his own man. He would not succumb to his baser instincts, no matter the cost. The kitchen table was barely visible from all the discarded plastic glasses filled with a pungent array of elixirs. He wrapped his fing...

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“In The End” by Black Raven

Submitted to Contest #69

Blood. It was everywhere. Where was it coming from? Well, you could say my parents' bodies. But...are they? Aren't parents supposed to love and care for you? Shouldn't they be there when you are going through rough times? 'Cause if that's what defines a parent they were anything except that. I tried to please them. I did everything they wanted and how they wanted it...it was never enough... The more I tried the more they asked. It was a vicious cycle and something had to break it. Guess this is it then. Though, if you are wonderi...

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Write about someone telling their family they won’t be continuing the long-standing family business.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 175 stories

“Left to Burn” by Inkstained Introvert

“Maybe it's time” by DREW LANE

“One Word” by GRACE LARSON

“CUTTING TIES.” by Patricia Green

“Typecast ” by Zinnia Hansen

“17 January at Crispy Donut” by Priyanka Choubey

“FAMILY FORTUNES” by Sivaram Govindaraj

“Different” by Hope Mwaura

“Famiglia Affari” by Kaitlynn Flint

“A mission's birth.” by Jordan L

“Deprived of Sound” by Ben Kun

“Out of the Pile” by Zethu Dlamini

“Family Business ” by Susannah Emrys

“The Urge Is Real” by Violet James

“In The End” by Black Raven

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a family adapting a holiday tradition to take place over video chat.

Write about someone who falls back into childish behaviors whenever they’re around their family.

Write about someone who didn’t get along with their family as a child, but has since found an appreciation for them.

Write about a family’s first holiday after a parent has gotten remarried, and now there are new faces at the table and new traditions to be honored.

Contest #69

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

510

Contest entries

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Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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