Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Posted in Science Fiction on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 44 stories

“My Only Coat” by Barbara Eustace

Submitted to Contest #18

Bella Sutherland had never felt as alone in her life as she did at this moment. For as long as she could remember, it had just been the two of them, her and her mother.Oh, there had been others along the way, but for the most part they had been very temporary. Mum had insisted they move every few years. Bella had never been sure what they’d been running from. Was it debt? They were always short of money, but as far as Bella could ascertain they had always paid their way, just. Or perhaps it was someone in partic...

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“Coffee Shop Meetings” by Margo Harris

Submitted to Contest #18

As Danny stood in front of me, talking about who knows what, my heart raced. I ached for him to realize he loved me, pull me closer, and lay the most passionate kiss on my lips that anyone had ever experienced in their life. My hands were buried deep in my pockets, one clenching a note exposing everything that I was never able to tell him. God, how I wished I wasn’t so scared. We could’ve been together already, but every time I want to say something meaningful, nothing comes out of my mouth. “And that’s how we ended up meeting Paul McCart...

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“The Letter” by Mike Olsen

Submitted to Contest #18

“Uh, Ingrid, can I talk to you real quick?” “What is it Adam? I have English with Mr. P and I can’t be late.” “I know, I’ll be quick.” “Well?” she inquired, turning on the spot to face me. I knew she wouldn’t want to talk to me, but I also know she wouldn’t say no if I asked, “What is it?” My fingers slid into the front pocket of my hoodie, locating the item in question. A tightly folded piece of paper in the shape of a square. I closed the note in my right hand feeling the points of the corners against my palm and middle finger. I was hesit...

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“Orange Gin” by Cindy Marabito

Submitted to Contest #18

I’d almost forgotten about Paris until I reached into my coat pocket and found it. That old rosary of hers. And, she hadn’t used it for secular reasons, either. I almost laughed out loud. Nobody who wasn’t from Beaumont would even get the joke. There’d been a headband with a black net bow and a bunch of bracelets, too, but the rosary and cross was all I’d kept. It was plastic.I could walk through pretty much anything and had. I thought about that time I’d gone all the way to Beaumont when Paris had died. There hadn’t been anybody else to go ...

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“A Mother's Love” by Nicole Rook

Submitted to Contest #18

The cold wind beat hard against her thin worn hoodie, stinging the exposed flesh of her face. “I was so stupid.” Janie huddled against the cold hard brick wall of the Salvation Army Store. The small overhang provided little shelter through out the night. A beat-up aging minivan pulled into the parking lot. The worn-out blue paint was barely discernable through the snow.A plump woman with dark skin and kind bright hazel eyes hopped out of the Van and hurried to the door.“I’m sorry Miss, we are not opening today.”&nbsp...

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“Talisman” by Emilie Conroy

Submitted to Contest #18

Ian Evelake had never really believed he would die at seventeen. The way the night was shaping up, dying had almost become an absolute. Idiot! Why had he come out here at night without telling anyone? His mother didn’t know, his cousins didn’t know. This was the one time he hadn’t gone to his regular haunt at Hatchery Bluff, the cliffs overlooking Summertide Bay. No. Tonight he’d felt like walking the paths in the woods behind Grayfall High. And tonight&nb...

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“Hunter Street” by Anisha Sahni

Submitted to Contest #18

Hunter Street was empty on this brisk Sunday evening— apart from two souls, a man and a woman, walking toward each other. It was 6 PM, just as the sun was setting— painting the sky with its glorious mural as it fell out of sight. He gazed up, excited by the sunset. ‘It’s perfect!’ He thought, as his eyes shifted from the sky to the landscape of autumnal leaves covering the ground where they walked. A gust of wind seemed like his perfect excuse to reach into the pocket of his w...

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“The flight of the Heron” by Corey Bynum

Submitted to Contest #18

Miranda was led barefoot into the great hall by her mother and father. They dressed her in white and atop her head was a crown of daisies and myrtle. It had been two days since Mirandas first blood. In those two days, the news had spread throughout the town and a feast was prepared. Tonight, Miranda and her family would dine at the head table while the langors sung songs of her victory. Miranda remembered going to her friend Erin’s feast-night. She helped pick the flowers for her crown. The langors sung, people drank and had their way with t...

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“The Coyotes” by Sarcastic Kate

Submitted to Contest #18

The twelve year old girl, barefoot, walked through the streets that evening alone. Her friend was supposed to meet her at Deflune Way but Jules ended up getting sick at the last minute. This is the first time she ever had to break the two-by-two rule that was put in place for their neighborhood. Always, always travel in twos. The sun set quickly on this side of town, as the layer of dust and smog that filled the skies welcomed darkness and invited it to descend earlier than intended. The buildings were all 5 stories at least, with 12 being t...

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“Winding the Family Cuckoo Clock” by Karen Waugh

Submitted to Contest #18

So there I was on the edge of a cliff hanger and time abruptly stopped to have a nervous breakdown on me. It was Monday and we all know how Monday's can be! I think I forgot to wind the cuckoo clock! Life is like a soap opera cliff hanger and nervous breakdowns are insane. All I know is that I heard the telephone ring and I woke up way too fast. The clock read 5:25 a.m. and the caller was chattering away a mile a minute. It looks like "the voice" was back in my life. The voice, being my mother's landlord and best friend, needed a little he...

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“Just in Case” by Eve Brown

Submitted to Contest #18

Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. The rhythm of my footfalls on the path is a steady pulse as I jog. This is my time to be present, to reflect on the day to come, to enjoy an almost meditative break from the craziness of life and schedules and people. My breath is deep and calm as I think about the things I need to get done before lunch and remind myself to pick up a gratitude journal later. I pop out of my thoughts for a moment and scan the area quickly. I shouldn't be letting myself get so distracted. Of course, Jen keeps saying I sho...

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“To Kill or Not to Kill” by Brittany Fenwick

Submitted to Contest #18

I held the dagger to his throat, it would be so easy to end him here and now."I didn’t mean to hurt her, I swear to you I didn’t mean to hurt anyone", there was water trickling down his face, was it raining or was he crying? I really couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t take my eyes off of him for a second, afraid he would run out of the alley before I had a chance to decide if I would take his life or not. My fingers tensed around the gun in my pocket as I continued the internal, torturous dialogue of whether I could live with myself if ...

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“Bottled Moonshine” by Divya Singh

Submitted to Contest #18

“You’re my bottled sunshine, Jen” That was the sticky note left on the fridge before she left and still didn’t have the heart to take it down. Bottled sunshine, ha , I was a walking rain cloud after she left. Life became monotonous, sad, droopy, dead and wilted. I buried myself in the happier land of fiction and fantasy where broken worlds could be fixed again. I took to a lifestyle of anonymity, I was the shadow of a shadow. Over-sized trench-coats, baseball caps and sunglasses characterised my appearance. I shoved my hands ...

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“The Lunch Card” by Sharron LaJean

Submitted to Contest #18

The line is moving too slowly. The smell of food causes me to salivate and swallow. The kids around me must be less hungry than me, because they are talking and laughing together, seemingly unaware of the smell of pizza enveloping us. I am new to this school. Being new to school isn’t new to me. I went to a different school every year. Some years, we moved during the school year, leaving me with two sets of classmates to meet. I was new, the lunch routine was new, the current topic of conversation was new. I clutched the object in pocket. It...

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“The Note Which Purged Darkness ” by Dominique Caston

Submitted to Contest #18

The wildernesses was pitch black according to the time of night; The way by which to go could no man find, and a light that could them was no where in sight. This is the circumstance in which I, Josh, found myself in as i awoke to the dreadful atmosphere of the hostile wasteland which had no name, and filled to the brim with man-eating entities was unto us a trial of survival of the fittest, or so it did seem initially. Yet, by a reason outside of me was I caused to remember an item which I possessed in my pocket, which by feel, was flimsy l...

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Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 44 stories

“My Only Coat” by Barbara Eustace

“Coffee Shop Meetings” by Margo Harris

“The Letter” by Mike Olsen

“Orange Gin” by Cindy Marabito

“A Mother's Love” by Nicole Rook

“Talisman” by Emilie Conroy

“Hunter Street” by Anisha Sahni

“The flight of the Heron” by Corey Bynum

“The Coyotes” by Sarcastic Kate

“Winding the Family Cuckoo Clock” by Karen Waugh

“Just in Case” by Eve Brown

“To Kill or Not to Kill” by Brittany Fenwick

“Bottled Moonshine” by Divya Singh

“The Lunch Card” by Sharron LaJean

“The Note Which Purged Darkness ” by Dominique Caston

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character who buys a secondhand coat and then discovers something in the pocket.

Write a story about someone cleaning out their attic. They find an old piece of clothing, and inside of its pocket is an old keepsake.

"It was just here!" you shout, frantically searching your pockets for the missing thing.

Write a story about a very skilled pickpocket.

Contest #18

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

291

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: