Center your story around a character’s attempt to escape a bad situation that inadvertently leads them back to the source of their problems.

Posted in Short Story on Sep 13, 2024

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✍️ 47 stories

“Frat Fugitive” by Pearl Werner

Submitted to Contest #268

“Aw, come on, man!” Victor says, groaning as the beer seeps into his shirt. He tries to swipe it away, but it soaks into his shirt quickly. “Sorry, Vic,” Nolan says, giggling, his now empty cup in hand. He places a hand on Victor’s shoulder. He smiles as they watch Grant and Oliver stand on the table, struggling to pull the taxidermy mongoose off the wall. Oliver knocks over a beer can, sending it spilling on the grimy carpet, still tugging on the mongoose. “This is a bad idea.” Victor glances at the door, half praying someone would come in ...

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“Marmalade Guy” by Nargis Akhrorova

Submitted to Contest #268

It was at the end of some summer. With him, all my summers were the same, so I cannot tell the difference. Boomerang. Maybe everything in life follows this simple rule. I often find myself sitting in this room. The room is a haze of smoke and dim light, shadows dancing on the walls like ghosts of my past. The air is thick, suffocating, mirroring the weight in our chests. All participants of all the processes here are so different, but, simultaneously, we are so similar. We’re loaded with somethi...

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“The Decision” by Rebecca Novak

Submitted to Contest #268

She lay in bed, eyes closed pretending to sleep. Paced her breathing slow, like sleep. She was wide awake, of course, and he knew it as well. Fuming that he had ever agreed to take the “morning” shift with the kids during their marriage counseling session. He let his alarm blast an extra minute for good measure to ensure that they were both good and awake before rolling over, slapping it off, sighing audibly, and hoisting himself out of bed with great effort. Her deep breathing continued, eyes closed. Hearing him yell at their children to g...

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“Heat Wave” by Livia Owens

Submitted to Contest #268

A heat wave strangles the life out of the summer that forty-year-old Muriel Winslow returns to her childhood home of Sampleville, Ohio to attempt sobriety. It’s the first time in her life she has even considered sobriety and intends to evict the demons by foreclosing on her past. She realized that staying in NYC to pursue sobriety would be an act of self-sabotage. Resisting daily glasses of wine and nightly martinis while entombing herself in her apartment would be as futile as the filaments of clouds thinking they could prevent the sun from...

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“Dust Motes” by Megan Vo

Submitted to Contest #268

I still remember what I did on my father’s last day. Even then, I could feel it; something intangible but very real was closing around me. A door swinging shut, lock ready to click. I grasped at the idea, whisking just past my fingertips like dust motes in a sunbeam. I was getting restless, anxious.I asked Kim if he felt it too, when the air was thick and my head heavy with it, and he looked at me as if through a haze. “Are you talking about Mom and Dad?”“No, not that.” I was impatient. “Do you feel… off? Like something’s going to happen.”“I...

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“Dragonfly Arrow” by Ane Gummel

Submitted to Contest #268

The dragonflies circling her head formed a halo. Chayil imagined herself as a painting from one of the religious books in her father’s attic. They couldn’t recall walking to the pond, removing their clothing, rubbing mud over their entire body, or falling asleep on their back under a fig tree. But then, things did often occur in curious ways. That’s probably why, when the dragonflies flew off, coalescing into the shape of an arrow, Chayil wasn’t shocked. Nevertheless, once she stood and began making her way toward the dragonfly arrow, a sens...

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“Fleeting Footsteps of Time” by Vee Ay

Submitted to Contest #268

The rain lashed against her as she sprinted down the narrow, empty streets. Her breath came in sharp, panicked bursts, heart pounding in her chest. Behind her, somewhere in the darkness, the figure followed, silent but ever-present. She didn’t dare look back. She never did. She just kept running, hoping that tonight, somehow, she would escape. Her feet splashed through puddles, her soaked shoes slipping on the slick pavement as she turned a corner. That’s when she saw it—a small, unassuming clock shop, its windows glowing faintly through the...

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“Cursed Threads” by Maddie McLeod

Submitted to Contest #268

Her escape had started small—warm cinnamon rolls baked in the quiet of her kitchen while burning a pumpkin spice candle, knitting sweaters and crocheting beanies in autumnal hues of burnt orange, mustard, and deep plum, hot glue gun drops on the kitchen table next to the scrap paper and colored pens from her handmade envelopes. It was meant to be for her, and her alone. Sooner came sooner than later, and she ran out of room. She began pouring herself into making gifts first for her boyfriend, then for her friends. Then it grew to her boyfrie...

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“Within four walls ” by Crystal Tees

Submitted to Contest #268

Her tears stung as they dripped into the gash on her cheekbone. Helena was looking at herself in the mirror, trying to clean the wound as best she could. It wasn't the first time her father had smacked her around like this, but she knew it would be the last. She felt so much fear in the place she should feel the safest. Her home. Her mother never stopped it. She would just look away. She also knew her mother would be up to her room soon, to check on her. To make sure she was alright. Part of her loved hermother for the comfort she showed aft...

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“Not A Fan” by Emily Yvette

Submitted to Contest #268

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked. I have seen my fair share of hungover drunks and addicts in withdraw on my way to the studio. It was not unusual in downtown Portland, especially with the government decriminalizing drug use. I’m also the producer for some pretty self-destructive artists, so these were also hazards of the trade. Once I even administered Narcan for one of our emo-rappers who overdosed at the studio. It was a first for me, but the ninth for him. Some people never get out of their own way even when it messes with t...

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“The Parlay” by Kip Plidchik

Submitted to Contest #268

The elevator door opened. Out stepped a lithe athletic man riding out the tail end of his physical prime on an elevator car with the dead bodies of three security guards. As he exited the car, his boots squeaked, smearing crimson footprints on the white marble floor. The penthouse. The home stretch. Ruben Trueblood looked around. Considered his surroundings. The penthouse. Crystal clear floor to ceiling windows peering down on the city below. Overstuffed leather furniture; each piece costing more than his car. Works of art lining the steril...

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“ A Ghost Story” by Page Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #268

I stare blankly at the walls of my bedroom, waiting. I am expecting a guest of sorts, one that has been lingering by my door for ages. He has been waiting for this moment, one where I am too tired to fight his entry. I shake and sweat, knowing I cannot hold this meeting off any longer. He beckons me, calling out my name in ways I had not perceived until this very moment. I scrambled to get up, unable to move the gaze of my tired eyes. The door slowly creaked open, as he stumbled in the frame, barely holding it together. He was gray, and alwa...

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“Conscious Uncoupling” by Charlotte Rushforth

Submitted to Contest #268

PRESENT“There are many options,” the whitecoat was saying, “I have brochures and pamphlets for you to read through. Take some time. When you have made your decision, send your transmission to the office, and we can make the necessary arrangements.” Logan’s mouth felt as if she had swallowed a mouthful of sand. Her throat was dry and gritty. “Could I please - water?” she croaked.The whitecoat reached across his desk, speaking into the intercom, “Water please, for Miss Boone?” He placed a stack of pamphlets on the desk facing her. A ...

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“Sacred Exit, Silent Chains” by Kyndal Maduka

Submitted to Contest #268

The four walls were closing in — of the church that is. Everyone she had ever spoken with had been hurt there by abusive leadership; her own cousin was kicked out of the church. Even the concept of that was disheartening for her — how could someone be kicked out of the place that God desired to draw sinners closer to? She was disgusted; at her husband for even asking her to come back, but even more-so at herself for agreeing to it. Jamie had left this specific church around 2018; although she had found Jesus there, she had grown tired of the...

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“Tristan ” by Devon Wise

Submitted to Contest #268

Trigger Warning: Substance Abuse, Physical Violence, Mental Heatlh, Death April 2020 Tristan was 21 and had taken off to live with his friends. He had been coming and going from his various family homes since he was 17. This time around he was staying at a house just past the Louisiana state line. His friends were having a party and everyone on the guest list was known for their drastic partying ways. Drugs and alcohol in near unlimited quantities. Tristan had never wanted to be part of the life he consistently found himself in. To him ...

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Center your story around a character’s attempt to escape a bad situation that inadvertently leads them back to the source of their problems.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 47 stories

“Frat Fugitive” by Pearl Werner

“Marmalade Guy” by Nargis Akhrorova

“The Decision” by Rebecca Novak

“Heat Wave” by Livia Owens

“Dust Motes” by Megan Vo

“Dragonfly Arrow” by Ane Gummel

“Fleeting Footsteps of Time” by Vee Ay

“Cursed Threads” by Maddie McLeod

“Within four walls ” by Crystal Tees

“Not A Fan” by Emily Yvette

“The Parlay” by Kip Plidchik

“ A Ghost Story” by Page Jenkins

“Conscious Uncoupling” by Charlotte Rushforth

“Sacred Exit, Silent Chains” by Kyndal Maduka

“Tristan ” by Devon Wise

🌟 Similar prompts

Your character gets everything they ever wanted — only to realize the true cost.

Write a story about someone seeking forgiveness for their past actions.

A character’s life of deceit unravels as their past catches up with their present. What are the consequences?

Start a story with someone receiving a message from their past self, warning them of the consequences of their actions.

Contest #268

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

287

Contest entries

131

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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