Start or end your story with a character making a cup of tea for themself or someone else.

Posted in Short Story on Jan 24, 2025

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.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 187 stories

“Over a Cup of Tea” by Todd Crickmer

Submitted to Contest #287

Over a Cup of Tea“Well, how are we going to do this?” Eliza questioned. “I mean, do we go to a fertility clinic and get artificially inseminated, or what?” And then, before Kate could answer, she added, “And who is the father going to be?”After swallowing the bite of Belgian Waffle Kate had in her mouth, she said, “I don’t know, Honey. I really don’t know. I think I’m okay with the whole artificial insemination thing. What worries me more is not knowing whose DNA I’d be getting.”“So, the turkey baster is fine; it’s just a matter of the ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Someone’s Knocking at the door” by Holly Woodbridge

Submitted to Contest #287

SOMEONE'S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: a story of tea and friendshipJosi’s eyes wandered from the page of his new book as memories of his friends flooded his mind. It had been a full year since he had moved six states away, but it was still hard.A shadow moved across his bedroom window.“What was that?” he wondered aloud.He hopped up and lifted the blinds, but there was nothing there. He remembered a time when a shadow at his window meant one of his buddies was waiting to play. “Josi!" Mama called him from the kitchen.“Coming,” Josi headed out ...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Tea Noir” by Sam Gudmundson

Submitted to Contest #287

TEA NOIR Tea. Yes. That was her sanctuary. Evan James clung to that thought as he slumped forward, dragging himself along the rain-slick cobblestoned path in the dead of night. It was the fall of 1952. The wind howled, stinging his face as it danced with the beads of rain that pelted his skin with merciless fervour. Evan was a man of few words, fewer still when it came to her. Tall and lanky, with broad shoulders, he carried himself with a quiet intensity. His jet-black hair was shaved close on the sides and back, ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Tea from an Ancient Samovar” by Anne Perry

Submitted to Contest #287

Gerry gazed at the polished brass samovar that had betrayed him. Just as he had taken a sip of the delicious tea produced from it, lightly honeyed and perfect in color, he had felt himself diminishing in size. He also felt a sudden nervous prickling of his skin. Was this some sort of allergic reaction? Now he was developing a tail, four legs, and webbed feet. To his horror, he looked down at himself and realized he had turned into a small gecko. Was it the proportio...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Quiet voices” by Nicole Eady

Submitted to Contest #287

[disclaimer: mycenik and caravine are fictional plants]“Just one please.” Adara said, grabbing coins from her pocket to hand over to the merchant. The old lady had a sweet smile on her face as she gave Adara a linen pouch filled with hard-boiled candy. There were four in the bag, roughly cut into a sphere the size of her thumb - the colour was a dark green achieved by bleeding mycenik plants in hot water. She’d known of its existence but had never tried it before.“Should we go find the rest?” She asked Maug...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Tea for Sadie” by Joy Arnett

Submitted to Contest #287

I loved visiting my folks in San Francisco in the late seventies. I lived in Las Vegas with a good job and no kids. The round-trip flight from Las Vegas was a whopping fifty bucks. My dad was my rock. He was dependable and supportive, but my mom and I shared a history of more down times than up times. The problem between my mom and I revolved around my obesity. She saw my condition as one of neglect infused with rebelliousness. If she suggested a diet and I tried it but didn’t lose the amount of weight she thought I could, I was shamed ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“On the repurposing of brick kilns” by Cassie Gibson

Submitted to Contest #287

Alice is sitting in the car and she is shaking. Her face is quite calm but every part of her is trembling. Her fingernails clatter against the steering wheel so she tucks her arms around her body in an attempt to hold herself still. In the car next to her is an old man, she can see from here the tears running down his face as he clutches the small dog in his lap. Alice’s eyes blur but she thinks she can see his fingers digging into the coarse fur. “I can’t do this” she says aloud to no one. Knowing that she has to and no doubt will. She jus...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Tea with Pema” by Bryce Dana

Submitted to Contest #287

Fingers numb with the chill, Tsering lifted the bowl of bödja to his lips and let the silky broth wash through.The next moments were lost in warm ecstasy.It was his first cup of the day. Not every first cup was this satisfying, but when it was, it was an inebriation.He filled the cup once more from the dented metal thermos with its flaked green enamel and battered plastic stopper, then stood from his seat on the flat wooden sofa with one worn cushion and stepped to the open window.The house was set high on a cliffside, far from the village i...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Nothing About Tea” by JP G

Submitted to Contest #287

I poured myself a cup of tea. Steam billowed from my mug as I drizzled in just a touch of honey, its sweetness swirling into the dark amber liquid. Truth be told, I hadn’t even glanced at the teabag I’d grabbed—it hardly mattered. What did matter was tea itself, a subject I needed to contemplate. After all, it was Saturday morning, my sacred time to write. My demanding 9-to-5 left little room for creativity during the week, but the weekends were mine. They were when I could finally settle in, let my thoughts flow, and bring ideas to life on ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Tea and Cake on a Spring Afternoon” by Katie Mae

Submitted to Contest #287

Dahlia, a little gray mouse, dressed in her large flowery blue hat, sat at a table in front of Madam Prompamiers Cafe on a warm spring day. Sipping her tea and reading a magazine.“Dahlia!” A sweet feminine voice called out. Dahlia’s friend Tulip came rushing down the street, little paw on her head to hold in place a little lace hat. Her shopping bags were swinging wildly, till she reached the table where Dahlia was sitting.“Good heavens my sweet friend! Whatever is the matter?” Dahlia helped Tulip to sit, ordering for her friend, some cool l...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Deserved” by Susan O'REILLY

Submitted to Contest #287

The beam leads our way. The place it brings us to intrigued us. We assumed it was empty, that someone turned on the light each evening; people don’t live in them anymore do they? I should have voiced that question aloud at some stage not when we are standing outside said lighthouse and face to face with the biggest Doberman ever. Drool escapes his mouth I think he’s salivating at the thought of eating us. Aoife’s brilliant plan to scare the pants of our friends at Halloween is working, but on me. We had foolishl...

4 comments 4

Read story

“A Cup of Tea and a Look Out of the Window” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #287

There is something about an alignment of the senses. An inexplicable moment that transports us to another realm. However civilised, sanitised and cynical we have become, there has been and always will be a space where magic happens. The high seas of our subconscious are a roiling storm of magic. We are too afraid of our place in this tiny fragment of universe to acknowledge it. Magic is the rock. The reality we have made for ourselves is the hard place. We feel the pressure as a constant. Sometimes it threatens to crush us. Sometimes we are ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Count tea rex” by Emma Harris

Submitted to Contest #287

There was once a dinosaur that loved to drink tea. He would roam the land daily, searching for his perfect tea leaves. So he could make his delicious drink. The poor dinosaur could never understand why none of the other dinosaurs would help him. "Do none of you want to come with me to find the tea leaves? I can show you afterwards how to make a good cup." It always ended in a laugh, joke...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Giants wept alongside me” by Stephi Smith

Submitted to Contest #287

Together we mourned the fever, only months old. The ice ruined us and the bridge leading to town, to space and time, to money and food and everything we need to remain deserted and stingy. Horses tried, boots tried but everything was oily and our bones quickly exhausted, our muscles coddled after decades of mild winters. My name set up camp north of the river and across a wide and unyielding bridge, according to the state’s history books, and we’ve time and time again seen the folly of absolute resolve. The grass yellowed quick, everything g...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The Woman in the Window” by Tony Jones

Submitted to Contest #287

Gloria was fifteen years old when her father got a new job that required the family to relocate to Willow Creek. She was uneasy about moving to a new town, because up until now, she had lived her whole life in a small town where everyone knew each other. She hated having to leave all her friends behind to start over in a new place. But here they were, unpacking boxes in their new home. When Gloria went to get something out of the car, she noticed the woman across the street watching her with an extremely grim expression. Gloria couldn't help...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a café, garden, or restaurant.

Short Story – 72 stories

Center your story around someone who’s boiling over with anger, frustration, or jealousy.

Angst – 56 stories

Write a story with a character pouring out their emotions.

Dramatic – 46 stories

Start or end your story with someone being soothed by a hug or words of comfort.

Short Story – 47 stories

Contest #287

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Tea-rrific

$250

Prize money

408

Contest entries

173

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 31, 2025 EST

Won by Miranda Scotti 🏆

Title: Slow Burn

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!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Start or end your story with a character making a cup of tea for themself or someone else.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 187 stories

“Over a Cup of Tea” by Todd Crickmer

“Someone’s Knocking at the door” by Holly Woodbridge

“Tea Noir” by Sam Gudmundson

“Tea from an Ancient Samovar” by Anne Perry

“Quiet voices” by Nicole Eady

“Tea for Sadie” by Joy Arnett

“On the repurposing of brick kilns” by Cassie Gibson

“Tea with Pema” by Bryce Dana

“Nothing About Tea” by JP G

“Tea and Cake on a Spring Afternoon” by Katie Mae

“Deserved” by Susan O'REILLY

“A Cup of Tea and a Look Out of the Window” by Jed Cope

“Count tea rex” by Emma Harris

“Giants wept alongside me” by Stephi Smith

“The Woman in the Window” by Tony Jones

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a café, garden, or restaurant.

Center your story around someone who’s boiling over with anger, frustration, or jealousy.

Write a story with a character pouring out their emotions.

Start or end your story with someone being soothed by a hug or words of comfort.

Contest #287

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

408

Contest entries

173

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: