Start your story with the lines: “The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.”

Posted in Short Story on Feb 7, 2025

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✍️ 109 stories

“A Day Forgotten” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #289

“The room is unfamiliar, I don’t know how I got here,” Sam thought as he slowly sat up from the dusty wooden floor beneath him. He checked the watch on his wrist; an old Timex analog watch passed down to him from his father. It was left to Sam in his father’s will five years earlier. The time on the watch read 6:23. “Where had the time gone?” he thought. It was only 10:30 AM when he left work to grab a coffee. What happened since then was all a blank. The sun shone brightly through the dirty window. Sam had to shade his ...

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“The Time Between Us ” by Christopher Miller

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.I blink and squint, trying to make sense of the place I’ve awoken in. The walls are smooth, almost metallic, and they hum gently with an eerie, rhythmic vibration. The bed I’m lying in feels soft and unnatural beneath my body, like a cloud, yet it cradles me in a way I’ve never experienced. A faint, cool light glows from fixtures along the walls—no candles, no fire. There is no trace of the world I know.I sit up quickly, my head spinning, and a sharp pain shoots through my skull, forcing me...

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“Please Don't Forget Me” by S.M. Knight

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. The last thing I remember is… is… I don’t remember anything. Panic begins to run through my body as I take in my surroundings. I tilt my head down to see my naked body covered in goose skin from my waist up. A crisp white sheet covers me from the waist down. The sheet matches the rest of the room. Everything is either bleach white or stainless steel. The room reeks of sterility. The only light comes from the overhead lights.Three of my cell walls are concrete painted white. A thin drape co...

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“The Door in the Room” by Elaine Steffen

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don't know how I got here. Susan looked at the room, she could tell by the furnishings, it was a bedroom, I must be dreaming. But everything is so clear. She could see beautiful Victorian style furnishings with the ornate details and luxurious fabrics.Susan turned and looked for anything familiar. Susan noticed the door behind her I must have come through this door. Opening it, she saw a long tunnel with distorted shapes of muted colors slowly spinning and disappearing in the distance. Susan stared for a moment...

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“GRUNTS” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #289

Day One. June 6th 2016. 12.05pm.“The room is…unfamiliar. I… don’t know how I got here. Who are you?”“Relax, lady. The doc’s on his way. Okay?”The cop, Glover, knelt by the side of the bathtub trying desperately not to heave, the coppery stink of blood pervasive and overwhelming as the young woman, naked, lay in the filthy, rusty bath, blood pouring, unabated, from the serrated gash in her abdomen. An older man, in plainclothes, carrying a small valise, pushed his way through the throng of cops in the doorway.“I’...

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“Faith” by Amanda Stogsdill

Submitted to Contest #289

FaithThe room is unfamiliar. I've no idea how I got here. All I know is my head's throbbing, and it's freezing!Listening intently, I hear silence. No footsteps or voices. No clues that can help me identify my strange, new surroundings. Being blind from infancy, I rely on my hearing, especially if I’m alone. Like now.Realizing I'm not bound in any way, I slowly start to rise into a sitting position. As the throbbing increases, I quickly lie down again on what I now recognize as a cold, stone floor. Reaching as far as I can, I feel only smooth...

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“My Life with Wally” by Angela Madison

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don't know how I got here. It was 1971, I was a junior in a Catholic high school. I was at a basketball game in the school gymnasium with my girlfriends. I saw this tall, handsome man running down the court with the basketball in his hands ready to make a shot. His hair was long and sweaty. He was good looking, and I immediately said, "who is that?" My friend said that's Walter, his friends call him Wally. Wow he's handsome, and I never thought about Wally again.Life went on and I never saw Wally until 40 years late...

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“The Wrong One ” by Mel Abreu

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. Vivi thinks to herself, staring blankly into the empty room. Darkness engulfs her vision, her eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings. She reaches for her phone, it’s gone. Panic consumes her, bile rises in her throat. Oh no I’m going to be sick she thinks to herself. She tries to regulate her breathing, short quick breaths coming faster and faster. Her hands fall to her side and hit a solid surface. She feels around. Cold concrete greets her palms. She grounds herself, feel th...

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“Where Are You, Steve Breck?” by Elizabeth Rich

Submitted to Contest #289

"The room is unfamiliar. I don't know how I got here. I smell Steve Breck."Two truths and a lie. I knew the lie. We all knew the lie. Steve Breck had been dead for three years. There was no way anyone could smell Steve Breck. Steve was this soul who would invite everyone to dinner. He'd blindfold us, seat us next to someone, and then on the other side of us would be one of his household staff who would cut our food and feed it to us.We would never be seated near anyone we already knew. We were tasked with eating a delicious meal that we coul...

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“Get Me Out of Here ” by Raylee Hodson

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. I slowly blinked my eyes open, a bright light shining down on my face. As I open my eyes, an enormous headache hits me with all its fury. I’ve gotten headaches, even migraines, before but this is by far the worst one. I try to think back to yesterday, scope out the cause of this sudden pain. Had I been out too late? Had I been drinking? But nothing. Absolutely nothing came to my mind. As I tried to think, my eyes settled on the light blue walls of my bedroom. That’s when it hit me. M...

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“Grey Eyes” by Olly Lovatt

Submitted to Contest #289

‘The room is... unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.’ Words whispered for the fifth time from creased, crinkled lips. Words that barely carried themselves over to the other side of the twee room. Where a man sat. To him, it seemed as though the old woman’s face was being slowly squashed by the confusion, like a rusty, bent nail yielding to the hammers blows. ‘This is your home; you’re happy here.’ 'No, no, this isn’t my home; where am I?’ The man’s eyes stared at the old woman as she shook her head and rocked slightly in her ...

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“Keeping the Lights On” by El Rose

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.I look around, but my eyes can’t penetrate the suffocating darkness. The air is thick with the scent of dust. My pulse beats in an erratic rhythm. Instinctively, my fingers find the light switch and press it. The room is suddenly flooded with harsh light from the single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. I squint against the sudden brightness, blinking a few times.How many times have I told Ethan to replace the chandelier he broke with his damn soccer ball? His room is not a football field...

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“Between Two Worlds” by Parul Oh

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. I look around the dimly lit space, the walls covered in black and red graffiti, wondering where I am. I stare at an old, rusty grandfather clock that appears to be staring back at me, casting an eerie shadow across the room. Its hands make a creaking noise as they turn—like the sound of an old tractor. I scan the room, searching desperately for a clue - something I recognize - but to no avail. Fear slowly creeps in as I struggle to make sense of my surroundings. My heart beats rapidly, pou...

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“Unseen” by Johanna L

Submitted to Contest #289

Trigger Warning: This story explores themes of difficult family dynamics, emotional abuse, and murder. It delves into the lasting impact of toxic relationships, trauma, and the struggle for independence and healing. The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. Disoriented, I rubbed my eyes and took in the dim surroundings. Something felt off. I tried to piece together the events of the previous day, but the details slipped through my grasp like sand through my fingers. It had been about six months since I went no-contact with my t...

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“A Police Report and PTSD” by Karen Tripp

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don't know how I got here. I sit here in the dark on a cold floor that feels like stone. The cold air feels my lungs as my heartbeat quickens. Where am I? My hands quickly pass over the ground and body searching for my phone. All I remember is walking from the restaurant I work at towards parking garage… now I am here.At first, I could hear nothing but my own breath but now I can hear the sound of water rushing outside, wind blowing in the trees, and the sound of a windchime in the distance. As I shuffled around, I...

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Start your story with the lines: “The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.”

Submissions are closed

✍️ 109 stories

“A Day Forgotten” by Greg Gillis

“The Time Between Us ” by Christopher Miller

“Please Don't Forget Me” by S.M. Knight

“The Door in the Room” by Elaine Steffen

“GRUNTS” by Charles Corkery

“Faith” by Amanda Stogsdill

“My Life with Wally” by Angela Madison

“The Wrong One ” by Mel Abreu

“Where Are You, Steve Breck?” by Elizabeth Rich

“Get Me Out of Here ” by Raylee Hodson

“Grey Eyes” by Olly Lovatt

“Keeping the Lights On” by El Rose

“Between Two Worlds” by Parul Oh

“Unseen” by Johanna L

“A Police Report and PTSD” by Karen Tripp

🌟 Similar prompts

Write your story as text messages or an online conversation between two characters — and at least one of them isn’t who they say they are.

Write an open-ended story in which your character’s fate is uncertain.

Write a story in which a character discovers that a truth they've believed their whole life is either false or not the whole story.

Your character is getting changed in the bathroom of a nightclub or restaurant, then emerges looking completely different. Why?

Contest #289

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

364

Contest entries

155

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: