Write a story about a cherished heirloom that has journeyed through multiple generations.

Posted in Short Story on Jan 17, 2025

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✍️ 49 stories

“The Family Chest” by Maggie Harris

Submitted to Contest #286

I felt my grief hot and clawing in my chest as a watched the ambient dust of the attic filter through the air. The attic, which I now called my own, as well as the house it was attached to and all within its walls. The only light within the long room shone from a single bulb on the ceiling, keeping the far corners in shadow, and highlighting the skeleton of the house- rafters and beams caked in dust and cobwebs. The detritus of generations littered the floor- unwanted bureaus and chairs, trunks of now-antique clothing. The smell of the place...

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“The Meeting” by H.e. Ross

Submitted to Contest #286

The meeting was held at the San Sebastian National Trust Public and Private Meeting Facility Room. The sign above the door stated this and I was still a bit fuzzy in trying to put all of those words in context. The afternoon turtle hangover-remedy stuffing my insides created a lethargy that put the fluorescent lighting of the hallways into a venue that could not be on some Caribbean island but maybe somewhere in the Midwest. The night’s blackness outside the tinted windows isolated my thinking even more in mixing up my geographical fix. I ha...

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“Wisconsin or Bust” by James Plante

Submitted to Contest #286

This is not my first rodeo. But if I get through this one intact, it’ll be on a wing and a prayer. This time, it’s the Super Bowl of moves. Go big or go home, as they say. I’m already going big and hoping to find a home. No matter what, a huge change is coming. Of course, I’d rather conquer this quest and be completely triumphant, but it’ll likely be a pyrrhic victory if it’s anything less than what I’m hoping for. My plan will succeed if I reach my final destination, and a new life will begin where I had it planned. If I don’t, a new life w...

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“A Gift of Garnets” by Cindy Miller

Submitted to Contest #286

April, 1815, Willoughby Hall, London, England“Alice, look here! Come! I need to show you something!” Cecelia George called, as she proceeded to jimmy the lock inside the desk. “Can you please lend me one of your hair pins?” Alice Montague, was Cecelia’s best friend and confidante, since school days, and, whilst she hated the idea of a scandal and being dragged into one of Cecelia’s latest schemes, she was, secretly up for adventure. Cecelia could always count on Alice – and, now was particularly one of those times.Alice snagged her pin ...

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“Sick tradition ” by Ferris McDougal

Submitted to Contest #286

My dad is dead and all I got was a gun.No...My dad is dead and I got THE GUN. Not from a solicitor mind you…My Uncle Jim, who two days after my fathers suicide, dropped a sticky bin-bag into my letterbox. “Hey Jim, whatcha doin” I say as he goes a jamming a bundle of black plastic through a too-narrow slit. He don’t say nothing, just looks up at me, squeals and goes a jamming that thing even faster; so fast the stupid bastard was gonna rock the post outta the damn ground.I go on over, yelling at the dumb son of a bitch to stop thro...

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“A Photograph in Time” by Lisa Guth

Submitted to Contest #286

It was one of those cold, windy January days that made you want to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. But sometimes life just gets in the way of having a good time and you have to leave the house. It was also exactly one of those days that made sitting at my favorite cafe even cozier. The familiar ring of the bell at the door announced my arrival and I was greeted by the steamy air, thick with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sugary snacks. The girl behind the coffee machine smiled at me and I instantly fe...

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“Eros and the Vampyr” by Evan Conway

Submitted to Contest #286

The vampyr roared with the weight of darkness pouring from its gaping maw. The creature had been lost to its bestial desires and lunged at Eros with reckless abandon. Eros rolled to the side through the shallow swamp and found his footing. He brandished the blade at his side and brought it parallel to his face in the form of ox. In the blade’s hilt rested the Valmore family blood diamond. Eros looked and saw his reflection in the jewel and felt the responsibility of his family’s legacy begin to weigh on him.Eros studied the creature. He...

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“NANNY'S LEGACY” by Maria Barrett

Submitted to Contest #286

Deep within the lush hills of Jamaica's Blue Mountains, a small village nestled, hidden from the world. This was Nanny Town, a community born from the blood, sweat, and tears of the Maroons, descendants of enslaved Africans who fought for their freedom. Queen Nanny, Granny Nanny, or Nanny of the Maroons,(1686 – 1760), was an early-18th-century freedom fighter and leader of the Jamaican Maroons. She led a community of formerly-enslaved escapees, the majority of them West African in descent, called the Windward Maroons, along with their chil...

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“Counterclockwise” by Giulio Coni

Submitted to Contest #286

I. Present: The EndThe sound of the murky water of the Tiber mingles with the cries of seagulls soaring above the shacks of Fiumara. Giacomo, the last descendant of the family, clutches the fob watch between his grease-stained fingers. It's an heirloom now out of place, with its chipped face and hands frozen at some random hour of a forgotten day. His hand trembles, not from cold but from fear. Something moves in the shadows behind him.A shiver runs down his spine as he hears footsteps slowly approaching. His heart pounds in his chest, as if...

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“Last Chance” by Stephen McManus

Submitted to Contest #286

The mahogany canoe battled against an ebbing tide, barely making progress in the last thirty minutes. Junnu watched from atop a dune on the little island as a pelican dove headfirst into the water with a splash not far from the gunwale. The briny smell of ocean air washed over him pleasantly. Ten oars, five on either side, pulled powerfully by select hands from his father’s navy. Still, they struggled. A rogue wave crashing hard against the side nearly tipped it over. This was followed quickly by a flash of amber light and a puff of smo...

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“OK by Me” by Leslie Moses

Submitted to Contest #286

Great Aunt Vilna screamed in the living room, and everyone in her large, drafty house froze. Vilna couldn’t find the radio, was all. That’s what she said to the dozens of well-wishers after Grandfather Perry’s funeral who were now staring at her. “It was here this morning,” she said, trying to get her bearings now that the most prized item in the family was gone. She tried to temper her tone to show that the lost item was valuable enough to merit such a scream, but only for sentimentality and nothing more. Calyn, the tomboyish, mischievous g...

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“Headlights” by Anthony C

Submitted to Contest #286

(This story contains allusions to/instances of suicidality, child abuse, and mental illness) There they were, still, hours later. Headlights, pouring into the living room through the shut blinds. Strips of high beams that illuminated select sections of the wall, scattered and dispersed by the slits they ran through, but lined up as though they wished to catch someone passing through their aim. I was still frozen in the passway between the living room and the stairs, staring at the front door. The area I lived in was seedy, but not quit...

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“The Heirloom” by Sharon Thames

Submitted to Contest #286

The Heirloom “What’s that?” asked Austin. “A cowbell. Haven’t you ever seen one?” I replied. “Okay, I know what a cowbell is. Why are you keeping it?” “It’s a family heirloom. I can’t throw it away.” My husband rolled his eyes and sighed. As an only child, he seldom seemed to have an affinity for anything related to family history. I’m not quite sure since it seems he should be the one to carry the repository of his family stories. But no, that is and has been my appointed chore my whole life. I am the collector...

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“The Story Box” by Gemma Rose

Submitted to Contest #286

Gunni turned the box over in his little hands, as if it would change somehow from what it had always been. It didn’t, of course. It was just a box, maybe big enough to fit a chapter book in. The little ones he got from his classroom library, not the big ones Ine and his parents liked to read. It seemed bigger in his hands than it had on the dresser in Mom and Dad’s room. “I don’t need a jewelry box, Mom.” “You’re young, don’t rule it out.” Mom chuckled, sitting down in her favourite armchair and gesturing for him to take a seat in Dad’s next...

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“the edwardian diamond” by Maddy Kovart

Submitted to Contest #286

PLEASE NOTE: TW for mentions of suicide, domestic abuse, abusive relationships I looked at it again. It was all dainty and pretty, complete with a big fat diamond in the middle. But you could tell it was old, much older than me. It was worn, scratched and missing one of the tiny little diamonds that surround the giant fella in the middle. I must admit I was kind of moved when my mother gave me her ring. I didn’t expect it, since I never felt like she had ever given my relationship to Camilla her blessing. Not that I asked for it or that it w...

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Write a story about a cherished heirloom that has journeyed through multiple generations.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“The Family Chest” by Maggie Harris

“The Meeting” by H.e. Ross

“Wisconsin or Bust” by James Plante

“A Gift of Garnets” by Cindy Miller

“Sick tradition ” by Ferris McDougal

“A Photograph in Time” by Lisa Guth

“Eros and the Vampyr” by Evan Conway

“NANNY'S LEGACY” by Maria Barrett

“Counterclockwise” by Giulio Coni

“Last Chance” by Stephen McManus

“OK by Me” by Leslie Moses

“Headlights” by Anthony C

“The Heirloom” by Sharon Thames

“The Story Box” by Gemma Rose

“the edwardian diamond” by Maddy Kovart

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone who must fit their entire life in a single suitcase.

Center your story around a character who’s struggling to let go.

Center your story around a character who’s afraid of being forgotten.

Write a story with the line “You never know a good thing until it’s gone.”

Contest #286

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

368

Contest entries

146

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: