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

Posted in Short Story on Sep 13, 2024

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✍️ 92 stories

An Apology to Mankind, Two Days After First Contact

Winner of Contest #268 🏆

What follows is a transcript of an apology to the people of Earth, and specifically the residents of Silver Lake, Indiana. [BRACKETED] words indicate imprecise translation.  Hello, people of Earth. This message is being translated into the language practiced by the humans who reside in the area designated Silver Lake, Indiana, using the Verpal Language Unscrambler 2. As my segment-mate Zolak is so fond of reminding me, our model is very outdated and overdue for replacement. Any translation errors that may occur are the result ...

140 likes 104 comments 104
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The Unowned Deceit

Submitted to Contest #268

I’m not the best with words, not necessarily the spelling or grouping into a grammatical whole, but the pairing of them together into meaning. I have this sense of what holds in my heart, but then it comes out in an abbreviated awkwardness, the sounds coupled with sighs and stammerings, and I end up leaning into silence, a reluctance to own the sharing or the outcome. It is probably easier to say that I am the opposite of glib.—“I didn’t want to lose you,” that phrase keeps cycling through my head, a bunched heap of emotion.She is my excepti...

73 likes 59 comments 59
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Through A Locked Door

Submitted to Contest #268

If you saw my wife, you'd tell me how stupid I was for hitting her. And I wouldn't argue. She's a looker. I mean, she makes women in the movies look butt ugly. But in my defense, if you only knew the things I put up with at work, you'd cut me some slack. I know what you're gonna say – that's no excuse. But, hey, don't worry. I'm going to apologize – if she'll let me. She's been crying in our room for hours. I've tried entering several times, but it's locked. All that punching and shouting must have drained me more than I imagined. Just turni...

48 likes 28 comments 28
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it starts with (1) text message

Submitted to Contest #268

ROCHESTER, NY. 9:34 PMThe phone chimes. Unaware that he had spaced out in the shower, Harris reaches through the curtain and grabs his phone from the vanity top. He sighs. Not only did he space out in the shower, but he had been staring at his shelf of bath products for the past thirty minutes, while the water trickled absentmindedly over his face. Harris turns the water off, grabbing his towel as he steps out. He checks his notifications:(1) TEXT MESSAGEHarris spends the next 10 minutes changing into his sleepwear and brewing himself a...

31 likes 19 comments 19
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Door Knocker

Submitted to Contest #268

The door knocker is a small girl holding a puppy. Admire the creativity. Who would make such a door knocker? Who would purchase one? The Bird would. The Bird does everything in such a way that nobody else can believe what they’ve done when they see what it is. Door knockers. The way The Bird eats an everything bagel. The way The Bird drives a garbage truck. Each action shines a light on the action or the object The Bird is engaging with, and brings forth new insight. Knock on the door. The Bird answers. You begin your apology. The Bird close...

28 likes 16 comments 16
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A Letter to my Younger Self

Submitted to Contest #268

Dear younger me,It’s hard to believe we’re almost eligible for Medicare. It seems like just yesterday we were starting out in this world. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not done yet. I’m hoping we have at least 20 or 30 good years ahead of us. But I thought now was a good time to reflect on some of the regrettable things we did when we were that energetic young woman, that idealistic but not as wise version of the person we are today.I realize you’re not responsible for anything we did before we were 18. The brain isn’t fully developed then, so I...

27 likes 26 comments 26
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Birthday Wish

Submitted to Contest #268

“Happy Birthday!” Meredith greeted me as if it were just another day in the park. “I’m sixty,” I answered bluntly. “I know.” “I’m old.” “I know,” she answered me playfully. “Hey! You aren’t supposed to agree with me!” “I’m just teasing. You look great.”  She laughed that old familiar laugh. “I look great? That’s something you say to an old person. ‘Wow, you’re ninety, you look fantastic.’ That just means you look fantastic considering the massive wrinkles and age spots.” “Stop. You look great for real. You ...

20 likes 23 comments 23
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The Interpretation of Dreams

Submitted to Contest #268

Dr Selznick asked the lady opposite whether she would prefer to kick off her shoes and lie on the couch. The lady opposite knows she has holes in her socks so declines. The walls are painted a sumptuous shade of eau-de-nil and she notices that all the leaves on his cheese plant are serrated, unlike hers. She approves of his style. It is old-school and unpretentious, and he writes with a fountain pen. This object, once so commonplace, fills her head with a plangent nostalgia. ‘So, Emily Davison. Why is that name ...

16 likes 19 comments 19
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The Confession of the First

Submitted to Contest #268

"You look like him," the woman with the quiet voice spoke through the mesh of the confessional window. “All men do."Father Giardino was twenty-five. He was new to this life spent in service to the Lord. This was his first time hearing a confession as an ordained priest, and she was his first penitent. The curse of inexperience weighed heavily on him, and, well...he wished the woman would speak up.“Whom did you say I resemble? You're speaking a bit too softly. I didn’t hear you.”She was silent for such a long moment that the priest thought sh...

14 likes 6 comments 6
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Double Betrayal

Submitted to Contest #268

Tap. Tap. Tap. Maggie heard the rapping on the front door of her apartment. She glanced at her nightstand clock and saw 7:25 a.m. What day is it? Saturday. Not wanting the knocking to disturb the neighbors, she arose quickly, grabbed her robe for warmth and coverage, and darted for the door. Maggie stood on her tip-toes to look through the peephole. Uh oh. Billy. She cracked open the door. Billy had disheveled hair and beard stubble as if he just rolled out of bed. “I came to apologize, babe.”  Maggie hadn’t opened the door wide enough ...

13 likes 3 comments 3
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The Passing of Miss Hilda Button

Submitted to Contest #268

A week after Hilda Button passed away, a notice was placed in the window of the village post office, it read: The funeral of Miss Hilda Button,loved and cherished member of this parish, will be held at 2:00pm on Friday 27th June at St Michael’s parish church.  All are welcome. “Oh, thank goodness for that,” Betty Draper commented to her friend Edith Mahon as they joined the small group of people gathered around the notice, “I was so worried that her daughter wouldn’t bother with a proper service, you know how people are ...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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Witch's Regret

Submitted to Contest #268

Halloween night. Both the best and worst time of the year for Leona Van Yodel. Being a witch had its downsides, and it's perks. For starters, Leona hadn't always been a witch. It all began one fateful night two hundred years ago to this very night. Leona was an only child, raised by her mother and father in a small village in what we now know to be Massachusetts. In those days, it was something else entirely. A storm was brewing on the horizon this night, and the village priest had warned the villagers not to leave their homes this night. ...

13 likes 3 comments 3
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She Calls You Back

Submitted to Contest #268

CONTENT WARNING: this story includes substance abuse, a character who commits suicide, and characters who have experienced parental neglect.People never truly change. Not really. You are cursed to be the same person throughout your life.At least, this is what my mother told me. That people never change. That who we are is who we have always been.And I refuse to believe this. Because if I believe it, then it means I’m a monster.I never wanted to look back. It’s easier not to and I think most people would agree with me on that.For ten years I ...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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Return of the Prodigal Son

Submitted to Contest #268

“Hi, my name is Daniel Forseegan.” He showed his identification to the nurse standing at the reception desk. “My father is a resident here.”  She gave him a quick suspicious glance as she took his identification, his Michigan Driver’s License. “Mr. Forseegan, I’ll have someone escort you to his room.”  “How is he?” Daniel asked as she handed him his license back to him.  “I can’t tell you that, but since this is hospice care, I’m sure you will understand.” She sighed.  “Mr. Forseegan?” An orderly appeared at the desk.&nbs...

11 likes 7 comments 7
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A Hard Lesson

Submitted to Contest #268

Due to wildfires our house burned up, my husband got laid off, and my asthma began acting up with all the smoke and residue. The doctor said I needed to stay indoors, with an air filtration unit, at least until the baby is born—two months from now—and ideally for the next six months, until the baby’s lungs were robust.  Mom lived in Stittsville, a two-hour drive away. Although Dad died twelve years ago, she’s still rattling around in the family house. “I’d love some company,” she said, “and the air here is clean.”Can skylark and night o...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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