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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

BETWEEN THE LINES

Submitted to Contest #268

You open me, expecting something. A story, a spark, an escape. Your fingers rest on my spine, pausing just long enough to feel the weight of me in your hands. I can sense the anticipation in your grip, that subtle quickening of your breath as your eyes trace the title on my cover. Adventure? Mystery? Or perhaps something deeper. Whatever it is, you’re ready to dive into my pages and find what lies hidden. And then, with a quiet crack, I begin to unfold.Words spill across the page, unfurling like a ribbon of ink, swirling before your eyes. T...

11 likes 6 comments 6
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Weight

Submitted to Contest #268

WEIGHT.A short story by Sreedevi Jagannath.“I don’t know what I’m doing here.” Frida closes the musty, velvet curtains behind her. Joel, if that was even his real name, but who would make up a name like Joel for a psychic? It sounded so normal.Joel, a few steps ahead of her, rounds a table that is bereft of anything but an ashtray. He settles into a very comfortable looking wingback chair. Frida is staring, she knows it, but she can’t stop herself. Joel tosses his curly, dirty blonde hair and lights a cigarette. Sprawled like that, he looks ...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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Let's Chat

Submitted to Contest #268

“Here you go! One large extra-shot latte with oat milk, and one medium Americano, no cream.” She set both cups down on the table. “Your avocado toast will be right up.”  “Thank you,” they both said in sync.  As the server walked away, Emma watched and marveled at her long brown hair and how she looked great in horizontal stripes. The sweater hung below her thin hips, and her long, lean legs jutted out. Emma remembered being that young, that trim. She envied the server’s youth. She would never be that young, or that trim, again...

11 likes 0 comments 0
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Please Forgive the Lady in Red

Submitted to Contest #268

In a gloomy town of Monmouthshire, there lived a woman, Lynn Jones. She was a bartender in a grimy haunt of a tavern — Old Peg Leg. Lynn would toll the clock, Wednesday to Friday, at a humdrum pace, serving the thirsty brutes of Pontypool. The place wafted in pipe smoke, the ceiling hung low, burnt with ash. It resembled a coal pit in a hole in the earth. Drunkards guffawed at stupid stories and swivelled on rickety stools, demanding more ale for their flagons. In a rhythm, Lynn would yell at the lunkheads to “shut the hell up” while she pou...

10 likes 4 comments 4
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The Weight of Lies

Submitted to Contest #268

Sensitive content: Infidelity, manipulation, emotional betrayal and sexual undertones. He was so used to getting away with everything - a typical seducer, player, heartbreaker, traitor, and conman. He viewed women as prey, objects to satisfy his desires. And there she was, walking towards him: a graceful stranger. Her golden mane swayed with the rhythm of her elegant stride, the wind playing with the tips of her hair, and the sway of her hips drawing attention like a magnet. He stepped towards her, ready for his next conquest.She stopped at ...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Blue Boy

Submitted to Contest #268

   Blue Boy Nathan’s mother looked up from the phone bill she was trying to decipher when he rushed down the stairs from his room, headed for the front door. It was early on a Monday morning, mid-summer, sky a pale aqua, empty of clouds.  “Where you going so early?” his mother asked.   “Bike ride,” he replied without looking at her. “Where to?” she said. “Just around, nowhere.” He wore the same jean cutoffs and black t-shirt he’d worn every day for several weeks. Ever since the divorce became final and his fath...

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The Future of Forgiveness

Submitted to Contest #268

Jessica pulled up to the stark gray building, wondering why they chose such an inhospitable looking place. She almost pulled back out again and went home, but she wanted closure. She needed closure, and this place had said that they could give it to her. She had read everything she could on the business, she wasn’t one to fall for scams, but for some reason there were no alarm bells going off in her head.She got out of the car and walked up to the glass door, which proved to be a little lighter than she had anticipated, so it swung out much ...

9 likes 3 comments 3
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A Tree-huggers Atonemnet

Submitted to Contest #268

A Tree Hugger’s AtonementI'm an admitted tree hugger. I celebrate Arbor Day likes it's New Year's eve. I've been involved with the planting of about 50,000 trees. One of the highlights in my life was accepting the Sacramento Tree Foundation's "Tree Hero" award for my work group. Yes, I like trees. I appreciate them even more, now that I have lung issues, and need every last molecule of the precious Oxygen that they produce.I have a long history with trees. When I was a kid, my brother and I watched an old black and white TV show where some p...

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Trials and Tribulations

Submitted to Contest #268

Ninety-two-year-old Silas Townsend is at death’s door. His eyes are half-closed and are sunk deep in their sockets. His skin is blotchy and pale. His jaw hangs slack. A deep rattle comes from his chest as Death presses down on it. Still, his old, cracked, hardened rubber ball of a heart continues to beat.           Death leans closer and smells the sweat breath of the dying and whispers, “It’s almost time, Silas. I hope you are ready. Think back on your...

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Marmalade Tiger

Submitted to Contest #268

Sheila’s corner office, over the years, became a gallery presided over by photos of cats and kittens. Sibling kittens with bright eyes, a lonely oldie safe in the arms of someone who understood loneliness, a mama cat with her one surviving kitten adopted together. A number of photos lay stacked on the corner of her desk waiting for someone to venture up a ladder to affix them to the ceiling because every inch of wall space was covered, though she suggested they could adorn the corridor outside, so that discussion was still ongoing.Otherwise,...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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Forgotten but not forgiven.

Submitted to Contest #268

This story includes sensitive subjects involving substance abuse, self harm, sexual situations, and mental health problems. __    The air tends to smell of freshly fallen rain. The type of scent that reminds you of your childhood, of slightly damp mud. The scent that would always end up in wet grass stains on your Sunday outfit.  I am cold. I feel the humidity deep in my bones. Maybe one more drink will warm me up? I ask myself, already knowing the answer. The bitter end of the bottle brings me dizziness but not warmth; it do...

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THE WINDS OF CHANGE THE WINDS OF DESTINY HAS COME FOR RUBY

Submitted to Contest #268

Seven years ago, in the town of Harbor Bay, a tragic accident occurred involving three teen age girls. Two girls Willow and Amalia were killed instantly. The driver Ruby Collins survived with minor injuries.The town of Harbor Bay was devastated by the senseless loss of life. The people of Harbor Bay came to pay their last respects to Willow and Amalia including Ruby.Details of the accident was kept from the residents until after the funeral. Heartbreak and sadness turned to anger and hatred when it was revealed that Ruby Collins was responsi...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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The Weight of Stones

Submitted to Contest #268

TRIGGER WARNING: This story centers on the death of a character secondary to a hit-and-run accident.Marcus stared at the crumpled newspaper clipping in his trembling hand. Even after five years, the words still burned:"Local Teen Killed in Hit-and-Run"He swallowed hard, his throat constricting around the lump of guilt that never seemed to go away. The faces of Sarah Thompson's parents flashed in his mind - their anguished cries at the funeral, their pleas on the local news for the driver to come forward. But he never did.Instead, he ran...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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Loose Ends

Submitted to Contest #268

My eyes adjusted as I stepped into a bright foyer. Everything was glaring white from floor tile to ceiling, and as I walked forward, a white desk appeared. I could hear the faint click of the keys on the white keyboard as a woman typed away behind a white computer, unaware of my approach. I stopped at the desk and cleared my throat. The woman’s eyes snapped up to meet mine in surprise.  “Oh, hello,” she said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she smiled. “Didn’t see you there.” “Hi?” I replied, looking around as I s...

7 likes 0 comments 0
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Journey's End

Submitted to Contest #268

JOURNEY’S ENDBy Janet Lorimer    The tale is told of a poor shoemaker, a bitter man, who plied his trade in a small shop on a narrow street in Jerusalem. One day his work was interrupted by a great commotion outside.  Curious, the shoemaker went to the doorway in time to see a man, covered in blood and sweat and dragging a great wooden cross, stumble and fall against the outer wall. Angry, the shoemaker berated him. “You’re bad for business. Get away from my shop.”    The injured man tur...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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