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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

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

Posted in Short Story on Jan 17, 2025

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✍️ 113 stories

“You Think You Have Time” by J Gro

Submitted to Contest #286

You think you have time. Earth’s core grew 10 times its size in the past month. Scientists predicted, at this rate, humans had two months to evacuate the planet. They were wrong. “Hello?” It was 4 a.m. when the call came. “Ms. Henderson, this is Rachel from NASA. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve expeditated your evacuation to this afternoon at 2 p.m. Please head to your designated launch station at this time. Shuttles will not wait for delayed passengers.” She wasn’t finished talking, but I stopped listening. My evacuation was supposed...

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“Just one suitcase” by Kristy Schneider

Submitted to Contest #286

The lid of the box was hard to keep shut, it wouldn’t stop shaking and rattling, I was used to this but it never got any easier. I was just better at keeping hold of it now. The force inside was fighting with every ounce of strength it could muster. The box was only just bigger than the palm of my hand and yet it felt as though it held the weight of the universe. I pinned it down onto the table with my full weight. Claire was able to tie the red ribbon around it. She started to hum, jingle bells, the box slowed the sound draining its energy....

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“No More Trash Bags” by Jamie Swann

Submitted to Contest #286

“RUBY, get down here. NOW!” No ignoring that bellowing. I mean, Ms. Imogene wasn’t the worst foster parent I’d ever had, and she definitely wouldn’t be the last, but she wasn’t winning any awards.  The room I shared with my foster ‘sister’ Jacqui was cramped, the faded floral wallpaper stuck in a bad 80s time warp. I marked my place in the book and set it on the scratched nightstand, stretching as I stood. Rare time alone was gold—Jacqui was off visiting relatives, so I had the room to myself for once. “What does she want now?” I mutter...

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“City of Angels” by Abhijit Bharadwaj

Submitted to Contest #286

How do you pack your life in a suitcase?What do you carry?Clothes?Passports?What do you look for when you have just 5 mins to find EVERYTHING that is valuable to you before …it burns down? Before the life, the house, your dream, everything that meant something to you burns down or rather IS burning down You always hear about these things but when it happens to you, its… I was away. I have always been “AWAY” – Exactly like my ex-wife and kids and many people who have ever tried to get close to me have said and meant it. Away from the madnes...

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“One Man's entire life in a single suitcase.” by Susie Bennett

Submitted to Contest #286

The rhythmic tick-tock of the station clock seemed to amplify the businessman’s anxiety. He was a study in polished professionalism—a charcoal suit, meticulously knotted tie, expensive leather shoes tapping a restless rhythm against the platform. His gaze darted between the elegant silver watch on his wrist and the arrivals board, a tight line creasing his forehead. Ten minutes, the board announced—ten minutes until his train arrived. It was an odd mix of urgency and patience—a tightrope walk I found myself observing with detached curiosity....

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“Life in a Suitcase” by Charles Cravey

Submitted to Contest #286

Life in a Suitcaseby Dr. Charles E. CraveyChapter 1: The End and The BeginningAlexandra “Alex” Carter stood in her now-empty apartment, clutching an eviction notice. Her mind buzzed with the shock of losing her job and home within the same week. Determined not to succumb to despair, she made the bold decision to leave everything behind and embark on a new chapter in her life. With a resolute spirit, she set her sights on the vibrant city of New Orleans, a place that had always held a mysterious allure for her.Feeling a mix of excitement and ...

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“For Good Luck” by Kristine McCraw

Submitted to Contest #286

 The house was locked but a note hung on the door, flapping in the wind. It seemed important. Willow’s hands shook as she sputtered out letter sounds. The lines jumbled as if the sentences had torn apart, been thrown into the air, and haphazardly landed on the paper. Reading always daunted her but she kept her eyes fixed on the words. It took three tries before she fully understood the message.Willow, we have been searching for you. You cannot stay at your house because your dad will not be there. Pack a bag and return to the Murphy's h...

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“Another Life” by Neil Achary

Submitted to Contest #286

Walt waits at his desk for the moment to end, then puts his fountain pen to the yellowed page and writes in exquisite cursive. When he reaches the last page, he pauses to let the ink dry, then shuts the leather-bound journal and places it in the brown trunk by his feet with the others. "Six hundred pages. That should do it." The kettle whistles to him from the kitchen, the same kettle he had burnt his arm on when he was five. The white scar had since weathered, lost under folds of wrinkles and a thin layer of hair, but always he remembered a...

1 comment 1
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“The Book of Small Things” by Alex Marmalade

Submitted to Contest #286

Yuri stared at the contents of his suitcase spread across the metal table, each item a carefully chosen piece of his world. The Ukrainian customs officer picked through them with latex-gloved hands, his movements precise and unhurried. Behind the one-way glass, Yuri knew others were watching, analyzing his stillness, his silence, the way his fingers traced the edge of *Knyha Malykh Rechei* – The Book of Small Things. The book that had been his constant companion since the night Sasha first pressed it into his hands, her eyes bright with urge...

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“The light of Genevieve” by Katie Neward

Submitted to Contest #286

Every year there was a big gathering at the Saint Mary’s Cemetery. A positively unlikely event, considering it wasn’t a funeral. They paid the gazebo rent quite a good penny so the attendant didn’t mind them.This year they were the most numerous, twenty people and counting. One of them brought a suitcase, which pinged at the metal detector frame. The man was sturdy and business-looking, so the sudden scare seemed to make him look boyish and younger than he probably was. They were all of a certain age, when people normally lose their connecti...

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“Josie” by Maddie Thorp

Submitted to Contest #286

Clothes. Books. Plates. That weird koala trinket Susie had gotten me. I have no idea how to make it all fit. I’d gotten the biggest suitcase I could find. Erin had told me with a laugh that she didn’t think it would fit in the boot of the car. It was a ghostly blue, creased and worn at the edges. Margaret’s neighbour was getting rid of it and when news had gotten around at the library that I was retiring and moving, she’d salvaged it for me. I stood holding a blanket, colander and rosary. There was too much. I slumped, defeated, onto the sof...

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“The List” by Margaret Zabor

Submitted to Contest #286

“You’re not going back to your house,” Edward said. “You can’t manage on your own anymore. Even if you had home health aides coming in to help you, it wouldn’t be enough. I’m moving you into an assisted living place, Village Palms. It’s very nice, and I’m sure you’ll like it.” His forced smile didn’t convince his mother, who had reached a stubborn age—ninety-two—and recognized that her son was caught up in his typical quest for efficiency. He’s a CPA, and a good one, but there is so much he doesn’t understand, she thought. Grace took a mome...

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“A Wild Prairie Flower's Big City Dreams” by Rachel Zabrina Zammit

Submitted to Contest #286

I grew up in the vast prairies. There is a saying… that you could watch your dog get lost for 3 days out there running in one direction. The night sky on a clear night would blanket you with stars. Not sure why I have been bringing this up, other than I feel the land calling to me. Calling me home. When I first moved out to the big city over 10 years ago, I was a wild prairie flower with big city dreams. I longed to chase the city lights and the atmosphere that never slept; away from the uncivilized and boring existence I was made to endure ...

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“Fire and Flame” by Rachel Brown

Submitted to Contest #286

I understand now why they describe something as being ‘engulfed’ in flame. There is very little in this life that can completely ‘engulf’. Fire and flame, they completely engulf. Nature, homes, lives, history, memories, all engulfed in flames. We weren’t close enough to feel the heat. We just stood on the patio and watched the orange blaze carve its way down the hillside, consuming all in its path. Our road, car, roof, all so covered in ash that we could no longer distinguish it in the air. The most terrifying part was the noise. I was never...

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“Leaving Home, Finding Home” by Maria Golino

Submitted to Contest #286

The suitcase sits open on my bed like a mouth waiting to swallow my life whole. Bo and Lu circle my feet, their nails clicking against the wooden floor in an anxious dance. They know something's wrong-these girls of mine, one shepherd black and tan, one retriever gold as sunset, they've always known things before I do. Their feminine energy fills the room as I fold thirteen years of my future into neat squares. Bo nudges my hand with her wet nose, leaving a mark on the shirt I'm folding. Lu whines softly, her golden fur catching the last lig...

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Contest #286

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Ended on 23:59 - Jan 24, 2025 EST

Won by D Gorman 🏆

Title: A Suitcase Full of Davids

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