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

“Chasing Tides” by Laya Alix

Submitted to Contest #286

Whoosh. Shh. The waves rose and fell around Alyssa as she floated in the sea one last time, completely at its mercy. With her ears submerged, the sound resonated in her head, drowning out her thoughts. The sun was beginning to show itself and she could feel its warmth on her closed eyelids. Dawn was near and she did not have much time left. She savored the coolness of the water and the rush of the waves, trying to memorize all the sensations that she had taken for granted until now. She would miss this. This time tomorrow, she would be thou...

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“Sailing to the end of the world” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #286

Brian heard about the end of the world by chance. The two military officers - one with an eagle pin and the other with some stars - were whispering in a doorway. This was 15 minutes before the hurriedly called press conference in Detroit's city hall. "I already sent my kids to the fallout bunker at Selfridge," the eagle guy said in a hushed voice. "I don't know where else to send them. If I could, I would have taken an APC and just gone to our cabin up north." The star guy shook his head. "Won't matter, I don't think. I don't think any of us...

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“I Guess it Wasn't Mine” by Sarah Scott

Submitted to Contest #286

I don’t understand how someone could be so cruel. For the fact that I just… ya know prefer a different kinda style. A different type of vibe. I force myself to get up from the bed, struggling against the weight of my emotions that have pooled into a puddle of tears. I reach for my suitcase in the closet, covered in stars just like it was when I was nine years old. It's been a while since I've had to use it. I grab some of my most used clothes. My favorite red jacket, jeans, hoodie, some shirts. I grab at least a week worth of underwear ...

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“Dreams in a Suitcase ” by Aminah G

Submitted to Contest #286

Ahmed always dreamed of becoming a doctor. As a child, he spent hours daydreaming about wearing a white coat and helping people. He promised himself that one day he would put himself through school and become the first in his family to truly make something of himself.For most of his life, Ahmed had been bounced from one family member’s home to another. His mother, caught in the streets, spent much of her time hustling or serving short stints in jail. His father? He was just a name Ahmed had never met. But Ahmed knew from an early age that he...

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“Martha” by Jerilyn Kolbin

Submitted to Contest #286

My name is Martha.Just Martha?Yes, just Martha.Why is it that you have no last name?It’s a long story.The director turned his head from side to side, to glance at his two co-judges, the women teachers on either side of him, then back to Martha. Well, it sounds like a story that I would love to hear, but of course this is not the time. After today, if all goes well for you, perhaps I will then have plenty of time to get to to know you more. I wish you the best of luck, Miss, uh, Martha.Thank you. Martha clasped her hands together as if t...

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“Essential Personal Effects” by Molly K

Submitted to Contest #286

The old man remained idly inside the door to his flat, racking his brain for memories that seemed to retreat from his grasp like minnows, ribbon-like and slippery. Civil Control Station. 8:00AM on Saturday. Essential personal effects. His mind whirred fruitlessly, grasping at these wisps of cloud and trying to tie a thread from one thought to another. Saturday. 8AM. It was Friday afternoon, a brisk March day typical of this lower end of San Francisco. Kiyoshi could always note the afternoon hours by the lances of clean light that cut t...

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“Greece or Bust” by Elizabeth Belhumeur

Submitted to Contest #286

That was it. That was the last straw. I don’t have to take this from anyone! She clearly doesn’t understand, nor will she ever if she hasn’t figured it out by now. The anger was pulsing through every part of my body, from my toes to my fingertips, and I felt the steam leaving the hair on top of my head. I had seen the pictures on the wall at the town pizza parlor, with the white roof tops and crystal-blue ocean down the mountain side, and I always dreamt of running away to this place. While waiting for my small cheese pizza to ba...

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“The End of Things” by Brian Webb

Submitted to Contest #286

The knock on my door is loud. Not as loud as the explosion that shook the building fifteen minutes ago, but loud. And persistent. “Coming, coming!” I get myself on my feet and move toward the door. Yahtzee is there ahead of me, barking ferociously. Her front feet lift slightly off the floor with each yip. My chihuahua weighs seven pounds soaking wet but imagines herself a dire wolf. I pull her leash from a hook on the wall, clip it on, and open the door. A sol...

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“Life in Less Than 50 Pounds” by Renee Bogacz

Submitted to Contest #286

Please note, the following story makes reference to domestic violence. It finally happened. I have reached rock bottom. I don’t know why it took me so long to come to this conclusion, but it happened. I heave a shuddering sigh and look at myself in the bathroom mirror. My hair is a tangled mess, having been pulled from the ponytail it was in when Jake grabbed me by it and threw me to the ground. As I weave my fingers into my hair, I can feel a pretty big lump on the back of my head where it slammed into the concrete floor in the basement....

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“Baggage” by Jordan Miland

Submitted to Contest #286

I carry my life in a suitcase. My parents gave it to me when I was still too young to understand what it was. They taught me to carry it and they put some of their weight in it, though I’m not sure if they meant to. It’s a lovely suitcase made out of cured brown leather, with bronze locks and a mahogany handle. It is not a very big sort of suitcase, but it is just large enough for me to fit my life in. I have a lot of books in the suitcase. Most of them I have never read, but I like the idea of reading them. I carry them with me, because one...

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“Five Minutes” by Kaleen Bird

Submitted to Contest #286

The battered suitcase sat on the edge of the bed, its leather skin worn smooth by years of gripping, tossing, and enduring. Inside, it was hollow, yawning wide like a hungry mouth, waiting to consume the remnants of a life. Ana stood over it, her shoulders taut with the weight of decisions she hadn’t yet made. She could feel the weight of her entire existence pressing on her chest as she looked at the empty suitcase. Every moment of her life up until this point had led her to this moment—this decision. What could she carry with her? What w...

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“The Scissors and the Baby Blanket” by TATIANA MERIDA

Submitted to Contest #286

The photo album is a no brainer.Too heavy and too big for a twenty-three kg suitcase. If I take it with me, I’ll have to pay the extra money for the extra weight, and I’m definitively not doing that. Besides, it’s not like I’m not coming back.I am coming back.“Take scissors with you, you never know when you’ll need them.” My mom says while holding a small purple knitted clutch against her chest. She made it herself, and I think is so tacky.It’s filled with a variety of small and insignificant necessities, that you never care about until you ...

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“Journeys from home” by Brenda Adams

Submitted to Contest #286

On my very first journey, I left the islands on wanderlust.The aircraft I was to go on got shut down two days before, due to some drugs they found on the plane, so I flew on British airways instead. I boarded the flight, and it decided it would get rough with me. There were rocking, lurching...huge turbulences, making it a very bumpy ride. The plane shook so hard I though it was gonna fall out the skies.There were loud screams ( could have been from me) as I gripped the arms of my seat for dear life. Later, as things settled down, the ...

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“13 Days” by Amy Feise

Submitted to Contest #286

My body jolts awake. My ears are ringing with the high pitched sound of silence for several long moments. Just as I close my eyes the room explodes with sound. BAM BAM BAM I roll out of bed and scramble for my safe under the nightstand. I press my face into the carpet and reach all the way back. My fingertips graze the cold metal edges and I drag it out into the dim light. My hands are trembling and I draw a complete blank as the numbers dance in front of me. BAM BAM BAM "Los Angeles Fire Department! Open the door! You are in immediate dange...

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“Packing 85 years in one box.” by Shayron Blakemore

Submitted to Contest #286

Packing 85 years in one box I don’t usually rise early, but the sun insists I rise with her this morning. I put on my robe and set up the coffee to perk. As it began to produce that glorious liquid, I stepped out on my back porch to greet the sun, who was calling my name. The sky had a rosy shade, with the yellow of the sunshine tinging the edges. There is gentle breeze ruffling the needles of the pine trees. I have a ring of huge old pines that circle the meadow. I call them my sentinels. They have been there forever sta...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 113 stories

“Chasing Tides” by Laya Alix

“Sailing to the end of the world” by Mike Ramsey

“I Guess it Wasn't Mine” by Sarah Scott

“Dreams in a Suitcase ” by Aminah G

“Martha” by Jerilyn Kolbin

“Essential Personal Effects” by Molly K

“Greece or Bust” by Elizabeth Belhumeur

“The End of Things” by Brian Webb

“Life in Less Than 50 Pounds” by Renee Bogacz

“Baggage” by Jordan Miland

“Five Minutes” by Kaleen Bird

“The Scissors and the Baby Blanket” by TATIANA MERIDA

“Journeys from home” by Brenda Adams

“13 Days” by Amy Feise

“Packing 85 years in one box.” by Shayron Blakemore

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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: