Write a story that ends by circling back to the beginning.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 214 stories

“Terror” by Paramie Jayakody

Submitted to Contest #42

Terror.Terror.Abject terror. She woke up. She couldn’t remember her dream. She only knew that whatever it was, it woke her up gasping and shaking, and with overwhelming feelings of…..guilt? Where did the guilt come from? She didn’t know. Why did her head hurt? And why did her hand ache so much?Shaking away the lingering echoes of feelings she’d rather not think about in the early hours of the morning, she got up, remembering that- oh no. She groaned. It was the senior dance today. She didn’t hate dances, not at all. In fa...

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“Slitherinx” by E S

Submitted to Contest #42

Morris stumbled up the steep icy hill mumbling about stupid dares. Torrents of snow rained from the sky, coating the underdressed boy in frosty white flakes. His bare arms wrapped around his shivering body as he progressed to the top of the hill. His thin tank top, basketball shorts, and sneakers were no match for the freezing elements. He chanced one last glance at his friends waiting at the bottom of the slope. Their smug faces told him they hadn’t changed their minds. Morris let out a long sigh, watching the puffs of breath disappea...

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“Finish Line” by Tim Benson

Submitted to Contest #42

What is it about athletic competition that drives someone to try and do things they might not be physically capable of doing? Is it simple vanity or an overblown sense of pride? Is it some primal need to conquer someone or something? I had been thinking about that for months, ever since I’d decided to take up competitive bike racing. And the day I got the race application and map in the mail was the trigger for getting me to stop thinking and start doing.It was hard to match the details on the course map with the actual terrain and landmarks...

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“A Miracle” by Emika Asani

Submitted to Contest #42

Pilar bit her lower lip. Her immaculate smile was extinguished like a flame of an oil lamp.“I love you,” she gasped and the warmth left her hand. Her head fell back.Max’s throat relaxed a little. A ray of light ignited a bead of sweat on her upper lip. He instinctively turned towards the source of the orange light. On the horizon, the sun shone through a crack in the overcast sky, lead versus gold. The sun seemed overpowered. It plunged into the ocean, its lower half dissolved in a pool of red, yielding to the dark purple until it vanished.A...

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“The Norns” by Denise Ogilvie

Submitted to Contest #42

THE NORNSThe train rocked from side to side and the words on the page blurred. Valerie Carrington removed her reading glasses, pinched her nose and rubbed her eyes. The drab, shadowy suburbs of London flew past, a ghostly canvas hanging from the forbidding winter sky. Staring at her reflection through the grimy window, Valerie brushed a wayward curl from her face, wincing at the sight of the grey streaks running through her thick, unruly red hair. ‘Have you thought about dying your hair,’ her mother had said just yesterday. Followed by a cu...

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“Eternal Life” by Ariadne Isoton

Submitted to Contest #42

In a village halfway up a mountain pass, in early spring when the first larkspurs bloomed, a boy was born to the weaver’s wife. He came into the world feet first, with his eyes open, and did not cry, but stared around suspiciously until the midwife turned him upside down and smacked his feet, bringing forth a hoarse cry that assured everyone his lungs worked. He was named Cedar, for the hardy evergreen trees that grew tall and lived long. Cedar grew fast, and began walking and talking early. He ran everywhere, as if he were in a hurry t...

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“Tomorrow to Fresh Woods” by Ted Villamarzo

Submitted to Contest #42

Henry is the kind of man I like. He has that quality to face situations squarely, and when finished, whether in triumph or disaster, can start anew, like the quote of his favorite line from Milton’s poem: Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new. His attitude is… somewhat strange. When asked, at the playground where coaches are looking for students to teach: “Hey! Are you a good Tennis player?” “I don’t know,” Henry said, “I haven’t played Tennis before.” I was surprised. Not the standard answer. But it’s just a simple truth for him. ...

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“Arrabella Parson” by Kristen Bintley

Submitted to Contest #42

"Tis not in the stars to hold our destiny but in us"- William Shakespeare.CRASH! Slivers of glass littered the floor like stars in the dark. Every crunch of David Thompson' footsteps echoed through my body. The faint glow of a lamp illuminated his muscles, tight with tension and eagerness. He stood firm in front of me, yet I was alone in my house, my darkened home, with nobody but my sub-conscious at my shoulder. The weather was stormy outside, I couldn't bare to look out the window. My eyes were closed to the outside world of betrayal and...

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“From the beginning to the end” by Leila Adams

Submitted to Contest #42

Claire gritted her teeth, her hands curling into fists, her nails digging into her palm, leaving imprints.How could he leave her like this? A thousand memories swirled around her head, mingling with the anger she felt.They’d met at school, proper high school sweethearts. He was in the year above. She’d been buying sweets at the tuck shop there, only she’d realised she hadn’t enough change. In the queue behind her, he’d paid for her items, mainly so she’d get out of his way! They’d met again ac...

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“Home” by Ellie D

Submitted to Contest #42

There is a house to my left, new, but old in it's fashion. My personal taste does not aim towards it, but my beliefs say that it will make someone proud to present it to a crowd. I built this house, in hopes that someone will want to proclaim it as "home." Their home. Two floors, a simple layout. Maple wood across the floors, furnished with the finest finish, of course. It would need to be polished once or twice a month, a situation I blame children for. The walls hold an alabaster white, not my pick, but the deadline for me to do so was pas...

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“The Nothing Something” by Bianca Orfila

Submitted to Contest #42

The air in my room turned stale, cold unlike the gentle summer’s breeze that blew my curtains from their resting drape across my open window. I opened my closet with a creak, stopping my movement when I could hear my parents stirring from their room. I tied on some shoes and hoisted my backpack onto my shoulders and stepped onto the windowsill. With a steadily rising heartbeat, I stretched out onto a branch and held fast to the overgrown oak try beside my house. Carefully, I climbed down the trunk until I reached the ground. I landed with a ...

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“Nova” by Bruce Lorenzo

Submitted to Contest #42

Nova sighed, taking in the sights of the stars amidst the inky blackness outside of her window. Sitting in the captain’s seat, there were many buttons and levers laid out before her, screens displaying complicated visuals that would have made sense to somebody more learned in the ways of piloting than her. Floating aimlessly through space, she was stuck on the SS Nebuchadnezzar - what that name meant she would never know.She hadn’t chosen to be there. Well, sure, she had chosen to be in that particular seat in the ship, but the ship part was...

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“Airplanes” by Quinn Yetman

Submitted to Contest #42

"But what if the airplane falls to the ground while I'm on it," I began. "Or what if it runs out of fuel mid-air, or blows up?""That's not going to happen," Keara assured me."But what if it does," I countered."If it does, you can haunt me for the rest of your time on Earth.""But I'll be dead," I protested. "And in the middle of nowhere, so there is a strong chance that I won't even be able to find you.""Well, you'll just have to hope that you can teleport.""If I do end up dying, how long will it take you to move on from me..." Keara looked a...

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“Together in the Dark” by Lisa Slaikeu

Submitted to Contest #42

“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light.” The quote was written in cursive in the center of the black chalkboard with white chalk in the Introduction to Philosophy class along with the current date in the top right corner of the board, the fifth of March. The window near the teacher's desk of the room showed a cloudy, dark gray sky. Students filed in, took their seats, and placed their textbooks on their desks while they waited for the professor to start class. Quiet chatter filled the classroom before the bell...

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“A Fishy Rescue” by Dorothy Williams

Submitted to Contest #42

A FISHY RESCUE Parrots wait in the trees around the back door as we return from early training in the Pony Club. Seed on the bird feeder sets Libby’s excited tail wagging for her following breakfast in the enclosed verandah. She leaps against the flywire, gloats when rosellas fly circle round and return, realising she’s kidding. Cheeky kookaburras hop up to the wire hopefully to smell her breakfast after swooping on their own. Shy king parrots wait until I take Libby indoors.After loving pats and knee nuzzles I set to...

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Write a story that ends by circling back to the beginning.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 214 stories

“Terror” by Paramie Jayakody

“Slitherinx” by E S

“Finish Line” by Tim Benson

“A Miracle” by Emika Asani

“The Norns” by Denise Ogilvie

“Eternal Life” by Ariadne Isoton

“Tomorrow to Fresh Woods” by Ted Villamarzo

“Arrabella Parson” by Kristen Bintley

“From the beginning to the end” by Leila Adams

“Home” by Ellie D

“The Nothing Something” by Bianca Orfila

“Nova” by Bruce Lorenzo

“Airplanes” by Quinn Yetman

“Together in the Dark” by Lisa Slaikeu

“A Fishy Rescue” by Dorothy Williams

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that ends with the narrator revealing a secret.

Write a story that ends in the past.

Write a story that ends with a character asking a question.

Write a story that ends with one character waiting for the arrival of another.

Contest #42

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

903

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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