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

“Oasis” by Elise Barger

Submitted to Contest #42

“You ever want to go out on her, just say the word, and we’ll make a day of it,” Buddy said. Sarah smiled appreciatively at Buddy’s thoughtfulness. Buddy was her Navy husband Jonathan’s first officer and best friend. “Thank you,” she replied, giving Buddy and his wife Jennifer a hug. Glancing at the boat, and running her hand over the wood grain, “Oasis is all your’s. Just like Jonathan would have wanted. He wouldn’t want this beauty to rot away in a harbor. He’d want her to be out on the water where she belongs,” Sarah grinne...

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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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“In my End, is my Beginning” by Karen Piagesti

Submitted to Contest #42

The fig squelched between my teeth, releasing its soft flesh and thousands of little seeds onto my tongue. It was a taste and texture experience I couldn't get enough of, so vastly different from anything I had ever known. Like a rainbow explosion of colour for my mouth, it tempted my senses into places I had never known existed. It was exquisite, a joy so deep it made me feel like weeping.You see, my world started out grey. I was born in a world of grey, of sludge and cold with the smell of firewood lingering in the air around me. I lived i...

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“Dandelion Day” by Sam Russell

Submitted to Contest #42

Dandelion Day is about new beginnings--that’s what Jackson whispered in my ear with a boyish wink before speeding down the hill in front of us. We were barely nine years old the first time I heard those words. His jacket flew open as he cast his arms open wide, his chest free to the air, his shoulders thrown back and square. It wasn’t so much a choice as an obligation that my own feet inevitably followed his path, ten steps behind.At the bottom of the hill he stopped and waited and searched. When I finally caught up to him, windswept and gri...

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“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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“The Old Guitar” by C.A. Simonson

Submitted to Contest #42

“My life savings are wrapped up in that old guitar, Son. One day, she’ll be yours. Take care of her for me, will ya?” he said with a wink. Those were the last words Dan’s father ever spoke to him. Town folk rumored his old man was rich, but he never lived like it. His dad and he never did see eye to eye. When he'd stormed off to college, they hadn't spoken until his father got sick. Reluctantly he went back home to see his dad one last time, hoping to get some needed money – something to get back on his feet. But all he received was h...

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“Imelda” by Chidinma Ihezue

Submitted to Contest #42

My name is Imelda Azubike. I am the only surviving child of this family, conscious enough to tell our story.Growing up my mum used to tell us a joke; said the first time I dropped into this world, my crying took the shape of “why?” In my family, we are blessed with early speech: if you do not testify, “I hate this life, I hate my life” you do not originate from the Azubike family. I spoke on the seventh month after my birth, started walking too.Being a child brought up in the ghetto was fun, having neighbors you could peep at but forbidden t...

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“Olin Hall” by Joseph Lombardi

Submitted to Contest #42

The problem with Olin hall is that it has the most, and I must emphasize most, comfy seats of the whole campus. In my undergrad I could barely help myself from falling asleep every time I went to a physics lecture. It wasn’t so much the dryness of the content that brought about my slumber, but the plush, tweed seat that I sunk into, and in its warm embrace could dream about the phenomena the professor was talking about. I dreamt about space and great orbiting bodies. I put myself in the position of the lecturer’s space-traveler, approaching ...

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“Cobblestones” by Öykü Yeşil

Submitted to Contest #42

It was a very quiet evening. He could not believe the size of the cobblestones on the ground. He never took the time to look at them before. Some were the size of his hand. He wondered whether they had a different name. After almost twenty minutes of careful inspection, he came to the conclusion that cobblestones were not very interesting materials. He was growing impatient, it was at most 10-minute walk from her home, how could she be so late? Well, she was getting older, perhaps she was slowing down? When she appeared 10 minutes late...

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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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“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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“The Old Trampoline” by C.M. Storm

Submitted to Contest #42

“I love you,” Tucker muttered. He wanted a response. He didn’t expect one, but he wanted one. He wanted it more than anything else. But she was already asleep. He sighed and shifted, turning and looking up at the sky. The old trampoline was falling apart. Held by rusty chains, the net on the outside was folding, wilting away. “I win!” Lilly cried, collapsing on the new trampoline. Tucker giggled, watching her. He was still breathing heavy, they had raced to see who could jump higher. T...

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“She Comes...” by Nicholas Westbrook

Submitted to Contest #42

John sat in his chair, patiently waiting with the rifle at his shoulder. She’d come again soon. This was the worst night of the year. John had managed to survive last year and he’d be damned if he would let that vile creature in. John had rented the cabin earlier that month and paid for two weeks, leaving a wide buffer on either end. After all of the set up he’d done, John felt he’d need at least a few days to get the cabin back to normal. Last year, he’d stayed home but the neighbors started asking too many questions when he began...

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“Was it All Just a Joke?” by Terri Dieter

Submitted to Contest #42

The lights were flickering. The wind was raging through the house. The papers were shuffling, and it did not look like she was at her own house. Leyla woke up screaming, but she did not remember ever falling asleep. An afternoon nap maybe? That did not seem like something Leyla would typically do though. It all started on a blustery, dreary spring day when Leyla’s parents had to go out of town. They gave her specific rules not to use the stove or do anything with heat and outlets. Leyla pondered what she could do without these necessit...

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“Rosa” by Marjolein Maassen

Submitted to Contest #42

August.Click. A soft whirring came from within, slowly increasing in speed and volume, until the metal skin positively vibrated. Eventually it quieted a little, and settled on a steady hum, almost like a heartbeat. Which was then abruptly followed by a short, high-pitched beep. “Ugh, I can’t believe that with the way technology has advanced, I still have to deal with sounds that make my ears bleed.” “Stop being su...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 214 stories

“Oasis” by Elise Barger

“Slitherinx” by E S

“In my End, is my Beginning” by Karen Piagesti

“Dandelion Day” by Sam Russell

“Terror” by Paramie Jayakody

“The Old Guitar” by C.A. Simonson

“Imelda” by Chidinma Ihezue

“Olin Hall” by Joseph Lombardi

“Cobblestones” by Öykü Yeşil

“Finish Line” by Tim Benson

“Eternal Life” by Ariadne Isoton

“The Old Trampoline” by C.M. Storm

“She Comes...” by Nicholas Westbrook

“Was it All Just a Joke?” by Terri Dieter

“Rosa” by Marjolein Maassen

🌟 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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