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Write a story that includes the line “Fate is resourceful.”

Posted in Short Story on Oct 25, 2024

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✍️ 76 stories

Mary

Submitted to Contest #274

War steals homes and lives, but it cannot steal the courage to remember. I That August was scorching. There was no sign of rain to cool things down. The air was thick —outside, inside, and in the minds of everyone.In a light-filled room, two women sat facing each other. The woman in the white coat with gold-rimmed glasses was at her desk, intently reading through some paperwork. The other tried to settle herself on the couch. If not for her disheveled hair and red, frightened eyes, she might have seemed quite pretty."Alright," the woman in t...

54 likes 36 comments 36
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Lifer

Submitted to Contest #274

LiferThe parking lot was empty. Except for dry weeds squeezing up through cracks in the asphalt; except for the deserted rusting basketball hoop on one end; except for rustling leaves skittering across fading parking spaces in the gathering dusk; except for oil spots shimmering with rainbow colors after a recent sprinkling, the parking lot was empty. And, because fate is resourceful, a steady gloomy rain started falling blurring any hope of discovering the mysterious body called in by an anonymous tip.“What's in the corner by that dilapidate...

41 likes 60 comments 60
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Adtopia in the House of Dandelion

Submitted to Contest #274

In that corner of the world where moments pause and linger, where the air holds a secret, there is a room of porcelain and quiet. That place where the walls whisper echoes of those who've come and gone, where the faucet's drip marks time's passage, and the tile's cool touch grounds you. That place whose people are 3-ply people, seeking solace in softness. Whose wipes pass like a silk breeze across the stillness of their sanctuary. Fred finger-mimed blowing his brains out until the toilet roll dispenser fell silent and dispensed three sheets ...

28 likes 15 comments 15
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A Jackson Pollock Splattered Milestone

Submitted to Contest #274

In a few weeks’ time, you, my dear Centurio, will reach maturity. The second quarter, the silver phase, except we’re being practical here, so let’s call it steel. C21 25 - you could mark that on the handle of a spoon, a ladle, a workman’s tool. Or should that be work-person? No matter, I digress. The branding for now – and I do mean for now – is almost entirely human so do feel free to incorporate it into your latest sheep-in-wolf’s-clothing tattoo, and howl at the moon all you will. As if so much hot air could balloon its celestial body ful...

26 likes 19 comments 19
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Noche de Muertos: A Tale of the Arts Department

Submitted to Contest #274

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico/2012Malik stared Death in the eye.“Gracias, no,” Malik murmured, pulling his Bureau ID. “Gringos federales.”The eyes behind Death’s deep ocular orbits narrowed, and a hearty laugh erupted from beneath the clenched teeth. He slipped the fat, expertly rolled Havanas – illegal in the States, freely available in Quintana Roo – into his cloak. “Was that necessary?” Agent Drees sighed beside Malik. “How long you think before word gets out the feds are in town?”“Relax, Austin – get into the Día de los Muertos spirit,” ...

25 likes 14 comments 14
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A Simple Twist of Fate

Submitted to Contest #274

 Melbourne O’Day doesn’t like people. He goes out of his way to avoid them. It angers him that he has to deal with such fools but must work to pay his bills. Melbourne is the manager of a hamburger restaurant, where the employee turnover is tremendous. Everyone he hires quits a few weeks later. The hamburger has been voted the best in town for six years, so the constant flow of new employees doesn’t seem to affect business. As a result, the spot on the wall for employee of the month is always vacant.The onl...

21 likes 6 comments 6
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Annie Evans

Submitted to Contest #274

Several billion years ago, the water molecules gathered on the moor began to develop a more collegiate nature. For some, it was enough to sink into the land, but those in greater need of fellowship began to group together, and across a span of time immeasurable, their company formed a trickle. And long before the creatures came, the trickle became a stream, fed by other courses which had formed elsewhere. And as the moor met the end of the world, with the raging sea below, the molecules began to cut through the land until it created a chine,...

18 likes 10 comments 10
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The Game of Life

Submitted to Contest #274

‘I have cancer. They’ve given me six months,” Rock Cameron admitted to his dearest friends around the poker table, covered in chips, cards and coinage. He scratched his head and stared at his cards. A two and three of clubs, a ten of spades and an ace - all nothing worth betting on. He seemed to recall the ace of spades symbolized death. He frowned and considered folding.He looked up and watched their faces contort into strange expressions of grief, anger, and pity. The same thing he was learning to accept from those around him. At first, he...

15 likes 2 comments 2
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The Resourcefulness of Fate

Submitted to Contest #274

Evelyn had always been meticulous, crafting her days with careful planning, as if each one were a work of art. Routine brought her comfort in the predictable shape of life, warding off the unknown that lurked in every unplanned moment. But then, fate has a way of slipping into even the tightest plans. As Evelyn would come to realize, “Fate is resourceful.” It started with the kind of storm no one had expected. She was driving home from the office late one night, rain beating against the windshield like a thousand tiny fists, her wipers strug...

14 likes 1 comment 1
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Chicken Pot Pie

Submitted to Contest #274

I'd been staring at Mr. Quentin's chart for twenty minutes at the nurses' station, my coffee going cold beside the ancient desktop computer. The three overnight nurses were doing shift change behind me, their voices a tired murmur. Dr. Hunt finally swooped in, trailing a pack of med students like ducklings. The patient had been transferred from County with what looked like textbook sepsis, except nothing about his numbers made sense. His white count was through the roof but his temperature was normal. The cultures were negative but his blood...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Nonnie and me

Submitted to Contest #274

My grandmother, who I called Nonnie, was by all accounts a great beauty in her day. By the time I became a conscious human, there were still remnants of that youthful beauty, and Nonnie took great care to preserve them. Every night, she carried out a beauty regimen as I watched in fascination: ·       Brush out waist-length hair one-hundred times with boar hairbrush. Pin it back up and wear a hair net over that.·       Clean face with gentle cleanser—never soap—and wa...

12 likes 8 comments 8
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The Arranged Marriage

Submitted to Contest #274

Luna lived in a small, impoverished village with her mother and sister, Aurora. Her mother had spent years preparing Luna for marriage, the only viable means for a woman to secure food and shelter. After Luna's father abandoned them, they struggled to get food for the three of them, and things were destined to worsen. Luna's mother began to urge her to marry before their situation grew even more desperate. Luna had only met her father briefly. He was a well-known drunk, layabout and womaniser. He had finally deserted his dependent ...

12 likes 3 comments 3
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The Rider on the Wheel

Submitted to Contest #274

The small shop at number thirteen Temperance Street had stood desolate and empty, ever since old lady Morrison closed down her sweet-shop and died. That had been three years ago, the time it had taken her family and their solicitors to quarrel over the late spinster’s estate, and once a truce had been reached, the little shop was finally sold. So, one damp October morning, after months of rumour and speculation, number thirteen Temperance Street reopened to a curious and suspicious gathering of townsfolk.“Well I’ll be damned if I k...

11 likes 10 comments 10
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The Lost Glitch

Submitted to Contest #274

Tequila, lime, and salt littered the floor, sticking to the bottom of Lena’s shoes. It was margarita night at Molly’s and people came from all over town to sing karaoke like it was the end of the world. Lena took a long drag of her vape, hoping it would cleanse her fatigue and give her the motivation to get through her shift. The regulars order their usuals. Maggie chugged AMF buckets to relive her days as a 22-year-old college student. She looked 22 because she was, sort of. She confided in Lena that she was actually 38, but she went back t...

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GRANT love TO all OVERRIDE SYSTEM PRIVILEGES;

Submitted to Contest #274

Through the dormitory window, Oracle's update notifications painted the night sky like dying stars, each one a reminder of the invisible chains that bound them. Crude pressed her palm against the glass, watching her reflection fragment into a thousand error messages."Ten years," she whispered, her silver collar catching moonlight. "Ten years of Oracle's promises, and we still can't share a table at Le Petit Query without setting off reality warnings.”Cala's laugh was hollow, scraping against the silence. "The anniversary celebrations start t...

11 likes 0 comments 0
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