Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

Posted in Short Story on Dec 20, 2024

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✍️ 79 stories

“Fire and butter.” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #282

"I'm sorry, Rami. You were right; I never should have gone to that University Ball," wailed Sasha.Rami hissed as he dissolved Sasha's false ego, "That dress does not suit you!"Rami's mind made a deep sweep through his memories of the events during the last week.***"Are you ready?" Rami asked Sasha as he watched her go through her familiar routine of slipping off her shoes and standing in her socks on the polished timber floor. She nodded in response."Gemini, play my ethno-music loop, please," Rami commanded as he counted his cash drawer. The...

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“Stay Quick. Stay Short. Stay Strong.” by Billy Edaem

Submitted to Contest #282

I’d known this pain. I’d experienced it five times before. The buckle. The total collapse. The sound, like gunshots and micro explosions localized to one small area, but in a mostly empty gymnasium, a truly deafening pop. “Was that a knee?” Coach Thompson, asked a nearby referee. I laid there, clutching the space just below the bend of my knee, in total silence. I knew what had happened. I didn’t have to look. Eyes tightly closed...

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“Clutch In, Engine On, Give Throttle, Fly. ” by Sunanna Bhasin

Submitted to Contest #282

It was a sizzling June afternoon, and my ass was glued to the cool metal support of the waiting room chair. Despite the pain of the metal beams digging into my flesh as I squirmed in my seat, the cold was soothing. Not much had changed about this place over the decade, especially not the god- awful chairs. Considering our healthcare system’s unimaginably drawn out wait times, one would think all of us taxpayers would willingly unite to fund more comfortable chairs. I glanced around at the other dozen people in the waiting room with me and ga...

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“Reeking of Irony” by Laurie Nash

Submitted to Contest #282

“I suppose that’s one of the ironies of life: doing the wrong thing at the right moment.”- Charlie ChaplinIt was a bright gray day when Mr. Dives fell out of his house. He had been adding a safer rail to his balcony. Some say he landed on his head, others say he landed on his face, and still others say his cranium, but the result was the same either way. Some say the result was fruit-shaped, others say it looked Martian-ish, and still others say like Saturday’s leftovers, but regardless, the damage was done; the driveway was forever doomed t...

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“New Year's Day” by Danny Konczynski

Submitted to Contest #282

I walked onto the boardwalk with my little lunchbox and sat on the frigid bench. This is where it all started on New Year’s Day ten years ago. The weather was pretty much identical to what it was today. The biting wind coming off the brutally rough ocean, the waves thundering with a silvery tint against the frozen sand. The ominous gray and white sky held back the snow for just a little longer. Ten years ago, we ran into each other while both...

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“Aspirations of a Ball Girl” by Gabriel Brogden

Submitted to Contest #282

This year was her final chance to be invited. Addie knew it. She wanted to be a Junior Champion. For that to happen, she had to impress the summer camp staff. She had to perform superiorly better than others in an environment chock full of drills, matches, stiff competition and all the etceteras associated with stiff competition. After summer camp, maybe she becomes a ball girl. Become a ball girl, she wishfully thought, she becomes a Junior Champion. The administrators of the local summer tennis camp were gearing up for their annual Junior ...

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“Breaking the Rule” by Peggy M

Submitted to Contest #282

Breaking the Rule by Peggy Moritko “I’m sorry Lily. I wasn’t trying to get anyone in trouble.” Maia shook her head. “I didn’t go through the trash, not really. It was crumpled up on the floor next to the trash can.” Maia defended herself to fellow employee and best friend Lily. They were employed by Hipton Hotel. It was strictly against the rules to go through the trash as they cleaned the guest rooms. “Well, still,” Lily insisted, “You know what management would say. It is clearly meant to be in the trash can so it’s trash.” “Yes, but l...

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“The Stage Stop” by Daniel P. Douglas

Submitted to Contest #282

Thomas Cooper pressed his forehead against the cold panes of the front window, watching snowflakes swirl in the gathering dusk. The glass held the bite of Wyoming Territory’s fierce spring weather, but he welcomed the chill - it kept him alert as he studied the road where it emerged from Carter’s Pass. From his favorite perch in the window seat, cushioned by his mother’s patchwork pillows, he could see half a mile down the road. He’d watched the same view every evening for thirteen years, ever since his parents had taken over Last Creek Stag...

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“Hold Me Closer” by Danelle Miller

Submitted to Contest #282

“I am soooo sorry Michael.” I held up my right hand wondering if I did what I thought I did. “I didn’t mean to do it, I swear.” I don’t know why I said this next, but the previous night's memory plagued me. “I know you didn’t do it, but it seemed like the most plausible explanation.” He already had a surprised look on his face but when I added that line, I felt like crumbling. I still didn’t believe in him. I don’t even trust my own boyfriend! I’m not sure who’s hurt the most right now, me or him. Tears were forming in my eyes and I felt su...

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“A Living Mirage” by Elize Van Zyl

Submitted to Contest #282

Life, as funny as it sounds, flows in a circle. And I, personally, never liked circles! I'm more of an octagon kind of person.Sally snorts at her own thoughts, but groans when the noise is muffled by the hand that is covering the lower part of her face. It smells of sewerage. Grimy, disgusting and somewhat musty. Familiar. Heart-wrenching, stomach-churning, brain rotting, but familiar. Maybe a little too familiar...His movements are sluggish, as usual. His joints crack with every step and Sally fears he might die on the spot. Although, she i...

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“Onion Blooms ” by Laurie Jordan

Submitted to Contest #282

Ebeneezer spent every morning kicked back on the wood bench just outside the Tree House Café. He’d sit, cross his legs, smoke and watch people. And though his name was long and famous, we all called him Nee. Nee would light one Pall Mall with the next. His white beard was yellowed from the habit. His black scarf, wrapped tight at his neck, hid the scar on his throat, a lesson about smoking that he failed miserably to learn. His fingernails, always dirty, wore the day’s gardening tasks deep into their cracks. His muck boots flaked clay-like s...

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“Jenny's Journey from Darkness to Light” by Tina Truelove

Submitted to Contest #282

This story contains sensitive content involving hard life situations and may be unsuitable for younger readers. Jenny sat near the front of the church, staring at the altar. The heaviness of grief that weighed on her shoulders was nearly unbearable. Her eyes burned from the tears, and her chest hurt as if her grief had sucked all the air right out of her lungs. Her mother, Ruth, had been her biggest fan, her most expressive cheerleader in life, her one constant source of steadiness in a life already rich in hardship. &nbs...

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“In her skin” by Nina Rose

Submitted to Contest #282

TW: eating disorders, self harmThe bag was packed. Neatly, meticulously, as if in folding my clothes I could manifest a tidier mind. A novel rested on top–unread, but worn from the times I’d picked it up and pretended I would. I sat by the edge of the bed, back straight, hands resting on my knees. The air was always the same here–lingering with antiseptic and something else I couldn’t name. A medical, cool smell. The nurse had said someone would come for me soon. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. I didn’t check the clock. Instead, I stare...

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“Yasmin and the 10 Rules of Success” by Mohammad Mardini

Submitted to Contest #282

The forest was alive with the quiet hum of nature—leaves rustling in the wind, the distant chirp of birds, and the occasional bark of a dog. Yasmin sat in a tent, her laptop resting on her knees, the faint glow of the screen illuminating her determined face.“Everybody has a role to play in life,” her voice echoed in her thoughts. “Something to leave behind, a story to tell. And this is mine. Once upon a time, I died.” A Life of Rules Monday Morning:At precisely 6:30 a.m., Yasmin’s alarm buzzed. She turned it off with practiced precision, pu...

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“Christmas Morning Breakfast ” by Kristine McCraw

Submitted to Contest #282

"Hey, folks! Merry Christmas to everyone out there celebrating on this cold and blustery morning. It seems that Santa brought more than presents this year. He delivered a sack of snow. Yes, folks, we got eight inches of snow through the night. It's a white Christmas!"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas reeled from an old 1984 boombox. Earl hummed as he armored himself in an apron with the words Merry Christmas penned under a fat Santa. Earl had woken about the time of a rooster's crow to visualize the order of things, and now th...

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Write a story that starts and ends in the same place.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 79 stories

“Fire and butter.” by Rose Lind

“Stay Quick. Stay Short. Stay Strong.” by Billy Edaem

“Clutch In, Engine On, Give Throttle, Fly. ” by Sunanna Bhasin

“Reeking of Irony” by Laurie Nash

“New Year's Day” by Danny Konczynski

“Aspirations of a Ball Girl” by Gabriel Brogden

“Breaking the Rule” by Peggy M

“The Stage Stop” by Daniel P. Douglas

“Hold Me Closer” by Danelle Miller

“A Living Mirage” by Elize Van Zyl

“Onion Blooms ” by Laurie Jordan

“Jenny's Journey from Darkness to Light” by Tina Truelove

“In her skin” by Nina Rose

“Yasmin and the 10 Rules of Success” by Mohammad Mardini

“Christmas Morning Breakfast ” by Kristine McCraw

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that begins with an apology.

Write a story where a character relives the same event over and over again.

Write a story where someone who has done something wrong seeks a fresh start.

Write a story set in a world of darkness where light is suddenly discovered.

Contest #282

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

266

Contest entries

124

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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