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Write a story where a rumor starts to spread. Your protagonist is either the topic or the source.

Posted in Short Story on Jun 7, 2024

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✍️ 53 stories

Whispers of The Masked Viperess Vixen

Submitted to Contest #254

It was supposed to be a quiet Wednesday in the office, but somehow the regular rowdy bunch of gossips still managed to make a scene as usual. Melissa chuckled to herself as she whispered to her coworker, "I'm telling you, it's Vanessa. She's got the whole 'secret identity' thing down pat. And just look at her—she's always quiet, shy, and never gets into trouble. She is the Vixen, I swear on my life!" She was referring to the recent news sensation about The Masked Viperess Vixen, a mysterious villain who kills anyone just to satisfy her lust...

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How To Fix My Mistake

Submitted to Contest #254

“Did you hear?” A blond girl in my class whispers to one of her friends, “That girl who sits in the back? I think her name is Iris. Well, apparently, she’s awful! Eliza told me that she had a friend who she turned into a dope head.” They may be pretending to whisper, but I can hear their gossiping from across the classroom, so can the whole class, but no one seems to care, not even the teacher.“Oh yeah,” one of the brunettes beside her responds, just as eager to gossip. “Well I heard that since she was a kid she’s been a drug mule!” When I h...

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The Rumor Mill

Submitted to Contest #254

Katie had always been a bit of an oddball. She was an introverted teenager, who spend most of her time reading or sketching in her notebook. She wasn't popular, and for the most part, she liked it that way. But when a rumor starts to spread about her, it seems like her quiet life is about to be upended. Was she ready for a crazy change? It starts with a rumor that she's a witch, that her doodles hold mysterious powers, that she casts spells on the people around her. It seems absurd, she knew that. But it was hard to look away as people start...

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Office whispers

Submitted to Contest #254

At twenty two years of age, I was the only woman on the technical team when I started working. Around me, there were engineers and technicians, and me: the girl, the woman. I was also one of the youngest and eager to do whatever was necessary to be successful, as long as it was work-related and did not require my personal time. There was a time when I was good at setting personal boundaries. For years, I was surrounded by those men, listened to their stories, and learned from them. Some became almost paternal figures, and others reminded me ...

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12 minutes and 30 seconds

Submitted to Contest #254

The cutlery was spaced out with military precision. The canapes had been meticulously devised to suit everyone's needs. The tables were petalled with the bubbliest champagnes. Violet arrived first to get drunk sooner than everyone else, followed by Sarah and Reggie who arrived late in characteristic fashion for a bickering married couple. The last to arrive was their friend Psi who had been off the grid for close to a year. She had returned back to their lives recently but not before chopping off her lovely long locks and losing tons of wei...

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Rain Might Come

Submitted to Contest #254

Henry sat at the kitchen table, tapping his finger against the woodgrain. Each tap, a metronome of life ticking away time, each second blending into the next with mechanical precision. He watched dust motes dance in the light that seeped through a crack in the blinds. Lunch lay before him, half-eaten, an egg sandwich with the yolk oozing out, bleeding into the white of the plate. The incessant ticking of the wall clock filled the room. Henry took a bite, chewed without tasting, swallowed without savoring. "Another day," he said to the room, ...

8 likes 1 comment 1
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The Hotel Great Central Grand Confusion

Submitted to Contest #254

With more than a trifle of trepidation, envelope in hand, Liza climbed the staircase to Lady Katherine’s chamber. She knocked ever so lightly, knowing that all manner of cacophony were despised, not only by the Lady herself, but by all of her personal staff and ladies-in-waiting, among which Liza, the butler’s daughter, was acutely aware she was not. The door opened, but no more than a smidge: a crack, at most, through which the envelope Liza held could be slid, and, perhaps, an enterprising housefly might intrude, were it so lucky to gain ...

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Lady Lucinda's Guide to Catching a Suiter's Eye

Submitted to Contest #254

Sometimes a lady must take matters into her own hands. I have tried fluttering my eyelashes and fanning my bosom so as to draw his attention to my ample chest. I have tried impressing him with my skills on the piano forte. And, I have even cross-stitched the most elaborate throw pillows which I then gifted to his mother. All for Mr. Sterling to act as though he had never seen me before. I have read the book “Lady Lucinda’s Guide to Catching a Suiter’s Eye” thirty times over -heaven forbid my mama find out-. And I have tried my hand at nearl...

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Monstrous Whispers

Submitted to Contest #254

“Have you seen it?” a woman asked. They were having this conversation huddled in the corner of a small restaurant of a quaint town. This was their normal meeting spot where they would sit all day and talk of all there was to talk about. They would discuss their loud and sometimes rather obnoxious neighbors and their nosy coworkers because they thought themselves the only ones who were allowed to barge into another’s business, a new and rather quickly ending relationship, or even the owner of the restaurant itself!    &nbs...

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What They Were Scared Of

Submitted to Contest #254

I’ve been residing in my village for longer than I can remember. But the villagers don’t take too kindly to me, I think they’re afraid of me, especially expecting mothers. I can hear their voices in hushed whispers whenever I traverse through the village, they say I’m a monster. They say I feed on the blood of unborn children and their mothers and they know it’s true since they haven’t seen my beloved in moons. It was simply coincidental that she was expecting our first born. No one would look me in the eye, some even quickly evaded the surr...

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Going Together

Submitted to Contest #254

I take lunch breaks at a book store within walking of my job. I can relax there and browse a magazine, eat a blueberry scone, and drink coffee before returning to the Computer Store. After my six hour shift, I work out at a gym called “24 Hour Fitness.” Hotties favor big guns, pecs, six-packs, and stamina. I get bonus credit for brains when I let them know I’m a “Computer Technician.” Today, I was carrying a book Cynthia gave me, so when the super-cute barista decanted my Café’ Americano and handed me the scone my trip to the table was a bal...

7 likes 1 comment 1
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The Bath Encounter

Submitted to Contest #254

As the butler seated us in the drawing room, I turned to my daughter. "Oh my, Violet, you're a regular Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. You did read that new novel I purchased for you?" I kept my voice down since we were expecting the Lord and Lady of the manor to enter at any moment."Not yet, mother. What do you mean?" Violet appeared irritated with me, as usual."I mean, this is quite a place. To think one day you'll be the lady of the house.""Oh, stop, mother. It's a surprise to me, too. I fell in love with Charles, the man. It's ...

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Penthouse

Submitted to Contest #254

The breakfast she had prepared, along with the lunchbox for school, was set on the dining table. She was busy in the kitchen, but Charlotte knew her eyes were always on her through the glass door. Charlotte didn’t say a word to her, nor did she pick up the lunchbox. She left the house, leaving behind only the sound of a loud slam. The elevator was transparent. The city in the early morning sun was coming to life in an orderly fashion. Charlotte watched this scene expressionlessly, until she stepped out of the elevator and saw Samuel delibera...

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Darling Tender Reader

Submitted to Contest #254

“Yes, it is a fine day, Maharaja,” Lady Lila Chatsworth smiled from under her parasol. The Maharaja Amar Singh looked cool and dry in his red silk jacket with gold embroidery. Lila, however, was already sweating through her pink dress. Perspiration dampened her blonde hair and dripped down the back of her neck. “Call me Amar,” he said. “I’m so glad you were able to visit. My host’s gardens are said to be the best in the region.” His kind brown eyes crinkled as he smiled.“It’s my pleasure,” Lila said. “I adore walking, and Lady Asheron’s gard...

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A Great First Impression

Submitted to Contest #254

Mysti sat on the edge of her bed and let out a heavy sigh.  How had she ended up here? How long had she been here?  Long enough to get pregnant, she thought with a grimace. And it wasn’t even by one of the men living in the castle, ironically. Which was a good thing, considering all of them were taken…but how was she going to explain to her new family that she’d run off and hooked up with a boy she’d met in the forest that she’d been sure was true love? How did she even know what true love was? She was 15. She was an idiot, a fool ...

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