Write a story with two characters who meet for the first time — and one of them has a secret.

Posted in Short Story on Sep 6, 2024

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✍️ 83 stories

“Jewellery’s Only For Poofs and Italians” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #267

1. Nora wiped her hand, sticky with ice block, against the wooden fence which, to nobody’s surprise, would later be the culprit of the throbbing splinter in her finger.“Nora!” a voice rang out from the balcony above. It was her cousin – she’d taken the last cola Sunnyboy from Grandma’s freezer.She peered about then squeezed through the gap in the fence where a plank was missing, into Mean Lady’s overgrown backyard – there were spiderwebs on the shrubs, spiderwebs hanging mid-air, their owners big and black and ga...

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“From Iron I Came and to Iron Shall I Return” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #267

To the Woman I met in Space, Long life to you and the Empire… I am the old man who assisted you when your ship moored at Tellemacher Station. I hope your life on Cheszer 2 is free and without incident, I know that everyone there is young and unbound by traditions, the castes of marriage and military service. I have heard, although I do not know it to be true, that everyone there is a freemantle, that one can go from door to door and find unattached men and women at random, which seems strange to me as there is not a single woman in...

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“THE NIGHTMARE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #267

(This story contains issues of health, including HIV infection.)There is a well-known aphorism warning people not to get sick just before or during the July 4th weekend. Why, you ask? Because July 1 is the day each year that a new crop of interns takes the reins of medical management in the hospital wards throughout the United States. Yes, they have completed medical school, and yes, they are bright, industrious young doctors. But they lack one indispensable quality: Experience. Of course, there is ample oversight. The prior year’s inte...

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“Killer Deal” by Christina Miller

Submitted to Contest #267

The dimly lit tavern echoed with the sounds of hurried conversations held in hushed tones. Which wasn't exactly surprising. The king was dead, after all. And the assassin who killed him was still on the loose. The kingdom of Adora perched on the verge of total collapse. Every person in this tavern had their own ideas on how to handle the situation, and Haina was no exception. As the eldest daughter of the Noct family, she was in a unique position of power. Her father was already eyeing the throne, but most of the other nobles were in a ...

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“Post It” by Mellanie Crouell

Submitted to Contest #267

I took a picture. It read “hold”. It was a post on a communication board in the coffee shop. The batista named Sallee came to serve customers their coffee. “ What does this post mean?”, I asked. “OH! I can't say, but stay til 7pm for the open mic you will see.”What is this? I walked around the corner of the post office. I look at the boards where business owners put their business cards or flyers. I saw a post It. It read” blown”. This had a number three at the bottom. This is just bonkers. Who is this pers...

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“Her Mother's Smile” by Sharon Schoneveld

Submitted to Contest #267

Her Mother’s SmileShe knew very well it would be a pivotal moment in her life. The point at which she would finally know her identity, her name and her family. Always aware she was adopted, she had planned this moment for over 18 years. Tonight was the night she would meet her birth mother. Her biological mother – a woman whose identity she had sought for so long. This would be the moment when those nights spent exploring the depths of her imagination would be crystallised into reality. She had pictured her a mi...

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“The Face of Deceit” by Rg H

Submitted to Contest #267

Magnolia Adams came from a world of loss. With every picture on the wall serving as a reminder of a past existence, her once-tidy small home that she had shared with Felix had become a tomb of memories. Her days followed a gloomy schedule interspersed with brief respites from her grief at the coffee shop across the street. It was in that very coffee shop that Evan Green first appeared.With his easy grin and kind gaze, Evan was a stranger. One Tuesday, it was raining a lot and the café was empty, so he sat down next to her. Evan's voice inter...

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“Echoes of the Mind” by Isla Manning

Submitted to Contest #267

Trigger Warning: Suicidal thoughts and violence.A shiver runs down my spine as I zip up my jacket. The weather was supposed to be fine; I suppose it took a sudden turn. I stand outside in the middle of who even knows where and try to plan what my next move should be. I don’t know where I am or how to get to where I need to be. A police car had strongly suggested that I stop my journey as there had been too many weather-related accidents, and whilst it was a request and not an order, according to my parents, I was born in the midst of chaos, ...

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“You Scared Me” by Esther Aardsma

Submitted to Contest #267

[[Sensitive content: mental health, suicidal ideations and self-harm, attempted suicide]]“I’ll be on du—”“Babe, I gotta go.” Hanging up on Alex, I tossed the phone onto the worn fabric of the front passenger seat, then pulled over on the two-lane highway. My battered Honda Civic creaked and bucked at the sudden change in speed and terrain. Tall grass schriffed under the right wheel wells. “I know, girl,” I muttered to the faded grey interior. “Just gotta pay some bills and then you can rest.”Tugging my long sleeves down to my wrists, I...

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“We all have secrets dear” by Robert Radcliff

Submitted to Contest #267

It was impossible for Tom to hide his happiness.He would meet his date Sophie in just a few hours.Their initial point of contact was an introduction on the brand-new website "Secrets and Excitement."It was unique among dating apps in that it only paired users when one or both had secrets that could influence the course of their relationship. The website promised it would not share the secret with anybody else, and it was kept in total confidence. They paired the secret keeper with someone who would probably be cool with hearing the secret, ...

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“Huldre in the Dark” by Darren Hansen

Submitted to Contest #267

Two cloaked figures moved swiftly through the trees along the animal track. The taller figure led the way. The shorter, thinner figure followed behind. The crunch of their swift footsteps in the small patches of unmelted snow was muffled by the dense foliage and thick mosses that were growing on the rocks and tree roots all around them. “Won’t she hear all this crunching?” the smaller figure asked. “It doesn’t matter. She won’t run off. She wants us to find her”. “Lovely”. The two continued to move through the dark forest shadows, their dark...

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“Night Train to Nowhere” by Arwenne Jezzard

Submitted to Contest #267

October 21, 1950. The train doors clanged loudly as they closed at the nearly deserted station, echoing through the empty platform. The late-night crowd shuffled onto the train like spectral figures, their dark, drab attire and flickering lights giving them an otherworldly appearance. Among this monochrome scene, one figure stood out a woman in an oversized vintage suit, her pants nearly brushing the grimy concrete.Eve Edwin, a determined private investigator, boarded the train with one goal in mind, to crack a cold case involving the disapp...

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“Thomas's Sacrifice” by David Dean

Submitted to Contest #267

"I’ll get you some tea," said Rio Euwe to her menagerie, slipping out and closing the door. She was a professor of biology, responsible for monkeys in an environmental experiment in which they lived between captivity and freedom.Professor Rio Euwe dedicated her career to the esoteric and challenging work of teaching primates to communicate using avian languages. Her work, although met with skepticism and challenges, resulted in groundbreaking developments in animal communication studies. Rio Euwe, a woman of striking presence, embodied ...

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“Cursed by Dawn” by Charlotte Rushforth

Submitted to Contest #267

She surveyed her large brown eyes in the mirror and pinched her cheeks to pinken them slightly. Pulling a comb through her mass of rich, chocolate locks, she made quick work of a plait and finished the end with a plum coloured velvet ribbon, the tips of her pointed ears poking through her hair. A knock on the door was followed by, “Ailish, Father wants to see you in his study,” as the sound of soft footsteps retreated. She hurried to her father’s study, knocking, and pushing it open as he said, “Come in.” Mr Anker was hunched ove...

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“Coffee riot cafe ” by Rebecca Maric

Submitted to Contest #267

Out side the most quiet street as once had been a few years back.ànd night time walking was safe . especially for homeless begging make in that now suburb turned gang members violence eruption of loud people who have al preferences to sitting around a cafe first in morning and let them know that police are on the lookout for the public gang of a shooting and a drug release and burglary heavy night of shooting coffee consumption and drinking in the local community pub.all the full schooners they were able to having half of price that one off ...

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Write a story with two characters who meet for the first time — and one of them has a secret.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 83 stories

“Jewellery’s Only For Poofs and Italians” by Carina Caccia

“From Iron I Came and to Iron Shall I Return” by Len Rely

“THE NIGHTMARE” by BRUCE MARTIN

“Killer Deal” by Christina Miller

“Post It” by Mellanie Crouell

“Her Mother's Smile” by Sharon Schoneveld

“The Face of Deceit” by Rg H

“Echoes of the Mind” by Isla Manning

“You Scared Me” by Esther Aardsma

“We all have secrets dear” by Robert Radcliff

“Huldre in the Dark” by Darren Hansen

“Night Train to Nowhere” by Arwenne Jezzard

“Thomas's Sacrifice” by David Dean

“Cursed by Dawn” by Charlotte Rushforth

“Coffee riot cafe ” by Rebecca Maric

🌟 Similar prompts

Your character overhears something that changes their path.

There’s been an accident — what happens next?

Write a story set against the backdrop of a storm.

Your character wants something very badly — will they get it?

Contest #267

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

357

Contest entries

126

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: