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Write about a character who doesn’t understand society’s unspoken rules.

Posted in Short Story on Mar 28, 2025

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✍️ 44 stories

Invisibility

Submitted to Contest #296

The day was grey; clumps of snow huddled on the ground, uselessly battling the wet fog. At school, I waited near the front steps for the bus to arrive, skates over my shoulder. Ours was not a big town, nor did we have a big school. I knew everyone by name. I knew the boys who were pounding each other with slushy snowballs. I knew the girls, standing in select groups, shivering in the damp. But I stood alone, as always, nudging bits of dirty snow into a puddle with the toe of my boot. I hugged an important secret to myself, one that was going...

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"How to Smile at Strangers and Other Dangerous Acts of Treason"

Submitted to Contest #296

One morning, I woke up and didn’t recognize the country outside my window. It looked the same. The mail still came late. The sun still bruised the sky in that same tired orange. But something in the air was different, like the quiet before a storm that never ends. The people had changed. Or maybe I had. Or maybe we all had and no one wanted to say it out loud first. The first thing I noticed was how strangers stopped making eye contact. Not just in the self-involved, headphones-in kind of way. This was different. It was fear-disguised-as-foc...

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Authority

Submitted to Contest #296

The hurtful innocence of turning 16,and realising for the first time, that me and authority would never get along. 16, and caring about nothing else than the approving grunts of my peers as I arrived back at our table with four containers of synthetic liquid, accidentally spilling some of it on the stained archaic wooden surface, which made us all laugh a laugh that you can only do when you’re 16 and want to impress your mates that you’re hard and fearless, but secretly insecure and scared, and I grew organic bars to block anyone from coming...

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Prentiss

Submitted to Contest #296

Monday A new bistro, simply called “B”, opened near my home. I have a work-from-home job, and always go somewhere for lunch. It had a pretty patio, built out of a light-colored wood, and looked quite sturdy. The building itself was made to look like a large mansion-style home. Two bright red doors for entry and exit faced the parking area.I pulled the entry door – festooned with a cheery sign reading, “Come on in!” – and walked into the ordering area. To my delight, this place had old-school chalkboards for the menus, rather than the high-te...

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Exposure Therapy

Submitted to Contest #296

Luke didn't understand why people insisted on shaking hands. It was gross, and the number of people who don't wash them after using the toilet is astounding and horrific.He looked at Greg's outstretched hand, thick and calloused and--was that ketchup under his nails?"No thanks," Luke said, barely hiding his grimace. Greg didn't pull his hand back. It stayed there, suspended in the air, waiting for him."What?" Greg asked. Luke looked up and watched his brow fall. That usually meant confusion or disappointment.A look he knew too well.He sighed...

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Talks before a battle

Submitted to Contest #296

TW: Discussions of SA, mentions of suicidal tendencies "Please tell me you're not going into battle like that!" Nodin exclaimed, horror riding the eldest features as he took in​​ Dashing's appearance. The Acliptic stood tall with her ax strapped to her back, her typical hot pink dress with sleeves off the cuff for a change. A romantic V-line with short black boots, her dress was standard, even coming all the way down to her thighs, with black hair falling around her shoulders. Menacing blue horns and blue wings pointed outwards - as if to ma...

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Everthing Except the Wedding

Submitted to Contest #296

Today wasn’t important because of the holy matrimony of two people. The joining of a union and what have you. Today was important to the staff of the wedding venue because if they played their cards right, their new boss would be fired and their old one, who was much less micromanagey would return. Today was important because the duel of which family was more impressive would be put to an end because by the reception, they’d be one big happy family.“We have to show everyone else how good our family is. Blah blah blablabla,” the elders had le...

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CAN'T SET RULES ABOUT LOVE (inspired by the song of the same name by Adam Ant)

Submitted to Contest #296

Birds chirped wildly outside the window as the radio drifted into a tune I should’ve known. Instead, I had a new chapter — What Alcohol Does to Your Memory.A gentle breeze tapped raindrops against the glass. I sank deeper under the duvet, hoping its warmth would cradle me — and, hopefully, nurse this slight hangover that definitely wasn’t Babycham-induced.I needed a bullet list on what I had actually consumed so I could avoid it all next time.Somewhere behind the throbbing in my head, I scrambled for the emergency protocol I’d scribbled into...

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When Ducks Fly

Submitted to Contest #296

I hadn’t actually internalized that ducks could fly until that one afternoon at the stone circle we called a pond. I remember it vividly: How they took off then, soaring above the buildings. How I turned to you and said that The Flying Ducks would make a good band name.You shrugged. “Not really,” you said. “It’s a bit boring. Obvious, you know?”I nodded. “Of course, yeah. I didn’t mean it, anyway.” We always ended up at the pond those days, didn’t we? Going for walks, hand-in-hand, through the muddy fields, a loop that took us past the pool,...

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Fifty Reasons Not to Talk

Submitted to Contest #296

Fifty Reasons Not to Talk Marvin LarsonGrade 7November 19th 1. I will not talk when Miss McCloskey is talking like I did todayand that’s why I have to stay after school and make up 50 Reasons you’re not supposed to talk. 2. I will not talk when Miss McCloskey is teaching us somethingbecause I am only eleven and I have a lot to learn here at OurLady of Eternal Goodness. 3. I will not talk when announcements are made because therecould be something important for kids to hear like maybe a firedrill or even more terrible. 4. I will not talk t...

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Focus Layla

Submitted to Contest #296

Focus Layla This story contains some swearing “Hello brain are you in there? I can’t hear you today! Did I die and not realise it?‘Hello please say something, let me know I’m still alive please!” I can feel the panic starting inside as time ticks by, still nothing. My head is completely silent! Quieter than a wasteland with rolling tumbleweeds. Something is not right? Did my brain grow legs and run away in the night? I’ve never known such deafening silence in my head. Sure it’s only been a few moments, but I’m so used to having noise present...

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Because You Asked

Submitted to Contest #296

Because You Asked**Warning: This containts references to violence and blood please be aware prior to reading ** You Asked My blazer tugged open in the vacuum of air from the massive glass doors swinging shut. Entering the Meta Building, I glanced behind myself to ensure it had closed. I ran my right hand through my tousled hair, dipping my head in the direction of the security guard. “Good Morning Dave,” I greeted the man cheerfully, like all people should, in my opinion. “Morning Bradley! Good to see ya,” he responded with as much gusto...

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Alice in Dairy Queen

Submitted to Contest #296

Alice was excited to attend her first wedding. Her parents eloped when she was twelve and most of her relatives didn’t bother getting married at all. She had been working at the Dairy Queen since halfway through her senior year, and now at 19, her assistant manager invited all staff to her ceremony and reception at the VFW hall where she had attended bingo with friends a few times. The invitation suggested a formal or semi-formal dress code, and the couple preferred light colors. Perfect! She had wanted a chance to wear her prom gown again. ...

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On Leave

Submitted to Contest #296

** Note ** This story deals with themes of violence, gore, mental health, and sexual content which some readers may find upsetting.On Leaveby T. Michael MorrisHe sat in a cheap beach chair, watching the Pacific roll onto the white sand. His eyes squinted in the sunlight, the horizon bending far beyond the waves. The Mai Tai in his hand was cold, condensation dripping down the glass, but he didn’t drink. He had been in Hawaii for two weeks now. On leave, they said. Permissive Temporary Duty they called it. He had been discharged honorably. Th...

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THE SHORTY HARRIS STORY

Submitted to Contest #296

THE SHORTY HARRIS STORYAn infamous ‘Jackass Prospector’ set out to find fortune. He found it, lost it, and kept searching; only to realize, in the end, what he truly valued. This is a story of character, obsession, and perseverance. The August sun scorched the rocky desert as a diminutive prospector stood motionless, staring at a greenish rock in his hands. A pulse of excitement shot through him. Could this be it? The $10,000,000 strike? He had always known he would find it. It was only a matter of time. And yet, something about it seem...

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