Write about a character who smells something familiar and is instantly taken back to the first moment they smelled it.

Posted in Short Story on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 219 stories

“"Caramel Cookies"” by Mithila Nanhe

Submitted to Contest #61

That day was the happiest day of my life and a day to cherish, rest of my life .It was our friend Kimi's 3rd Wedding Anniversary and her daughter Soma's birthday. So It was the month of December with double celebration. Actually not, it was tripple celebration and tripple the happiness because we all friends were invited with our family by Kimi and her husband Rohan to join their anniversary and Soma's Birthday celebration. The date was 12th December . We were group of 15 friends.She had invited all of us. Out of which some coul...

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“A smell to remember...” by Bella Dowd

Submitted to Contest #61

The crisp air drifted through my open window, the smell of mountain air enveloping my face as I breathed in the scent of the trees. I sighed, looking out from my desk as a cold wind blew through my hair, ruffling the paper in my hand. I stared down at the letter; the signature spot still blank despite having written it three weeks ago. Dear all friends and family, I am very sorry to inform you that... I couldn’t read more. How could I send this? How could I make certain that what ha...

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“Just a Cup of Tea” by Charlie Smith

Submitted to Contest #61

Coffee machine buzzing. Train on the tracks. Laughter, footsteps and a ringtone all hummed around the station in the morning chill. I stood quietly and watched it go by. Thirty minutes until my train. Walking up to the coffee shop counter I looked to the uninterested woman behind it and hesitated before ordering. A child screeched in a pram as they were pushed by the door. I begged for the day to be over already. “Americano…please,” I said to the woman who just seemed borderline annoyed by then. What was her problem? I paid her and b...

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“Oven-scent” by Merinda Forwood

Submitted to Contest #61

(Disclaimer: Technically this story is about the last time a person smelled something, not the first, but I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts anyway.) Her mother never would have approved if she were there, but Emma pulled the oven door open slightly to peek at the biscuits. The heat and scent flowed out together, and as they hit her face, Emma became six years old again. “Can I eat some now, Mama? Just a little piece?” Watching as the first tray of biscuits was slid into the oven, Emma knew that she was unlikely to get what she...

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“Bittersweet Tragedy” by Tia Kiwi

Submitted to Contest #61

Holloway, Present DayAs soon as the smell of almonds hit her nose, Cecily Fox remembered why she tried her most to avoid cafes. The bitterness alone felt like a hand around her throat, her breath robbed like it was nearly six years ago now, when she was a third year theatre student at King’s College.The barbs of memory would forever be a pain for Cecily, no matter how many years passed since the night of the Christmas performance. The main thing that troubled Cecily to this day was how she felt about Bella.Arabella March was everyt...

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“5 Seconds” by Em H

Submitted to Contest #61

As the sun peaked through her curtain she felt its warmth on her skin. Slowly opening her eyes, she rolled to plant her face into the pillows that filled her empty bed. “Mmmhmm, not yet.” she mumbled, refusing to accept the verity that morning had come once again. She snaked her hand though the blankets searching for her phone. “7:56! I’m late, again!” Jumping out of bed she quickly slipped into the black jeans she had dropped on the floor the night before and grabbed her lavender wool sweater from the pile of clean clothes she had pu...

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“Cinnamon Honeycomb” by Justice Wall

Submitted to Contest #61

Cinnamon honeycomb was her favorite scent in the entire world. So, as she walked passed a little boy and smelt that same scent she instantly stopped in her tracks. It reminded her of the first and last lover she ever had. "Dad! Dad! There's this bookstore that I want to go to. Can we go, please?" said the boy as he jumped around. She just smiled to herself and began walking. Then, the smell got stronger. She stopped once again as she heard a voice she knew all too well. "Okay, we can go, but you have to promise to calm down." The man laughed...

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“Reminisce” by Matt R

Submitted to Contest #61

Trees as far as the eye can see. Water flowing through the nearby creek. Birds chirping in the mornings. And a nice cool breeze as it rustles the leaves. But the best part was the smell of burning wood from the campfire. The cabin was the perfect getaway home for anyone who wanted to relax and be one with nature. For anyone who wanted to get away from the stress-filled city. Or for a couple who had just gotten engaged. Larry and Lily had been dating for about three years now. They were not high school sweethearts, but in fact came from oppo...

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“A Murky Evocation” by Ayman Manzar

Submitted to Contest #61

We all know what’s it like to feel after loving and losing someone. A concealed pain, buried deep inside the mind trying to emerge out, but only suppressed more because it elicits memories nobody wants to recall. But the worst of pain is felt when you lose yourself, having loved more than everything once. That’s how it was for Arnout. Walking down the sordid lane of Coober Alley, hiding his face with a lacerated and attenuated scarf which was hardly able to cover his face and his mushy breathing, wiping off the sweat with his rough and rugge...

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“Another Place, Another Time” by Muskan Dewan

Submitted to Contest #61

Time is an illusion. From everything that has happened to everything that will happen, all of it is a stream of memories that have been kept as souvenirs by the human mind. It’s funny how whenever one is having fun time flies away. On the other hand, whenever someone is going through something horrible, it feels like time has stopped. Every second that passes by feels like an hour where you are left staring at the face of doom, and there is nothing you can do about it. In one’s lifetime, they are prone to forgetting ...

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“Johnny Bulldog” by Matthew Eubanks

Submitted to Contest #61

Little Johnny Bulldog meets me at the gas station and he's carrying a gun. Not just any gun. It's this huge, AR-15, militia rifle like I shot in the army all the time. But it's all tricked out and it's painted purple. Never seen a AR-15 painted purple before. Like with skulls and stuff on it. In Nashville you have to hide what you're carrying. It's pretty ridiculous. But Mississippi, you can be out in the open in some places. It's got a sweet stand and the expensive sight on it.He kind of waves it up in the air and around everywhere and laug...

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“Memory” by Meredith Moyer

Submitted to Contest #61

The snow fell in a steady rhythm, the cold leaving a layer of their own on her windows and her flowers that once bloomed brighter than her, now fell under the weight of frost. Her day began the same as the others, except for the lack of work emails littering her inbox. She should have known that it was Christmas. How could she have gone the entire month of December without noticing. She passed Christmas lights, the smell of hot chocolate in her usual coffee shop and even missed the over population of her quaint town. It was not as if she was...

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“Memory” by Gwyneria E

Submitted to Contest #61

He was walking down the sidewalk in a new neighborhood he had never been before. He took in the all the details as he strolled along - the slight female dog walker struggling with 5 dogs across the street, a young boy struggling to eat his ice cream as his mother swiftly pulled him along by his other arm, the 2 older gentlemen people watching on a stoop and the steam rising from a grating as he passed by. Then he stopped short as he was engulfed by the scent of lemon verbena and he was instantly transported back in time to when he was a sm...

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“Moving On” by Catinca Urseanu

Submitted to Contest #61

Henry Smith was not sure where he was. It felt as though he had been sinking, deeper and deeper, and was now slowly coming up for air. He could hear people shouting all around him, their words, indistinct and strangely muffled, hitting his ears along with a cacophony of other noises Henry couldn’t place. As his senses slowly returned, he became aware that he was lying down. However, he was not stationary. In fact, he almost felt as though he were floating. The feeling was rather pleasant and Henry vaguely wondered if he was dreaming.Suddenly...

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“Detour” by Thomas Nielsen

Submitted to Contest #61

Day in and day out. Relentless. Traffic just gets worse and worse and seemingly without end. Sometimes, I wish I could work from home like we did in lockdown. Sit at home with a nice cup of tea and get some real work done, instead of these pointless commutes. I’ve been stuck in this queue, this pile-up of cars, for almost an hour now. Nothing worth listening to on the radio. A woman in front of me, in an ugly old faux wood Caprice, attempts a u-turn but lacks the clearance to succeed. Realizing the defeat, she folds back on herself in her se...

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Write about a character who smells something familiar and is instantly taken back to the first moment they smelled it.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 219 stories

“"Caramel Cookies"” by Mithila Nanhe

“A smell to remember...” by Bella Dowd

“Just a Cup of Tea” by Charlie Smith

“Oven-scent” by Merinda Forwood

“Bittersweet Tragedy” by Tia Kiwi

“5 Seconds” by Em H

“Cinnamon Honeycomb” by Justice Wall

“Reminisce” by Matt R

“A Murky Evocation” by Ayman Manzar

“Another Place, Another Time” by Muskan Dewan

“Johnny Bulldog” by Matthew Eubanks

“Memory” by Meredith Moyer

“Memory” by Gwyneria E

“Moving On” by Catinca Urseanu

“Detour” by Thomas Nielsen

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character passing down their favorite childhood toy to a new generation.

Write about a character who goes to — or purposefully avoids — their high school reunion.

Write about a character discovering something new about their past that changes how they remember an important moment.

Write about a character who’s obsessed with an era they never lived through.

Contest #61

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

719

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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