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

“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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“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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“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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“The Scent” by Ebube Anochili

Submitted to Contest #61

The days usually ran like flash. Or better still, like the speed of light. One minute it’s sunrise, with the beautiful yellow hue in the sky. The next minute, the once beautiful yellow makes everything around scorching hot. Yup, you guessed right, it’s noon. Then it’s afternoon. The last minute, you glance at your wrist watch and it’s evening. The once yellow hue of the sky is now orange, as the sun decides to shy away for the day. The twilight comes slowly and before you know it, darkness. The sky is filled with dark clouds and the wh...

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“Pile Of Leaves” by LaDonna Fridenmaker

Submitted to Contest #61

Pile Of Leaves Julie was walking down the streets of New York, bundled in her favorite wool sweater. It was one of her favorite places in the whole world. The air was brisk and tossed her flowing blonde hair to and fro. The trees indicated that Autumn was coming on with colors of orange and red. She shivered as the wind blew past her and caused the leaves to swirl around her feet. Julie loved this time of year. Her senses were alive with delight at each thing she was experiencing. A sweet smile spread across her face making her eyes squint. ...

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“Pea Pods, Lions, and My Crayons” by Laura Boynton

Submitted to Contest #61

My Mom didn’t want a funeral, she told us many times she wanted a simple celebration of life. She only wanted her closest family to attend her burial, which was eighteen of us. Her three children, our spouses and children, her twin sister and her husband and their two sons with their wives and grandsons, gathered together to lower her Lake Blue urn with engraved daisies into the earth, a week into May, right after Mother’s Day. It wasn’t and really never is Spring weather for Northern Michigan during this time. It was g...

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“The Library Where It All Began” by Evi Arthur

Submitted to Contest #61

“How is it possible that you’ve never been in here before?” Tabitha yelled, in the way she always did, as she dragged me into the dusty bookstore. “You’re the biggest bookworm I’ve ever met, yet you’ve never ventured into what could be the cutest bookstore in New York?” I roll my eyes at her as I’m dragged farther and farther into the shop. Inside, it smells like one of those cinnamon-scented brooms you buy at the grocery store in the fall. Each wall is covered with shelves and shelves of books with peeling spines, most of them completely ...

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“Memories Between Pages” by Angela Doverspike

Submitted to Contest #61

*Based on a true friendship*The doorbell rings and I jolt from my thoughts nearly spilling my coffee. The dogs are barking ferociously at the Amazon delivery man as he walks back down the pathway to his truck. I let them calm down before I attempt to open the front door to grab my package. I’d really rather not chase them through the neighborhood. Again. I smile proudly at my guard dogs doing their duty. No one would dare break in once their intimidating barks are heard. I certainly don’t need an alarm system. They resume their afternoo...

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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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“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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“"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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“INSPIRATION” by DYUTI BISWAS

Submitted to Contest #61

Sanaya let out a yawn as the bunch proceeded to 'read' her other paintings. She hated being asked so many questions. Art is about your interpretation, not what the artist is trying to say. She didn't like being unnecessarily drawn into long conversations with these business conglomerates who have this sudden need to understand everything from her perspective. But her manager pressed on such aspects, hence Sanaya chose to comply. She hated to create chaos because that troubled her. She had always been a very reserved person, and once she got ...

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“Home” by Mary R.

Submitted to Contest #61

Sea salt. Chocolate. And lemonade. As soon as I catch the scent on the breeze, I know I’m home. We stop at the beach. The aroma is stronger. Sea salt. Chocolate. And lemonade. And all I can think about is her. The way the sea salt scent got stuck in her sun bleached strawberry hair after long days in the water. The way our skin became pruny as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky our very own watercolor. The way she always poured in way too much lemonade powder, so much that the drink became sugary chalk in your mouth. ...

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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

“Cinnamon Honeycomb” by Justice Wall

“Another Place, Another Time” by Muskan Dewan

“A Murky Evocation” by Ayman Manzar

“The Scent” by Ebube Anochili

“Pile Of Leaves” by LaDonna Fridenmaker

“Pea Pods, Lions, and My Crayons” by Laura Boynton

“The Library Where It All Began” by Evi Arthur

“Memories Between Pages” by Angela Doverspike

“Memory” by Gwyneria E

“Moving On” by Catinca Urseanu

“Detour” by Thomas Nielsen

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

“"Caramel Cookies"” by Mithila Nanhe

“INSPIRATION” by DYUTI BISWAS

“Home” by Mary R.

🌟 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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