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

“Blue Walls” by Kait Lemi

Submitted to Contest #61

`When I wake up, I feel myself gasping for air. My head is pounding. I’m pretty sure that you could hear my rapid heart rate on the other side of the world. But when I turn my head, he’s still sound asleep. Watching him sleep, my breathing slowly returns back to normal. I run my fingers through his thick brown hair. I move my hand from his hair to his cheek, admiring him with every touch. He sleepily pulls my body against his and engulfs me in his arms. My face is pressed against his warm, bare chest and I can feel his strong arms wrapped ...

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“A Sweet Remembrance” by Beth Edgar

Submitted to Contest #61

I hurriedly walked towards the front door. I had to work late and Wednesdays are my Nana nights. Nana is my grandmother. She is completely blind and stubbornly independent. She lives alone in the house that she and my grandfather purchased back in the fifties. I check on her daily, but Wednesdays and Sundays are the times I have set aside to actually visit her. As I reach to knock on the door, my arm becomes entangled in my purse and the bag of groceries I brought for Nana and all of it cras...

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“The Scent” by Jessica Bailey

Submitted to Contest #61

There it was. The scent I would never in my lifetime forget. It was perfect, and it made my mouth water. Though it was all around me, I couldn’t pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. But it didn’t matter either way. All that mattered was the memory filling my mind of how wonderful that aroma would always be. I glanced down at the steaming cup of hot chocolate in my hands, loving the warmth emanating from it. The smell was delectable, but that wasn’t what I had sniffed originally. No, it was something else; something my mother used...

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“The First Time” by Janie Cruz

Submitted to Contest #61

Ann saw his suit coat on the chair and smiled to herself. Just like him to forget something. She took a picture of it and sent it. A: Forget something? N: Oh my gosh I've been looking for that everywhere! A: Can't say I'm surprised ;P N: I'm so sorry babe! Henry's headed over to get it now. A: Don't be sorry, I'm just teasing! lol N: Are you in your dress? A: Yup. Are you in..most..of your tux? N: =D Yes. I wanna see you! A: No way! You know the rules =P N: Ugh, fine. Annie laughed and picked up the coat. She held it close and too...

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“The Bonnie To My Clyde” by A Caesar

Submitted to Contest #61

Azrael was giddy as he walked to Kalma’s home. She had called telling him she has a surprise for him and to come quickly. As he pranced to her place he couldn’t help but speculate what the surprise could be. Kalma had always been different from everyone he had courted. Azrael felt a deep connection with her; she was his Eureka moment he often thought. He showed her his skeletons and she danced with them. He couldn’t help the grin that grew as he thought of what she had in store. As Azrael entered through her door, he caught a wh...

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“Professor Quartz” by Pablo Mascaraque Glenn

Submitted to Contest #61

The inside of the car was nice and toasty after having had the heating on during the fifteen minute drive to the train station. It had been harder than he expected to find a parking space in the usually empty parking lot of the station, but Tom had finally found a spot and was now mentally preparing himself for the upcoming shock of the crisp Autumn air waiting for him outside. As expected, a rush of cold air surrounded him as he climbed out of the car, and a wave of goosebumps began to wash over his whole body. He shivered, but as he did hi...

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“Mara's Garden of False Delights” by Reed Foxwell

Submitted to Contest #61

When he finally came to, the hazy morning light was illuminating the room in a soft, warm glow. Though he was awake, he let his eyes take the time they needed to open, seeing nothing but a blur of lights and colours until they slowly eased into shapes and figures — the white, classically-styled frame of the windows, the delicate floral patterns on the wall. He drew in a deep, long breath of the light, flower-tinted smell in the air and let it all out as a gentle sigh. It felt like his first breath of life in ages. Only then d...

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“A Smelly Memory” by Asta .

Submitted to Contest #61

To the outside world, he is a stone-cold man, and smiling is a foreign concept. Wrinkles ravage the land between his brows despite being only 26. During the day, he works to make money. During the night, he sleeps only so he can make more money the following morning. Life is static except for his ever-growing bank account. Ever since the beginning of his occupation, his vacation days have remained untouched. He shows up to work every day, not even stopping for his birthday. Co-workers, after inviting him to a couple parties in vain, have lon...

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“Deodourant” by Yusuf Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #61

It's all in your head – that’s what they always said to her when she overthought and stressed. They’re half-right: Esther’s truth was that reality is all in our heads; in any environment a plethora of simultaneous sensations are picked up by her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and skin which then input into her mind. The output is a projection generated as her brain dances with activity to maintain and update the image in real-time. She liked riddles and absurd questions, and one of them would find itself revisiting her head. If a tree were to f...

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“Skinning Shed Smell” by G Wingard

Submitted to Contest #61

Smell is the strongest sense. The olfactory bulb sits right on the brain and scents trigger emotions, thoughts, memories, and associations that our conscious mind barely registers. Science still isn’t sure how the chemicals we inhale cross the neurological barrier to the brain, but the effect is profound. Profoundly disturbing in this case. All I could smell was death. I’d grown up around that smell. The musky, pissy aroma of animal pelts and the sweet, rotting smell of offal....

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“The Silhouette Man.” by ENM .

Submitted to Contest #61

I am used to the warm lick of the sodden southern air that drenches my skin like greasy, sizzling bacon in a hot frying pan. As I lay upon the shore of the sandy marsh, I felt beads of thick sweat dripping from me mending with the sand. Unbothered, I continue to admire the trees harmonizing with the wind. I like to imagine the wind and trees waltzing together across the beach, the winds caressing the branches of the trees like a newborn baby. I suppose this is how a child feels, watching their parents seamlessly become one as they share thei...

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“Perfume” by Nat S

Submitted to Contest #61

Wandering through the streets was always annoying for Alekya. The city with all its bright lights and flashy billboards was a huge change from the quiet country life that she was used to. In the country, everyone knew everyone and there was a sense of family, but here people glared at you just for breathing their air. The anonymity of the people on the streets upset her, but no one would stop and talk. Everyone was always in too much of a hurry for even a simple good morning. Alekya would not even be in th...

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“Simpler Days” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #61

Being back in the international terminal of Glasgow’s small but bustling airport had long silent memories threatening to come rushing back and sweep her over, like the offshore rips that plagued Sydney beaches on the warmest of Summer days. 10 years later and she couldn’t help feel a little longing for simpler days...the days of when she was here last. Young, energetic and excited she had been ready for the trip of a lifetime...and what a gap year she had experienced. She had backpacked through Europe like every other high school graduate th...

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“Reginald, Too” by Stephanie Orrell

Submitted to Contest #61

Far in the west, the sky was bleeding. The setting crimson sun was a round bullet wound, splattering blood-like stains amidst the cloud cover. The gunmetal clouds hung in the east; they were weeping. I, like the sky, was angry no matter which angle you looked at me. Even though I had my rain hood pulled all the way up, my brow still furrowed, and my lips pursed into a tight frown. I...

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“THE BIRDS AND THE BREADCRUMBS” by Mike Williams

Submitted to Contest #61

“Don’t throw out the old bread. Please, save it for me,” Rachel requested. “At the picnic in the park last Saturday, we watched the birds vacuum up the leftover crumbs. It was so neat, Mom! The birds were just like you when you vacuum the dirty carpet.” “That’s an interesting comparison,” Mom replied. Rachel was left-handed. The pediatrician explained that she might have a propensity for seeing things in artistic and...

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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

“Blue Walls” by Kait Lemi

“A Sweet Remembrance” by Beth Edgar

“The Scent” by Jessica Bailey

“The First Time” by Janie Cruz

“The Bonnie To My Clyde” by A Caesar

“Professor Quartz” by Pablo Mascaraque Glenn

“Mara's Garden of False Delights” by Reed Foxwell

“A Smelly Memory” by Asta .

“Deodourant” by Yusuf Ahmed

“Skinning Shed Smell” by G Wingard

“The Silhouette Man.” by ENM .

“Perfume” by Nat S

“Simpler Days” by Sara Blanch

“Reginald, Too” by Stephanie Orrell

“THE BIRDS AND THE BREADCRUMBS” by Mike Williams

🌟 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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