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Your character gets everything they ever wanted — only to realize the true cost.

Posted in Short Story on Sep 13, 2024

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✍️ 70 stories

The Cost

Submitted to Contest #268

The day came that he had to start again, from the very beginning.“Lucifer?” A gentle voice spoke, a kindness in the dark.His eyes opened before he felt it; the great gnawing emptiness. It should have been full; of life, of light, the joy of peace eternal. But it was gone.“Where am I? Assie, where are we?” Lucifer’s voice was panicked, uncertain, reaching for Asmodeus’ hand. He found it, waiting, as it always was.“You’re out, Luce. We are all out.”Lucifer looked at him for the first time, eyes adjusting to the pre-dawn light. “Out?” He whispe...

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The Average Teenage Girl Experience

Submitted to Contest #268

It starts as most things between handsome boys and shy girls do - with a crush. I'm walking to AP Latin. The crowds in the corridors are booming with excited pubescents hurrying along in bright lavender bomber jackets. It's basketball season, and everyone's beaming for the match this afternoon. I'm not. Obviously. I rarely ever beam. It's not a word to be associated with me. I snark at most. And I'm snarking up a storm currently. People keep bumping into me. Smelling too much like teenagers and cheap cosmetics for my liking. I have to wait...

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The Epitome of Confidence

Submitted to Contest #268

The chair made a small squeak as he sat down. A woman strode over and angled a large light to illuminate his face. He blinked against the intensity, his sensitive eyes watering behind his thick frames. He fumbled slightly with his blazer, not knowing whether it looked better with one button closed or two. He finally settled on only buttoning one button, remembering that was his usual go-to. He ran a pass down his wrinkle-free pants, the dry cleaner making sure his pants were pressed to perfection. A well-dressed woman with bright red ha...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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Rockstar Rockenrolla traveling without moving

Submitted to Contest #268

In a world where time is a twisting stream,Lived a man named Rokenrolla, a surreal dream.More deaths than life, an endless cosmic ride,He delved into the Akashic Records, no place to hide. Rokenrolla, a seeker of truth,Through the simulation, he found his route.He hired Star Light Alliance, heroes of might,And faced God's Judgment in Orion's cosmic light. In the realm of endless possibilities,He ventured through the cosmic seas.With the Alliance by his side so brave,Together they traveled, souls they aimed to save. Rokenrolla, a seeker of tr...

9 likes 3 comments 3
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The Circle

Submitted to Contest #268

I am dead. I have been dead for forty years. The reason I want to tell you my story is not the fact that I am dead. The dead don’t care that they’re dead; it’s the living who fear Death. Since I have no enlightening story about Death that would comfort or scare you, I won’t be writing about that. The point is rather to warn you that the saying you’ve come up with, "As you sow, so shall you reap," is much more intense in its prophecy than you actually believe. "Where should I begin?" "Always start at the beginning." I died at birth, so I have...

9 likes 2 comments 2
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Old Tom Cat

Submitted to Contest #268

“I was about the age you are now,” my grandmother began her story, gently crossing her weathered hands in her lap and placing them on the seed stitch blanket she had been diligently working on for what seemed, at the time, like months. “We used to have a cat, a mean one too-” she looked upset as she said this, “and he would scratch and scratch at me whenever I tried to hold him. He even gave me a scar you can still see, right here,” She pointed to a spot on her wrinkled face, next to her eye. I couldn’t make out any sort of marking but I nod...

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Navaha the Nit.

Submitted to Contest #268

Navaha the Nit was so not a female stripper. She often laughed at herself, thinking in general her life was a ripper. She woke up daily in the early hours, celebrating an awakening dawn, a blessing at her age. She realized now she could not solve all the intellectual issues,of her planet's future, but kept on praying for solutions. Navaha sat, reclusive, a lone wolf in her zone, scribbling her ideas, formulating concepts, hoping to flow her prayers to the teeming metropolis of billions of champions and wannabes who were part of humanity. But...

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Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Submitted to Contest #268

"There's been an accident." But she was supposed to bring the sour cream. "Her husband was with her in the vehicle. He's unconscious. You were listed as her next of kin." If she doesn't bring the sour cream, I can't make Crazy Chocolate Cake. "Ma'am, I don't know what --" Did I say that out loud? "If you know her next of kin, you ought to know her birthday, right?" A pause. "Says here September 10th, 1991." "And today is September 9th. So I am making her favorite cake, because it's her birthday, but I forgot the most important ingredient -- ...

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Claimed

Submitted to Contest #268

Content Warning: This story addresses sensitive topics such as mental health struggles, trauma, post-partum depression, and medical complications related to premature birth.  Didi Godfrey's life felt like a tornado of indifference and longing. At 25, she was stuck in a rut, feeling older than she was, but without any of the perks - a successful career, a significant other, or even a sense of purpose. The black sheep of her family, she'd moved to an unfamiliar town to be closer to her parents, but instead found herself more isolated t...

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Ooops.

Submitted to Contest #268

The Ending (Of Everything) I turned toward Amanda after I read the news ticker. She smiled at me with those doe eyes and clutched my hand tightly, letting out a little giggle. I smiled back, because it’s happening just the way Clergy Tom said it would…mostly. I’d kind of hoped we could bring the sinful city of San Francisco to a reckoning. We had the weapons stockpile that he’d been collecting for ages, and a plan to start in January. But judging by the tear-filled, puffy-eyes of the newscaster, we weren’t going to make it that long. “To the...

8 likes 4 comments 4
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Avarice

Submitted to Contest #268

“Surprise!” Grinning like a maniac, Jake popped the little jewelry case open, and inside was a shining silver bracelet, encrusted with diamonds all along the band. Cassandra gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth. “Jake, its beautiful!” She exclaimed, taking the bracelet from its cradle and fastening it onto her wrist. “Oh, wow. I just can’t… Hang on a second. How much did this piece cost?” Her husband’s grin grew even wider. “That’s the second surprise.” He produced a small slip of paper from his pocket and shoved it into her hands. Cassand...

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STARVED FOR JUSTICE

Submitted to Contest #268

STARVED FOR JUSTICEYour character gets everything they ever wanted — only to realize the true costAntoine J. PolgarThings happen on a May afternoon the smartest person is not clever enough to foresee or understand. A paunchy retired academic Philip Kohl, the hero of this story, sits alone in the study of his Woodward Avenue, Buffalo home in the Parkside area house he shared with his wife Eugenia. She noticed that since the delivery of what appeared to be a piece of heavy computer equipment, he locked the door to his study and the electr...

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The Devil's Coin

Submitted to Contest #268

I started my journey early in the morning, feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty. This was my first road trip alone, driving from Virginia to Florida. My destination was Daytona Beach, a place I'd heard was great for meeting people, especially girls. My parents thought I was taking time off before deciding on college, but the truth was, I needed a break. After four grueling years of high school, I craved freedom and maybe a bit of adventure."Here's your MapQuest directions," Dad said, handing me a stack of printed pages. "And if you ge...

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Queen of the Hive

Submitted to Contest #268

*This story contains mature themes*Rachel slammed on the brakes leaving tire skids on the driveway. She stops just before smashing into the back of her fiance’s parked car. She quickly parks and unbuckles her seatbelt before leaping out of her vehicle. She didn’t bother to close the driver-side door. A smartphone remains situated on the floor of the front passenger side seat. The screen displays a recent text message.“Meet me at Eric’s now. It’s urgent.”She runs past the gaudy fountain that looks like it belongs outside a casino. The bright ...

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Mary

Submitted to Contest #268

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago there was a small kingdom. In fact, this kingdom was so small that it had little more than a few hundred inhabitants, a king and a pub. The king was young, handsome and not very stupid, so the people liked him. One in particular liked him and that was Mary, the daughter of the pub owner.Oh Mary! This Mary was the prettiest, smartest, and most cheerful girl anyone had ever seen. You could find her every evening in her father's pub, which was not strictly speaking the only pub in the kingdom, but it was ...

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