Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Posted in Short Story on Oct 18, 2024

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✍️ 41 stories

“The Accidental Champion of Cringe” by Jim LaFleur

Submitted to Contest #273

Barnaby Hazelwood received the invitation on a gloriously mediocre Thursday morning. It arrived with the dull thunk of the post, nestled between a glossy flyer for a strangely enthusiastic armchair expo and an electricity bill that promised nothing short of devastation. The invitation, encased in an envelope so modestly beige it deserved a commendation for being inconspicuous, bore the tantalizing promise of “An Evening of Opportunities.” Barnaby, who fancied himself a man of burgeoning possibilities—or at least, a man who hoped his boss wou...

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“Corpses in The Closet” by Max Wightwick

Submitted to Contest #273

With his foot convulsing upon the floorboards, Raphael studied the wispy letter in full. Tranced, his eyes surveilled each word, sentence, and paragraph with the uttermost diligence. The writing itself was so corybantic that Raphael wrangled with decoding its hieroglyphical complexity, as if carved by a primordial dunce. A paragraph of particular significance went thus:“The police were incompetent. Fifteen years now, and still, they have left the case unsolved. How many died by their hand? Twenty? And yet the police decided to defer from per...

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“Open Session” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #273

Minutes for the Meeting on 4/14/2025 doc. by L. Root Pre-Meeting: Acknowledgment of C. Whitehall for bringing the snacks. C. Whitehall blushed. Questions about parking. Request to place questions about parking at the end of the meeting. Request made by G. Chives and approved by Chair Copson. Closed Session Initiated For notes from the Closed Session (doc. by L. Root) please send an email to L. Root at LRootMinutes.ClosedSession@cloudspot.com. Closed Session Ended Meeting Initiated - Open Session, Zero Members of the Public in Attendanc...

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“The Strangeling Guardians Society ” by Arora Gleans

Submitted to Contest #273

The tree branch tapped on the window twice just like it had been doing for the past few days as Roslivipona Stone ran her hands through her scalp once and then one more time. She was too preoccupied to notice the branch. Roslivipona eyed her chin-cropped hair, which never grew longer; the two chunks of dark locks near her temples created the illusion of a devil’s horns. Roslivipona patted her hand near her temples each morning, only to find the spikes rigid in place. She sighed in front of the mirror, hoping her hair would cooper...

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“Chess for Three” by Ivana Pavićević

Submitted to Contest #273

Invitation. I never get any mail. But every morning, as I brew my coffee, I dutifully check the mailbox. It’s because I keep hoping that one day, I’ll find something that will finally change or kickstart my life.The mailbox isn’t the only thing I expect so much from. Occasionally, I force myself to attend a concert, hoping for the same, but jazz is barely listened to these days, so staying at home is not entirely my fault. Every year, I also go to the same place by the sea for an art festival. I consider that as another attempt to give life ...

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“Cards of Survival” by Patrisia Lungu

Submitted to Contest #273

Cards of SurvivalThe man she intended to kill tonight was already late to their meeting, which increased Cataleya’s impatience tenfold. Her fingers tapped the old wooden table as the daggers strapped to her body whispered in her ear, thirsty for blood.The forgotten warehouse was draped in silence and hidden from curious eyes, making up the ideal meeting point for the leader of a feared rebel house and an assassin tasked by her queen to bury him.Shadows concealed her as she waited, similar to a tigress hunting down its prey. The killing order...

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“Consequences ” by Kevin Charlton

Submitted to Contest #273

Consequences I felt the barrel of the gun at the back of my head before I heard the familiar voice. “Kasey, glad to see you. I need you to come with us,” he said, snapping me out of the moment. I looked around me realizing I was surrounded. I was tricked here by a woman I trusted. She set this meeting up and now I must pay the consequences of my past actions and figure out a way to survive. I must also accept the responsibility for choosing to believe she actually liked me. ...

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“The Invitation” by Jaime Metcalf

Submitted to Contest #273

The Invitation Nathan Ellis had never been one for surprises, least of all cryptic ones. So when he found the letter waiting for him on his doorstep that crisp October morning, his first instinct was to toss it in the trash. No return address. No stamp. Just his name scrawled in thick black ink, as if the sender had been in a rush or had shaky hands. But something about the weight of the envelope—a curious thickness, the faint scent of old paper—made him stop. Slipping his finger beneath the seal, he tore it open and pulled out a single shee...

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“Black Thorn” by Tarja Mo

Submitted to Contest #273

Ma’ome’s gaze was fixed on the blade of her dagger, which she had been sharpening for half an hour. Despite the dangerous task at hand, her mind was elsewhere, far from home. The note from Maëlys lay crumpled beside her as if it had been read countless times. Ma’ome kept shooting nervous glances toward the wrinkled parchment. With a sharp, frustrated exhale, she stopped what she was doing, closing her eyes. The letter from her old friend had stirred her deeply. She wasn’t even sure if it had truly been sent by Maëlys or if it was just a crue...

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“The Secret Meeting That Should’ve Stayed Secret” by Daron Thompson

Submitted to Contest #273

The Secret Meeting That Should’ve Stayed Secret Chapter 1 - “Who Even Sends Texts Like This?” Aaliyah was lounging on her couch, decompressing after a long day of the daily grind. She had clocked out of her 9-to-5 a few hours ago and was just about to dive into her side hustle when her phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number: “You’re invited to a secret meeting tonight at 7 pm. Don’t be late. - J” Aaliyah frowned at the screen. This had to be some kind of spam, right? She was about to delete it when another message appeared. “...

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“The Lions of Revenge” by Len Rely

Submitted to Contest #273

The deputy stepped out of his vehicle with a look of confusion and ambled over a small tree that had fallen across the driveway. In the six months since he had been assigned to this jurisdiction this was the most remote address he had seen, possibly the most remote in the whole of New Jersey. A dark-colored farmhouse with an adjoining barn leaned wearily against the side of a wooded mountain. FBI vehicles had been seen coming and going weeks ago, a training exer...

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“The Convergence” by Todd Beller

Submitted to Contest #273

Eliza Thorne stared at the crisp white envelope in her hand, her heart racing. No return address, just her name in elegant script. She slid her finger under the flap, extracting a single card: *Your presence is requested at The Convergence.**11:11 PM, June 21st**The old lighthouse on Raven's Point**Come alone. Tell no one.* Eliza's mind whirled. The Convergence? She'd heard whispers, urban legends really, about a secret society pulling strings behind the scenes. But surely that was just conspiracy theory nonsense? Yet here was an invitation....

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“The Council” by Kristina Hopper

Submitted to Contest #273

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The wind was howling and causing the ship’s bells to ring frantically. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” the deckhand continued to recite the verse of Psalm 23. The night sky had taken on an auburn hue. Annoying sea rats roamed throughout the sand of the long-gone island. The deckhand’s prayer could be heard until a path of twinkling lights presented itself. A wooden door appeared at the end of the path guar...

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“The Gatewreaver” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #273

It reeked of trouble.Jana wrinkled her nose, scanning the dimly lit tavern. Smoke from cheap pipeweed hung heavy in the air, mingling with the sour stench of spilled ale and unwashed bodies. A motley crew of rough-looking characters hunched over their drinks, speaking in low murmurs that didn’t quite mask the undertone of desperation.This was no place for a hunter. Especially not one who’d received a mysterious invitation scrawled on parchment that smelled faintly of lavender.She fingered the worn leather of her bow, more for comfort than an...

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“Texas, with a Twist” by Malone Lankford

Submitted to Contest #273

Prompt: Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?***She laughed to herself as she inspected her newly printed business cards. “Sheila McCarry, Investigator” in bold, black print. She could have included “workplace consultant” or “employment attorney,” but some part of her liked the association with one of her favorite characters from childhood, whom she considered to be a superhero--Nancy Drew. Maybe she should have joined the FBI or gone into criminal law after law school. But here she was....

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Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 41 stories

“The Accidental Champion of Cringe” by Jim LaFleur

“Corpses in The Closet” by Max Wightwick

“Open Session” by Story Time

“The Strangeling Guardians Society ” by Arora Gleans

“Chess for Three” by Ivana Pavićević

“Cards of Survival” by Patrisia Lungu

“Consequences ” by Kevin Charlton

“The Invitation” by Jaime Metcalf

“Black Thorn” by Tarja Mo

“The Secret Meeting That Should’ve Stayed Secret” by Daron Thompson

“The Lions of Revenge” by Len Rely

“The Convergence” by Todd Beller

“The Council” by Kristina Hopper

“The Gatewreaver” by Jonathan Baldie

“Texas, with a Twist” by Malone Lankford

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Contest #273

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

361

Contest entries

165

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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