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Posted in Teens on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 97 stories

“A Man's Man” by Allie Erickson

🏆 Winner of Contest #130

Content warning: Language They knew I wasn’t cut out for war the moment they stuck an M4 Carbine in my hands. I had lady fingers while the soldiers around me had hands made to strangle and calluses that grated their rifles into submission. To die for my country, surrounded by the sweaty men it rounded up into its service, was not a lifelong goal of mine. To be fair, I didn’t have a lifelong goal. A younger version of myself had been set on teaching preschool, or kindergarten—didn’t matter really. I just loved kids. That dream was doused ...

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“Marked for Failure” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #130

Twenty years earlier, Chaoxiang’s mother had held her newborn son, weeping with joy. Of all the auspicious names to choose from, his mother picked the Chinese name for “expecting fortune.” As an undocumented kitchen worker at AmeriCasino’s Shanghai Buffet in Reno, Chaoxiang had learned to temper his expectations. In the midst of chopping endless mounds of broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and peppers for a pittance, Chaoxiang paused mid-slice, knee-deep in parings, to watch the cheery twinkle lights blink. Outside, they clicked wildly agains...

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“Reaper and the Moon” by Kimberly Close

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #130

Content Warning: Car accident and DeathTwo things in life remained certain- the inevitability of death and the peaceful falling of night.Scott sat among the evergreen, listening to the stray cars pass on the highway as he looked up to the moon. It was the time of night when traffic was nearly nonexistent. A few long-haul semis and the occasional car humming by. Not the car he was waiting for though. Not yet.He could feel it getting closer. A sort of soft buzz in his blood told him that the SUV neared, and with it, his assignments.It wouldn’t...

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“Trapped in Heaven” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #130

“I don’t think that I’m supposed to be here, sir.” Peter looked up from his ledger and stared at the young boy in front of him. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” “I am sorry, but I think that I don’t belong here.” It had been a very easy day so far. Most of the ones who appeared before him belonged here. A flustered housewife who did try to reach her neighbour at work and was in a very bad accident was very sweet about it. The two twins who were on their first ski trip and ended up using the one broken seat on the lift were completely unp...

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“Cloaked Heart” by Ismail El Ouazzani

Submitted to Contest #130

Between the horns of the still lifeless head, the forest laid beautifully in its shades of green and tinted by the mingled flowers' coloures. My hands against the lungs of the creature ceased to move up and down as he reached the stillness of death. My soul that almost escaped my body in horror, grabbed pride and waved it at the face of the faceless crowd. It was my first trial alone.I grabbed the stubborn head to where I camped, under the shadow of a thickly built Sycamore tree, surrounded by bushes and watched by birds' nests. From th...

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“Hello, Goodbye.” by Lemon Boy

Submitted to Contest #130

She was dead. She was bleeding on the ground, and I didn't know what to do. Her pretty, red blood coloring the white, shiny snow. The light of the moon light up her cold, inanimate body. For a moment I wished I never had met her. Then maybe, just maybe she shouldn't have been laying dead in her garden, under the beautiful willow tree, next to the snow-covered flowers. But let's start from the beginning. It was a starry night. I was the only one in the ski resort. I was going down the slope when I first saw you. You were standing in the ...

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“The Sapphire Hour” by Hannah Barrett

Submitted to Contest #130

The Great Conjunction, Jupiter and Saturn – December 21, 2020 I hug my elbows tight into my sides and slide my hands as deep into my pockets as they'll go. It's freezing tonight. “I think it should be acclimated by now. We can start with the globular cluster in Lepus if you want,” he says. I laugh. “You always start with the globular cluster in Lepus.” It's an eight-inch Dobsonian telescope, no frills, nothing fancy. Except the tube, which is a deep metallic red and glitters softly in the corner of our bedroom when it's not under the...

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“Made in Texas” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #130

There is no snow on the Small Uphill Cemetery in Grand Prairie, Texas. Probably from global warming or something. The long-dead grass crunches under your feet like your abuela’s famous Chocos Fritos, or fried cuttlefish will in your mouth. This salty-fried, home-baked thought caused your lips to tremble and your mouth to water. You’d kill for a good cuddle right now. Your hands are bare and becoming numb, so you cup them around your face and keep trudging beside the graves. The cemetery is empty. Gravestones stand with their porpoise ...

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“Something Domestic” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #130

AFREDThe blonde receptionist sitting behind the looming black marble desk is typing furiously. Alfred stares down at the questionnaire on the tablet. Sweat drips down his forehead and pools in the small of his back. He clears his throat while nervously glancing at Angel. She doesn’t look up from her work and casually answers the phone after two melodic tones play, “Seven Year Itch, Angel speaking, how may I help you?” Alfred crosses and uncrosses his legs. He clenches his jaw and unclenches his jaw as he reads through the questions. He finis...

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“Cage the Storm” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #130

I liked it better when we were on the bookcase. The titles were all lined up in front of us and we could read them aloud to each other every night. We’d come up with stories and attach them to the titles. The stories would produce other stories with new titles. It became difficult to tell which story sprung from the child of which imagination and how it connected to one of the spines on the shelf. Remember when we lived in that tchotchke shop in the Bahamas? We were just one bottle amongst so many other bottles. The ships were all pain...

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“The Clue of the Forgotten Claw” by Jennifer Chan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #130

cw: references to WWIIThe hour was late, and although the candle on David’s bedside table was nearing the end of its life, the boy couldn’t care less. It was a Sunday night, and on Sunday nights, Mr. Otto always paid him a visit. Tonight was no exception. “Now what story do you want to hear this evening?” Mr. Otto asked as he pulled up a chair next to David’s bed. He was a tall man, Mr. Otto, David thought. Not that he had met many grown-ups in his lifetime. “We’ve already done Mystery of the Mute Porter and Sign of the Painted Sta...

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“Crisis of Lust” by Kate Winchester

Submitted to Contest #130

***Author's note*** In my story, Annabeth, she tells a story about one of her EMS calls. This story is the story behind that call. Trigger warning: This story contains sex scenes. Twenty years of marriage and three kids later, the Daughtler’s intimacy was parched, as in dryer than the Sahara. They didn’t even sleep together most nights because one of them always fell asleep in their daughter’s bed. If they did end up together for the night, one of them would inevitably fall asleep instantly. That’s not to say they didn’t hav...

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“Long Before Dawn” by Elisa T-K

Submitted to Contest #130

[CW: non-graphic discussions of kidnapping, attempted murder, and implied suicide (it's pretty light-hearted, but better safe than sorry)] Isaac does not have enough time to knock before the door swings open, and he is quickly swept inside. The door snaps shut behind him, and suddenly he has an armful of Cass. She hasn’t grown any taller than when he’d last seen her, and she has to stand on her toes to press her face against his neck. He drops his bag with a solid thunk, and wraps his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly as he press...

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“I Dreamt of Heaven” by Zack Powell

Submitted to Contest #130

I know what you're thinking, Mrs. Galloway. I imagine you rolled your eyes when you read the title of this personal essay. Maybe you sighed and shuffled my paper to the bottom of your grading pile. I wouldn't blame you. You told us not to squander these essays writing about our dreams, to use them only to reflect on stuff that actually happened to us—I know that, I do— but please make an exception. Just this once. This dream of mine happened last Friday, the day after my weekly therapy appointment. To tell the truth, I forgot that I even c...

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“The Fractured Obelisk” by Cynthia Helton

Submitted to Contest #130

THE FRACTURED OBELISK Back in my grandpa’s day, all the coal was taken out of the mountains by men covered in black dust and sweat, extracted with picks and volatile sticks of dynamite. Sometimes the mountain took the men instead. But there were always more men who came along and took more, and the mountain never seemed to run dry. Sure, they would hit a thin vein here or there, but there was always more coal “in them hills”, as Grand...

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Title: A Man's Man

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Create a title with our Title Generator, then write a story inspired by it.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 97 stories

“A Man's Man” by Allie Erickson

“Marked for Failure” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“Reaper and the Moon” by Kimberly Close

“Trapped in Heaven” by Kendall Defoe

“Cloaked Heart” by Ismail El Ouazzani

“Hello, Goodbye.” by Lemon Boy

“The Sapphire Hour” by Hannah Barrett

“Made in Texas” by Scout Tahoe

“Something Domestic” by Amanda Lieser

“Cage the Storm” by Story Time

“The Clue of the Forgotten Claw” by Jennifer Chan

“Crisis of Lust” by Kate Winchester

“Long Before Dawn” by Elisa T-K

“I Dreamt of Heaven” by Zack Powell

“The Fractured Obelisk” by Cynthia Helton

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character whose name you got from our Character Name Generator.

Start your story with someone finding an object labeled with their name.

Set your story in a nameless world.

Write a story titled ‘The Locked Door.’

Contest #130

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

284

Contest entries

179

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: