Set your story in a small town where everyone is suspicious of newcomers.

Posted in Teens on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 135 stories

“So I Followed an Owl to a Suspicious Small Town... (Part 2)” by Lily Kingston

Submitted to Contest #59

Author's note: This is a part 2 to "So I Met an Owl in an Elevator". If you want, maybe read that story first to avoid spoilers. If you don't want to, no worries, have a recap and a wonderful day!Recap: the unnamed narrator rushes to an elevator from a hotel bar while realizing a creep from the bar drugged her. She makes it to the elevator, passes out, and wakes up to find a power outage that stopped the elevator and a mysterious talking owl with muddy red feathers and dark green eyes. He introduces himself as Howl, her Guardian Owl that cut...

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“White Houses” by Meggy House

Submitted to Contest #59

“Ronnie, I just don’t think I can live here anymore!” Lydia insisted to her dear daughter who so rudely interrupted and asked to only be referred to as “Veronica.” “Veronica, Mom,” she argued. “Please call me Veronica.” Ronnie’s sudden passion regarding her name confused Lydia, but she nonetheless pressed on. “The people in this town are so rude! It...

11 comments 11

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“Small Towns, small minds” by Rebecca Lee

Submitted to Contest #59

Willow, Texas is not unlike most small-sized communities across the United States. There are the typical sections of neighborhoods for different races, for the races to mix, for different economic classes, yadda, yadda. There is the city-run government, and since, Willow is the county seat for Wood County – the county governing offices are housed there.There is a quaint little downtown area. There are at last count at least five fast-food chicken places, a plethora of doughnut stores, a mosaic of payday loan companies, two grocery stores, a ...

14 comments 14

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“The Haunted House” by Utkarsh Sharma

Submitted to Contest #59

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Tony, he was 29 years old. He was very brave and strong. He stays in a big house which has two floors and the name of the village was Kenta Nagar and some people from that village said that the house he was staying was haunted but he didn’t care about that. He thinks that the people are saying lies. He was preparing his home because his cousin’s brother was coming to his home for enjoying it. His name was Annie he was only 8 years old but he was a very intelligent boy. Tony gives Annie a remote-control...

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“Before The Fall” by Kylie Wallis

Submitted to Contest #59

Eighteen year old Tamara Grey watched from her window as the neighbors moved in. A family. Their surname was Madden. Old man Raison's house had sold at last. Most of the people currently living in Lakeshore were born there. Tamara's parents grew up across the road from each other. New residents were bound to cause a commotion. The locals would welcome them warmly, so long as they minded their own business.This town, like many others, had a history. The kind of history that had its own share of lies and secrets. But far as anyone knew, there ...

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“Yes, Really Great Fishing, Just Down The Road!” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #59

(Set your story in a small town where everyone is suspicious of newcomers.)(This story is edited and additional content has been added)Ah yes, Monday! Monday’s are universally thought of with negative feelings as the weekend is over and a workweek begins. But here in Syndrig, everyday is a workday, if in fact you would define what we do as work.Here in my village I’m known as Pipsey, that is short for Pip Squeek which is what me old father, rest his soul, used to call me. I am short in stature, but many of my countrymen are, s...

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“Newcomers” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #59

It’s not that we have any kind of prejudice here. That was a phrase that Sandra had heard so often since she arrived in Bolingbrooke that she supposed it must be true or at least that most people believed it was. Well, fair enough, she thought, making her way to the branch of the East Counties Bank she’d been transferred to a couple of months back. In a way you couldn’t argue with it. The bank’s own customers included at least two Asian families, and Madison, who was a he who had become a she and really preferred to be kn...

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“Death Wears a Smile and Promises Light” by B Easton

Submitted to Contest #59

The town slept as the sun dipped into mountains, but as the night air flooded coolly into town, they were awakened at the sound of footsteps. Strange, they thought as not many rolled into town at this time of day, and even less carried a man-sized coffin behind them.His hair was a thick black, the color of night, and his face sat behind a soft, red scarf. He walked with no hesitation as the eyes lining the two-story houses and small-time shops observed his every move. His blue eyes returned their gazes one at a time, and slowly, the townsfol...

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“Town Without Pity” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #59

[Author’s Note: If you do not know the film and the song Town Without Pity, at least look them up on Wikipedia. At least listen to the song. It was one of Gene Pitney’s best. That town without pity might help us put Bristol, Maine in a better light.]Bristol, located on the Penobscot River near where it enters the Atlantic, had always been distrustful of newcomers. The Bristolians weren’t bad people; they just didn’t know what to do with new things. People who were from away always brought new things. That made most of the Bristolians u...

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“Suspect!” by Chimamaka Adeniyi🙅

Submitted to Contest #59

"Why. Are. We. Staring?" Jọ́jọ́ pinched her mother again. Her eyes were already watering."This child, I've told you countless times; there is someone moving into that house across the road and it is custom and only sensible to bore into them with our eyes until they feel uncomfortable and therefore respect us, "She almost fell over the edge. Must she? It's not like they were going to respect her. She was only eight years old!Then she looked around and met all the other residents doing the same; killing the poor newcomers with their ghastly s...

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“The wisdom of others.” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #59

The wisdom of others. “People, people, people. What a suspicious lot you are. You think me here to fleece you, or to pursue your wives. Nothing is further from my mind. Of course, you think, I would say that, and I do. I don’t say put your trust in me, but neither do I say the reverse. I’m not here to sell you anything but to give you the good word.” He laughed as he said this and then resumed. “I’m just kidding. I’m not here to divest you of the chains that you forged and wear, they are your burden, to be shed or retained as you wish. T...

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“All About the Lingo” by Paige Leppanen

Submitted to Contest #59

Veronica stared up at the bright red signal on the only traffic light in Myersville. There was no cross traffic at the intersection, nor any across the road. She sighed and looked at the time. She had not missed this about her hometown.Myersville was the type of town that turned a blind eye to teen drinking but turned their noses up at sex ed. “My kids are smarter than that,” parents would say, assuming their teens had the inherent knowledge that condoms prevented pregnancy, assuming their teens would never cross that line to begin with.Vero...

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“Stupid Questions” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #59

“Are you that new kid?” “I just moved here. If that’s what you mean.” “That house?” The boy pointed at the house Bill’s parents had bought. Bill nodded. He’d never seen so much grass in his life. They’d moved from the city. He only knew goats ate grass. But there were no goats around. A butterfly danced back and forth between the trees. A crow called from overhead. Beyond their neighborhood, cornfields seemed to go on without end. “What’s your name?” “My friends call me Billy.” “I’m Andy. Want to come over?” “Okay.” Bill followed Andy to ...

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“Here, There Are Ghosts” by Dori O’Sullivan

Submitted to Contest #59

When Nick first sees streetlights up ahead, he can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. His neck is sore, his legs are stiff, and his whole body aches with the need for a soft bed and hot coffee.The rain-soaked pavement glimmers beneath him. As the streets turn to cobblestone closer to town, starlight and streetlights meld together to cast shadows on the red brick buildings. Nick doesn’t notice any of it. He scans the town for a sign of a motel. When he finally sees a neon sign that reads, “Vacancy” in flickering red light, he...

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“coming home” by Mushroom (flammulina Velutipes)

Submitted to Contest #59

They lock their doors at sunset and keep their windows shut. When people come from over the ancient, crumbling stone wall built to keep things out, they can never tell if they're human or not.It pays to be careful. Some of the older people like to tell stories about how little Tommy went outside of the wall one day and was swallowed by the gaping crescent moon, or taken by the trees, or lured away by tinkling laughter and glimmering lights. Though no one is really sure if it's true or not, there's no way to prove it, and it's better safe tha...

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Set your story in a small town where everyone is suspicious of newcomers.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 135 stories

“So I Followed an Owl to a Suspicious Small Town... (Part 2)” by Lily Kingston

“White Houses” by Meggy House

“Small Towns, small minds” by Rebecca Lee

“The Haunted House” by Utkarsh Sharma

“Before The Fall” by Kylie Wallis

“Yes, Really Great Fishing, Just Down The Road!” by P. Jean

“Newcomers” by Deborah Mercer

“Death Wears a Smile and Promises Light” by B Easton

“Town Without Pity” by Kathleen March

“Suspect!” by Chimamaka Adeniyi🙅

“The wisdom of others.” by Len Mooring

“All About the Lingo” by Paige Leppanen

“Stupid Questions” by John K Adams

“Here, There Are Ghosts” by Dori O’Sullivan

“coming home” by Mushroom (flammulina Velutipes)

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a couple who have just moved to a place that one person loves, and the other hates.

Write about a character arriving in a place unlike anywhere they’ve ever been.

Set your story in a place with extreme weather, but don’t use any weather-related words to describe it.

Write a story that feels lonely, despite being set in a packed city.

Contest #59

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

767

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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