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

“The Phone Tree” by Tim O'Shea

Submitted to Contest #59

1980’s Rural Nebraska “Do you think he will be here today?” the voice asked. Bob Metcalf poured the cup of coffee in front of him and cradled the heavy phone between his shoulder and ear. “Who says it’s a he?” Metcalf replied. The voice was quiet for a spell. The static, all too familiar crackling sound that was all to frequent on old country phone lines was the only sound heard. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you ain’t. Any stranger that comes around…we need to be ready.” Metcalf said, “I got the best view in town. Any stranger co...

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“Gleann Fala” by Victoria Penny

Submitted to Contest #59

Gleann Falaby Victoria PennyThe village wasn't on any map.Not in her old dusty atlas, or her roadmaps of Great Britain guide. She even tried a globe. No luck. And the internet wasn't much use either.It would have put most people off, but not Sarah Cartwright. It was exactly the fresh start she was looking for.She telephoned the number in the advertisement - three times before she got through, and even then the connection was so bad she could barely make out the voice on the other end. It was so distorted she couldn't tell if it was a man or ...

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“Society of the Lunar Brethren” by Nusa Zam

Submitted to Contest #59

Myra felt the chill of the autumn afternoon pass through her. It was sharp and crisp, sending a sudden spark of life through her aged limbs that snatched her out of the solace of sleep. She had taken a mid-afternoon nap on the veranda of her cabin, and being wrapped up in all her throws and self-embroidered cushions, she couldn’t think of a better place to be. Nothing could beat the tranquillity of being in the middle of nowhere with no one but Mother Nature to keep her company. She wrapped herself up tighter as a gust of wind soared through...

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“Hotel Maxwell” by Diane Wesche

Submitted to Contest #59

It is November 5th and our vacation date has finally arrived. We have been waiting anxiously for months. We needed the quality time together after all our long hours of work. This was the first vacation we had in over a year. Both of our places of employment have had very busy years and this trip was much needed. Our first thought was to go to the beach but we have gone to the beach for our prior two vacations. We needed a change and the thought of a nice secluded cabin in the mountains sounded like a tiny piece of paradise. Standing on the...

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“Bethlehem” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #59

Nobody came to Bethlehem Colorado unless they were lost. It was a turn-off from a deserted one lane highway that dead ended in a derelict cemetery. Most cars that came in stopped at the gas station, asked for directions, and left before the dust from their arrival had settled back down. So every eye in town was fixed on Opal’s clunker as it rattled into town and drove right past the gas station. “I don’t like this town.” Bart said. “Why? Cause of the Jesus-y name?” “No, the people here are weird.” He said, eyes darting around the landscape a...

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“Suspicious Minds” by Alex Pegar

Submitted to Contest #59

At 7:10 AM, Mr. Gasvoda leered through the kitchen window, one eye peeking out from behind the lime green curtains Mrs. Gasvoda purchased at Merle Davis’s yard sale last year. Across the street from Mr. and Mrs. Gasvoda’s home, a craftsman house with forest green trim and jade green panels, stood the new neighbor with one hand on his hip, and the other clasping a mug with something steaming in it. The new neighbor idly stood by, supervising the installation of a brand new, pristine white, steel-skinned, sixteen-foot garage door; complete wit...

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“The Dusty Roads” by Shuari Naidoo

Submitted to Contest #59

The buildings slowly blurred into unrecognisable blobs; smooshing against each other like an abstract painting. The exhaust roared, springing the car to life. The wheels rolled forward trying to escape years of unimaginable torture. Make-up smeared across my hands in a palette of different shades. Bright pink lipstick and flawless foundation outlined the image of what the world wanted to see. Mother always taught me a full face of make-up is one to face good and bad. She whispered this to me a long time ago as we rocked on the overcrow...

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“own Hall and a fallen T” by Blue Angel

Submitted to Contest #59

I followed closely behind my dad as we followed the dirt path into the small town. The buildings were all broken down with various planks of wood hanging from their original spots. The wind would sometimes blow one of those tumbleweeds that you see in shows by adding to a ghostly atmosphere. If it wasn’t for the lingering feeling of glaring eyes you would think this was an abandoned ghost town. My dad walked through the town waving at any and every living thing he saw despite the fact nothing seemed to acknowledge his existence. My dad walke...

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“Who'd Ever Come To Woodsmere?” by Priscilla 🌹

Submitted to Contest #59

If you had asked me this morning what the town of Woodsmere was to me, I’d have said it was a convenient pit stop on the way to my parent’s place upstate where I filled up on gas and road trip snacks. I’d never spent more than 15 minutes in the place, partly because my asthma couldn’t take the dry heat of the valley, but mostly because the only thing worse than this barren wasteland of a town, was the people in it. Every interaction I’d had with a Woodsmere local was unpleasant. Once, while filling up with gas, I smiled politely to ...

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“The Outsider” by Merissa Harde

Submitted to Contest #59

Trevor eyed him; his curiosity piqued. In a town with the population under three hundred, outsiders were easily spotted. Every teenager at the party had grown up together, from kindergarten to high school; everyone knew each other and each other’s secrets. The stranger, who stood outside, a cigarette dangled out the side of his mouth, was full of undiscovered secrets. Of course, that made everyone uncomfortable. The teenagers believed themselves to be friendly, but within limits – and since his ex-girlfriend, Marie, had brought the mysteriou...

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“A Visit to Tatum” by Tim Benson

Submitted to Contest #59

“A Visit to Tatum” As many times as I’d driven the stretch of I-44 between St. Louis and Springfield you’d think I would have figured out all of the best places to stop for a bite and exactly how much gas I needed to have in my tank. Over almost three years and a dozen trips I’d never had any problems until that day last month. Ordinarily if I’d left my house without a full tank I knew a stop in Cuba or Rolla would take care of things, but there was so much going on at the office I hadn’t paid attention to details. Now, just past the Cuba ex...

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“Needing to Adapt” by Randolph Pierce

Submitted to Contest #59

With a fresh day-before haircut, a brand-new tan suit and his favorite red clip-on tie, Jeremy felt ready for the new job. As he got out of his car to enter the office, his eyes caught a female blonde, perhaps in her teens or early twenties, strolling about a half a block away on the sidewalk, tilting her head back and consuming something out of a strawless large paper cup. Greeted by Nina behind the counter at the office, he was surprised by her gasp and reaction, “You look like you’re going to chur...

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“UNWELCOME SUSPICION” by UJJWAL DUTTA

Submitted to Contest #59

Unwelcome Suspicion Our town was newly built and it was very small one. Suddenly there spread a rumour that some child catchers had arrived in the town and they were kidnapping little children. It was also spread that these people were very difficult to ...

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“No Sanctuary” by Natalie Johnson

Submitted to Contest #59

The wind whipped through the ramshackle streets, causing the windows to rattle and dust to fly into people’s eyes. The thunder rumbled long and deep and was followed by a blinding flash of lighting. The rain poured down, dousing the town’s inhabitants so that they looked like they had been swimming in the sea rather than walking down Main Street. “If we don’t close the gates now, we won’t survive the night!” Harold yelled; although much of the volume was lost amongst the wails of the wind. “Alexander, Aileen, Hamish, you head to the front ga...

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“Princess polly goes to town BIG aventure!!!!!” by Heather 😭😂🥰 🥶😱😜🤪🤪🤪😛😋😋🥰🥰😍😍

Submitted to Contest #59

once apon a time there was a princess,whoes name was polly. she was Very bueatiful and she likes to go to town to pretend she is not princess but she accheally is. ShE Likes town and halp people to be good aand. ool and kind. won day she sudenly said oh my there is a poor kid in town so she go to help chil dren. so she says oh ok i will go to visit the poor chil dren kid so i go and go but they say oh she is bad but she go there so they try to drown her and she say HALLPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she want to go back to casel but oh no there. is un...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 135 stories

“The Phone Tree” by Tim O'Shea

“Gleann Fala” by Victoria Penny

“Society of the Lunar Brethren” by Nusa Zam

“Hotel Maxwell” by Diane Wesche

“Bethlehem” by Matthew Turner

“Suspicious Minds” by Alex Pegar

“The Dusty Roads” by Shuari Naidoo

“own Hall and a fallen T” by Blue Angel

“Who'd Ever Come To Woodsmere?” by Priscilla 🌹

“The Outsider” by Merissa Harde

“A Visit to Tatum” by Tim Benson

“Needing to Adapt” by Randolph Pierce

“UNWELCOME SUSPICION” by UJJWAL DUTTA

“No Sanctuary” by Natalie Johnson

“Princess polly goes to town BIG aventure!!!!!” by Heather 😭😂🥰 🥶😱😜🤪🤪🤪😛😋😋🥰🥰😍😍

🌟 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 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: