At some point in your story, a character says “You’re better than this…”.

Posted in Thanksgiving on Nov 24, 2023

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✍️ 56 stories

“Thanksgiving Feast” by Chris Baum

Submitted to Contest #226

The Thanksgiving feast was ready, spread out before us in all its splendor. The sights and smells were glorious. Once we all got seated with our heaping plates of food at the dinner table, savoring each bite, the conversations continued to flow really well…until Uncle Bob had to chime in.“The turkey is dry,” he said with a solemn voice.He just couldn’t keep it to himself like a respectful person. He always chose to be the brutally honest, outwardly opinionated one. Besides, everyone knew a little gravy could help matters, but it really wasn’...

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“Maxine” by A.J. Williams

Submitted to Contest #226

Saturday Morning – The Morning After How my eyes adore her and I awake to her and her smile, a comforting picture of Margaret and me captured on a summer day last year. How time flies. The desire to remain in bed for an eternity consumes me, but my mind subtly reminds me of my mother's impending fate, intensifying the urge to stay cocooned in bed even more. Why does this happen to people? Death? I hear the rhythmic sound of my dogs slurping from their water bowl, a cadence of slurps and drips echoing through the air. How I cherish those...

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“TEMPTATION: A PEREZ FAMILY GATHERING” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #226

A Perez family gathering happens twice every year. One of those times is today. The Perez's annual Thanksgiving fiesta. The Perez's are a rowdy bunch. They love good food and a good glass of wine or any other beverage. I love my family. They make me laugh with their antics. My Tio tells the worst jokes. We laugh anyways. My Tia is loud and gets anyone in a good mood. She loves to cook. My Tia is always in the kitchen with my mom cooking up a storm. My Abuela is in everybody's business including my own. She means well but it gets annoying...

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“Port Authority” by Nicola Chapman

Submitted to Contest #226

(This story contains themes of violence and sexual content, although all couched within terms of consent).Mediator 755230, tall and bulky, walked slowly down the boardwalk, scanning the heaving crowd for any signs of undue stress. Its cameras panned around, coordinating with the drone cameras positioned above it and its network partners, all patrolling a stretch of beachfront that used to be called Venice. Complex algorithms gathered all the video, audio, infra-red, and electronic data, weaving it all together and laying it out for the netwo...

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“Slice of Life” by Jesse Cade

Submitted to Contest #226

The last slice of pumpkin pie called to David. It teased him, tempted him, until he could hardly bear the suffering. For several minutes now he had stood transfixed, his gaze beholding the soft decadence of the sweet filling that rested on a bed of warm crust, topped to perfection with a white bloom of whipped cream. And this wasn’t just any pumpkin pie. This was Aunt Rachel’s pumpkin pie. For David, who only saw his aunt during Thanksgiving, this dessert was as rare as common sense was in the federal government. It was a dessert worth dyin...

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“Pastor Rudy” by Christopher Wallace

Submitted to Contest #226

His name is Rudy, at least that’s what he told us when we met him eight months ago. We’re respectable people, or we were when Rudy stormed into our lives, destitute and hungry, but holy, oh so holy. He’d been without a home church for a spell, preaching on the road, converting the wayward, doing as Jesus would have done, he said. Few other preachers were willing to put in the hard work like that; it is 1991 after all. Lucky for him, and lucky for us, our pastor had just walked out on his wife with a perky brunette who’d just graduated from h...

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“To better myself ” by Shama Budhwani

Submitted to Contest #226

When I first got hired to work at the museum. My biggest concern was how was I going to go through the whole day just standing. My poor black leather coach loafers. My poor feet. One week into working, it felt like labour at its finest. My manager was a crude. She was also five foot four, skinny, whiny and an alcoholic. I was an actress paving the way for myself. During the job interview, when she asked me why I wanted the job, I paused for a slight second. I could tell her the truth, tell her I’m just here for a short time, to pay o...

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“Tulips blossom in Spring” by Corina P

Submitted to Contest #226

March We blossomed in Spring. That warm Sunday afternoon, our eyes locked across the tulip lake, like two swans finding their way to each other. You approached me boldly, confident footsteps striding to meet their other half. You wore a black, suede coat, blue jeans and a pair of leather boots that made you appear taller. When you finally got close, the palette did not matter. You stopped and stared into my brown eyes and suddenly, all the greenery in the park became your emerald eyes. Hey, I’m Mark’, you said with a smirk, handing me a tuli...

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“The Wallet” by Kristine Bone

Submitted to Contest #226

"The Wallet" The afternoon rush hour was slower than usual, and as Tina’s mind raced with all that she had left to do before Christmas in two days, she found herself the recipient of a honking pickup truck riding her bumper. “Yeah, I’m moving,” she responded angrily. “Can’t wait a second then, can you?” Glaring at the driver who then passed her with a whoosh in the left-hand lane, she swore under her breath. “Season to be jolly – really?” Continuing her steady but slow trek to her exit, she saw the daylight dim and the dark settle upon...

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“The Bananas are on Sale ” by Jaelon Dirden

Submitted to Contest #226

“Hi, how are you tod-”“Aw honey, now that looks like it hurts!” “Oh, yeah..you should see the other guy.”“Mmm should I? What does the other guy look like..umm George? Am I getting that right?” “Uh, yes it's ‘Georgette’ but the laminator in the back is small and can’t do long words so…”“Huh, I see, so ‘George’ that's sweet.” “Thanks, yeah, my family usually shortens my name anyway so I don’t mind. Did you wanna grab another one of these bananas really quickly? They’re on sale.” “Uh uh, no thank you I’m good.” “Okay.”“...

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“Sunny's Night” by Thandi Parris

Submitted to Contest #226

What can I say- I attract chaos. Do not seek my attention! Do not strive for fame! Do not try to flatter me with acts of vanity and glory! I know myself quite well. I am very brilliant- genius level actually- scored and approved. I see Sunny enter the nightclub, looking around, a smirk on her face. She lowered her new granny-like glasses. From the moment she entered, all eyes were on her. It was another party in New York City. But to her- it was just ANOTHER party in another city. Rome, Paris, L.A.- dah-ling, how boring. She coughed de...

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At some point in your story, a character says “You’re better than this…”.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“Thanksgiving Feast” by Chris Baum

“Maxine” by A.J. Williams

“TEMPTATION: A PEREZ FAMILY GATHERING” by Melinda Madrigal

“Port Authority” by Nicola Chapman

“Slice of Life” by Jesse Cade

“Pastor Rudy” by Christopher Wallace

“To better myself ” by Shama Budhwani

“Tulips blossom in Spring” by Corina P

“The Wallet” by Kristine Bone

“The Bananas are on Sale ” by Jaelon Dirden

“Sunny's Night” by Thandi Parris

🌟 Similar prompts

Your family’s holiday dinners always end with everyone at each other’s throats. This year you’re determined to keep a low profile, but your patience is being put to the test.

Your character finally gives into a temptation they've been avoiding, and becomes better because of it.

Write a story about somebody trying to rationalize giving into temptation, even though they know they shouldn’t.

Black Friday is the one day of the year where the Devil makes selling your soul a good thing, although there are some bizarre T’s & C’s.

Contest #226

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

189

Contest entries

87

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: