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

Posted in Thanksgiving on Nov 24, 2023

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✍️ 42 stories

“Fifteen Dollar Ice Cream Cake” by A. B. H.

Submitted to Contest #226

WARNING: The following story contains themes of eating disorders & disordered eating habits. Reader discretion is advised. It’s a relief no one’s spotted me. The chances of me being caught are slim, but I don’t like these odds. My swollen eyes are as wide as they can be, darting in every direction as I pass by each empty aisle. I know the parking lot was a ghost town when I got here, but maybe someone else arrived after I entered the store. Someone who would recognize me, capture pictures of me without my knowledge at my most vulnerable,...

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“The River of Blood” by Derek Sikkema

Submitted to Contest #226

It’s not a river of blood. It’s not really a river of blood. No matter what I thought, it sure looked like blood. Through the billowing smog in the sky, the sun’s white light stabbed across the river’s murky red surface. Dead fish, tinted red, bobbed in the thick ooze. Clumps of Budweiser cans, plastic Tysod food bags, and Marlboro cigarette butts, held together by black sludge dumped from the factory upriver, swirled in currents too bogged down to whirl. Bubbles floated here and there, filled with the pain and the fire and the ceaseless c...

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“Analysis” by Joseph Manopello

Submitted to Contest #226

Sensitive Content: Contains discussions of firearms and contemplation of violence. The morning sun streamed through the window, accentuating Tim's shirt as it billowed comically at odd angles. He turned to the left, stared at his reflection, and sighed. He hadn't worn a suit since the funeral, and the 40 pounds he dropped made him feel as though he was wearing an oversized apron instead of a dress shirt. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he again unzipped his pants, regrouped the excess length of white cotton, and frantically smoot...

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“Ora et Labora” by Jora Berl

Submitted to Contest #226

Prayer My head is thundering, absolutely thundering, there are drums and cannons inside; the department meeting is winding down, my phone has been vibrating like an angry insect for twenty minutes, I’m thinking of St. Benedict in the mountains. Anthony is talking about his research for his book on Teresa of Avila. There’s a pile of work waiting for me in my office that I have to finish before the winter break - the papers that need grading, the recommendations that need writing. The December light is weak even at two in the afternoon, and ...

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“Prandial Peril” by John Jacob

Submitted to Contest #226

The Mr. Potato Head toy smiled at me. He had a mustache, bulging eyes, a pink nose, a black top hat, a big smile, blue shoes. "This is you," said the doctor. She smashed the Mr. Potato Head down against linoleum, sending plastic arms, feet, mustache and Mr. Potato ass flying in all directions. "That's you if you don't start eating right, immediately." Dr. Salad's words rang in my ears as I drove home. Ringing. "Ringing" made me think of "bells", which made me think of tacos. As I pulled out of the drive-through, I committed to making this...

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“Where the Buffalo Roamed” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #226

The Missouri River flows golden between golden shores of sand. The summer wind carries a smell of rot from the north. The group of men sitting on the riverbank don’t mind the smell much. They have grown used to it; the death smell is a part of their lives now. At the moment, they have their backs to it, and their gazes fixed across the river. “Even the sky looks more inviting over there,” one young man says wistfully.“But it’s not,” another one argues irritably. “Not friendly, I mean. That’s where only the Indians are allowed to hu...

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“The King is Dead ” by Miller George

Submitted to Contest #226

A knight stands poised to charge forward under the vigilant eyes of the king. Next to him, the regal queen, resplendent with her majestic crown commands both attention and respect. The crisp autumn air hangs heavy with anticipation. The sound of measured breaths reverberates throughout punctuating the stillness of this momentous event. There is no room for errors as the fate of two unstoppable opponents relies on this one final battle. I snap awake from my medieval daydream when a stage assistant nudges me as my name is being ca...

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“Doomer Diaries: Rodney's Temptation” by Kylie Smiley

Submitted to Contest #226

**Intended for Mature Audiences** Graphic Language Substance Abuse Gambling Masturbation: a necessary biological function. Doctors know this, medical professionals of every kind will swear up and down to it, and the wisest of village elders condemned entire generations due to its “undeniable power over the youth.” Rodney Lambert knows it intimately as well as he stares down at a platoon of plastic-housed contraptions lurking under the thousand-count eggshell bedsheets. Their fine silk texture shelters five silhouettes resembling large-hea...

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“Temptation” by J L

Submitted to Contest #226

Friend, I’m writing to you because I trust you with the secrets reserved for those with which I have the strongest rapport. Undoubtedly, you know the content of my character and can tell me if I’ve gone off the rocker. I wouldn’t willingly admit this, but I’m doing so because I need help. I think I’ve fallen in love. That would be wonderous, if not for the precise circumstance in which this feeling has come. The silly thing is the object of my affection is not someone that I can currently have. I am her superior at work and fear any intera...

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“Addictions” by Tammy Fisher

Submitted to Contest #226

We all have addictions. Kris sat on her drab brown couch in her drably furnished three-bedroom house. Her furnishings all came from the side of the road, discarded pieces of broken, stained and smelly trash. Trash, that is what she had become in her 30 years of living. She wasn’t raised this way. She grew up with church going parents who tried their best to hide their dysfunction. She grew up going the church camp in the Summers of her youth. She was raised in nice large houses. One even had an in-ground swimming pool. Her parents alwa...

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“Finding Your Voice” by Tyler Porter

Submitted to Contest #226

In the heart of a sleepy little town called Bolster in middle-of-nowhere Nebraska, nestled between a florist bursting with colors and a café that always smelled faintly of cinnamon rolls and blueberry scones, stood a small, somewhat disheveled independent bookstore. The Reading Room, as it was known, was a sanctuary for the town's book lovers, a maze of tall shelves laden with books of every imaginable genre. It was here, amidst the distinct scent of old pages and the gentle lull of a massive, ticking grandfather clock, that Molly Jasper fou...

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“The Price of Morning Coffee” by Asha Naidu

Submitted to Contest #226

My new regimen to be better prescribes a routine, a 5 a.m. alarm, and a cup of coffee. This is helping. I wake up, freezing, on top of the sheets (intentionally), and rush to the showers to make myself warm. Following the empty promise of the dark morning—no one to disturb and sheltered from reckoning with deadlines—I surrender to the fight. Ten pages of notes with half-understood equations, two papers, one overdue project. I dally in mental preparations for an hour, then head out to the bagel shop, ready to be caffeinated.I am served at hal...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 42 stories

“Fifteen Dollar Ice Cream Cake” by A. B. H.

“The River of Blood” by Derek Sikkema

“Analysis” by Joseph Manopello

“Ora et Labora” by Jora Berl

“Prandial Peril” by John Jacob

“Where the Buffalo Roamed” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

“The King is Dead ” by Miller George

“Doomer Diaries: Rodney's Temptation” by Kylie Smiley

“Temptation” by J L

“Addictions” by Tammy Fisher

“Finding Your Voice” by Tyler Porter

“The Price of Morning Coffee” by Asha Naidu

🌟 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.

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

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

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

190

Contest entries

87

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: