A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 25, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 62 stories

“No Forwarding Address” by Laura Jarosz

The traffic ticket was the last straw. For the most part, Casey loved her little bungalow. It was the perfect size for her, and walking distance from the train, a small locally owned supermarket, and a great Mom & Pop breakfast diner. The only problem was that a string of previous tenants had left their mark in the DIY projects of dubious quality, and the buckets of mail they still received at Casey's...

148 comments 148 WINNER 🏆

Read story

“Parcels” by Ivan Cardoso

There was no knock on the door, no ring of the bell, only a message popping up on his phone screen: your package has been delivered. He hadn´t ordered anything. And yet, as he opened the front door of his apartment out of pure caution there it was — a tall and lean cardboard box with that easily recognizable smile printed on its sides. The corridor outsid...

32 comments 32 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“Black Friday” by Chesley Richards

Peter Smith. That's my name. I live in a suburb, in a split-level 1960s ranch sandwiched between two McMansion infills. Both of the infills are new and have twice the square footage of my humble abode. And today, the day after Thanksgiving is my one day to sleep late. To relax when I am supposed to be working. But this year, the doorbell rings. Not a frantic ring, like something important. And there is no second or third...

20 comments 20 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“Ignore The Mess” by PJ Aitken

“Careful with that!” said Mrs Confidence to the removal team as they walked into Confidence Towers. She had been planning this move for nearly a month whilst her superhero husband was out saving the day. So far today she had been liaising with the previous Mayor Happiness, the removal team, the lagoon renovators for the back garden, the dog sitter for their pet ice cream Vanilla and then her family. The Confidence...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Misery comes in a box” by Flore Lazcano

A chicken?...Yes, a dead chicken. Maria couldn't believe her eyes.Red ribbons, popcorn, and in the center of the box, there it was a headless bird.She looked once and stormed to the bathroom to vomit. Chills ran through her body, and for some minutes, she felt captured by an immeasurable terror.She would ordinarily blame morning sickness and her sensitivity to smells. But her eyes saw something that would make anyone's stomach turn that way.After washing her face and cleaning the messy bathroom, she had ...

5 comments 5

Read story

“A Quiet Kind of Magic” by Alexandria Reardon

I startled at the whistle of my tea kettle. I was usually the only one making noise this late at night. It was my fourth Christmas alone since my grandmother had died. She was my mother and my father, and, for the most part, was one of the only people I ever really knew growing up. I missed her dearly. Every Christmas Eve since I could remember, she and I would sit in the living room sipping on piping h...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Package” by Kevin Broccoli

There’s a package outside with my name on it. What would you like me to do? I don’t know what number this is. I just dialed. I dialed until somebody picked up. You picked me. What would you like me to do? Can you help me? I’m sorry, but I’m not used to the phone. I don’t trust it. I don’t trust phones. Communication can be very tricky. I wouldn’t even be cal...

8 comments 8

Read story

“Daddy Issues” by Matt P

Not every day do you get a toe in the mail. A nice toe at that. Shinny purple nail polish. Well cleaned. There is no blood around the sides. They even made the effort to wrap the toe in white gauze. An earpiece is chatting with me. It's all fun and games until someone loses a toe. "Code blue at the branch at 17th and Huntington," I tell the earpiece. Freeze a bank's network to take...

13 comments 13

Read story

“One Little Secret” by Melony Beard

Startled, Alex sat straight up in bed and wondered if she was dreaming or if those were really footsteps in the hall. Shivering, she pulled the covers snugly around her half-dressed body and sat peering into the complete darkness. Her heart skipped a beat, and her blood went cold when she heard the raspy voice whispering through the baby monitor. "So you’re the big deal!" Forgetting she was half dressed, Alex threw back the covers and leapt off the bed sprinting across the hallway to check on the baby. By ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Unexpected Gift” by Zachary Seda

A mild lavender aroma permeated the air. It mixed with the sweet smell of peppermint white chocolate mocha, leaving a delightful scent where Caroline sat on the sofa. She read her book while she waited for the mocha to cool. She had just finished the weekend chores around the house and wanted to spend the afternoon immersed in her books. The doorbell rang to pause relaxation for Caroline as she looked ov...

9 comments 9

Read story

“Threads” by John K Adams

Mary walked from one gloomy room to another, feeling she had awakened from a deep sleep. ‘Is this how Sleeping Beauty felt after years of slumber?’ Still groggy, she struggled to understand. It felt like ages since she felt at peace with herself. Days and weeks passed without definition. ‘What season is this?’ What kept her imprisoned? Certainly not Edward. Despite his faults, he proved himself a...

0 comments 0

Read story

“The child of the Gods.” by Makiyah Dixon

It was October 19th, 2024. The dusk of night crept into the room I was in. The moonlight glistened onto all the surrounding objects in my room. I get spooked easy so I got up to turn on the light. As I stopped in my tracks exactly. I saw a brownish truck pull in my driveway. I didn’t have any family members nor did I have friends. I only had one friend which was my cat Mr. Oiyz, I stared at the truck a little longer. Wit...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Things Left and Found” by Dominic Gonzalez

ACT I - A Familiar Gesture. Mel calls out to Bo, her overweight and underwhelming cat of a decade. She follows the faint meowing to the living room. It's typical of Bo to only acknowledge the "ps ps ps" of his desperate owner from afar and leave it at that, but this time something else held his attention. The front door. Who...no, what...is that out there? In a normal scenario, c...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Package Delivered” by Ashley D. Gilyard

Fifteen years of marriage proved to be tepid rather than loving as the Wrights drifted further apart. The unvarying abuse, the myriad affairs, the wavering health conditions, and let’s not forget, all the children brought situations to a halt upon Alyse’s hospital release. While attempting this chance at restoration and renewal, Alyse finally recognized her breaking point. She was no longer walking around the gr...

6 comments 6

Read story

“Unexpected Gifts” by Kasi Jay

It was the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I sat in my favorite place on the couch, stretching my legs out on the chaise. Grabbing the remote, I turned on the TV, mounted above my fireplace. Netflix always seemed to have something I’d enjoy watching. Something caught my eye as I sifted through selections. Ooh, that looks good. Just as the trailer ended, my Ring doorbell...

8 comments 8

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.

Christmas – 32 stories

Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Thriller and Suspense – 28 stories

Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.

Thriller and Suspense – 13 stories

Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Christmas – 25 stories

Contest #122

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Spree Season

$250

Prize money

160

Contest entries

105

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 03, 2021 EST

Won by Laura Jarosz 🏆

Title: No Forwarding Address

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Tired of MS Word?

Join the revolution and write your book in a tool designed for authors. 🙌

Includes FREE typesetting to print-ready PDF & EPUB files, track changes and collaborative editing.

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 62 stories

“No Forwarding Address” by Laura Jarosz

“Parcels” by Ivan Cardoso

“Black Friday” by Chesley Richards

“Ignore The Mess” by PJ Aitken

“Misery comes in a box” by Flore Lazcano

“A Quiet Kind of Magic” by Alexandria Reardon

“The Package” by Kevin Broccoli

“Daddy Issues” by Matt P

“One Little Secret” by Melony Beard

“Unexpected Gift” by Zachary Seda

“Threads” by John K Adams

“The child of the Gods.” by Makiyah Dixon

“Things Left and Found” by Dominic Gonzalez

“Package Delivered” by Ashley D. Gilyard

“Unexpected Gifts” by Kasi Jay

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.

Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.

Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Contest #122

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

160

Contest entries

105

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: