As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 213 stories

“Through Thick and Thin” by Katie Feng

Submitted to Contest #47

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? That dark night when you stormed off and left her in that shabby old apartment is long forgotten in your mind, no doubt. The next morning you went out for brunch with your friends and laughed the loudest at the dirty jokes made at the expense of her. “Too bad you still have to deal with her. Does she umm… you know… leak?” someone giggled. Everyone smirked and stifled a laugh. You rolled your eyes and sighed a dramatic breath before saying “Yeah…” The whole table roared and any bystander would’ve t...

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“The Black and White Crow” by ACE Concepcion

Submitted to Contest #47

As you check your mail you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks. It’s a letter from a real estate agent. Its been a year since your mother died and your father is thinking of selling the house. This house that held a lot of memories to you good and bad and you treasure all of it. You barely had any interactions with your father since the burial of your mother. He had always been busy with his job and you two never had time to check up on each other he never even went to any school activities that you participated in. This...

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“You’re Late” by Ted Villamarzo

Submitted to Contest #47

I know you. You’re the kind of man who thinks you are your own man. Intelligent, proud, a man of your word, decisive, and you don’t accept any guff from anybody. A strong man with a strong will. Every day, you make your regular morning run at a steady gait around the neighborhood, which have been built almost a century ago. You are pleased with the old style neighborhood, ...

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“Finding the Post Treasure” by Zach Cochran

Submitted to Contest #47

On one casual Tuesday An Archaeologist named Bryan was checking the mail when he saw an envelope that looked official. He opened it and it said that he was needed in Egypt to explore a lost tomb in a pyramid . It said that he had to be there by Thursday or they would start without him. So he packed up and he went to the airport and just as he was walking in the overhead speaker said “Now boarding the flight to Egypt”. He really had to hurry now. He ran to his flight and he boarded the plane. Two hours into the flight a drunk ...

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“The Ruby and the Pearl” by Angela Wade

Submitted to Contest #47

Living at your parents’ house again is weird. Nobody knows how to act. The children have turned to devils; your parents over-parent you and over-indulge the kids; your husband is just trying to put one foot in front of the other and to keep them both out of his mouth. For you, each sunrise beckons a new battle. The whole house feels tight. You could cry every day, but there’s no point. What you need is a revelation.Thankfully, you're just stepping into the best part of the day: the quiet hour. The two-year-old is napping while her older sist...

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“Not usual.” by Coco Hoff

Submitted to Contest #47

You wake up to the piercing shriek of your alarm clock. Six o' clock. As usual. Rubbing your eyes, you stand and look around your room. A complete mess. As usual. You walk to your small bathroom, shower, then went down to the kitchen. There were still boxes piled around the small house. You had just moved in a week ago and every day you went through the same routine. Wake up at six sharp, shower, eat, bike to work, work, eat, more work, bike home, check for mail, eat, computer, bed at nine sharp. You eat a solitary meal then grab your phone...

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“Back” by Erin Hines

Submitted to Contest #47

Another depressing day-they’re all depressing since you lost your baby, then your husband left you for someone skinnier and prettier. At first food was your friend and television was your comfort, but then your depression got worse and you’re an anorexic now as well as an insomniac. Your parents died, your siblings cast you out with their ”I told you sos” and their, silent, judging looks. You were both so excited for the baby-it would’ve been a little girl, already had her nursery made out. Once you miscarried, he started sleeping around wit...

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““Pretend You Never Read It”” by Shayla Danielle

Submitted to Contest #47

By: Shayla Reed You check your mail, don’t you? You walk out to the mailbox once a day or you send someone to go for you. Maybe you ask your lazy twin brother to check it because you want him to do something else besides waste precious time. Perhaps your mom gets the mail when she comes home from work as she is walking into the front door with the squeaky, brass handle. Whatever your situation, you know the concept of getting mail - right? Someone sends you a letter, the mailman delivers it to your house, then you open the letter and it...

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“Email from Arnie” by Anthony David M

Submitted to Contest #47

Settling myself at my desk I powered up my Macbook as I sipped my freshly brewed coffee. I was working from home today. As usual, I connected to my Wifi and opened my email inbox. Glancing idly at the list of emails I received, I sat bolt upright. I had noticed an email which made me stop right in my tracks. Fortunately for me, I had put down my coffee cup by then. It was from my old friend Arnold, inviting me to chat with him on Whatsapp. My mind went back to those days when Arnold and I were bosom pals. Our other friends called us the 'p...

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“Retirement” by Michael Weckworth

Submitted to Contest #47

It's been five days since you've checked your mail. The fault lies with the work you've been doing in cleaning out your mother's house after her funeral. You did volunteer, but you ended up wasting some of your holidays to do it. You had grown apart from your mother after your father's disappearance, so even though it was a bit hard, you aren't overwhelmed with grief. The loss of your father, however, still affects you. As expected, most of her things are thrown out or donated to charity. But the few items that you find make it worth taking ...

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“An Invitation” by Aliyapadi Hariadi

Submitted to Contest #47

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks. It is perfect white, almost gleaming. The envelope is square, with no wrinkles, and no blemishes to its Kansas surface. You can see no return address on the back, but as you tear it open and read its contents, you find that it is not necessary.Inside is a paper folded in half of the same blinding white, empty save for an unfamiliar address in cursive with a date and time printed neatly below it. And below - you almost miss it - a signature, bearing your last name...

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“The Wake” by KAUSTABH KASHYAP

Submitted to Contest #47

I remember you like a trapped bird tries to forget its cage after it flies to open skies. "Be a rebel to routine. Be the fiery blood of youth."Your words never ceased flowing from the fountain of inspiration, even when you sounded casual. It was simply impossible to make you look through my mundane eyes inside the world we were struggling to fit in.Until I discovered your letter in my weather-beaten, reclusive letterbox, I was in no small delusion. I thought I had stacked you away in my mind's drawer like an insignificant ball of threads. On...

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“The Letter Beneath Your Desk” by Aaditya Saxena

Submitted to Contest #47

You possess much power and govern a fair piece of land but peace, you have none. The years waning, you have been braving the morning sun everyday alone and are survived by your only child. For twenty-one years you thought you raised her just fine until she came unto her own. Pretty and fair with eyes as blue as the Pleiades, she was a proud and imperious girl. The word of her beauty traveled across lands and there were many noble suitors for her hand. She rejected each proposal with so much scorn that by the time she was done with her ...

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“Necessary Steps” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #47

You can feel the summer day heating up and mentally congratulate yourself on having the foresight to get the kids out for a bicycle ride before the heat and UV rays kicked into high gear. The three of you glide into the garage and park your bicycles. You remind them to wash up and drink a glass of water before walking back out of the garage to get the mail. You smile to see the lilies have finally bloomed and remind yourself to water the garden beds if you aren’t hit by one of the stray thunderstorms forecasted for the afternoon. Opening th...

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“Whose Fault ” by Nivedita Shori

Submitted to Contest #47

Mysteries were over with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and no one can change your mind about that. All other detective tales fell under the category of cheap attempts at a whodunnit, with either too much spice and too little substance or too much logic and too little oomph. And yet, here you are, sending in your query letter for your first detective story. Are you being over-confident? Do you really trust your skills enough to not make a fool of yourself in front of these publishers? Now won’t they call your work a cheap attempt? Well, no...

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As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 213 stories

“Through Thick and Thin” by Katie Feng

“The Black and White Crow” by ACE Concepcion

“You’re Late” by Ted Villamarzo

“Finding the Post Treasure” by Zach Cochran

“The Ruby and the Pearl” by Angela Wade

“Not usual.” by Coco Hoff

“Back” by Erin Hines

““Pretend You Never Read It”” by Shayla Danielle

“Email from Arnie” by Anthony David M

“Retirement” by Michael Weckworth

“An Invitation” by Aliyapadi Hariadi

“The Wake” by KAUSTABH KASHYAP

“The Letter Beneath Your Desk” by Aaditya Saxena

“Necessary Steps” by Jessica Tomaselli

“Whose Fault ” by Nivedita Shori

🌟 Similar prompts

"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't.

You looked out the window and, not for the first time, thought about how wrong the weather forecast had been.

Suitcase in hand, you head to the station.

You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late.

Contest #47

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

881

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: