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

“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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“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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“Blue is my escape” by Lee Dohann

Submitted to Contest #47

I lock the car and run the few steps to the front door. This apartment building is 75 years old, and in this weather all tenants just hope and pray that it remains standing for another night. It is always darker inside, as if the developers built the entire structure under a tent. As if it was meant to be seen only when completed. I took a left, purposefully avoiding the lift. My apartment is on the third floor and the adrenaline will keep me going. To my right are the letter boxes. My number is second from the door. I glance towa...

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“Hello Me!” by Lanny Carpenter

Submitted to Contest #47

The melodic song of the morning meadowlark echoes through your head until, finally, your brain is stimulated, forcing your eyes slowly open. You want to smile at the joyfulness the songbird elicits, but remembering the long hours you just completed and feeling the weariness of your body, you also want to throw a coffee cup at it! You opt for the more neutral response of slowly resurrecting from your slumber and turning over to your back. &...

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“Migrants in Time” by Garima Mahajan

Submitted to Contest #47

You’ve been in bed staring at your ceiling. White, boring, just like you. You know that listening to a sad Russian ballad isn’t helping you but you still do. When have you ever listened to yourself? If you could sing you would be the Russian sad lady. You know it hurts but you continue. Living on an island- a brainchild of yours truly- where sad ballads are the only soundtrack allow is something you do even though you don’t want to. When was the last time you were out there, out of this rectangular construction? How many days has it been? ...

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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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“It's been the longest time apart” by Aakriti Pandey

Submitted to Contest #47

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop dead in your tracks. “What is it, Dad?” asks your daughter. Her eyebrows furrow in concern. You give her a small smile. “Nothing, love. Go grab your things, or you’ll be late for the bus.” She frowns, but doesn’t question it. When you hear the front door shut behind her, you allow yourself to shed tears that you’ve been holding in for a quarter century. To Brother Bear with love. You remember the day well. You’ve been reliving it in your mind for years, wishing you’d done someth...

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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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“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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“Methamphetamine” by Zainab Butt

Submitted to Contest #47

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks. As you read it over all the blood drains from your face. What the- To say you're shocked is an understatement. The shock pulses through your entire body only to be replaced by fear. White-hot fear. You stand there in front of your mailbox, in your pearl white pyjamas and the blue bathrobe you bought far, far expensive than it was. Your nerves on the edge your head shot up to see a teenage boy, sixteen or seventeen eyeing you weirdly. "Scram," you tell him a...

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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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“Letter of a Lifetime” by Tori Acres

Submitted to Contest #47

It was March 15th. It had probably been a couple days since you found out, heard the news, maybe a mutual friend called to tell you. The day one can only guess you learned, you didn’t leave your house, you were probably grieving and wanting to be alone. You didn’t go to work the next day either, instead you spent the day visiting places that I could only assume reminded you of me. You spent an hour at the park, sitting on a bench of which we once shared the seat for hours watching the people pass by. You got an ice cream cone that day...

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“Terrified, romantic, wait” by Fiona Jordan

Submitted to Contest #47

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks. It's one you've been waiting for, for years. You'd almost convinced yourself it was all a delusion, a bubble, a brain fart. A glimmer of hope had arisen that the letter would never come. You wished it would never come. But it has. Pretending they didn't exist was more comfortable than walking around, knowing that they were out there. The questions that you didn't want to answer kept your mind awake at night. You thought it would get easier...

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“Long lost ” by Monica Sharma Joshi

Submitted to Contest #47

It’s been a long day , you so want to grab a hot cup of coffee before you head home, but there’s hardly anytime before you can catch your 4pm train . You pick up your stuff to rush , and behold , you see Stella the office admin coming your way with “ free coffee day “ banner and Dave the facility guy walking beside her with the coffee hamper !!!! You thank your stars , and grab your cup to make it on time and also enjoy your cuppa !! The train is fairly occupied and today you even got your favourite spot . You can’t thank your stars ...

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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

“Retirement” by Michael Weckworth

“An Invitation” by Aliyapadi Hariadi

“Not usual.” by Coco Hoff

“Blue is my escape” by Lee Dohann

“Hello Me!” by Lanny Carpenter

“Migrants in Time” by Garima Mahajan

“Whose Fault ” by Nivedita Shori

“It's been the longest time apart” by Aakriti Pandey

“The Letter Beneath Your Desk” by Aaditya Saxena

“The Wake” by KAUSTABH KASHYAP

“Methamphetamine” by Zainab Butt

“Necessary Steps” by Jessica Tomaselli

“Letter of a Lifetime” by Tori Acres

“Terrified, romantic, wait” by Fiona Jordan

“Long lost ” by Monica Sharma Joshi

🌟 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: