Start your story looking down from a stage.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 56 stories

“The Aria” by Richard Hann

Submitted to Contest #123

The Aria By Richard Hann Violins began to play a soft melody as the flutes echoed their tune and the soft chatter among the audience dimmed to a complete silence. Ida twisted her fingers together nervously as she had done twice before with each performance. She scrunched her toes, feeling the wooden stage beneath them, she still couldn’t get used to walking in heels and after attempting several pairs of the most beautiful shoes she had ever seen in her life, Madame had instead decided that her comfort was more important than her wardrobe, ...

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“FROM A STAGE” by John Minnaar

Submitted to Contest #123

FROM A STAGE I stood there stunned, not knowing what was expected of me, and I was shaking just from being goaded into something that I did not feel part of nor felt I had attained – I was just a good scholar. Isn’t that what everyone was doing here! When I looked down on all the people in front of me from that height I wasn’t sure what to do until the Headmaster shoved his hand in mine and presented me with a parcel wrapped festively with my name on it and an envelope. How that happened was a story worth the tale. I began my life in a...

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“Broken Toes” by Mark Shoe

Submitted to Contest #123

On a silent stage, she stood. She felt a trickle of sweat slither down her spine, pooling between her shoulder blades. Her posture upright, and her chin slightly elevated. Raven black hair wound tight in a taut bun. She wore a short dress with a weaved pattern of lavender silk, garnished with an ornate cobalt blue bow on her left hip. Black stockings were held in place by not only a garter belt, but tape and glue. Hundreds of hungry eyes devoured her. She needed to be perfect. In this world, only those who are perfect deserve to be something...

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“Batey Pending” by Nico Pengin

Submitted to Contest #123

Nico looked down from the stage. He was too excited listening to the crowd roar for him. He thought to himself, ”They love me, they really love me.” He performed at a level that surprised even himself in this new sport called Batey. A futuristic sport inspired by the Caribbean Taino Indian sport. It was created through the mixture of alien technology and human innovation. The sport is a mixture of Quidditch meeting hacky sack with some technology sprinkled in. Add a crowd of roaring and adoring fans that just saw a sensational play by a dead...

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“Oscar's Final Bow” by Christopher Linehan

Submitted to Contest #123

The silent emptiness that now filled the room was deafening in comparison to the meager roars of the participatory and rowdy audience had offered only an hour or so before. Oscar, Clown No. 3 and Pirate No. 4 scanned the ornately dilapidated hall, taking in that emptiness and the ruin left by the participatory and rowdy audience mentioned above. “The patrons favored bananas this evening”, Oscar mumbled to himself. Half-dressed in the silky pantaloons of an oriental pirate and still donning the elaborate clown face of the penultimate and dram...

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“When The Lights Came Up” by Maureen MacLennan

Submitted to Contest #123

Some sex, hints of violence. When The Lights Came Up All he could think was that the costume smelled musty with undertones of sweat, and that led to wondering how many people had worn it over the years. The theater group had been running for over fifty years, he’d heard that from the stage manager just last week. The mind boggles he sneered inwardly. It hadn’t been his idea, this ridiculous production. Hell, it wasn’t really his idea to act to begin with, that was all Maggie’s fault, everything that was happening to hi...

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“I follow where my thought flows” by Sim K

Submitted to Contest #123

I start playing the keys, flowing through them as smooth and sharp as a river may go. I don’t know if I’ll make it, for there are too many obstacles, pieces of wood floating downstream, hell-bent on interrupting my flow. I’m a sea now……. Or perhaps a ship floating on its surface..... I can hear violins, sweet and mournful, (is that how they sound?) in perfect rhythm with my playing….. Although… I know not what it is that I am performing, perhaps I practised so much that I no longer feel the need to be there while my hands and feet do their ...

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“Final Costume Change ” by Peyton Cone

Submitted to Contest #123

Everything has led up to this moment. All the work put into these last few months—these last few years— is finally coming full circle. Here’s the outcome. Right in front of me. I should feel accomplished. My dreams have come true and I’m in the midst of the proof. Yet all I see are blinding lights weighing me down with expectations. Ear splitting applause I know I deserve but can’t seem to stomach. What is happening? This is what I wanted isn’t it? This has been my dream for as long as I can remember...

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“The Incident ” by Michaela Edo

Submitted to Contest #123

The IncidentIf there’s one moment where I can say I’ve truly never felt more alive, it would be right now. Looking back on it all, I wouldn’t change a thing. As I stand on stage, looking down at the same Nike Cortez’s I wore when my life fell apart, I recall a time where life was going nowhere. Life lost purpose. It was more than just a blip in the way; it was as if someone had ripped my heart out, put it in front of me to watch it break. A series of unfortunate events; a sudden death in the family, a parent acting out of grief, a wrenc...

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“Practice Your Look” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #123

Practice Your Look It was very much an experimental play, called “Long Ago and Far Away”. But Hal needed the work, and it had been too long a time since his last acting gig. He had no lines to rehearse, no words to remember. And he spent almost all of the play standing in one spot, which was in a circle painted black, so he didn’t have to worry about where he should be at any time. So it should have been an easy part for him to play. But it wasn’t. The director kept saying to him, “Practice your ...

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“The Nativity Goat” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #123

The small black goat looked out into the immense auditorium and sighed. The cavernous space was devoid of an audience, each of the 600 upholstered maroon seats stared back at him with taunting flat faces. “Jaxon Jesse Simpson!” Screeched the teacher. Literally. She was a puffy, square-shaped screech owl with chestnut tufts for ears, and round golden eyes the size of saucers behind her wire framed glasses. Jaxon jumped and glowered at her. His scruffy eyebrows pulled into hoods over his eyes. The three kittens playi...

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“The Theater” by Jeremiah Benson

Submitted to Contest #123

To look down from the stage is to see the world in its many pieces. Of course, from the audience's view, we are but pawns and rooks, knights and queens, sliding across the stage according to the kings' bidding; but we do so only for their amusement. In truth, we are free. We are free because we are aware that it's all a lie.After each night's performance, I return back into the world as a fool. Last evening I was asked to accompany Isabelle, a young Portuguese woman I only met briefly, to an event of nobles. Before we left she made it clear ...

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“Modnar si lla” by Nathan Landrum

Submitted to Contest #123

There she was. From center stage--defying all logic and harsh lighting--Shawn could see her, poised on the back of a theater seat mid-audience. She was small, stood stock still, and brilliantly blue. No one else seemed to notice her: not his fellow performers, not the lighting or stage crew, and not even the bald man who sat in the seat on which she stood. Then even Shawn couldn't see her anymore. She was there, then she was gone. "Modnar si lla." The director’s voice echoed from the speakers in the back, booming through the room. The smal...

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“Not Ready for Prime Time Crime - A Melodramatic Story about Attempted "wifeocide"” by Susan Hitchler

Submitted to Contest #123

Not Ready for Prime-Time Crime A Melodramatic Story about Attempted “Wifeocide” My husband doesn’t mean to be a murderer. He doesn’t look like a murderer. I think he simply forgets to examine his plans for possible consequences. Nonetheless, my life has been in peril three times at the hands of my hubby. The first attempt on my life was made on my 50th birthday. We planned a party for my big 5-0. While getting ready for the party, we noticed we needed a few more lawn chairs out of the garage for our guests. So, my husband asked...

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“Stages and Curtain Calls” by Jane Curtis

Submitted to Contest #123

I look down from the stage and remember it all began because we survived. I can see it all and remember every word. “Who do we have here?” Come, children. Gather up your pets and follow me. We need to get to know one another. I see we have a couple of you who were crying. Here is some tissue. We will get everything sorted out and there will be no more tears. “I am Jane. I want each of you to introduce yourselves and then sit down until everyone has been introduced. I am Rufus and this is my sister Red. My bes...

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Start your story looking down from a stage.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“The Aria” by Richard Hann

“FROM A STAGE” by John Minnaar

“Broken Toes” by Mark Shoe

“Batey Pending” by Nico Pengin

“Oscar's Final Bow” by Christopher Linehan

“When The Lights Came Up” by Maureen MacLennan

“I follow where my thought flows” by Sim K

“Final Costume Change ” by Peyton Cone

“The Incident ” by Michaela Edo

“Practice Your Look” by John Steckley

“The Nativity Goat” by Tanya Humphreys

“The Theater” by Jeremiah Benson

“Modnar si lla” by Nathan Landrum

“Not Ready for Prime Time Crime - A Melodramatic Story about Attempted "wifeocide"” by Susan Hitchler

“Stages and Curtain Calls” by Jane Curtis

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who always wears a mask (physical or metaphorical).

Begin or end your story with “Well, that was dramatic.”

Write a story about a character practising a speech in front of the mirror. What are they preparing for?

Set your story backstage at the theater.

Contest #123

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

133

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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