Write a story about a character who buys a secondhand coat and then discovers something in the pocket.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 99 stories

“A Million Ancient Bees” by Zilla Babbitt

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

The tears dripped off my nose, down, falling to the ground until they hit the floor and disappeared into the reaching embrace of the ground. I wrapped my arms around my knees and tried to swallow my sobs. My body shook. Outside, the sky was turning a purple-blue sunset, like a bruise filling the sky. I could hear the whining of the bees outside, pulling the shrill scream of the bees out of the sky like a whirling vortex. I hurt. The sobs racked my body as I tried to quell them. I was cold. The little house that I had found on this abandoned ...

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“Fanboys” by Miles Gatling

Submitted to Contest #18

Francis pushed down on the crowbar, putting all his weight into it. The window swiftly rose accompanied by the sound of splitting timber. His heart skipped. He remained motionless, head ducted between his shoulders, listening for any sign of movement. Nothing came from inside the house. Francis tucked the crowbar in his backpack, and gently pulled himself up. Closing the window behind him, he felt there was no room inside his chest for air. The space was filled by his heart, that pumped furiously. He feared the banging would wake up anyone l...

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“Enchanting” by Tim Law

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

I wish I could have told you it was a dark and stormy night. I wish I could stand before you and swear that the lightning flashed and the thunder crashed, igniting the night’s sky with a furious cacophony that blinded and deafened those that witnessed it. But no, to state such a thing would be a lie that would sour this tale. To begin with truth means that I the storyteller can be trusted and believed by you the reader. And so I will inform you that the day was unbelievably plain, a touch overcast perhaps but by no means a memorable Spring m...

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“Ring In The Changes.” by Jenny Cook

Submitted to Contest #18

Claire rummaged through the rack of coats in the charity shop.Money was tight and her old coat was falling apart.A royal blue woollen coat caught her eye.It was a fairly modern style and the pearlescent buttons gleamed prettily." Mummaaa,Mummaaa!" wailed her two year old from the pram.The tot's windblown hair and snotty nose added to the look of absolute misery on her face.She had been sick all week with a cold and now badly needed a nap.Claire quickly paid for the coat and wheeled the grizzling toddler home. Katie was soon fast asleep after...

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“Night Shift” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #18

It was almost three stations later when he finally noticed. To be fair, his new purchase had the most outrageously irritating collar, which had absorbed his attention for no small period of time, but the sheer bulk of the rod should have alerted him to its presence sooner, he thought. When he first touched it in a creased alcove of the deep pockets, he felt a shiver of nervous electricity race up his spine. He thought it was a gun. Only guns made you feel like that, like you could take on the very stars, and snuff them out one at a time. A r...

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“The Vintage Time Piece. ” by Rima ElBoustani

Submitted to Contest #18

Karolina paid a full fifty złoty for that coat and, at 25 złoty per kilogram, it was a steal! But, this time, it wasn’t just the coat she got. Tucked deep into one of the pockets was a vintage time piece.Karolina tugged the time piece free off the coat pocket. It was in great condition. She rubbed the gold – it looked real. She twisted the knobs and watched as the dials moved within. The watch began to emit a strange whirring noise. Instead of numbers or numerals from one to twelve, the face of the clock showed the inscription and color-draw...

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“Odd Naphthalene” by Mike Garrigan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

Walking through the thrift store, I ran my fingers along the secondhand jackets. A navy blue wool jacket hid matching slacks inside its cover. A subdued flannel blazer reminded me of Christmas. A gray herringbone sport jacket whispered undisclosed panache.I bought the herringbone. While it diminished this morning’s t-shirt coffee stains, the jacket smelled like an odd naphthalene, like moth balls. As I rambled home, I admired the jacket’s meticulous weave. I peeked inside the jacket’s front chest pocket. For a moment, I thought the prev...

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“Thicker Than Water” by Kate Strong

Submitted to Contest #18

Landry crossed his arms, his tanned face hard and stubborn as he stared at his brother so intently that Dawson thought his eyes were going to fall out of his face. Landry’s eyes were one of a kind, they were. So big and blue that they looked like the deep puddles outside where the surface of the water reflected the cloudless blue sky. It had been washed clean by the rains that had tormented the rural Indiana countryside for weeks, and now, finally, the small town and its inhabitants were left with the aftermath. As if it wasn’t hard enough a...

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“Picture Coin” by Laurentz Baker

Submitted to Contest #18

I expect the unexpected in my line of work for we film mystery thrillers with much action based on true life events. It’s early fall and this mysterious real-life event happened to me some months ago during the summer. I wasn’t looking for another peacoat. I wouldn’t need it. I already have one. A black one. But a deep blue like this one would be a good addition to the wardrobe. It was only the second day of this outdoor market and no one, it seemed, had given buying the peacoat a second thought. Why would they? Who needs a warm coat wi...

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“Retail Therapy” by Miki Reilly-Howe

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

“I like it.” He smiles at her with his crinkly blue eyes. Miranda walks over to the mirror by the register to evaluate the coat. She looks at herself squarely, then twists back and forth, watching the gentle folds of emerald green wool drape from her shoulders and swirl around her. “I like it, too.”The elderly lady behind the register smiles. “It fits you perfectly.”“It does!” Miranda smiles. “It reminds me of…something.” Her husband walks up behind her, fingers her auburn hair back off her shoulders. Their eyes meet in the mirror. “Reminds ...

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“The Fate of Fashion” by Unknown User

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

It was an impulse buy. The blazer on the mannequin caught Celia’s eye from the window of the thrift shop; her feet veered into the doorway before she even had time to think. The clerk was busy with someone at the check-out counter in the back of the store. Celia looked at her watch and frowned. She could tell that if she waited to ask to try on the blazer, it would make her late to work and not just a few forgivable minutes late, not that her boss ever forgave anything. She hesitated a moment and then squeezed past the rack of purses ...

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“A Stain on the Left Elbow” by Asher Littlefield

Submitted to Contest #18

If he’d had twelve dollars, Simeon would have bought the better coat, the one with the working zipper and without the stain on the left elbow. But he’d been two dollars short, so he bought the one with the stain on the left elbow and the broken zipper. It would be a halfway decent layer for about a month, until it snowed.With the remaining three dollars he bought lunch for himself and a crow that followed him from the thrift shop down the block to the gas station. The bird seemed happy enough with the scraps of his meal but did not leave the...

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“The Package” by Heidi Slowinski

Submitted to Contest #18

It happened just after takeoff. This thing that would change my life forever. I was getting settled in for a three-hour flight to Vancouver, celebrating to myself at my luck of getting upgraded to first class. I didn’t even ask. The gate agent just called me to the desk and handed me a new boarding pass.“Looks like you’ve been upgraded,” she said brightly. “Enjoy your trip.” Things like that never happened to me.My phone and earbuds were tucked into the pocket of my jacket. It was a vintage velvet blazer, in a deep plum, I found at a thrift ...

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“The coat.” by Len Mooring

Submitted to Contest #18

The coat.It was a beautiful coat. It must have come from a deceased estate and had been donated to the ‘charity shop’ where I bought it for just ten dollars. As soon as I tried it on I knew this would keep me warm over the coming winter months. I buttoned it up and then reached into the pockets and my hand hit onto something solid and smooth; like a handle of a machine. I felt a tingle and my eyes went out of focus. When I was able to marshal my thoughts again, I certainly wasn’t in the ‘charity shop’ anymore, but standing in snow on a vast ...

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“Symbiotic Quid Pro Quo” by Gordon Petry

Submitted to Contest #18

Cal was a catch, a 33-year-old lifetime bachelor, a full professor before he reached thirty, having published three acclaimed historical novels which accelerated his rapid climb in academia. Despite everything, he was modest, adored by his female students, and surprisingly, popular with his male students, also. Six-foot-tall with a muscular, make that toned body, he was a blend of several races giving him wonderful tanned skin all year long. Possibly, his most alluring physical feature was his barely perceptible Epicanthic fold.&...

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Title: The Price of a Nice Guy

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Write a story about a character who buys a secondhand coat and then discovers something in the pocket.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 99 stories

“A Million Ancient Bees” by Zilla Babbitt

“Fanboys” by Miles Gatling

“Enchanting” by Tim Law

“Ring In The Changes.” by Jenny Cook

“Night Shift” by Arthur Tiberio

“The Vintage Time Piece. ” by Rima ElBoustani

“Odd Naphthalene” by Mike Garrigan

“Thicker Than Water” by Kate Strong

“Picture Coin” by Laurentz Baker

“Retail Therapy” by Miki Reilly-Howe

“The Fate of Fashion” by Unknown User

“A Stain on the Left Elbow” by Asher Littlefield

“The Package” by Heidi Slowinski

“The coat.” by Len Mooring

“Symbiotic Quid Pro Quo” by Gordon Petry

🌟 Similar prompts

Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Write a story about someone cleaning out their attic. They find an old piece of clothing, and inside of its pocket is an old keepsake.

"It was just here!" you shout, frantically searching your pockets for the missing thing.

Write a story about a very skilled pickpocket.

Contest #18

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

291

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: