Write a story about someone who starts noticing the same object or phrase wherever they go.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 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?

✍️ 109 stories

“A Loan” by Thom Brodkin

“Daddy, what does ‘fuck’ mean?”The word hung in the air like a fart in a crowded elevator. The trip, originally intended as a pleasant getaway for Stan, his wife, and their two children, had become anything but. They quickly discovered the problem with public campgrounds is one is forced to share them with the public.Although Stan worked long hours at the post office, there never seemed to be enough money for a vacation. Finally, in desperation, he marched into his bank and requested a loan. Stan had gone to high school with...

33 comments 33

Read story

“The Joy of a Banana” by Ann Nace

Karen Gleb was a disagreeable old woman. Every fold on her wrinkled face contributed to her resting scowl. And yet, the yellow bananas greeted her as she passed through the produce department like a hundred sunny upturned smiles. It made the town’s resident battle-ax sick with disgust. Mrs. Gleb glared at a woman loading her cart with bananas. Freak, thought Mrs. Gleb. Sure, the fruit tasted okay. But only a di...

37 comments 37 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“Last Drinks” by Vicky S

The ice cubes slowly melted in the bottom of the glass as Stacey swirled it around in one hand, not noticing the people around her even as they jostled and shoved, as she stared at the faded oil painting hanging in front of her. The red car shining as it shot along a road. It seemed eerily familiar. “Last drinks!” the man behind the bar yelled, his cheeks reddened from the warm air. The person...

19 comments 19

Read story

“Passion” by Kendall Defoe

“Do it or don’t. There is nothing else.” That was good; really clever. He heard it on a bus ride between two friends who were trying not to be quiet. Two sentences that worked so well together just came to him. They belonged there. He could not get past them and really did not want to; he needed them. It was another personal project for him; another story that he wanted to writ...

22 comments 22

Read story

“The Curious Case of Eliza MacDougall” by A Mehendale

Eliza MacDougall is hearing voices.She tells her father, over breakfast one morning. “There’s an invisible woman talking at me.” “To, you, dear,” her father corrects absently, as he butters her toast, “talking to,” and they speak no more of it.She tries to tell her mother the same, peeking her head around the doorway of her study, where her mother sits on the rug covered floor, surrounded by textbooks. Her mother does not turn her head and simply shooe...

9 comments 9 SHORTLIST ⭐️

Read story

“"And then, we live"” by Cuppa Chae

I am sitting in the ice cream parlour, watching the marshmallows slide down the Rocky Road which has begun to melt from the summer blaze. I think the staff members are watching me from the countertop, wondering how long I’m going to be here for. Or maybe they’re staring at the strawberry parfait opposite me that’s been reduced to nothing but slush because no one was here to eat it. With a sigh I get up, pay with a twenty-pound note and leave without the change.

11 comments 11

Read story

“No Second Chances ” by Neel Anil Panicker

TW: rape, suicide The first time she said it, the phrase sounded so inconsequential. I mean you wouldn't, who would rather, notice or read more into a sentence meant to provide direction. Get off the train, take the 45, count the stops to 14. Alight. Look up. You see a Shiva Temple. Walk towards it. Take a left past Turning Point. From thereon, it's a hop, skip, and jump. Third house to the right. Right! You remember saying right. You...

21 comments 21

Read story

“Don't Know” by Carrie O'Keefe

I made a creaking sound as I adjusted myself on Dr. Schmidt’s couch. Feeling the tension growing inside me because I was being made to take time out of my own schedule, talk to a psychologists, and explain to him why I didn’t get along with my coworker. “Linda.” Fingers snapped grabbing my attention. I looked up trying not to glare. Snapping of the fingers, I’m not a dog. “Anything you want to get o...

6 comments 6

Read story

“I love you, Teri Lynn” by KarLynn Erickson

Teri Lynn Miller was 43 years old when her life changed in a most unexpected way after realizing she was catching glimpses of her reflection everywhere she went. And the reflection made her more and more uncomfortable. Her distorted image first turned up in a reflection of a car window. She saw it out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned toward it. She stopped and starred for longer than a minute....

9 comments 9

Read story

“When Wearing Black on a Thursday” by Kevin Broccoli

At security, Jonathan remarks that she’s never worn black on a Thursday. Caroline almost doesn’t hear him. It’s not because he’s speaking softly, but because they’ve never conversed. Come to think of it, she can’t remember if she’s ever heard his voice until he commented on her outfit. It was just a black dress that she found in her closet with the price tag still on it. The number four hu...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Intertwined, Interlaced, Interlocking” by Kathleen March

For a while now she had been noticing that the same object or phrase had been recurring. At first it hadn't bothered her, but gradually it had become almost annoying. It was annoying because she wasn't able to explain it. Why would things that were somehow tied together be popping up in her life now? Just thinking about the coincidental appearances gave her goosebumps. (It wasn't a term she liked, but the truth was she felt her skin crawl. Her shoulders shivered, in the way they had when her grandmother...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Figging crazy ” by Scott Skinner

It's the morning. "I'm sorry," Samantha tells Figaro for the third time, "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I thought we could make it work. I did all the right things." She hadn't. Most people never do. Most people don't understand what it takes to keep a promise. They don't get that you have to be active every day, giving a portion of your life, a part of yourself, to keep the thing alive. Nothing comes easy, Samantha. Why can't you see that? Most people treat their plants like a cu...

4 comments 4

Read story

“To: The Holes in Her Butterfly Wings” by Natalie Day

I hated butterflies for most of my life. My dad used to take my sister and I to the zoo. He wanted us to learn the names of all of the types of animals and he always made it a learning experience. And, for most of the journey through the zoo, we kept to those goals. We learned about the bald eagle at the entrance to the zoo and then the monkeys—gross, by the way, no one can tell me otherwise. I didn’t ev...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Astor House” by Alisha St. Claire

The walls have eyes.Planks of uneven pine wood line the halls of this old house, and even through my half-lidded, obscured night vision, I can tell that these faces I see in the knots of the walls are anything but welcoming. I roll onto my stomach and cough thickly, wincing as I keep my gaze on the eyes. They smile, they leer, because they know that between the cracks and ridges, my blood paints the empty room. And they also know, in some twisted way, that I will realize this in about another thirty seconds....

8 comments 8

Read story

“To the Moon and Back” by Jacen Patchwork

The car burning on the side of the road as he passed around the turn reminded him of something he couldn’t quite remember. The dark green paint shimmered a molten black in the darkness of the wooded state road. He wondered if maybe he should call someone. Perhaps he should stop and take a look? Maybe someone needed help. But no. He pushed the thought away. The accident was too severe, and there would b...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character looking for a sign.

Fluff – 157 stories

An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.

Horror – 133 stories

Write a story where a character runs into someone they’ve seen in their dreams, or enters a building they’ve dreamt about before.

High School – 238 stories

Start your story with someone discovering a photograph that has something written on the back.

Valentine's Day – 202 stories

Contest #103

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Synchronicity

$50

Prize money

839

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 23, 2021 EST

Won by Abigail Airuedomwinya 🏆

Title: THIS IS THE DAY WE DIE

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

Write a story about someone who starts noticing the same object or phrase wherever they go.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 109 stories

“A Loan” by Thom Brodkin

“The Joy of a Banana” by Ann Nace

“Last Drinks” by Vicky S

“Passion” by Kendall Defoe

“The Curious Case of Eliza MacDougall” by A Mehendale

“"And then, we live"” by Cuppa Chae

“No Second Chances ” by Neel Anil Panicker

“Don't Know” by Carrie O'Keefe

“I love you, Teri Lynn” by KarLynn Erickson

“When Wearing Black on a Thursday” by Kevin Broccoli

“Intertwined, Interlaced, Interlocking” by Kathleen March

“Figging crazy ” by Scott Skinner

“To: The Holes in Her Butterfly Wings” by Natalie Day

“Astor House” by Alisha St. Claire

“To the Moon and Back” by Jacen Patchwork

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character looking for a sign.

An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.

Write a story where a character runs into someone they’ve seen in their dreams, or enters a building they’ve dreamt about before.

Start your story with someone discovering a photograph that has something written on the back.

Contest #103

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

839

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: