Write about a missing person nobody seems to know or remember.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 49 stories

“Ivan Isn't Here, or Who Is Ivan?” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #117

Ivan was not in attendance at Dalia’s christening, because nobody knew who Ivan was or whether he had been, or if he could be. The beautiful christening dress was too small for Dalia, and that’s just the sort of thing her parents would have blamed on Ivan had Ivan been someone they were familiar with on the day their child was introduced to the Lord. Dalia’s mother, Reina, remembered a disturbance when she was just two months pregnant with what would one day be her golden child. She was fast asleep next to her husband, Vincent, when she ...

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“The Girl from the Snow” by Sallie Castile

Submitted to Contest #117

The Girl from The Snow By Sallie Castile It was quiet on the moor, secretively quiet, as though the thick layer of snow was hugging every sound down into the earth. Birds were hovering over the leafless, skeleton branches of the trees, but no birds sang. The silence did not bother me you see. I like quiet, I like to get away from people, I am a loner and people don't understand this they don't understand me but I wish they did, I haven’t any friends or a boyfriend and everyone keeps on at me to go out and do something about it, “leave your b...

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“The Last, First Kiss” by Lexie Eldridge

Submitted to Contest #117

Everyone remembers their first kiss. Sometimes it’s with your first crush or some random kid under the slide. Mine was with my childhood best friend. Her name was Becca Kent. She had brown hair that her mom braided intricately and always wore red overalls, faded from frequent wear. We did everything together. Sometimes, we even did things we knew would get us in trouble. One day we found a movie shoved under the TV stand like someone kicked it under there when they were cleaning. It was obviously made for adults, but my mom was at the grocer...

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“Employee of the Year” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #117

When two police detectives entered the accounting department, everyone looked up. They quickly returned to work.Head of accounting, Cynthia, bid Penelope Grass into her office.Once inside, Penelope said, “I want a lawyer.”The cops looked at each other. Cynthia stared at her desk, shaking her head.Detective Stiles said, “We have a few questions, Ms. Grass. No one’s making accusations.”“Talk to Shelly, in HR. She deserves a grilling.”The detective’s talk with Shelly had led them to Penelope. Shelly described Penelope’s histrionics at Chad’s pr...

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“I am Nobody” by Chris Winters

Submitted to Contest #117

I AM NOBODY 1. Walking the beat by the pier in San Francisco was a daunting task, especially for officers Dunne and Ruiz. Day after day and night after night, depending what shift they were on, always brought homeless vagrants to the pier. They would sleep on benches, under trees and some of the more fortunate ones had tents. Not the poor fellow they were approaching now, this guy was sleeping on the grass wearing only a hoodie and track pants. It was a cool September evening off the water. The two cops decided to c...

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“The Missing Son” by Nisha Shirali

Submitted to Contest #117

Trigger warning: blood, self-harm, violence, slight sexual content Crimson blood webbed out like tree roots down the porcelain sink. Lydia observed the blood with cool detachment as it dripped from her left wrist, which was slit by the pen knife clutched in her right hand. The blood evaporated within seconds, and she barely felt the pain. It was nothing in comparison to the ache from the absence of her fifteen year old son Nathan. Lydia gazed into the mirror of the tiny washroom. Her grey eyes, underlined with wrinkles, were vacant with ...

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“Little Boy Lost” by Rudy Uribe

Submitted to Contest #117

“I’m sorry it took so long,” The doctor said as he walked into the waiting room. Marvin and Rebecca stood. “No, please, sit down.” “What is it, doctor? I don’t like the look on your face,” Rebecca said. “Mr. and Mrs. Chatsworth, the MRI shows a mass near the hypothalamus.” ...

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“Memory, Oil on Canvas” by S. Thomson

Submitted to Contest #117

ㅤOn the morning of his 34th birthday, Tommy Morris sat up in bed and hit his head on the ceiling. He collapsed back onto his pillow and rubbed the sore spot on his forehead. With his other hand, he touched the newly exposed patch of plaster. It matched several other spots on the ceiling where the paint had fallen away. Tommy swung his legs over the side of the top bunk and jumped down onto the carpet with a thud. He looked around at his childhood bedroom. ㅤSunlight bled through the gaps beneath the curtains and the digital alarm clock on the...

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“The Ghost of Happy Jack McGee” by Patrick OMasters

Submitted to Contest #117

In central Montana, just east of the Continental Divide lies the remains of a boomtown that during the area's gold rush was abustle with merchants, a few settlers, and hopeful sourdoughs dreaming of a rich strike. Locals tell stories of one "Happy" Jack McGee, a man who left his home in Virginia for the goldfields of the California Gold Rush where he had a very successful claim that netted him a small fortune in gold nuggets. As all successful claims eventually do, his played out so he took his poke and was heading east toward home when he h...

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“Nurse Sandy ” by Kaylee Aleece

Submitted to Contest #117

The center was quiet for a seasonal afternoon. Usually, the residents sat around playing bingo, cards, or dominos. The other residents plopped themselves in front of the television for entertainment. But today, everyone seemed to be in their rooms, patiently waiting for the day to end, so the cycle continued. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happened; some staff remarked that every day was groundhog’s day. Nothing ever changed, just the visitors that came and went. Although the residents would never know if anything did happen, and when th...

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“Come Play with Me” by Lexi Duckett

Submitted to Contest #117

October 31, 1982. North Carolina.Six-year-old Alice Anderson woke up and sat up in bed. She pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed. She chose an outfit and got dressed. Nothing felt weird about that day. Why would it? She didn't feel scared, she felt no uneasiness, the day felt normal just like every other day.Alice liked Halloween, she liked getting to pick a costume and dress up. She loved carving a pumpkin, all aspects of the holiday were fun to her. At the age of six, Alice had no idea what the day held. She had no idea that was t...

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“Trees” by Leah Murphy

Submitted to Contest #117

**Warning: Coarse Language** Outskirts of Salem Town, Massachusetts. 1694 A brutal February wind rattled the front door of the lonely farmhouse. Small wisps of cool air wafting in through the thin walls tested the warmth of the dull fire burning. The sisters dined on salt pork stew in an awkward silence. “Abigail, the trial-” “Enough about the trial, Mary. There is no evidence.” “But it did not go well, it’s only a matter of time before-” “I said enough about the damned trial.” Abigail glared at her sister across the tabl...

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“Changeling ” by Kaleigh Johnson

Submitted to Contest #117

A chill bit through Hanna’s thin shawl. She wrapped it tighter around herself, brushing off errant leaves. Her head hurt and the world slightly spun. She put a slender hand on the trunk near her and took in the sight and smell of the forest. It didn’t make sense. How did she get here? Her mind was a fog, but Hanna was sure it had been a beautiful spring day when she had come to pick mushrooms for dinner. Now, she hardly recognized where she was in this picturesque fall forest. A slight breeze ruffled orange and red leaves, scattering them ...

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“Fuzzball Fry’s” by Ophelia McBride

Submitted to Contest #117

The old electronics store had closed down years ago. But those who remembered it knew it was so much more. Every child would beg their mother to stop on their errands to run into the store and see him. The pride of the quiet town. He played every Friday and Sunday, from 12:30 to 1, a schedule every kid had engraved into their brains. And on those days, when the summer days got hot, or when the winter wind rushed through the playgrounds, people of all ages would sit down on the cold marble floor, stare up at the blinking lights and the bright...

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“Be Careful What You Wish For” by E. J. Wilhelm

Submitted to Contest #117

It had been an accident. Well, alright. Caleb had said it on purpose, but he had also been seven years old, head filled with Grandma’s stories of fairy rings, when he came across the circle of mushrooms just a few hundred yards from his home, in a gap in the trees that seemed perfectly sized for it. “I wish she would leave me alone,” he said to the circle of mushrooms, because no seven-year-old boy wants to be constantly followed by a three-year-old girl, and it didn’t matter how he asked or cried or begged their parents to keep her busy...

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Write about a missing person nobody seems to know or remember.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“Ivan Isn't Here, or Who Is Ivan?” by Story Time

“The Girl from the Snow” by Sallie Castile

“The Last, First Kiss” by Lexie Eldridge

“Employee of the Year” by John K Adams

“I am Nobody” by Chris Winters

“The Missing Son” by Nisha Shirali

“Little Boy Lost” by Rudy Uribe

“Memory, Oil on Canvas” by S. Thomson

“The Ghost of Happy Jack McGee” by Patrick OMasters

“Nurse Sandy ” by Kaylee Aleece

“Come Play with Me” by Lexi Duckett

“Trees” by Leah Murphy

“Changeling ” by Kaleigh Johnson

“Fuzzball Fry’s” by Ophelia McBride

“Be Careful What You Wish For” by E. J. Wilhelm

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with the words “Everything was ready for the ritual.”

Write about a character who uses a night where everyone’s in costume as cover for something sinister.

Set your story at the boundary between two realms.

Write about someone whose busiest night of the year is Halloween.

Contest #117

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

228

Contest entries

153

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: