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Your character sits down at their desk on a Monday morning and finds a completely unexpected email in their inbox. Write about what happens next.

Posted in Thriller and Suspense on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 24 stories

The Mysterious Email

Submitted to Contest #109

He had tears in his eyes and his slender body was shivering.He never knew that one email could change his life forever.He couldn’t believe what his eyes saw.It seemed surreal, bizarre!It was as though the universe had played a joke on him and he couldn’t help but laugh and cry, quiver and stand still at the same time.*6 hours earlierIt was a dull Monday morning for 25 year-old IT Professional, Scott Harris.With an impassive look laid over his face, he entered into his office.He didn’t want to work today; and certainly not after having the mo...

33 likes 14 comments 14
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Mondays

Submitted to Contest #109

I hadn’t been to work in weeks. I yawned as I pressed the start button on the coffee pot. As the familiar aroma met the air, my mind wandered to my daily commute and the monumental  to-do list that awaited me. My co-worker Bill's last day was Friday. So not only will I be catching up on work that I missed while I was away but also committing to the work of two people until Bill’s replacement can start in one more week.  My other co-worker and close friend Mandi asked me if I could pitch in for the goodbye party for Bill. They got...

28 likes 15 comments 15
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The Phantom Sandwich Eater

Submitted to Contest #109

Good morning, Pam, I hope you’ve had a good weekend. I’ve had several communications from parents concerned that their children’s lunchboxes have been interfered with. They state that you are already aware of this issue, but have failed to address it. Please can we meet as soon as possible to discuss this matter. Kind regards Reverend Peter Day Chair of Governors, Great Hallingbury Junior School   Pam Weston pushed back the chair from her desk and sighed wearily. This was a good start to her working week. She started every sch...

21 likes 7 comments 7
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E.T Mail

Submitted to Contest #109

The colossal craft, moved silently through infinite darkness. It’s mass, undistinguishable in the void. Travelling close to the speed of light, it caused no disturbance in the vacuum of space. Not a sound. Not a vibration. Not a murmur. Onboard, an advanced alien species plotted a course for a fascinating-sounding planet they knew as Earth. Rumours of this planet had spread far and wide across the universe, and frankly, they couldn't resist a peek at Earth’s surface, to see if it lived up to its reputation. Small neon lights flashed and pu...

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Granddaughter - in the Lost and Found

Submitted to Contest #109

It was agreed I would depart the office Friday leaving my smartphone on the desk. My nurse practitioner wife, thinks my phone and computer screen are responsible for my sore neck of late. Looking forward to a better night’s sleep I accepted the challenge.While closing the office door behind me, I heard the familiar telltale ding on my phone – yet another message with advice about my ever-expiring auto warranty, I was sure. Needing to get on the road it could wait until Monday. The weather was crappy, just another dreary day in November and d...

16 likes 2 comments 2
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The East Star

Submitted to Contest #109

Every night he would look out at the sky, in search of the East star. It gave him comfort knowing that there could be a possibility that she would be watching the same star, at the same time. They hadn’t talked in years. In fact, they hadn’t talked since he had dropped her off that night, but he could still remember how that night felt as clearly as if he were rewatching the memory on CD over and over again. Why they hadn’t spoken in years was his fault, he knew that, and although he didn’t regret it, he could still feel her weight in his ar...

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An Email About Love

Submitted to Contest #109

The forecast was perfect for a weekend on a boat. John was so relieved. "This weekend I will not think of my job, nor would I take a phone call or e-mail letters to my clients. This weekend I will take my girlfriend Mary for a two-day trip on my very comfortable sailboat". I told Mary I would pick her up at 7AM on Saturday for food and drinks for the next two days. Mary was as excited as I was. We would enjoy two days in the sun sitting on lounge chairs reading, talking together, and sleeping. We took time for lunch and then jumped into the ...

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Stories We Tell Ourselves

Submitted to Contest #109

There’s something about a rainy September Monday morning that’s comforting. The solace of not feeling like you need to be outdoors doing something fun. The fading memories of a well-played weekend, a gray haze blanketing the sky, the first hint of autumn gently painting the oak trees…all topped by a sip of a perfectly made latte. This makes me smile.  No one is in the office yet, at least no one can be heard. Probably all hunkered down in their cubes safely social distancing or maybe they’re working remotely today. I don’t care. It’s...

15 likes 6 comments 6
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It's work. It always has been.

Submitted to Contest #109

I read the email once. Or… maybe twice? Or maybe I am just staring at the words for a while. I close the tab and take a deep breath, reaching for my coffee.It’s cold, I think. Nelly must have picked it earlier today.My gaze falls on the papers stacked carefully on the right side of my office; the cases for today. Five folders. One is bigger than the others. That’s because I’ve been working longer with this client. He is scheduled for 9:00 am, I remember scheduling the appointment with him last week. He came right after Oliver left.“Ms. Hudso...

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Where did you come from, where did you go?

Submitted to Contest #109

The first Monday that Howl opened his email, he skimmed. His vision blurred as his index finger automatically scrolled. Howl rarely digested anything from his email. Until... Howl believed the woman must have mistaken him for someone else. The email professed ardent love, compassions, and wishes. Howl was embarrassed and refused to believe the words were intended for him. The sender left no clue to who they could be. Howl spent the next several afternoons making up stories about who the couple could be. The woman had sounded heartbro...

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Breathe

Submitted to Contest #109

“Hello Annalise, my name is Kaitlyn Larson and I have a little mystery on my hands that I am hoping you can help me solve. I realize that this may be a long shot, but I just had to take a chance and try to email you. Did you send a package to Bryn Mawr, PA over the holidays? I received a large box at my home from an Annalise Edwards addressed to a Zachary Vines. It has my address on it but I have only lived here for a few months, so I have been asking around and no one seems to know who he is. If this was you, please let me know and maybe I ...

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In memory of Hanna

Submitted to Contest #109

Word Count: 2,984 In Memory of Hanna It had been three months since the surprise party. Jakub was stunned when Hanna walked him into the room filled with dozens of friends wearing party hats and broad smiles. A pianist and a bona fide chanteuse with a Marlene Dietrich accent led the singing of Happy Birthday. A pair of waitresses served fancy appetizers and flutes of champagne. Hanging across the back wall behind the makeshift bar a banner read HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE EDELMAN – 73 YEARS YOUNG. Surrounded b...

13 likes 1 comment 1
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Flying with Sparrows

Submitted to Contest #109

Flying with Sparrows by J. M. Oxford Sparrows parade on tree branches outside my window. They cozy up to each other until taken by flight. I dream of flight – far away to exotic territories; an island would do. Oh, Monday, Monday – coffee, and e-mail. Let’s see. August 29th, 1960, an offer from the university featuring a study abroad program – Spain, Germany, Costa Rica, and Cuba … Cuba! Oh, imagine an island get-away. Monday mornings feel a bit confining. It's as if I need to break out of a cocoon of comfort to trudge the road of contin...

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THE TROOPER

Submitted to Contest #109

It is early Monday morning. A stunning woman, Marah Stone, sits before her Edelman executive desk. Seen through panoramic windows that encompass Marah’s spacious office, a budding sun erupts from a dark horizon permeating a blackened sky with its radiating brilliance. A new day is born; an event that resonates with the words of creation: “Let there be light.” But the glorious vista is lost upon Marah as she stares at a computer screen reading an email she received with an unknown IP address. Her expression is set in concentration as she stra...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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That Darn E-mail

Submitted to Contest #109

I always look forward to Mondays. I enjoy it, unlike many of my co-workers, who dreaded Mondays and they had no problems voicing it. Today was no ordinary Monday though, it felt a little off. Before I continued to do anything else, I checked my email. To my surprise, the very first email entry was from my long-lost cousin, Drake. I was very surprised that he didn’t send it to my personal email instead.Apparently, he was down on his luck and had been for a while. He speaks about the clever idea he came up with to rob the bank directly across ...

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