Write a short story in which the last line is the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve.

Posted in Winter on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 97 stories

“Meaningless Numbers” by Elizabeth Guerrero

Submitted to Contest #22

Today I tried to tell them. I really did try. Maybe I need help. Maybe I just need to go home. That’s what I’ll do. It will be so simple. I can’t stop thinking about it. In just one second, I will finally be happy. My plan is to leave soon. I just need to decide when and how. I keep hoping that they will actually care when I do go. Maybe that’s why I can’t decide. No. I have to go. They won’t care. It doesn’t matter to them. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t go. Won’t someone miss me? And all the effort it took to get here. All those hours up late worki...

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“The Mega-New Year's Eve Battle” by Fafali Tsiseglo

Submitted to Contest #22

On New Year’s Eve, there was a princess named Caroline and she loved to celebrate New Year’s Day. She lived in a kingdom, which was called Enchancia. She was seventeen years old and was the oldest of her two siblings. Her brother was called Prince Samuel, who was thirteen years old; and her youngest sister is called Princess Sarah, who is eleven years old. On this particular day, she prepared everything for the royal family to eat. There was collard greens, ham, turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, cranberry juice, turkey gravy...

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“The Shell Gone with the Night” by Nathaniel Strong

Submitted to Contest #22

Thomas had spent the past seventeen New Years Eves of his life staying inside as if he were a caged animal that wasn’t to be allowed out. In fact it was like that for the vast majority of the holidays that he celebrated. But tonight would be different. Tonight was the first time he had ever been invited to celebrate the new year outside of his room, listening to the ball drop on the TV downstairs while his family meddled in their own separate affairs.He put on a jacket and left his house at around 10:30 as to not be late. Thomas was very kno...

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“The New Year's Gamble ” by Kate The Wanderer

Submitted to Contest #22

Why are people so complicated? Our fragile emotions, suppressed memories, twisted desires all compiled into one troubled soul, one dark psyche. I wanted so badly to be the perfect person for you, for myself, for the world. I wanted to be admired from afar; placed upon a pedestal in white for all to admire. But for reasons out of my control my once white and pure dress is now tainted red with blood. I bleed out for all to see. I am now known for an identity that is not my own...or is it? Am I the whore they paint me out to be? Did I want it? ...

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“Countdown to New Year's” by Linda Hallstrom

Submitted to Contest #22

Driving in South Dakota in the winter is always a gamble.Lisa thought about that as she walked across the apartment parking lot to her garage. She planned to beat the grocery crowd by getting to the store before 8:30 in the morning.On that morning the apartment parking lot was free from ice. Grains of sand dotted the main entry steps and the lot itself. But whatever snow and ice the sand had been intended to eliminate was gone. The pavement was dry.Lisa’s hometown had already suffered through a couple of December snowstorms but now all trace...

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“Times a-Changin’” by Nancy Laflamme

Submitted to Contest #22

It was 9 p.m. on December 31, 2019 and Ash was relaxing on his favourite armchair. In fact, he had been on that chair for at least three hours with no intention to move. He loved the occasional attention that Michael and Emmy were giving him and the festive ambiance animating the house lately. Ash’s family had been home the past week or so and he felt lucky that they were spending more time with him. They had placed a large tree in the corner of the living room. It smelled good and had pretty things hanging off its branches. Alas, Micha...

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“A Turn of Events” by Ebun Soneye

Submitted to Contest #22

A TURN OF EVENTSFor New Year’s Eve, my friends and I had planned to spend it together. We had planned to do a little party at Martha’s house and there was no doubt in my mind that it would be a mind blowing one because this time the boys were invited. The plan however was that the girls would pretend to do a sleepover at Martha’s house and the boys would also pretend to be having a sleepover in John’s house but instead they would come over, since Martha’s parents were away on business. You might wonder why we needed such excessive planning a...

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“YEAR OF THE EARTH PIG” by Dee Wes

Submitted to Contest #22

During the human year 2019, in a sparse dimension just beyond the physical membrane of Earth, animals about the Chinese Zodiac Wheel gathered in celebration of the ending Year of the Earth Pig and the beginning Year of the Metal Rat."First, we shall eat and be merry," Pig, the archetypal pig, addressed the others. "Next, we will share personal highlights from this passage of space that humans measure as being time. Then, alas, we will dance until we arrive in the Year of the Metal Rat."Trash beneath him was gathered through his sorting of th...

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“The Countdown” by Cheyenne Reijers

Submitted to Contest #22

“Hrrrng” I grunt softly, as I slowly open my eyes. “Jesus, what the fuck did I do to my head?” But before I can even think of an answer to that mystery, another question arises. “Where am I?” Gripping my head with one hand, I use the other to push myself up off the cold, dirty ground and sit up. A shiver rolls down my spine as I peer into the darkness. “What is going on?” As a cold wind hits my cheeks, I zip up my jacket – and with the help of the bit of moonlight streaming down, my eyes finally make out what the big blurry shadows are… tree...

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“Perchance to Dream” by Monica Haynes

Submitted to Contest #22

Eva frantically rummaged through her blue leather tote. They’ve got to be in here somewhere, she thought, as she pulled out old CVS receipts, gum wrappers, an extra phone charger, hair pins, unused Kleenex, notepads, pens, everything she seemingly needed to hold her life together, except the one thing she desperately sought. Why couldn’t she find her sleeping pills? There had to be some left. She only took them once or twice a month, max. Those were the nights that she knew if she didn’t take something, she’d be sitting in fr...

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“Luck” by Nicole Marie

Submitted to Contest #22

I never meant for all of this to happen. New Years is a time for shrugging off the old and welcoming the new. So, Tanya dumped me- I wasn’t overly fond of her by the end anyway- what kind of woman goes through your wallet and phone? A psycho, my mate, Tim would say. His taste in women is worse than mine so he should know but… really, what does he know?No, this wasn’t because of Tanya, or even because I hate my job and my life, because I don’t. I’m a copywriter for the marketing branch of a delivery company, nothing exciting but I’m good at m...

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“What We Never Wanted” by Elizabeth Lowery

Submitted to Contest #22

“Katie, we’ve talked about this.” It was true they had. “What brought this on? I thought we agreed.” Again, true. They did. “I don’t know, Beck.” Katie looked across the table at her husband. She had hoped bringing this up on date night would ease the tension. “I just thought, maybe, you’d want to talk about it.” Beck took a deep breath and laid his silverware down on the crisp, black tablecloth. A sure sign he’d made up his mind. “What exactly has changed, baby?” “Well, honey.” It was a trap, and she knew ...

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“Goodbye me.” by Connor Abate

Submitted to Contest #22

Standing on top of my apartment building is an interesting feeling if you as me. It feels freeing, especially when I stand on the edge. It feels like I could step off and fly instead of fall. I feel like I'm the ruler of the world. It's maddening, really. As I carry my gaze across the skyline, I can see everything to the horizon. The surplus of buildings. The lights littering the town. The groups of people gathered in parks and in their homes having a party to welcome the new year. The sun is set already, and when I look up I can see the st...

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“A Deadly New Year's Resolution” by Cassie Perman

Submitted to Contest #22

My hands are aching. My feet are aching. My arms, legs, everything. The climber kept thinking while she moved her muscles. She had never felt such pain before. Nothing compared to this. Her teeth hurt from clenching so hard from every move of her body. The rope had snapped a while back, but to her it felt like years had gone by. She had known the carabiners were fine, in fact she had just bought them last week. The pitons was also not to blame. Everything had been in perfect condition. She was so sure of herself, yet, there was one thing tha...

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“Pink Squares” by Matthew Cunnane

Submitted to Contest #22

Carlos sat in the brown metal chair and stared at the rusted pipe across the room. The basement was dark and the air was cool and smelled mildly of mold. The Tdp-5 pill press hummed, clanking intermittently in the background as it took the mixture of micro-crystalline cellulose, natrosol, and magnesium stearate and pressed it into square tablets which slid down the chute into the tupperware below.The kitchen timer counted down 5...4...3...2...1. The alarm startled Carlos’s mind back into the room. He walked over to the Tdp-5, be...

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Write a short story in which the last line is the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 97 stories

“Meaningless Numbers” by Elizabeth Guerrero

“The Mega-New Year's Eve Battle” by Fafali Tsiseglo

“The Shell Gone with the Night” by Nathaniel Strong

“The New Year's Gamble ” by Kate The Wanderer

“Countdown to New Year's” by Linda Hallstrom

“Times a-Changin’” by Nancy Laflamme

“A Turn of Events” by Ebun Soneye

“YEAR OF THE EARTH PIG” by Dee Wes

“The Countdown” by Cheyenne Reijers

“Perchance to Dream” by Monica Haynes

“Luck” by Nicole Marie

“What We Never Wanted” by Elizabeth Lowery

“Goodbye me.” by Connor Abate

“A Deadly New Year's Resolution” by Cassie Perman

“Pink Squares” by Matthew Cunnane

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a short story about a person who goes to bed on Valentine's Day and wakes up in 1920.

Write a short story about someone with unconventional New Year's traditions.

Two strangers meet at a New Year's Eve party. They spend the party together, and then never see each other again.

Write a short story about someone who does not spend December 31st celebrating New Year's Eve.

Contest #22

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

338

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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