A character crosses paths with a stranger who looks eerily familiar.

Posted in Dramatic on Oct 4, 2024

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✍️ 68 stories

“The Guinea Pigs” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #271

Doctor Travers ticked all the boxes on my consent form and peering over his glasses assured me an arm transplant was standard practice. I perform ten a day, he said, handing me the paperwork. They’re a piece of cake. Really? For sure, he said, indicating where to sign. It’s just brain surgery that gives me a headache. Stella the anaesthetist rolled her eyes, sighed and asked if I’d any allergies. None, I replied, scanning the small print. That’s just perfect, she said, clearing her throat. Would you prefer gas and air, or the full works? Wha...

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“A letter to death” by Angela Zuluaga

Submitted to Contest #271

To Those Who, Like Me, Have Struggled With Suicide: You Are Not Alone.A note from the author.The following is a transcript, A real autobiographical moment in which i did wrote that letter. In real life i burned it and let the ashes flow. Some of the names on the story are protected. But what your about to read are fragments of my life where i have actually encounter death, and had felt it. This is a begginers attempt to portrait what death and suicide felt like. To raise awareness not pitty. And to beging the emphaty discussion of what griev...

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“Cage” by William Richards

Submitted to Contest #271

Trigger Warning: Themes of alcoholism, grief, and terminal illness. Sometimes I worry I’ll be struck off the medical register. It's a constant threat to my self-belief, a nagging doubt. Make a mistake, struck off. Be unprofessional, struck off. And if you are lucky enough to avoid that fate, then you still get the pleasure of a disciplinary process where you're treated like a criminal. It’s why I am so clinical and keep my emotions under control. Be the perfect human-robot and you conform. It’s no way to live. But perhaps it helps us deliver...

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“Luck of the Draw” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #271

Luck of the Draw“Nobody gets justice- people just get good luck or bad luck.”- Orson Welles“I’ll have the rent on Monday, Mrs. Bruno.”“That’s what you said last week, Henry, and the weekend before that.”Thirty-six years old and unable to pay the rent on his rundown Woodlawn basement apartment. The walls were closing in, all youthful dreams of the good life having been abandoned years ago. Henry bounced around from meaningless job to meaningless job and often relied solely on hi...

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“Live to Regret it” by Chris Sage

Submitted to Contest #271

“Don't do it.” “What?” I bark at the old man, who stands between me and the exit of Beran’s bar. “Don't do it. You'll regret it.” He stares at me. I can see his hands tremble. Old age, or fear? I felt a shiver myself. Why this, why now? I push past him, head starting to spin. “I’ve no idea who you are, or what you're talking about. Out my way, please.” It's not true, there's something familiar about him, making this whole encounter more unnerving. “I know you. I know what this plan is. It's not a good idea. Don't do it.” I keep walking, conc...

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“The Heat of Darkness” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #271

I was a tunnel rat for Halloween, and my nerves were on edge right from the start of my shift downtown, strap hanging between Canal and 14th Street, following my nose. A full moon brings out the crazies and the repeat offenders, but Halloween doubles down on the madness, lets them operate in disguise, indistinguishable from the civilians. Tonight, it was both, Halloween and a full-moon, and the city was febrile and electric.Gangs are hard to spot on Halloween. Is it just a bunch of revelers, or is it a marauding pack of animals, their blood ...

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“The Familiar Stranger” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #271

Maya left the office and began her journey home. She was a reasonably attractive woman in her 30s, and life appeared to be good. She was based in a large corporate office, working a regular, well-paid admin job, surrounded by many young, fun, apparently “like-minded” work colleagues. Strange how she constantly felt disconnected from life. By the end of the day, her whole jawline ached, where she had been clenching her teeth due to multiple self-induced anxiety-ridden moments. As she left the office that evenin...

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“Clash with Subconscious Phantoms” by Anna Rajmon

Submitted to Contest #271

Her wet hair fell into her face, her dilated pupils darting around the room as her rapid pulse throbbed in her throat. She sat on the bed, terrified and exhausted. Suddenly, her rapid breathing turned into sobs, the intense, unstoppable kind of crying she’d been holding in for far too long.“Why do you keep doing this to me? Why won’t you leave me alone?” she whispered between sobs. “I miss you so much!”Her dad had died three years ago, but lately, she’d been dreaming about him every night. And they weren’t the peaceful dreams where she’d see...

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“Doppelgoogler” by Aaron Hawkins

Submitted to Contest #271

Jason liked to spend his lunch breaks traveling the world. He was stuck inside a government office, but at his fingertips lay the largest collection of unfiltered and unpolarized humanity on the internet – Googlemaps. Jason treated each lunch session as a treasure hunt. As he ate a sandwich, he visited places very few people knew existed. He zoomed in on his Googlemaps screen as far as it would go. He liked the road views that provided an adjustable perspective of landscapes and neighborhoods. After an hour of e...

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“MINISERIES: "PEOPLE ARE STRANGE" EPISODE 5: "THE FINAL RECORDING"” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #271

DISCLAIMER:"THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO REAL EVENTS OR PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL."(The sterile flicker of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a cold, clinical glow over the small interrogation room. The air was oppressive, sharp with the tang of bleach, but underneath it was a smell Sarah couldn't ignore: the faint, metallic scent of blood. Her breath hitched every time she caught a whiff. The smell brought the nightmares back in full force.Sarah Townsend sat slumped in a metal chair, her blood...

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“The Highlander” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #271

This bright and early morning was no different than any other. As usual, Tessa had chosen to spend it by returning to the same café, situated just four blocks from her lofty flat in West London, and drinking the usual cup of Americano coffee. She sat, for the most part, unnoticed in a corner of cozy café, which was just as she preferred whilst she struggled to pen a continuance of her book on a laptop. The ongoing novel was a mix betwixt fantasy and futuristic genres – the two that had always intrigued her own interests. Her attempt at said ...

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“Hiding in Plain Sight” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #271

Cal and Sherrie were seated at a high top table at their favorite restaurant. They both liked eating there for different reasons. Cal liked the place because, in addition to having his favorite gooey cheese curds and chicken wings with just the right spice, it also was a sports bar. Everywhere he looked, there were large screen TVs, showing the games of all of his favorite teams. The atmosphere was loud and raucous. He could cheer or boo along with fellow rowdy fans. After a long and difficult work week, it was a relief to let off some ...

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“To meet you ” by Honey Homecroft

Submitted to Contest #271

There are still just two glasses of water on the table when a silence settles over them that Anna is powerless to fill. Ice cubes melt. Water condenses. Tom's fingers leave trails as they curl through the moisture. Blunted, workingman's fingertips capping the sculpted line of his arms and shoulders. They tap on the glass. He's from Aberdeen. Two sisters, Maggie and Maia; they live at home. A beagle, Max. Rock climbing after work. Hiking on the weekends. Hasn't been to the movies in years. Of course, she already knew all of this.&...

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“Cold Response” by Stephen Mccluer

Submitted to Contest #271

[Trigger: describes death, auto accident] March, 1967 Gray. Light, yet no shadows and little color. Horizon to horizon, only gray under a ceramic bowl of a sky revealing no clouds and no sun. Light snow flurries falling in the dead-still of frozen air. The temperature dropped forty degrees the second I opened the door. As the car that had given me a lift drove away, I experienced second thoughts about having chosen this route. The more traveled route through town was almost a five-mile route. Why would anybody pick up an unknown person in t...

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“Scarlet” by Janet Lorimer

Submitted to Contest #271

SCARLETBy Janet Lorimer It all happened so quickly, I didn’t have time to think. I had the light, and I was driving with the flow of traffic. I maintained a few feet between my car and the car in front. Rush hour traffic in San Francisco can be tricky to navigate, but I’d driven in this city for years. It was second nature to me. I was on my way out of town to spend a few days with my cousin in Los Angeles. I was a little tired from a long day at work, but I didn’t think I was distracted. As my...

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A character crosses paths with a stranger who looks eerily familiar.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 68 stories

“The Guinea Pigs” by Howard Halsall

“A letter to death” by Angela Zuluaga

“Cage” by William Richards

“Luck of the Draw” by Murray Burns

“Live to Regret it” by Chris Sage

“The Heat of Darkness” by Luca King Greek

“The Familiar Stranger” by Stevie Burges

“Clash with Subconscious Phantoms” by Anna Rajmon

“Doppelgoogler” by Aaron Hawkins

“MINISERIES: "PEOPLE ARE STRANGE" EPISODE 5: "THE FINAL RECORDING"” by Darvico Ulmeli

“The Highlander” by Cindy Calder

“Hiding in Plain Sight” by Kim Olson

“To meet you ” by Honey Homecroft

“Cold Response” by Stephen Mccluer

“Scarlet” by Janet Lorimer

🌟 Similar prompts

A chance encounter brings together two old friends who have changed in surprising or strange ways.

Write a story that includes the line “Have we met before?”

Two strangers discover they have a hidden connection that alters their understanding of each other and themselves.

A character finds a clue or object linking them to a stranger.

Contest #271

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

383

Contest entries

134

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: