Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

Posted in Dramatic on Dec 6, 2024

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✍️ 37 stories

“Evil Breeds Evil” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #280

TW: It's a story about a school shooting.Corey broods in his room alone after his only two friends unfriended him on social media, completely severing ties with him.“He’s such a dork. I don’t know why I hang out with him,” he heard his friend Patrick tell his other friend Zac when they thought Corey wasn’t listening.“Me neither. He makes it hard to meet girls. He’s such a loser,” Zac responded.People don’t realize that Corey hears everything. Now their voices echo through his head, talking over each other, insult after insult.“He’s stupid,” ...

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“Minor Chords” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #280

Paranoid Schizophrenic. That’s what I heard them say. I wasn’t supposed to hear them talking about me, but sometimes, even when they are careful, around the clinic, privacy can be problematic. What else can I tell you? I sit in my small apartment that is in shambles. Most of the lightbulbs are burnt out so I live in the dark. There is an odor that hangs over my place like a cloud, but I’ve gotten used to it over time. But there are some things I will never get used to. Come closer a...

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“The Whispers in the Hall” by Samuel Excell

Submitted to Contest #280

Ethan Harper sat in the back corner of his AP Literature class, half-listening to Mrs. Rodriguez's lecture on "The Great Gatsby." His worn copy of the novel lay open on his desk, its margins filled with his neat handwriting—observations and connections that would never be shared aloud. From his vantage point, he could observe the entire classroom without drawing attention to himself, a skill he'd perfected over his years of careful isolation. Sarah Crowder twirled her pencil absently two rows ahead, while Jason Martinez slumped forward, figh...

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“Elvis is Coming” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #280

Master Combat Sargeant Elvis Kneel was discharged from his third tour of active duty so he could go to the multi-person funeral of his wife and daughters. The Army asked that he leave his duty guns in a secured check with a padlock and a combination given to his squadron commander. The newspapers knew that a scarred and tenacious freak was coming home but they simply reported that the women were survived by their husband and father.The Mayor thought it was a good time to appoint a Vice Mayor if anyone would like the fringe benefit of unlimit...

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“Too-Cute Twin Talk” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #280

Too-Cute Twin Talk “Shush. Did you hear that?”“Huh? What? You waking me up again? Isn't it enough you always have an elbow in my ear? How am I supposed to hear anything? That sound is always there. Shush, shush, shush. It lures me to sleep.”“This time it's more than that. Now listen real hard.”“Thump. Thumpity thump. Thump. Thumpity thump. That one is constant, too. Now leave me alone. And there is no room to change position. Stay where you are. Ow! You're always kicking me in the worse places.”“This is the only place we have ever been. Not ...

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“Alpha4367” by Ashley Brandt

Submitted to Contest #280

"Doctor Correon, I think that's enough.""Not quite, Alexander. I want to see how much she can handle." I could hear them talking about me. Their voices echoed in the dark void where I existed; I could feel the intense burn of the radiation, searing the outermost layers of my skin. It hurt, but I couldn't tell them so. Even if I could, I doubted it would have mattered. "Very good!" the Doctor exclaimed. Alexander, his intern, was silent. I knew he was nearby- I could smell his cologne; a woodsy scent with a hint of citrus. The scent was comfo...

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“The Thin Divide” by Kalina Todorova

Submitted to Contest #280

#ReedsyTalkIt all started with a room—or a wall, more precisely. A thin one, in fact, one as thin as a person could hear. Barely more than a few layers of plaster, the faint vibrations of voices bleeding through its seams. At first, she thought it was the wind. Then, slowly, she began to pick up words: “She ... .danger…fall”. That is what she could hear, what did they mean by “danger”? And more importantly who were they talking about. Maybe, we should start from the very beginning, where the voices behind the wall were still silent. Bac...

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“Echoes of Elegance: A Night Shattered; A Story Preserved” by LifeCycles Creative Media

Submitted to Contest #280

(Trigger Warning: This story contains depictions of gun violence, sudden chaos, and themes of fear and survival that may be distressing to some readers. Discretion is advised.) The grand ballroom was alive with elegance and purpose. Tables draped in white satin shimmered under the chandeliers, and the sweet scent of hibiscus filled the air. Music from violins and cellos weaved through the conversations, creating an atmosphere of beauty and refinement. The event was a fundraising ball for children who communicated through art instead of wor...

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“Sheep” by Jack Floyd

Submitted to Contest #280

"Sheppard! Get in line, NOW!!" "Geez, you hear what this sicko did to those guys?" "Yeah, it's like Hannibal Lecter meets Wolf a' Wall Street..." "Hey! HEY! Moneybags! You gonna carve me up too!?" “Shut it, he’s right there…” “...already hungry, man…” "Keep moving! Both lines!" "Oh, G-God... What am I duh... doing here…?" “All’m saying is, if you keep it down you might make it to-” "GAAAAAAWWWD, PLEASE I DON'T DESERVE THIS!!" "SHUT UP!!" "Sakes alive, don't these guys have any dignity?" "...yeah, with an effin' meat cleaver..." Most people d...

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“Revisionist Mystery” by Dave Stanley

Submitted to Contest #280

I was seven miles down the road when I heard my destiny. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Some poignant truths take a while to detonate, and the missive I wrote earlier on my steamy bathroom mirror was finally coming to fruition. “It all stops and starts here,” said Levar, my hyperbolic Lyft driver with a flair for the dramatic. “One might say, ‘commences.’” Close enough, I guess. I’d told him about it at the beginning the ride, and I wasn’t going to fault him for paraphrasing my words. Bu...

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“Personal Espionage” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #280

To a beige office building of twenty-five floors, on a quiet Saturday morning with maybe fifty people in the whole high-rise, approaches an electrician in a baseball cap. She hands her papers to the security guard at the front desk, who calls up to the 17th floor to confirm the contract. The security guard only briefly notes the name patch on her powder-blue coveralls: “Jen”. A name just common enough, and not her real name.For this electrician is really an industrial spy, coming to steal security data from an AI company specializing in heal...

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“Breaking Point” by Laurie Jordan

Submitted to Contest #280

Jalen’s shoes are too tight. I can see his little toe pushing hard against the front of them as his legs dangle from the padded medical table. “Does that hurt?” I ask, pointing at the strained plastic. “Sometimes,” he whispers. “You know…sometimes we Mommies make our kids take our shoes off at the door and don’t see that your little piggies have grown. Does your Mommy know? I mean, have you told her?” I ask, as I put the Band-Aid on the cut on his arm. “Yeah. Momma said to ask Grandma for new ones, but I haven’t seen her in a while,” he s...

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“Frankenstein of friendship” by Ksenia Golub

Submitted to Contest #280

It was the day before the holiday. Annie was on her way back to her hometown, filled with eager anticipation of reuniting with her lifelong friends—a married couple she had known for as long as she could remember. She had carefully selected gifts for them and their children, each chosen with love and thoughtfulness. These people felt like family to her, and she believed their feelings for her were just as warm and genuine.Annie had left the town when she went off to college. After graduating successfully, she focused on building her career. ...

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“dropping eaves on a hospital floor ” by Jasper Edwards

Submitted to Contest #280

Jonas reluctantly plunged his fork into part of his sausage and stuffed it into his mouth. It tasted like rubber. If only he knew what rubber tasted like? He knew the feel so he knew the texture and if he knew the texture he could sort of know the taste or what chewing on it would be like. David had been chewing on crayons the other night so chewing on rubber might obviously not seem so far fetched to some of the patients here. Jonas had looked over at his social worker Amy who had been sitting with him and she had returned his look of horro...

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“Through the door” by Oceane Lonneux

Submitted to Contest #280

“She’s so obedient. We never have to repeat anything. She’s not like the other kids, it’s so nice”. The first time I heard others talking about me, I was around seven years old. They seemed happy with me, with what I was doing. I liked it. I liked how their voices sounded when they were talking about me. “You need to get her into control! She’s going to fail if this continues. Do you not care about what she becomes?”.Voices started changing when I was ten years old. I wasn’t the obedient little kid any more, and it drove people c...

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Center your story around a character who overhears others talking about them.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 37 stories

“Evil Breeds Evil” by Ty Warmbrodt

“Minor Chords” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“The Whispers in the Hall” by Samuel Excell

“Elvis is Coming” by Tommy Goround

“Too-Cute Twin Talk” by Mary Bendickson

“Alpha4367” by Ashley Brandt

“The Thin Divide” by Kalina Todorova

“Echoes of Elegance: A Night Shattered; A Story Preserved” by LifeCycles Creative Media

“Sheep” by Jack Floyd

“Revisionist Mystery” by Dave Stanley

“Personal Espionage” by Joseph Ellis

“Breaking Point” by Laurie Jordan

“Frankenstein of friendship” by Ksenia Golub

“dropping eaves on a hospital floor ” by Jasper Edwards

“Through the door” by Oceane Lonneux

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story that solely consists of dialogue. (No dialogue tags, actions, or descriptions. Just pure dialogue!)

Start or end your story with a character asking a question.

Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.

Write a story that includes someone (or something) saying, “No, don’t!”

Contest #280

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

383

Contest entries

138

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: