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Write about a character with an unassailable moral compass.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 34 stories

Reality

Submitted to Contest #102

I stared helplessly at my brother who was lying on the hotel bed, fast asleep. His head rested peacefully on the hotel’s white pillows, and his body lay still under the white sheets. It’s a wonder what a little action in the night can make one do. He wasn’t partying, or drinking, or even smoking for that matter. It was much worse than all combined. It forced us to stay an extra day when we were so close to home. It forced everyone’s hopes and dreams and even sanity to lower a bit. It caused my mom more stress and aching. I mean, who wou...

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Two Wildflowers

Submitted to Contest #102

It was the third or fourth day waiting for it. I was there, in the Field of Flowers, for hours… preying on it. My father told me that he had seen the deer around, a lovely male one; unfortunately, on that occasion, he didn’t have his rifle with him since dad was riding Grey Storm, his finest Andalusian horse. Dad enjoys spending time with his horses, deep love between them. There’s something between horses and men as much as dogs and men. Mother Earth planned it all from the beginning: to make men fall in love with these 2 faithful s...

31 likes 6 comments 6
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Good Man

Submitted to Contest #102

The air was cool in the morning when he stepped out onto his porch to head to work. This was to be expected in early October, and he was thankful for it. The summer had been a hot one, and he’d been ready for the opportunity to break out his jacket and long sleeve shirts by the end of August. But, unfortunately, the summer heat had held firm throughout most of September. Now though, the heat had finally broken, and he was looking forward to the brisk air of fall. He turned, checking to ensure he’d locked the door before he made his way dow...

28 likes 7 comments 7
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The Grocer

Submitted to Contest #102

THE GROCER The bell on the grocer’s shop door tinkled. Mr Oxenham turned to his customers with a smile. ‘Good morning Mrs Miller. Hello Emily.’ ‘Good morning, Mr. Oxenham,’ Mrs Miller replied. ‘Say hello to Mr Oxenham, Emily.’ Emily was six, a pretty little girl with soft brown hair. She looked at her feet. ‘Hello Mr Oxenham.’ She quickly lifted her eyes to meet his, then resumed her foot watching. ‘Speak up dear. Mr Oxenham can’t hear when you speak so softly.’ ‘That’s alright Mrs Miller.’ Harry reached into the jar of jellybeans, sel...

25 likes 6 comments 6
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A Blade's Purpose

Submitted to Contest #102

TW: abuse, murder, violence Many have asked if I hold no regard for human life. My answer remains the same: Nothing could be further from the truth. Life is quite valuable. I’d be out of a job if it wasn’t. Every man has his price, as they say, though I suspect most mean it differently than I. Life, death, and the gold in between are my specialties. Today, things are complicated. My client meets me in the Warrens, the ramshackle neighborhood thrown together out of driftwood and spare cloth and no small amount of mud. There’s a dugout that ac...

23 likes 8 comments 8
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A Nice Person

Submitted to Contest #102

It was a running joke that he thought too much, the kind of running joke that becomes such a common occurrence only because it isn’t actually a joke. It was always said in a jokey tone, but it was always really meant as a warning, a reminder of the need for perspective and to take a break from the ever growing tree of thoughts he was climbing. He knew he thought too much, didn’t know what exactly they expected him to do about that, but he appreciated the reminder nonetheless, it did the job every time; shook the ground beneath his feet just ...

21 likes 5 comments 5
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Battle of Wits.

Submitted to Contest #102

Kevin sits in the principal's office. The nurse is taking care of the bleeding cuts on his arms and face. A raccoon sits in a cage placed on a table in the corner of the room. Principal Greg, a man with greying black hair, looks at the student for an extended period of time.Step 1: Create a tense atmosphere.A reset game of chess sits on his desk. All day, Greg had been racking his brains on how the chess master aka the tiny librarian beat him. He didn't know her name and it was too late to ask anyway. "So what exactly was your plan?" Gr...

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Incontrovertible

Submitted to Contest #102

“Is it possible to be so intrenched in your values that you become immune…yes, immune to the ability to understand another’s intrenched views rooted in what they deem morality. Or if you don’t want to go that far or deep, ethics?” “I hear your question, and yet don’t really understand the moral conflict, unless the person is not entirely sure of the beliefs they claim they hold. I see it all the time. Just look at the variety of religions that surround us, and the lack of diversity based on exactly the same premise, “That God ...

19 likes 1 comment 1
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The Same Fear That Held Me Back Now Helps Me

Submitted to Contest #102

As true as it is, I’ve always hated the line, “all good things must come to an end.” It has never made sense to me. What am I supposed to do when it all ends? ‘The End’ has never considered how it would impact me. What about my emotions? All that time I spent investing my thoughts and feelings only to find out that it would come to an end.  Seated on the floor, I leaned my back against the wall and started conversing with an old friend. Timor (footnote: Timor is Latin for fear ) sits and listens to what I say, holding my hands in his c...

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Marmalade Pie

Submitted to Contest #102

Thin pillow underneath my head was soaked. I hadn’t notice that I was sweating heavily from the nightmare. Something sharp poked my ribs, the sharpen wood. Some simple weapon that I made for myself, in case another bad man decided to kill my father’s lineage once again. Not more than one moon passed by, I was more than I am now. In every way possible. More woman than object, I thought. The thought came as often as the rumbling rain that washes over this forsaken city, London. Not more than a year ago, a man was just a man, no more than what ...

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Ending with Satisfaction

Submitted to Contest #102

Jack made sure to let his boss know he was going on a mission through North Africa and the Middle East to preserve peace and provide resources. That was who he was. His boss told him he wasn’t guaranteed a spot when he came back but Jack didn’t care. He’d been saving up for this, so he can make his mark on the world. His wife decided not to come which inevitably ended their relationship. Jack had fought hard for her and their son but this was something he always dreamed of. The moment he arrived in Somalia he placed himself in a homeless she...

15 likes 1 comment 1
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The Hidden

Submitted to Contest #102

"Why won't you marry me?" "I'm 17, Peter. There are things I want to do before I get married." "Other girls marry at your age, Karin. Don't you love me?" I was an old argument. It seemed to come up every few weeks nowadays. Maybe Warsaw, Poland in 1941 made the young feel they had to hurry with life. Karin's brother, Alex, and his friends already had been declared "ethnic Germans" and drafted to fight with the Nazis. Peter, at 23, was considered a cripple; a childhood injury left him with a limp. He wouldn't be a soldier, but they coul...

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The Truth of a Rumor

N S

Submitted to Contest #102

“Did you hear the news?” “What news?”  “Nuke launch from the agency.” “You’re kidding!” "There's no way." A few people scuttled around, trying to catch a whiff of what was going on.  “I wish.” The rumor began to drag in crowds of reporters, scavenging for any picture or quote they could get. People bustled inside and outside the agency office, paying no care to the barriers or agents. Such a crowd was not normal. Such a rumor was definitely not normal. The only normal was the two agents in black suits watching over everyon...

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The Lion of God

Submitted to Contest #102

When I read this topic, only one name came to my mind: Ali Ibn Abi Talib, The Lion of God. He is not just revered by Muslims, but he is a universally beloved figure. For the duration of this essay, I will refer to him as Maula Ali. The word ‘Maula’ has many different meanings itself, but to me it means a leader, a helper. A guardian.Maula Ali was one of the first converts to Islam and he was a protegee of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. He was an accomplished warrior, in-fact his name alone was enough to send a shiver down the enemy’s spine. But ...

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Making It Right

Submitted to Contest #102

If I close my eyes, I could imagine I am in the right place. I could drape myself in the gentle whites and glittering silvers of my wedding gown, interpret the throbbing beat of a hundred foot soldier’s boots against the dock as trumpets and drums, change the soft sweaty hand in mines into the gentle clasp of a man’s rough fingers. If I close my eyes, my country wouldn’t have been burnt to ashes and dreams, and I wouldn’t be waiting to board the blood and sweat and tear stained deck of a slave galley. I wouldn’t be gazing at rows of sil...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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