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“Include the words “That’s not what I meant” or “That went sideways” in your story. ”

Posted in Dialogue on Apr 17, 2026

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✍️ 36 stories

I've Said Too Much

Weekly Contest #351

Martin Hale didn’t speak immediately.He just watched Aaron. The city flickered behind him, reflected in the glass like something alive—restless, electrical, waiting. Aaron felt it in his chest before he understood it. This wasn’t a meeting. It was a test. Aaron sat on the edge of the chair. Too straight. Too aware of his hands. He hadn’t slept. Hadn’t stopped talking.And now Martin was looking at him like he already knew the ending. He had spent three years in a damp basement, building Aether: an AI model so advanced it bordered on the super...

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Everything In Its Place

Weekly Contest #351

Everything In Its Place Jack’s Story I don’t understand. It was just an accident, but everyone keeps acting like accidents have to mean something.It started when Mum said I should try volunteering at a charity shop because she thought I might enjoy it. Before that, I’d spent a few months in a restaurant kitchen. It was ok at first, but then the chef left. They got a new one who wanted me to change my shifts. Also, everyone was running round like headless chickens. I mean, even more than usual.When people sent the food back and complained, th...

28 likes 16 comments 16
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The Shared Root

Weekly Contest #351

The Shared Root The spade hit something that didn't ring like stone or crunch like pine. It thudded—a wet, heavy sound that vibrated up the hickory handle, traveled through my tensed forearms, and settled deep in my collarbone like a dull ache. Under the porch, where the air tasted of saltpeter and the dry, metallic dust of dead crickets, I stopped. My breath came in ragged shudders, the kind that made my ribs feel too small for my chest. It was my turn to bleed for the inheritance. Every Elder since the Civil War had demanded this ritual: ...

14 likes 8 comments 8
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Press

Weekly Contest #351

A stair creaked, but Bridget was sure she’d stepped over the noisy one. She balanced in her socked feet, straining her eyes for any signs of movement. The halls of Pinecrest Academy for Girls were cloaked in darkness. Nobody should be out of their room—least of all, Bridget— but she was hunting for a trophy. It needn’t be anything specific. She wanted something that would fit in her palm; to hold in her hand or tote in her pocket when she needed it. A perpetual reminder that something belonged to her. There was another sound, the scuff of a ...

13 likes 23 comments 23
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Inheritance by Design

Weekly Contest #351

I want to smash his desk. That smug look on his face—how does the light hit him just right? Makes him look so damn punchable. He smiles, completely oblivious to how close I am to screaming.“How does that make you feel?”“How’s a stupid picture of a barn supposed to tell you anything about me?”“Humor me.”I hate that phrase. No one's laughing. “I don’t know. It makes me feel itchy. This is stupid.”“Why don’t you tell me more about your week? Did anything new happen at home?”“I don’t understand why I’m here. You could just sign the stupid paper ...

10 likes 13 comments 13
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33rd and First

Weekly Contest #351

She had lived thirty-three different lives, yet she was still an absolute failure. “No, wait. That came out wrong.” Spencer groaned, removing his metal frames to rub both temples.But it was too late, it came out.Aya felt like he had taken a vacuum and sucked the air from her lungs. And then sent it straight back at her ears. She couldn’t tell if the crowded cafe had gone quiet or if the noise had been drowned out by the wind roaring down her canals. If only that wind could blow across her face. She thought she could probably fry an egg on he...

9 likes 5 comments 5
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The Habit

Weekly Contest #351

Most want to get the full story. I don’t. Not a preference, though no matter how much I wish it were, it was an habitual instinct to dig in against neat closings. Because the truth of the matter was, none of us usually got even our own full story. It would end. Abruptly, likely confusingly, terrifyingly, and it would end. We’d not like it either way. We’d barely have time to think about it. Perhaps a thought of the unfairness, or the pain. It’s why I hated writing them. The end. Two words that held the smallest accomplishment and eventually ...

8 likes 8 comments 8
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The Call Within

Weekly Contest #351

My therapist suggested that I keep a journal. For a long time, I couldn’t gather my thoughts. But finally, I forced myself to take a pen and a notebook and began writing down everything that was in my head.It was 8 p.m. I turned on the desk lamp, opened the notebook and… froze. I decided to write about my afternoon dream. My hand seemed to move on its own across the page, describing the rain outside the window, the cat curled up asleep at my feet. Then, in my dream, a phone began to ring. I picked it up. On the other end, I heard a man argui...

8 likes 3 comments 3
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Anguish Contained

Weekly Contest #351

“Well, hello Bella. It seems today’s the day! How are you feeling?” Bella shifted excitedly in her seat, pushing out words joyously through a large grin. “I’m excited, I really hope it works.” “It definitely should. Dr. Biagi has full confidence. She had mentioned to me that it may have been a more intensive year than you both had anticipated, but she says your results are perfect now. You’ll finally get to take that head band off!” Bella ran her fingers down her smooth scalp and across the glistening platinum band that had replaced her hair...

7 likes 3 comments 3
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You Wanted This

Weekly Contest #351

Maayan slammed his bedroom door shut and flung his backpack onto the floor. “Hello, Maayan. How was your day?” “It sucked,” Maayan muttered. “Jade, play me something decent.” “With pleasure,” Jade answered. The opening chords of Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams immediately filled the room. Maayan managed a small smile and collapsed onto his bed. “Rough day?” Jade asked. Maayan let out an unintelligible groan. “I’m not in the mood for a debrief.” “Sure,” said Jade. “Perhaps a cup of hot chocolate would help?” “And how exactly are you going to make m...

7 likes 8 comments 8
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Pumpkin Seeds

Weekly Contest #351

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a little boy, and nothing dimmed his heart. Connell he was named, and Koda he was called. His elder brother warned him. For he was the chosen one to lead. Down the hills they went and past the streams they walked. His elder brother warned him, but Koda paid no heed. Down the hill he fell, and lost his way he did. But buoyant Koda was, for nothing dimmed his heart.He wiped his hands on his shirt as best as he could and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his feet. He took one spin around hims...

7 likes 5 comments 5
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Wizard

Weekly Contest #351

tw. suicide suggestion Wizard It was in the side-access tunnel of the Dover to Folkestone line that Lucy first began to question the wisdom of exploring the darker places of the earth with a guy she barely knew. But she liked his stories. She'd considered her propensity for attracting 'project men' as they squeezed their way throughthe rusted steel grid bolted to the tunnel entrance. There were gaps, broken-toothed spaces with bars bent inwards. Still, he forced his way through bulky motorcycle jacket and all, losing a few metal buttons in t...

5 likes 2 comments 2
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You Do Not Know Me

Weekly Contest #351

You cannot see me. Some do not know I am here. Some fear me. Some wish to embrace me. But I am here, waiting. Until I have to come. Until you must be taken, whether I want to or not. My dear Abrina, for example. She cries for me, nightly. Lying on her bed, carpet, or cold, hard tiles. I listen, though she does not know. I cry for her, covering my face, lest anyone see. I have a reputation, one which mortals have taken and run with. I am often pictured, hard and terrifying, seen as something to push away. I understand why. “Abrina, are you...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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Margin of Error

Weekly Contest #351

The message was only twelve words long. Kovács read it twice before sending, thumb hovering over the encrypted transmit key. He had spent twenty years of his career learning how to say exactly enough—and never more. Too much detail could expose an operation. Too little could ruin one. This message walked that line. TARGET CONFIRMED. PROCEED WITH CLEAN SWEEP AT FIRST LIGHT. NO SURVIVORS. It was meant for a small, trusted team stationed across the border. They were waiting for his confirmation to move on a weapons cache hidden in an abandoned ...

5 likes 0 comments 0
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Zion

Weekly Contest #351

Tia excitedly walked down the hall. She knew what today was. It was Creation Day. The very day that everyone in Zion was created. Every year the Master creates a new citizen of Zion. Every year a citizen is selected to guide the Masters new creation in the ways and rules of Zion. This year it was Tia's year to guide.As Tia headed down the hall, almost skipping, she saw two other citizens walking through.“Greetings Tia!” they said.“Happy Creation Day!” Tia said excitedly.Tia made her way to the grand hall. This was the place where she was cre...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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