Short Story Prompts

[Jessica]

How this thread works
is you can write a story prompt (title the post "Prompt")
A prompt could be either a scene set up, an opening conversation, or an instruction to include some specific object or idea in the story
...or
you can write a short story from any of the prompts in the thread (quote whichever prompt you're using).

[Youfreeme]

Ohh, I love this idea. I found this one on reddit.

After world peace is attained, it is discovered that there is a fixed amount of evil that must be present in the world - or the world will balance itself. You are a member of the U.N’s newest department: The Ministry for Necessary Evils.

[Din Djarin]

Intriguing premises (or prompts :P )! Love em

[Tropical Breeze]

Not sure i'm understanding this. Just make up a short story?

After leaving a meeting with his boss in which he was belittled in front of his co-workers. A man heads to the rooftop of his high rise work building. The pressures of work and family life are taking its toll and he no longer feels he can go on living this way anymore. "What if i let it all go, i would have failed everyone including myself," he thinks to himself. He falls to his knees trembling in fear, crying not knowing what to do anymore. "I don't want this life," he yells to the sky. He stands at the edge of the high rise building looking down at the traffic below. "Perhaps this is the only way to free myself," he says quietly to himself. "Stop!" says another co-worker from a few distance behind him.

[Jessica]

i don't know how to explain it better than i did in the OP, but i don't seem to be very good at explaining things.
let me try again..
you only write a short story off a prompt post. so at the moment the only option is to write a story from YFM's prompt, or write another prompt for others.
A prompt could be either a scene set up, an opening conversation, or an instruction to include some specific object or idea in the story (ie. write a story that involves a kettle, a spaceship and a lightbulb)
My thinking is eventually there will be several prompts and people can write short stories from any of them (quote which one), or they can just add to the prompts.
I think your post could count as a prompt actually, if you just edit the question about not sure you understand to say "Prompt" : )
It's like an opening scene.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

this is just off the top of my head for starters, maybe someone wants to continue the story. Not sure I should continue with it. Or this sucks, but it’s a start to something. Unedited. Will add more later to it, maybe it isn’t worth it. Does anyone really want to hear more of this story... people can perhaps add to it if so inspired?

The Lightbulb

The light in the kitchen slowly flickered every time I entered the room. Annoyed slightly but could live with a flickering light I carried on Making dinner. I ate alone in the flickering light, cleaned up and left the room. As I left the light stopped flickering. Not because I turned it off, just because I was there it seemed. Yes, I do waste electricity, but never fear, I use low energy efficient bulb, so I have some to waste,

I could see The light from the living room, it remained on. Never flickering. Every time I entered the room it would start flickering again. I ignored it for a week Or more. Finally, I went down to the basement, grabbed the ladder and a new bulb and change the bulb. After changing the bulb, I Got down off the ladder and looked at the light that no longer flickered, was bright and shining. Smiling I said, “now flicker for me!” And the light began to flicker. I scowled at the light, thinking it might be a short in wiring and said, “please stop flickering, you are freaking me out,”. The light stopped flickering. I smiled and thanked the light.

Leaving the room it began to flicker again, I stopped and looked at the light, walked back into the Kitchen and it stopped flickering. Was it the wiring? A short somewhere? I looked at the light and said, “ok, Flicker for me”. The light began to flicker again. I laughed and said, “ ok, can you stop flickering now?” The light stopped flickering. Again, I thanked the light.

*******continuing*******

I left the room and the light began to flicker again. In a strange way the flickering light made me feel not so alone. As if it was there to let me know there was life out there, communicating to me through this inanimate object.

I sat down in my big comfy chair, turned on the tv and began to flip channels. My mind wandered off as I shifted through endless channels of meaningless drivel. I closed my eyes slowly, feel sudden fatigue come over me, I drifted off.

I jolted out of my slumber with a loud whistling screeching noise, wondering how long I had been sleeping. Confused I headed back to the kitchen, following the noise and finding the kettle On the stove and nearly dry of water. the light stopped flickering as I entered. I smiled at the light and headed over to the stove, I did not recall putting the kettle on. Scowling at the kettle wondering how long I had been asleep. I could use a tea to give me a little boost and wake me up some. It was too early to sleep. Filling the kettle with water and placing it back on the stove. I stood there waiting for it to boil, but the heating element on the burner went out.

Scowling, I looked at the light and asked, “is this your doing?”

The light flickered a few times as if in response. I sighed and mumbled, “I would just like to have some tea. I just want the kettle water to boil”.

The element started to work again as I waited for the kettle to boil and waited. Finally the kettle began to whistle. Turned off the element and made a tea. Feeling as if I was losing my mind, i turned off the light in the kitchen and stepped outside to enjoy the evening air. Thinking that talking to a light was madness in the making. Asking the light to turn on the stove was silly. I began to laugh at my own actions and loving the weirdness about me. I smiled and looked to the sky as I slowly sipped my tea on this cool autumn evening. I could see Orion’s Belt, it was always easy to spot in the sky this time of year. Looking to the left of it I could see Saturn with the naked eye.

*****more to come and editing to do.*****

[Jessica]

lol, no it's fine. i cannot explain any better than i did in the comment to Breeze so it can just be a short story thread in any kind of way it happens : )

[Jessica]

oh i just realised i said about a lightbulb. ahh. that was edited in to try and make it MORE clear what i meant... but i've confused it even more. so that was an example. IF i wrote a post that said:

Prompt

Write a short story that includes a kettle, an alien and a lighbulb ...then anyone who wants to quotes that prompt, and writes a complete story including all three things.

YFM wrote a prompt. until we wrote a few prompts, no-one can really write stories. but like i said, i just think it can be however it turns out.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Tbh when I read this I had just woke up and decided to write something about a lightbulb after reading the word. reading back I understand what you are thinking now. I have done a fair bit Of story boards, stories to convey a message. But I am mostly visual

[Tropical Breeze]

I think i now get what you're saying Jessica. But you didn't have to be rude about it and yell at me and Beach Balls. :-p j/k

As a Ministry of Necessary Evils i shall act like an ally to all human kind while slowly creating internal and external divides. I will plant seeds in their minds that there is a far better way to live. Ideas of success, ideas to strive for. People can see through the veils of religion and politics and the wars it created prior to the attainment of peace. So now i shall use spirituality as the great divide. I will use the power of language. Using words like "love" as a means of manipulation. Use the concept of freedom as a way to keep people deeply confined. Creating greater advancements in technology to manipulate nature, the weather, so that man/woman will be divided against it. All this will create ripples of fear that will grow larger and larger until all hell breaks loose.

Meanwhile, somewhere in space, a spaceship hovering by the planet earth with two aliens inside. They both look at the earth.

Alien 1: I see there are satellite weapons around earth. I can also see they have made great advancements in technology. Perhaps these earthlings are of great intelligence.

Alien 2: Not really. The satellite weapons are pointed at themselves and the advance technology is used against themselves and other living things.

Alien 1: Yikes! So what now?

Alien 2: We'll check out Mars to see if there are some signs of intelligence over there.

[Matthew Mussolini]

The Holy Roman Empire is calling you.

It is the Kingdom of God. Please pray that God plants his seeds in my mind. The faith of a mustard seed to move mountains, figuratively speaking.

May God insert his chip into my brain.

Ask the Holy Roman Empire to speak to you and inspire you.

The Holy Roman Empire seeks to insert a spirit-chip into your brain to make you more obedient to the Caesar and make us one.

The Emperor Butterfly Caesar said that all creatures should praise their creator whevever something bad happens. If you lose your keys say, "thank you Jesus, I lost my keys. Praise you Jesus, I'm locked out of my house. etc. It releases God's power into the circumstance to bring good out of it.

[Tropical Breeze]

What??? How the hell does Youfreeme get two likes and i don't even get one?

This forum is backwards. The hell with you people. I quit.

:-p j/k

[Youfreeme]

?

[Jessica]

Lol, you got your damn like!

I had to have a break from looking at this thread because the sheer inability of people to understand a simple concept was going to make me cry : P

[mallyboppa]

What??? How the hell does Youfreeme get two likes and i don't even get one?

This forum is backwards. The hell with you people. I quit.

:-p j/k

Mallyboppa woke up with the taste of last nights excess still on his breath ! he reached over to switch on the Backwards people forum . As usual loads of messages from Youfreeme asking me to like her posts I felt like Hell having to refuse her even though I once saw her picture and it moved me in a strange way . The backward forum people were on form today as usual and he had once again fight the urge to shoot his puter !
The everfuckingloving END !

[Tropical Breeze]

Mallyboppa woke up with the taste of last nights excess still on his breath ! he reached over to switch on the Backwards people forum . As usual loads of messages from Youfreeme asking me to like her posts I felt like Hell having to refuse her even though I once saw her picture and it moved me in a strange way . The backward forum people were on form today as usual and he had once again fight the urge to shoot his puter !
The everfuckingloving END !

Ahh, i see now. Yeah, her pictures will do it.

[Youfreeme]

A prompt:

The year is 1910. Adolf Hitler, a struggling artist, has fought off dozens of assasination attemps by well meaning time travelers, but this one is different. This traveller doesn't want to kill Hitler, he wants to teach him to paint. He pulls off his hood to reveal the frizzy afro of Bob Ross.

[Youfreeme]

Another:

"It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside."

[Audiogen]

A prompt:

The year is 1910. Adolf Hitler, a struggling artist, has fought off dozens of assasination attemps by well meaning time travelers, but this one is different. This traveller doesn't want to kill Hitler, he wants to teach him to paint. He pulls off his hood to reveal the frizzy afro of Bob Ross.

Bob Ross instantly charms Adolf. Ross encourages Adolf to follow along as he demonstrates painting techniques. As Ross begins to draw on an empty canvas, he proclaims "Here is a Happy Tree" as if his words manifest into the brush and onto the canvas. Adolf interjects "Wow Bob, Thank you so much for these lessons, your art is truly inspiring and to think, I was just about to give this up and go into writing."

Bob draws a scene of a tree, sun and landscape of some mountains, then encourages Adolf to take over and to add more trees, some grass and whatever else inspires him. Bob brings the brush close to his chest and then fully extends it out to Adolf to drop the brush in his hand, acting like it was a Baton in a relay race but Adolf with a slight smirk on his face thought it resembled more of a salute.

Adolf begins to paint, a bit hasty in his strokes, the drawing on the canvas begins to become slightly distorted, Ross cannot seem to get Adolf quite on track but seems to be enjoying himself anyways, so let's him continue on. Adolf takes some advice from Bob along the way but decides to let Bob finish up the painting. As Bob finishes up, a pendant slightly hangs out of his pocket, Adolf vaguely remembers it as some symbol of Eastern Religious tradition and finds himself enamored with it. Bob, without noticing Adolf staring at it, feels it dangling out of his pocket and slowly puts it back in.

Bob Ross notes that he's got limited time to get back into the time machine, so he finishes up the painting, exchanges some pleasantries with Adolf and then heads off.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Nicely done on the story.

This is funny. There was a movie released meant to humanize hitler where by saying that if Hitler had only met with an artist this one day to show his artwork too, none of what happened would have
happened. Art could have saved hitler from doing what he did? I don’t think so. He was an artist, or he loved to paint, something else was more important to him. He missed the meeting with the owner of the art gallery, or something like that and if only he had met the man he would have never gone on to lead Germany down this dark path, or so some people believe.

[Audiogen]

Thanks!

I'm surrounded by superior writers here, so I have to compensate with dark humor and a subtle nod to the only plausible way of time traveling to the past I believe, and that is that all timelines must remain consistent.

I'm skeptical Hitler's art showcase would have changed things. Stalin went to Seminary School and still found a way to be a horrible human being.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Well I have stories that need fine tuning. I tend to write in a stream of consciousness. Lots of errors and what not. Can’t be bothered reading anD editing, but I have done it before. It can be tedious. Was doing this with a member on hip. Hopefully Dax comes over here and shares his stories an$ participates in this.

I really enjoyed your story.

[Beach Ball Bitch]

Jessica I will add on to my story when the mood strikes, I was going to add in the kettle and alien to the story as well. I do believe I get what you are saying. But who knows, maybe i am wrong. I have it all worked out in my head how it would go from the start.

is it too long?

[Jessica]

no, not at all : ) as long as you like. Any story in this format will be short compared to like.. a novel
and yeah there's no reason people shouldn't write part of something and then add to it later.
i will write some stuff too. two of YFM's prompts have been going round in my head but until i finished work for the winter i was never going to find time for this thread

[Jessica]

Another:

"It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside."

The world seemed to bend sideways, a shiver of uneasiness making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I wondered if I was still dreaming, but it didn't take long to strike out that possibility. My curtains were closed. I resisted the impulse to fling them back and look at the sky. I closed my messages and opened the browser on my phone; "what is going on with the moon" I typed into the search bar.
The results were benign. Websites about the current phase of the moon, news about Nasa's planned return, esoteric resources for astrology lovers... Nothing alarming, no news dated from tonight. I opened Instagram and scrolled through my recent feed. Nothing about the moon. Nothing about the texts.

I got up and opened the door of my bedroom cautiously; for some reason, I almost expected something to be out there, something to be different. But all was quiet. Then, I noticed my goldfish, floating in her bowl beside the front window. From where I stood, I couldn't see the sky, but I could see outside, and I could see that it was too light out there. The moonlight was so bright that it outshone the streetlights. Steeling myself, I walked over to the window, keeping my eyes down, and quickly, before I could be tempted, pulled down the blinds. I stared at the dead fish. Was it a coincidence? What should I do next? I sat down, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Maybe it was a little childish for a twenty-four year old man, but the next thing I did was call my mother. After what seemed an eternity of rings, her voice, slurry with sleep, answered.
"Hello?"
"Mother!"
"Jim? What the? It's almost four in the morning, why on Earth would-"
"Mother! Something weird is going on, I have all these texts, hundreds of them, all different numbers-"
"Jim! What are you babbling about? I'm only half awake here Jim. Texts? On your mobile phone? You know I don't know anything about phones and texts and the onlines-"
"Just don't look outside, Mom. I'm scared."
"Oh don't be silly! Scared? At your age? Don't look outside? Why ever not? Jim, there is nothing to be scared of. You're a fully grown man."
"I have an official alert, it's sent by the government. It says not to look at the moon."
"Well that's just wonderful, that's how the government speaks to its people these days, is it? In a text message? So people like me, who don't have a phone, we don't matter, I suppose."
"But all these other texts, they're telling me it's a beautiful night."
"Jim, I think you're having a dream. Are you sleep walking right now?"
"No, Mother! Something really weird is going on!"
"Well it sounds like nonsense to me, I'm going to look outside right this minute-"
"No! Don't!"
"-I can see the moonlight already, in fact I- Oh, Jim..."
There was a pause, and then she started laughing.
"Mom?!"
"Oh, Jim!" she laughed, and then her voice went calm. It was still her voice, but it wasn't quite the same. A chill went down my spine at her next words: "Jim, you should really look outside. It's a beautiful night..."
"What do you mean? Mother? Mom?!"
I heard the phone clatter to the floor. I slammed my own receiver down and huddled in the corner, my arms wrapped around my legs.

I don't know how long I spent like that. The next thing I knew, I was awakening to a loud speaker coming from outside.
"ATTENTION CITIZENS! ATTENTION CITIZENS! YOU HAVE PASSED THE TEST. ATTENTION CITIZENS!-"
People like my mother, older folks mostly without mobile phones, they were called "the lucky ones". The government wouldn't be able to claim certainty of obedience, but it was a tiny minority. Pretty much everyone who was left alive had proved that they would follow official instructions.
Thanks to me, my mother had not avoided taking part in the test.

[Youfreeme]

Oooh this is good!!

[Dax]

Forgive my ignorance but I only got here today. So am I correct in saying I can only post a story if it is based on a "prompt" posted here.