The Retreat
- Reads 456
- Votes 67
- Parts 6
MatureOngoing20m
Last published Sun, Mar 15, 2020
An aspiring novelist opens her mind to more than just a reawakening of creativity when she escapes the city to attend a writing retreat in a small mountain town.
°°° °°° °°°
Alexandra Stone and five other writers from across the country and abroad flee to the secluded and acclaimed Strykowski Family cabin. Hoping to purge the words within her that have taken a year to come out, Lex seeks comfort and support at the retreat surrounded by like-minded peers within the snow-dappled woods. After a childish dare ignites a chain of events that both mystify and frighten her, she soon comes to doubt whether her scintillating dreams and spine-chilling nightmares truly are just bizarre affectations of a bruised and hungry mind.
°°° °°° °°°
This is my submission for the Open Novella Contest 2020 -- Prompts #49 and #15
**This story is strictly for 18+ readers. You have been warned.**
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Christmas at the Cabin | ONC 2023 (Complete)
Determined and quick thinking, Amelia Conti is okay on her own. She's also an expert in outdoor sports. So when her boss offers her the winter hike of a lifetime, she says yes even before she knows who she'll be guiding. Or how much it will pay. If she'd taken the time to research the man who bought the last-minute premium tour, a demanding CEO named Damien Serrano, she might have reconsidered her answer. Well, maybe not. It is an absurd amount of money. He's grumpy to her sunshine, Christmas-lover to her Christmas dread, and the kind of man used to getting what he wants. Arrogance might work in a boardroom, but on the side of a mountain in the middle of winter, it's a hazard. If Damien can't learn to relinquish some control, they might not make it to the end of the hike alive. But everything comes to a head when an unexpected weather event pushes them even closer together. Water meets fire and something has to give. The question is, who will bend first? ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! This story is based primarily on prompt 13. "You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life!"Complete
The Lease Up
Rescued from a blind date from hell, a career woman's one night stand with her would be savior has unforeseen consequences. **** Up and coming New York apartment manager, Vanessa Torres' life is going perfectly according to her five year plan. Well, everything except in the love department, but that will come later. On cloud nine from her recent promotion, she agrees to go on a blind date arranged by her friend. Little does she know her squeaky clean life is about to turn upside down, following a one night stand with a handsome stranger, who saves her from the disastrous set-up. Reputable, lease up closer, Gabriel Tate, loves to live life by the game of chance, with no long term plans in mind. Blessed with Adonis-like looks and a charming personality he's used to getting what he wants when he wants until one flip of a coin changes his life forever. Their lives become entangled in a heated competition to fulfill rental contracts for their respective employers, not to mention running in the same social circles within the apartment industry. They soon realize change and compromise are necessary not only within their careers but also life and neither expected to find love during the chaotic and dysfunctional rivalry. Open Novella Contest 2023 Prompts: #5 Flip a coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare? #25 "If he smiled at you, he'll break your heart. If she winked at you, she'll rip you apart. #39 On a blind date with a complete mismatch, you're increasingly uncomfortable , but too polite to leave. Then an attractive stranger comes over and gives you an out. © 2023 LJRaeComplete
Thirteen Points of Light
After a night on the town, Sarah wakes up to a miserable hangover. But it's nothing compared to what comes next. After attempting to light a cigarette, she feels that something isn't quite right. Soon she'll discover that everything is very wrong. My entry in the Open Novella Contest III, Feb 2020. April 28. Just got the news that Thirteen Points has made it through the second round. Now I have to finish by May 5th. I'm not as far along as I had hoped at this point, but I'm sure I can make it. May 4th. 12:10 am. Finished. Submitted. Good night. May 20th. Well, 13 Points made the Long List. I have no idea how many original entries there were but about 940 made the first cut. There's 150 on the Long List. Not bad for my first time out. Now we'll wait and see how we fare on the Short List. May 30th. Well, Sarah and company didn't make the Short List. I can't say I'm disappointed though. This was my first attempt at this type of writing . Thanks for reading and voting. Now back to Short Story writing If you are also in the ONC, Good Luck and have fun!Complete
The Advocate and the Storyteller
In the radiant Upper City, beneath the scorching heat of a summer lunch break, a woman sits every day on a park bench, lost in a book, trying to escape her troubles. A writer in the shadows, she struggles to keep her small bookstore afloat after a difficult divorce. One day, a stranger sits beside her. He's a lawyer. He loves literature. He has noticed her before. For no apparent reason, he takes an interest in her, supports her, encourages her to believe in her own worth. But when he uncovers her story, he decides to help her reclaim what should have always been hers. A battle that will not come without risks-because some truths are meant to stay buried. A story of resilience, unexpected friendship, and courage, where providence sometimes takes the form of a stranger with the soul of a guardian angel. ☾ This is a story-chat I created with an AI.Complete
The Rapunzels
Confined to the family's estate since birth, three sisters have never seen the outside world. Taught they are unable to leave home due to their long hair, Lexi, Lulu, and Fia secretly envy their volatile father and narcissistic mother whose short locks allow them to come and go whenever they wish. Raised believing their grandparents live in the TV set, the young women's knowledge about the outside world is skewed. On the eve of Fia's eighteenth birthday, life as they know it is altered when the girls find a young man unconscious in their yard. Believing he is an angel, they hide him in the guest house. Soon Fia's feelings for the man bloom and she finds herself sneaking to the guest house to be with him. When the lies the sisters have been told begin to unravel, Fia decides she will do whatever it takes to escape. The only thing holding her back is her long dark hair. Dogtooth x Rapunzel x The Castle of Purity Warning for abuse, swearing, romantic themes, alcohol addiction, blood, and typical Christine darkness. There is no SA. Best rank: #1 IN OPENNOVELLACONTEST2024 I started writing this story for the ONC 2024. Due to work and life, I could not finish it for the contest. Which made me sad...but I continued...at a snail's pace. Thanks to everyone who kept reading!Complete
Second Ave Series: Ac-Counting on You (WLW)
Agoraphobic Gwen Murray was scarred in a freak accident in her youth that left her with burns on around twelve percent of her body and many years of ridiculing bullying from not only children, but adults alike. With a history as such, it's no surprise that she isn't very well adjusted to going outdoors. However, as fearful as she is to face the relentless torment once again, she hates feeling as if her life is on permanent standby. All she's ever desired is true happiness -- don't we all -- and with words of encouragement from not only her therapist, but her little brother as well, she is ready to take another step forward. Although, what she hadn't expected was the person who out of nowhere joined her stark journey. Bookstore and cafe owner Michal "Brook" Bluestone was raised mostly in Israel, though her parents desired a full life for her and moved them to join a bulk of their family in the US upon her coming out. Years later, she has two thriving businesses, a giant family only an hours drive away and a network of friends. There's only one thing missing from her life -- love -- and now more than ever, she is ready to find what she deems her "forever girl" with how well life is going. Still, after using dating apps and all encounters failing, she fears love may not be in the cards for her until a skittish woman walks into her cafe, forever changing her world. WC: 53,378k ⚠️Trigger Warning: This novel contains elements of agoraphobia and pervasive psychological trauma. ❤ Mature/Erotic Content ⚢ Lesbian Romance/Lit 📚 1st Draft Complete as of 07/03/2024. My novels are completely off-limits to any adaptations and if plagiarized, you will be reported!!!Complete
Exit Wounds
Harley had a bright future ahead of her, but that dream died a long time ago. ***** Harley vowed she would never return to the city that broke her heart, but old wounds never stop hurting if you keep poking at them. When the phone rings, the city stops, and she's summoned back, she discovers some doors are better left closed. Those you open might never be locked again. ***** WARM HANDS #0.5 Open Novella Contest 2023 -- prompts 42, 45, & 69 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2023 ROUND 2 WINNER]] © 2023 caterina george // all rights reservedComplete
We've Been Here Before
"Something about this place, this cabin, was far too familiar. And a voice in the back of my head told me that I shouldn't have come." - Five friends head to a remote cabin for a carefree spring break: no parents, no rules, no problems. However, all five of them have secrets, some more deadly than others. And when they arrive at the cabin, things feel...off. Time moves strangly, they have unsettling visions, and soon, they all start feeling a sense of déjà vu. As paranoia kicks in and their own secrets come out, the group of friends start to question what's really going on. Is it the cabin, or is it them?Complete
Determined and quick thinking, Amelia Conti is okay on her own. She's also an expert in outdoor sports. So when her boss offers her the winter hike of a lifetime, she says yes even before she knows who she'll be guiding. Or how much it will pay. If she'd taken the time to research the man who bought the last-minute premium tour, a demanding CEO named Damien Serrano, she might have reconsidered her answer. Well, maybe not. It is an absurd amount of money. He's grumpy to her sunshine, Christmas-lover to her Christmas dread, and the kind of man used to getting what he wants. Arrogance might work in a boardroom, but on the side of a mountain in the middle of winter, it's a hazard. If Damien can't learn to relinquish some control, they might not make it to the end of the hike alive. But everything comes to a head when an unexpected weather event pushes them even closer together. Water meets fire and something has to give. The question is, who will bend first? ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! This story is based primarily on prompt 13. "You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life!"
More detailsContent Guidelines