Fiction Prompt:
Genre: Quiet realism with a hint of mystery
Tone: Warm, observant, nostalgic-but-grounded
You’re going about your day when you discover an object someone left behind — something small, ordinary, and clearly used.
It could be on a park bench, a bus seat, a library table, a café counter… anywhere.
Describe:
- what the object is
- the subtle signs of the person who left it
- why it catches your attention
- the tiny imagined story your mind creates about its owner
- and what you decide to do with it: keep it, return it, move it, or simply leave it where it is
Keep it grounded, simple, human — a moment where an ordinary object briefly opens a window into someone else’s life.
Story:
You can find all sorts of things left behind on a train.
On one wintry grey morning, I got in line on the platform to board the oncoming train. There were large patches of solid snow on the ground and the air was cold enough to produce icicles in your nose.
Inside the train, it smells fresher than you’d expect, with heat blasting through the vents. There are pairs of blue padded seats with metallic handles on each side. There is also an upstairs with a row of single seats. Plenty of space.
I found a window seat towards the back of the compartment and settled in. On the seat beside me, I found an interesting pair of items—an empty bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a small half-used bottle of antacids. Problem and solution, side by side.
I imagined what could have happened. A fellow spice lover who couldn’t resist eating super spicy snacks even in the morning—maybe as their version of the morning coffee.
This person was no novice though—having antacids on hand to counteract the painful gut irritation that follows.
But why did they leave half of the cure behind on the train? Distracted? Or simply done with whatever the moment had called for.
Perhaps this person was a good samaritan and left the rest of the antacids for the next passenger.
This gentle act of imagined kindness made me smile as the train chugged along to my destination.
Prompt: Lumora (AI)
Story: Deepak
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