STORY STARTER

“But I forgot my pants!”

Write a story that closes with this exact line. It does not have to be humorous, but the line must fit into the scene without being forced!

The Summer Of 96’

I’m always forgetting things, leaving things behind or losing things all together. It started at an early age, I blamed the sock monsters, the dust bunnies and the ear worms that wouldn’t let me forget some silly song but always made me lose track of why I entered a room. My mother always told me “ you’d forget your head if it weren’t attached to your own shoulders”. She wasn’t wrong, I could lose my glasses on my face if I didn’t remember where I put them. I was voted “most likely to forget when graduation day was” in high school. For once though I did not forget graduation day! It was the one thing I looked forward to! I was never very good at academic work but I loved learning ironically enough. I would eat up mythology anyway or anything related to world war 2. Sadly though, neither of those were classes at my school. I forgot a lot, because a part of me wanted to forget the broken town and the shitty childhood I had. My father died when I was nine and since then I hadn’t been the same. I never understood how it was fair that somebody decided to drink and drive and my dad had decided to come home instead of pick up overtime like he always did. His famous words that always stuck with me were “ forgive and forget” ya know the funny thing is, I still can’t forget the sound of my moms voice breaking when she answered the door to the police officers who had come to deliver the tragic news. She didn’t leave the bed for three full days, didn’t eat, didn’t talk. I know she must sound like a terrible mother but she lost her best friend second to me.. she lost the love of her life.. so when I got the chance to choose a college, I forgot about it and didn’t apply myself because I didn’t ever want to forget my mother.


It was graduation day now, I had woken up late. 12pm flashed across my alarm clock, I panicked because it didn’t have the right time but I was still way behind schedule. Real time was 9:45am, our ceremony was at 1030 and I had a 10 minute bike ride. Mom would already be on her way from the hospital where she worked as a LPN. I jumped in the shower, did the triangle scrub and rinsed off quickly. I hopped out of the shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed throwing on my lucky t shirt, I looked for my gown.. oh no I lost it. I sprinted down stairs frantically searching, the clock read 10am. I looked down at the kitchen table where my mom had left a note on. “Figured you would be needing this. Love, Mom xoxoxo” my graduation gown underneath the cream colored paper. I threw it on quickly, checked my face for my glasses( they were there) and made sure I locked the back door before I took off. The bike ride was brief and quiet, not a car on the road because they were all at the graduation already probably. I got to the school, and the teachers were doing headcount as I walked in. I made it! I look at the crowd peeking my head from behind the curtains like it’s my first play I’m acting in. Like I’m the little tea cup and I forgot what comes after that. I blank out the rest of the names being called, I heard my name. It startles me as I jolt up and onto the stage! Like all the other kids, I shook our principal and vice principal hands. Off to the side I saw other kids removing their gowns for pictures after they took some in their gowns. My mom rushes over and rustles my hair, “ I’m proud of you baby” she kissed me on the cheek and I didn’t wipe this one off for once. I felt proud of myself, I made it to graduation. I proved them all wrong.

“Smile sweety” as I pose for the picture for my mother’s stack of albums she has of me. I took off my gown and placed it onto the stage to keep it safe. I turned around to face my mom and was met with 100 eyes staring at me. I didn’t understand and then it hit me. I didn’t forget graduation day but I forgot my pants!

Comments 22

Merry Christmas Eve!!

I just decided I would comment and check in. I haven’t seen you on here for a while. I hope your move went well and you’re in good health! 🤗

I connect with this... the lazy genius I guess. How does one walk off and forget they wear glasses when their eyesight is terrible,I’ll never know but I do that quite a lot. Love mythology and history. Hate math. Everything else in school was easy. I love how his mom is just so used to it she took over the graduation gown and only let him have it the DAY OF. Makes sense.

Thank you! I tried to make it as relatable as possible. Believe it or not I was this kid for soooo long. I did not forget my pants though lol and the mother scene was what I wish my mother would have done rather than yell at me the entire time. I’m 25 now and just this year was diagnosed with ADHD so losing stuff is/ was very common for me.

I have forgotten to pack pants on a week long trip before! I’ll loose anything and then remember where I put it at like 4am! I have definitely had other people keep up with my important stuff before.

Oof I have definitely had to take a special trip to the store on a vacation for forgetting stuff I was going to pack!

This is so good!! Hahaha


It’s funny, I can relate to the person, I love mythology and my favorite history era is WW2. And I lose stuff all the time lol

This was definitely a story driven by my shortcomings in losing stuff! And with the mythology and WW2 stuff as well:) I knew there was a reason we got a long lol

Yes for sure! Lol

What mythology is your favorite? Norse, Greek, Egyptian?

Greek for sure

What about you?

I would say my favorite is Greek just because that’s what I started with but the one I’m researching for my new book is Taino Gods :)

Yeah it’s what I started with too. Did you read Percy Jackson? And that’s really cool. I’ve never heard of that. :)

I would say I was a huge fanatic but I could pick up the series again and fall right back in love any day lol I love Rick Riordan :)

Me too lol. I have the first two sets of five, but not any of the Trials of Apollo books, though I’ve read some of them. Rick is such a good author.


And oh ok! That’s pretty cool!! 😁

He’s what inspired me to write my first book and I’ve read the first two trials of Apollo on the third one now and I read a lot of his Rick Riordan Presents authors too! Aruh Shah was super good!

This app is being glitchy for me but I meant to reply and say that I’ve read all of the first five books of PJO and Heroes of Olympus series and the Kane and Magnus books. The Riordan presents one are cool too’

And it’s the Puerto Rican Native tribes gods :)