Submit a next-door neighbor story—one story will be transformed into the final installment of our webcomic series, Next-Door Neighbor.
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i was 5 he was 6
we both knew we would be stuck with each other
are whole lives
i swear he knew how to make everything better
even when are mudd pies went bad
and the monsters were chaseing us
we both would just laught
i owe him so mutch
i couldnt have asked for a better childhood
here we are now, trying to live in the past
he … Read more »
Oakfield Road. It was a very classy clutch of bedsits. One girl had used a shit filled nappy to smear the hall wall in a protest. Rabbit fleas from the girl upstairs danced and vaulted in and out of my wine. The shower was live – literally. You would feel a life affirming/death threatening tingle if you risked taking more than sink scrub clean.
Then there was Finlay. If we … Read more »
My teacher developed cancer and shortly died. I had had her for less than three weeks. She was though, and always will be, my teacher. (You know what I'm talking about. We all have a teacher who makes a dramatic impact on our life.) I'm only in eighth grade but I must admit I might as well be a forty year old. My mind works and … Read more »
I know it's you driving by.
I used to live next to a family with three boys: Brad, Bill, and Brian. The youngest was Brad, and the oldest was Bill. Through the thin walls that seperated my apartment from theirs, I could hear everything that happened in their house-- Bill yelling at his mom, Brad crying about something Brian or Bill did to him... the house was ALWAYS noisy. And when the boys weren't inside, … Read more »
After ending my violent first marriage, I moved with my three year old daughter to an tiny apartment in a shabby complex. The apartments boasted a variety of dubious individuals, including the landlady's middle-aged alcoholic brother, Ardee. I met my current husband, Dean, that summer, and he either crashed at my place in the evenings, or we went to his home. Dean came by one late fall evening, beat from … Read more »
I had a roommate ( the worst kind of neighbor) who is the dumbest person I have ever met. She and her boyfriend used to make me so angry because they would leave space heaters on when no one was home; something so crazy dangerous and they just did not understand despite my many requests.On New Years Eve 1999, I went to a party where they happened to be. We … Read more »
I hate both my neighbors. They’re different as apples and oranges, but I hate them both. You say, “oh surely you don’t hate them sir,” or, “Isn’t hate a strong word”. So I sit on a rock an think and being all suave and such I deliver an answer that knocks your socks off. “Yes, I hate them, as much as I hate the cubs”. “Oh my,” you gasp … Read more »
Talking Walls
Rows of townhouses set in neatly planned clumps so a nice little courtyard appeared behind each group.
We'd been luckier than most by having only one attached neighbor. That neighbor, a recently divorced mom of a young child. Her marriage had been a controlling one and she was enjoying her well deserved freedom.
While getting ready for bed one night I heard through the wall … Read more »
i have been living with people known as neighbors for a very long time. i am form the countryside. it is a known fact that people who live in urban areas tend to think of folks from town outskirts as fools. they have told me numerous times that i was nothing and that i would amount to nothing in life. i can hear their cackles cutting through the quietness of … Read more »
i have been living with people known as neighbors for a very long time. i am form the countryside. it is a known fact that people who live in urban areas tend to think of folks from town outskirts as fools. they have told me numerous times that i was nothing and that i would amount to nothing in life. i can hear their cackles cutting through the quietness of … Read more »
Years ago, I lived in a beautiful duplex in Hollywood. My neighbors at the time were a regular seeming couple. At first. One afternoon, the man called me at work to tell me that there was something wrong with my dogs. I panicked and immediately asked if they were okay. He told me that they were, but the problem was that they were looking in his window.
In a rare … Read more »
4am NYC, had flue - had to wake in 1 1/2 hours for work - asked neighbor to lower his full volume music; he said "No, than I would hear the street noise and I don't want that."
small blackboy beaten weekly by mom
I prayed for answer, she moved
I prayed for answer, she moved
The guy next door cracks me up. He wears this bandana thing around his forehead like he’s trying to be Kung Fu. He is slowly but surely building his wife a deck on the east side of his home. I assume the bandana is for sweat and not for looks. His blondish, unkempt hair peers over the edges of his bandana. Sometimes I think he’s … Read more »
Their dog shits on our lawn.
Our next door neighbors are a 64 year old couple who have handicaps of convenience. (They fake it.) He was sweeping the street and when he bent over she gave him a swift kick in the rear. (Yes we have it on camera, because of her cameras we all have to have cameras to protect ourselves.) They don't pay for anything. They hire unlicensed contractors that cannot sue them or … Read more »
One day we had a very sweet dog come up to our house. This dog was beautiful, obviously well cared for, and child-friendly. We just knew she had to have a home, so we posted a thing on the neighborhood bulletin board. (Since we live in the country a little, there is one of those, apparently for the posting of cats, rabbits, and horses for sale, in … Read more »
As part of our new webcomic, Next-Door Neighbor, we thought it appropriate to have a little contest. Tell us your best true next-door neighbor story, and the winning tale will be matched with an artist and transformed into a webcomic and included as the final installment of Next-Door Neighbor.
No matter how close or how far, we all live next to someone, and we all have a Next-Door Neighbor story. With that in mind, editor Dean Haspiel asked some of his favorite storytellers and cartoonists to create their favorite NDN stories so we could share them with you.
By submitting an entry, you are granting SMITH the right to reprint or republish that entry online or in print, as well as make any necessary edits. See SMITH's terms of service for complete details.
This contest ends September 1, 2008. Prizes are not redeemable for cash and must be accepted as awarded. Winners are decided at the discretion of SMITH judges and all decisions are final. SMITH reserves the right to change the contest rules. Enter as often as you want. SMITH reserves the right to reprint or republish all entries.
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