Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.

Posted in Adults on Oct 31, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 48 stories

“Out of My Mind” by Julianne Webster

Submitted to Contest #159

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2:00 AM I find my boyfriend standing over my best friend’s lifeless body with a gun in his hand. I don’t even have time to panic, because he has our bags packed in the car and tells me to immediately get out of the house. He has matches in his hand, it smells like gasoline in here now that I think about it. Thirty seconds later, the lake house is in flames behind me and he and I are in the car going anywhere but here. If you had told me two years ago that taking two hundred buck...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Aches and Pains” by Avery Crescent

Submitted to Contest #159

You tell me about your bad knee, your achy back, your sore shoulder. I’ve heard your sob stories. I’ve listened to your complaints. I’ve been a doctor for 24 years and I’ve heard it all. You say you need something for your pain. I’ve had two vertebrae in my spine fused together and a metal socket implanted in my right hip. Both times, I went home with a month’s supply of Vicodin. I bet you did too. It’s why you’ve come to my clinic. You’ve run out and your doctor won’t prescribe any more. You come to me with the cash and I provide ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Bribe” by T.M. Kehoe

Submitted to Contest #159

Marty was at the hospital tonight, like every night. What was different was, instead of being in his wife’s room holding her hand, he stood outside the hospital, and outside the ring of entrance lights and lamp poles. He wore scrubs with a hoodie over them, for warmth and disguise. He shouldn't have bothered; no one looked twice at him. The scrubs made him invisible. He nervously lit up a cigarette. He was far enough away from the hospital for it to be legal, but judging from the disgusted looks he got, it was still morally outrageous. He fi...

3 comments 3

Read story

“High School Money” by Patricia Atkins

Submitted to Contest #159

Thomas stood in front of his bully. Out of his entire high school career, he had never been more afraid of a single person in the whole school. Not even the counselor, who students were forced to talk to when they were caught smoking cigarettes or that one math teacher that ruthlessly failed just about everyone had the same effect on him. Adult scrutiny didn’t compare to that of someone his own age. His bully’s opinions of him bled out onto the other kids. His name was Alex, and typical with high school bullies, some kids were blissfu...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Secrets” by Stephanie Lee

Submitted to Contest #159

"No man, seriously. I can't do this." Being from the streets, Randy was tired of playing with this guy who seemed to think this was just some game. He sighed with irritation. "Man come on. Stop trying to pretend like you ain't gonna do this. Your holier than thou act ain't foolin' nobody. You can keep up the pretense until you cave, or you can just cut the bull and cave now." Dan took a moment then looked Randy right in the eye as best he could. It was a bit of a challenge. You see Randy was a giant of a man standing at 6'5" and weighi...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Deal with the Devil” by Felicia Ogunnowo

Submitted to Contest #159

Tristan couldn’t bear much any longer. He sat with authority at his desk at the front of the classroom, watching the documentary along with students about the background of the timeline of The Great Gatsby. At this point, he couldn’t care less. Images blurred so much that he rubbed his eyes incessantly. Words jammed in and flew out that he grasped nothing of importance. More and more, as the video went further, his urge to escape grew. This is probably how students felt everyday when he was lecturing. He somehow related with their ado...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Ancestry” by Ashley Frerichs

Submitted to Contest #159

It took some digging, but Marjorie Lipman eventually found out which guard could be trusted with a favour. Rumour had it young Andrew Taylor was susceptible to bribes, so the next time Marjorie caught him in the prison hallway’s (not-so) secret blind spot, she flashed him her brightest smile along with a crisp tenner and her father’s Nikon. Without hesitation, the guard slipped the bill into his pocket, hung the camera’s strap around his neck and followed her into the infirmary where one of their most notorious prisoners laid up in waiting. ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Cheese and Honey” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #159

“Bruce Bear! Bruce Bear!” The tiny voice echoed through the black bear’s den. Bruce Bear rolled over and checked his calendar alarm. He had been pushing the snooze button on his alarm for the past few days. His hibernation was technically over but he was not ready to face the new season. He sat up and stretched, raising his arms above his head and then scratching the back of his neck. “Molly mouse? What are you doing here?” Bruce yawned looking at the tiny mouse standing in front of him. “Fantastic! You ar...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Blood Oath” by J Stephens

Submitted to Contest #159

“Please Dr. Tepper, I’m not sure I can do this,” the distressed medical student explained while considering her options. Surprised by her level of resistance, the esteemed chairman and hospital administrator reasoned, “Ms. Gaines, I don’t believe you fully understand the situation before us. That boy wasn’t going to survive either way.” “You may be right, but we both know he didn’t die from his wounds. He was given the wrong blood. I overheard the nurse tell the ER doc she mixed up the two patients...” Helen Gaines clarif...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Never Enough” by L. E. Scott

Submitted to Contest #159

What’s that you say? No amount of money could ever make you throw away your moral compass? That’s what I thought too. I’m a fair and impartial arbitrator. Nothing could make me take a bribe. I looked down my nose on all those other judges who traded dismissals for favors. They were the problem with the judicial system in this country and I was going to change things. Nothing could sway me. I would stick to my values. My ethics would not be tainted by the bribery that was rampant in this world. I was above all that. But my ethics came unravel...

5 comments 5

Read story

“Thanks Again, Means a Lot” by Mandy S

Submitted to Contest #159

“Thanks again, means a lot.” The hooded man far younger than himself shook Ollie’s hand and stepped back into the car. The exhaust pipe sputtered as he pulled away and left Ollie coughing out long tendrils of dark soot. He shoved the thick envelope into his back pocket and stuffed his hands in those of his jacket. He spun on one heel and made his way back towards his own Volkswagen, the one that barely started. For a moment, once he was behind the wheel, he considered using the money to catch up on repairs. The thought quickly ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Never Trust an Icosohedron” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #159

“How dare you refuse me a discount, mortal!” The icosohedron yelled, nearly rattling the wooden walls of Kerrik’s damp apartment above the goldsmith. “Shh!” Kerrik said in a loud whisper. “You don’t want the neighbors to hear us, do you? Also, I’m not exactly mortal myself,” he said, pulling at his gray flesh. Kerrik’s client turned a shade of green usually reserved for the freshest lettuce. Kerrik sighed, smoothed out his new coat and tricorn hat and sat back down. “I told you before, you folks are new. You’re not made of cotton...

7 comments 7

Read story

“To Build a Nest” by Eleonora Shaba

Submitted to Contest #159

And what's more calming than the gentle spring breeze caressing your face while the sun rays leave small kissess all over your skin before bidding goodbye, leaving the moon to comfort you for every hardship that you went through the day. It would definitely be my favourite fragment today if it wasn't for the small chiwawa constantly barking at me for the past 5 minutes, the taunts of its owner adding to the delightful music to my ears.“Screw you,” I scowled. “You illegitimate child of a dog and rat! You're ruining my tranquility!”As a ...

3 comments 3

Read story

“Six Little Words” by J.L. (Jesse) DuRona

Submitted to Contest #159

Six Little Words J.L. DuRona “Just take it and walk away.” That’s what he says. Take it. Walk away. In that order. Six little words. And I do. I take it and walked away. Finn Walters smiles as he slaps “it,” the “object,” into my upturned palm. The clamminess of his sweaty hand lingers on it like dog slobber. “Good choice, spod,” Finn says. He learned that word last week on some TV show, and now everyone, from classmates to teachers, was a spod. At least it wasn’t just me; sometimes it’s good to not ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Infinite Library” by Lucky Ooog

Submitted to Contest #159

It was a twenty-minute walk from the subway to an unassuming boulder underneath a busy motorway. You wouldn’t even know that you were in a special place if you passed it by on the street. I could hear the sounds of engines far above me, but the street was deserted down here. I could have taken my car instead of taking the longer journey by subway, but I didn’t know how long I would be gone and I didn’t want to leave my ride in some random part of town, where it might get towed or broken into while I was away. I gently rapped my knuckles on t...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Fantasy – 62 stories

Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.

Teens – 49 stories

Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.

Adults – 32 stories

Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.

Angst – 25 stories

Contest #159

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Money, Money, Money

$250

Prize money

216

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 19, 2022 EST

Won by Daniel Allen 🏆

Title: Blood and Cookies

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 48 stories

“Out of My Mind” by Julianne Webster

“Aches and Pains” by Avery Crescent

“Bribe” by T.M. Kehoe

“High School Money” by Patricia Atkins

“Secrets” by Stephanie Lee

“Deal with the Devil” by Felicia Ogunnowo

“Ancestry” by Ashley Frerichs

“Cheese and Honey” by Madeline Honig

“Blood Oath” by J Stephens

“Never Enough” by L. E. Scott

“Thanks Again, Means a Lot” by Mandy S

“Never Trust an Icosohedron” by Cajek Veilwinter

“To Build a Nest” by Eleonora Shaba

“Six Little Words” by J.L. (Jesse) DuRona

“The Infinite Library” by Lucky Ooog

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.

Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.

Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.

Contest #159

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

216

Contest entries

88

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: