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Coming up with a gift idea was the easy part — getting your hands on it is another thing entirely.

Posted in Adventure on Nov 18, 2022

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✍️ 22 stories

The Holy Grail of Christmas Presents: The Easy-Bake Oven

Submitted to Contest #173

The Holy Grail of Christmas Presents: The Easy-Bake OvenNot all dads are made alike.- Some are organized, plan ahead, and get their Christmas shopping done in November. Some are disorganized, procrastinate, and battle the crowds on December 24th to secure the desired gifts.-Some spoil and dote on their children. Some spoil and dote on their children to the extreme.-Some give up, make adjustments, and seek alternatives. Some never give up, steadfastly refuse to alter course, and stubbornly reject options.This is the sad saga of a disorganized...

39 likes 23 comments 23
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Love's Manual

Submitted to Contest #173

TW: Contains mild bad language. What’s so special about a damn book? That thought had been spinning around my head for the past two weeks. Whenever it seemed willing to leave, Emily’s tears flooded it right back into place. After a long day of dragging from pawnshop to pawnshop, it was dug in deeper than ever. Still, my quest would end here, one way or another. I looked up at the sign. Cody’s Quick Cash. The last pawnshop in town, located right in the middle of the slimiest, most run-down neighbourhood. Against my better judgement, I pushed ...

31 likes 31 comments 31
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Language of Love

Submitted to Contest #173

I am so bad at buying gifts I almost got arrested. I blame the long distance relationship we were in, I could not think straight. Janey and I had lived up to the stereotype of U-haul lesbians, we moved in together after just three weeks of dating. To be fair, rent in the Bay Area is ridiculous, so we understood just being roommates would be OK even if it did not work out.But it did work out, until she was accepted into her dream graduate school, and we had to stretch our relationship over three states, thinning the connections unti...

28 likes 8 comments 8
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My Isaak

Submitted to Contest #173

Obsession - is that good or bad? There is a different school of thought on that. Let’s discuss it for a moment. On one hand, people with obsession can be perceived as passionate, caring, and possibly even talented. Someone who’s refusing to give up on whatever item or topic that they are obsessing about. In my opinion, these are the people that invented light bulbs, phones, cars, X-ray machines - the list can go on. These people stayed true to their beliefs and ideas. The obsession with their work prevented them from giving up, possibly maki...

19 likes 10 comments 10
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Really hard, Really slow

Submitted to Contest #173

Hi, I'm May and coincidentally my best friend's name is June. We're both 12. She asked me for a PS5 for Christmas but there is a problem, there is only one left in the WORLD. SO I'm going to make it my mission to get my hands on that PS5 and make my best friend have the best Christmas of her life. Here is my plan: I will go to bed at 9:30, sneak out at 10:00, and get to the bank to make my savings account. My mom would never let me have a savings account so that's why I have to sneak it. "May, time to go to bed!" My mom yells that to me ...

18 likes 3 comments 3
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The Christmas Gift

Submitted to Contest #173

Charlie is a simple man. He never really had what you might call wants. He is most contented living a quiet life. Charle never sought out a wife, though he did date in his younger days. It’s just that when he thought of their happiness and compared it to his lifestyle well, he didn’t feel he should hold them back. It seemed that everything was going fine until this Christmas. For some reason, Charlie regretted not having children of his own. Of not having ever seen the smile on a young child’s face as they open ...

15 likes 2 comments 2
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The Célaen

Submitted to Contest #173

Rinwald sat beside his father's bed, clutching his hand. The candlelight cast a grim shadow on the sickly king's face, which grew paler by the minute. A chill air swept into the room, and the noises of the outside night grew still. “The Lady Twilight calls for me,” the king said, feeling his time nigh at hand. “I have more blessings in this moment than I can count, though the hour for you must surely feel cursed. But grieve not; I am made ill by a wound from a worthy opponent. I am in the presence of those whom I served, and who served me. ...

12 likes 0 comments 0
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The InstantCuisine Turbo XL Air Fryer

Submitted to Contest #173

Like most twenty-four year olds with no steady source of income, Jenny couldn’t remember the last time she stepped foot inside a Walmart. Sure the garish yellow on blue caused her physical pain and the screaming kid in the frozen food aisle made her make a mental note to ask her gyno about birth control, but that wouldn’t stop her. Jenny was a woman on a mission. She’d come to buy an air fryer and she wasn’t leaving without one. Not just any air fryer. An InstantCuisine Turbo XL Air Fryer, in red, if possible. She’d first seen it in a Bu...

12 likes 4 comments 4
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Ariels Necklace

Submitted to Contest #173

“Albus?” “Yea?” he answered excitedly.  “I'm heading out to Bess’ house for the day. If you can manage to get off the couch try to make this place not look filthy” she sneered. “Oh…yea yea. Of course” The door shut with much strength leaving Albus alone in their house on the edge of the village. It seemed she was still mad at him. Albus stared at the candle in front of him, its light dimming before coming back in full burst, over and over again. He cocked his head to a now empty wood stand. His wife, Ariel, had been mad for almost a wee...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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The Mission for Murphey: After All This I Sure Do Hope I Marry This Woman

Submitted to Contest #173

     My clothes were stained with mustard and pickle juice. My hair was disheveled. My chest was heaving in a desperate attempt to suck in more air. My knees and an elbow were scraped. A shard of glass was embedded in my forehead! And my bike? Completely totaled. “I….” I sh-“ I wheezed. “I should have… ordered… the damn thing online!” _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-          For as long as I’ve known my current girlfriend Murphey, she’s been completely o...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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For You I Will...

Submitted to Contest #173

“Yes sir, we have it. It’s a beautiful piece,” the woman on the phone said, igniting a fire in me.“Okay, can you hold it for me, please?” I asked, biting the nail of my manicured hand. There was silence on the other end of the line. Well, not silence. I could hear Bing Crosby singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire loud and clear. But I wasn’t interested in him, his chestnuts, or his fire. I wanted to know if she was going to be able to hold the one thing that my wife wanted more than anything.“Well, Mr. Moses, that’s the thing.”Her...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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Lower Your Expectations

Submitted to Contest #173

    You find yourself fettered to a table once . . . and the next time isn’t quite as special. Interrogation chambers were becoming way too common in my life, quickly losing their charm. A very gruff looking security guard stood near a metallic door on the other side of the room. A black one-way mirror covered the wall to my right and I was definitely on the wrong side of it. Yellow bulbs buzzed above me like bees, making the already uncomfortable room even less inviting, as if that were possible.      “Got...

11 likes 3 comments 3
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The Blue Marble

Submitted to Contest #173

It is not easy to buy a gift for the Emperor. There is very little he does not have and rarely anything he cannot get. But the Queen is determined to present the perfect gift for his upcoming birthday. Her last few attempts were adequate to say the least, a rare mineral or an exotic creature. The Emperor would attempt an exaggerated smile when he saw it, before flashing an even bigger smile towards her, his eyes communicating gratitude more than surprise. The adoring crowd assembled to commemorate the event was always filled with applause...

11 likes 4 comments 4
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All the Colours of the Sunset

Submitted to Contest #173

We touched palms and fingertips, her skin was soft, her hand was warm. She told me she was scared, worried, tears dropped down her soft round face; the wet peach fuzz reflected the sunlight. We played as kids, running around the streets; chasing each other up and down the hills. We played until we got too old.She trusted me. Her hands had symmetrical contours, red nail polish. She always had a purple dress on, repaired and worn out in some parts. We often went to the masjed to play by the blue hexagonal howz. Villagers were praying...

10 likes 2 comments 2
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Secret Santa Crush

Submitted to Contest #173

Ted knocks his hand on my desk. “Hey Sharon! See you later tonight at the Christmas party!”I look away from him, hoping he won’t see the blush rising on my cheeks. He’s standing so close. “Yeah see you tonight!” I’d completely forgotten about it with all the deadlines I’d been so focused on. “It’s a white elephant gift exchange, right?”He laughs, and I turn to see his green eyes and wide, friendly face. “No. You chose your secret Santa person, remember? I’m really excited for mine.”I nod, nerves taking over my words. “Right, of course. I cho...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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