Write a story that hinges on the outcome of a coin flip.

Posted in Adventure on Jan 6, 2023

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✍️ 68 stories

“George Washington” by Cris Forney

Submitted to Contest #180

I am notoriously bad at making decisions, and my dad knows this, which is why I’ve been sitting in my car for about twenty minutes, staring at the quarter in my hand. I have two choices. I can get out of my car, go inside, and go to bed. Or I can put my car in drive, haul ass across town, and hope I’m not too late. When I told my dad about it, he said that I should follow my heart. I told him that was impossible. That was when he pressed a quarter into the palm of my hand and said “Try flipping a coin, then.” I’ve been in love with Molly f...

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“The Spitting Caves” by Josh T

Submitted to Contest #180

Drew watched as the small silver coin twisted through the air. It looked almost orange as its polished sides caught the reflection of the afternoon sun over the turquoise-blue ocean behind him. Across from him, a tanned shirtless boy stood, his eyes glued to the coin. A bead of sweat was making its way down his forehead. Drew smiled, it was nice to see him panic a little. It had been a simple bet. Heads and Drew jumped, Tails and the other boy would. Drew almost felt bad, knowing what he did about the unexplainable influence he h...

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“Penny For Your Thoughts” by Sarah Nelson

Submitted to Contest #180

They decided to settle things the old-fashioned way, the way their Uncle Frankie used to do before pneumonia had killed him earlier that year: by flipping a coin. Frankie had always flipped a coin for everything, no matter how big or small. Leroy remembered one time his uncle even flipped a coin to decide whether or not to get married. The coin didn’t flip in his favor and, unsurprisingly, the woman he had been seeing packed up her slim belongings and was gone the next day. Now, Leroy stood in the parking lot of Smith’s Meat Market wi...

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“The Distorted Mirror and the Shield in My Head” by Natalie Schmitt

Submitted to Contest #180

TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains themes of suicide and mental health. This coin will determine if I live or die. I never thought it would get so bad, the endless rush of thoughts telling me, You’re a bad person. Nobody likes you. You’re revolting. Why would you think like that? I have bad thoughts, and they’re going to kill me. They chip away at the imagined shield in my head until the shield breaks and it all comes cascading in, and by then I feel it’s too late to turn around. I feel a pang of nervousness every ti...

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“Coin Flip” by Dilbert Jazz

Submitted to Contest #180

Jack stood at the crossroads, torn between two very different paths. On the one hand, there was the steady, reliable route: a job offer at a prestigious law firm with a six-figure salary and all the perks that came with it. It was the sort of opportunity that most people could only dream of, and Jack's family and friends had all urged her to take it. But then there was the other path that called to Jack's wild side: the chance to travel the world and make it as a professional poker player. It was a risky, uncertain venture with no guarantees...

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“The Spit Compass” by Jim Firth

Submitted to Contest #180

Flip a coin, reader. If it lands on heads, read on. If it lands on tails, STOP. You are not ready for the stellar knowledge contained within. Trust the coin’s judgement—it knows more about you than you might think. It’s not just a flat piece of metal that we ascribe monetary value to, but a discerning disc more incisive than the dowser of any mystic, more intuitive than we’ve been led to believe by conventional ‘science’. When you flick the coin into the air with your thumb, its gyrations are not random; they are affected by your energy...

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“Mercy” by Scott Dutkus

Submitted to Contest #180

“Mercy!” “Please, oh Holy Highspirit, grant your humble servant mercy.” His voice croaked as he cried out and his eyes would not open. “Where am I?” He tried to wipe the gunk off his face with his left hand. The right hand wrapped around the Book, and even if he tried to move it, it would not have moved. He blinked and the left eye opened and light streamed through, but his right eyelid stuck shut. This time, using his thumbnail, he rubbed the right eye and felt the dried gunk break free. He blinked again and both ey...

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“Coined Terms” by Skott's Ghost

Submitted to Contest #180

[TW: War]Real life in a besieged city has never sounded like a fun idea for me. Life in a besieged city within a video game, however, was something I could sit down and enjoy for hours on end. This isn't a video game, though. But it is real, and much like the character in the video game, I'm all alone. My father was killed by a missile while out scavenging for food last year, and my mom.. well, she passed away when I was four years old, way before America collapsed after entering its second civil war. I'm 15 now, and as much as I want to end...

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“Toss Up” by Taylor Crehan

Submitted to Contest #180

My relationship with Daniel was born from sheer luck. When he drove to my dingy college apartment to pick me up for our first date, his gas tank was nearly on E. I took a risk and assumed he was the joking type, so I made a cheeky comment about calling Triple-A. "Don't you ever bargain with your fate?" He asked, smiling. Daniel looked at me with a certain sparkle in his eye, one I'd only seen in movies. In a matter of hours, he had pulled me into his orbit, and I never wanted to come back down to Earth. From t...

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“SILVER DOLLAR LUCK” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #180

JB and his childhood buddy Lloyd were at loose ends in January of 1941. The winds of war were stirring but not yet raging as they would be after December 7, 1941. JB and Lloyd had been working as crop dusters but there was no such work while winter lasted. They had some money saved, but were now both between jobs and so they considered their options, which were not great in winter in SW Arkansas. They decided to hitchhike to the big city of Little Rock to seek work. Fate had something totally unexpected awaiting them, especially JB.They got ...

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“The Flip” by Jacqueline Ruzicka

Submitted to Contest #180

The Flip One, two, three, four. Flip. The dim overhead light flickers, typical. One, two, three, four. Flip. The walls of the tiny, grungy bathroom stall covered in some drunk asshole’s chicken scratch feel oddly comforting at 11pm on a Tuesday. One, two, three, four. Flip. This little tick is nothing new. It’s something she’s been doing as far back as she can remember. Always the same coin, an old vintage English pound given to her by her grandfather. The metal and gold border with Her Majesty’s stoic portrait gleaming even in the dim li...

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“A little experiment” by Héctor Zalik

Submitted to Contest #180

He arrived at the genetics lab with bored eyes. Another bacterial culture, another fluorescent fish, again a mouse modified to measure insulin resistance. Henry turned to his colleagues Rose and Tyler. “Why can't we do something interesting here?” “These are the projects the university pays us for. And they seem pretty important to me, the mice had responded successfully to the new diabetes drug,” Rose said. Tyler just lifted his shoulders and kept looking through the microscope. Henry raised his voice. “No no, let's ha...

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“HEADS WIN, YOU LOSE” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #180

I can't believe I'm standing here. Right here. In the middle of Times Square. This was not how I pictured myself at this time last year. And now it's come down to this? It feels like I'm on a game show waiting for the final toss to win the grand prize or at the start of a football game where the winner begins the count to the first touchdown. I made a deal with the devil, and it looks like this will be the final call. Will the devil win? I hope luck is my favorite tune right now more than ever. Never in my life did I have to make a cho...

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“Just One Flip” by Ellisha Lee

Submitted to Contest #180

Just One Flip “Was this your brilliant idea?” I glance up at my sister, whose eyes are glued to the silver coin. Dani’s optimistic demeanor doesn’t dim with my words, “Yes, it was actually. This is our last resort, our last chance.” “We hit our last resort, resorts ago. Dani, a coin isn’t going to help me get this job.” I rest my chin in my hand and watch the steam float from my latte. I couldn’t stay in the house any longer with my thoughts, so I dragged Dani to the coffee shop. ...

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“The Maltheistic Man” by Alessia J.

Submitted to Contest #180

The man knew when Savva had arrived at the festival. He was currently ambling from stand to stand with his friend. “Hey!” Someone bumped into her, sending Tanya into Savva’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” the stranger addressed her in a honeyed tone. “Dear…,” he added, then raised a finger to graze her ear lobe. Tanya staggered back, but challenging the man’s gaze turned deep. Savva was sure she was about to say something about the improper gesture, but then the man turned his focus on him. His eyes were so unusually dar...

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Write a story that hinges on the outcome of a coin flip.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 68 stories

“George Washington” by Cris Forney

“The Spitting Caves” by Josh T

“Penny For Your Thoughts” by Sarah Nelson

“The Distorted Mirror and the Shield in My Head” by Natalie Schmitt

“Coin Flip” by Dilbert Jazz

“The Spit Compass” by Jim Firth

“Mercy” by Scott Dutkus

“Coined Terms” by Skott's Ghost

“Toss Up” by Taylor Crehan

“SILVER DOLLAR LUCK” by Julia Corliss

“The Flip” by Jacqueline Ruzicka

“A little experiment” by Héctor Zalik

“HEADS WIN, YOU LOSE” by Debbie Curtin

“Just One Flip” by Ellisha Lee

“The Maltheistic Man” by Alessia J.

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone having a run of bad luck.

Write about someone losing their lucky charm.

Set your story in a casino.

Write about someone whose luck is running out.

Contest #180

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

99

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: