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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#100: Breaking Bread

One of the most intimate things you can do with someone is sit down to eat together. The idea of friends and foes, families and strangers breaking bread has been a recurring theme in art and literature for a very long time. It’s something that can bring us together against the steepest of odds; to quote Oscar Wilde, “after a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations”. But things don’t always end quite so harmoniously — food fights, anyone?

This week, we’re reflecting on the joys (or pains) of eating together or making a meal. Whether the dinner table is a place for communion or conflict for your characters, I look forward to sitting down to a hearty portion of food-themed stories with you. Bon appétit!

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with two characters sitting down for a meal.

Middle School – 264 stories

Write a story where a meal or dinner goes horribly wrong.

Thanksgiving – 201 stories

Write about a group of strangers — or people who know each other, but may as well be strangers — eating together.

Fluff – 152 stories

Write about a character preparing a meal for somebody else.

Fluff – 157 stories

Write a story that involves a secret or magic ingredient.

Halloween – 116 stories

Stories

“10 years of togetherness” by Amnah Malik

Submitted to Contest #100

10 years of togetherness Will you ever be able to finish your work? I usually get questioned on this thing, at my home, my workplace and everywhere, and frankly speaking I don’t know it either. I have always been a workaholic, I just love my job, my work and I have never been tired of doing it. whether its my daily chores at home or it’s my hard work with my kids, whether it’s my work at office or spending time in NGOs on weekends, I just love everything about it. after being this busy in my life one thing I have always been careful about,...

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“Feeding the Enemy” by Persephone Stylet

Submitted to Contest #100

Patrona stood in front of the stove, watching rice cook. Here she was, preparing the blandest of meals for the man she was stuck taking care of for the foreseeable future. A man that she knew only by reputation, who she absolutely detested for reasons she couldn’t explain, who might have been involved with her father’s death, and a man who, despite it all, she couldn’t help but see as handsome. His forest green eyes that should hold a cold emptiness, according to his reputation and the many rumors circulating about his habits, but instead he...

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“Buen Provecho” by Chrissy Lebkuchen

Submitted to Contest #100

The kitchen was her kingdom. She stood before her domain, taking in the immaculate, cozy view and fragrant smell of spices that enticed her. The sun shined brightly through the two windows, giving the auburn cabinets a honey-colored tint. With a smile on her face and swiftness in her hands, she grabbed the black apron, decorated with a colorful candy skull surrounded by a plethora of vibrant flowers off the wall, placing it over her head and effortlessly tying it around her slender waist. On her way to the sink, she lightly tapped the sky bl...

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“The Way to Her Heart” by Kiana L Valenzuela

Submitted to Contest #100

It was a cool summer evening as Sophie walked along the sidewalk of a surprisingly quiet neighbourhood. Leaves rustled gently in the wind, birds cawed in the distance, and small animals scuttled along the pavement to climb up trees. It was quite a calming and peaceful atmosphere, however Sophie’s mind was the complete opposite. The closer she got to the apartment building, the more nervous she became. She repeatedly wiped her sweaty palms against her summer dress, and she tried to calm her racing heart, to no avail. She had met Nick at a mut...

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“Secret Recipe” by Erin Potts

Submitted to Contest #100

The loud rattle of old metal surrounded Keala Kiu as she bounced around the back of a jeep, clutching her set of Shun damascus knives to her chest. Her long black hair cascaded over her olive-coloured hands as they crossed her chest and hugged the canvas. She and three others were crammed in the back of what must have been a twenty year-old dune rider with bench seats, riding parallel to two similar vehicles, likely with similarly uncomfortable passengers. It was a pretty jarring difference from the first class accommodations she’d enjoyed l...

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“Breaking Bread” by George Key

Submitted to Contest #100

Breaking Bread &nbsp...

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“Mabsoot” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #100

One day, not too long ago the people in a village were sad. It´s not that they were unhappy; not really. They had forgotten how to laugh. It´s as simple as that. They couldn´t find joy in little things anymore. In fact, they were so sad all the time that a dark fog had engulfed the whole village: and they didn´t even notice. Then on another day, a little elf came to that village: the sweetest, cutest elf you could ever imagine. And guess what? He thought them how to laugh again. He showed them how to find joy in every day little things. Litt...

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“The Magician ” by Sampurna Dasgupta

Submitted to Contest #100

“Dawn! Come on now, do hurry up and come for breakfast, or you’ll be late for school!” Miss Brown called out for her nine year old daughter, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was a woman in her early thirties, with brown curls that fell up till her shoulders and hazel eyes that held unexpressed emotions that had all been bottled up inside. Her husband, Robert, had left her for another lady about five months back. “He’s gone for a trip, darling, a long trip,” would be the reply every time Dawn longed to meet her father. “Well, when is ...

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“The Witch of Brimley Falls” by Ema Fancher

Submitted to Contest #100

Goats bleated recklessly their warning. Oh no! She’s back. I scrambled around the one-room cabin, splashed a bit of lukewarm water on my face, and dove under the blankets she secured me with before leaving. The cabin sat far away from the village. No one ever came here, not with all the rumors and whatnot, so I knew the approaching footfalls belonged to her. If she caught me out of bed, there would surely be hell to pay. I don’t know where she’d been, but she believed me to be sick enough that I could be trusted to be on my own. Ha! A ...

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“The Restaurant of Desires” by Evelyn Fung

Submitted to Contest #100

Hi, I am the owner of the top restaurant of this town, Bianca. Want to know what keeps the customers coming back? It is not drugs, just in case you were wondering. It is the taste of what they desire the most. And what is that, you may wonder. It can be anything, really, love, freedom, joy, something more sinful like lust, power or perhaps the feeling of killing someone you despise. Like I said, anything.You might ask, how do you let people taste their greatest desire? Well, there might have been a little bit of magic involved. You see, I am...

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“The Cherry Pie Application” by M. Sawan

Submitted to Contest #100

“Ursula, my child: What is this?” Ursula held her breath. Her future hung on this moment, but Mistress Hazel’s voice was a croak. Her tone was flat, her question unladen with judgement. “Is it good?” asked Ursula. Mistress Hazel only nodded, tossing her spoon to the table. She picked up her bowl and licked it clean. Ursula relaxed. Of course it’s good, she thought, taking a bite. She had been experimenting with the pie for months. Her tongue swirled the sweetness in her mouth. “What is this?” repeated Mistress Hazel. Ursula’s spoon sli...

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“The Magic of a Jam Tart” by Abbey Long

Submitted to Contest #100

The smell of flaky pastry and sautéing strawberries wafts through the kitchen. Outside, the world is unfettered by magic and trickery. The grass flows lazily in the slight breeze, whilst the sky remains clear, no sign of a cloud in sight. Animals co-exist together, enjoying each other’s company… but inside the kitchen, it’s a totally different story. All sorts of substances litter the floor, ranging from shattered egg shells to sticky...

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“The Secret Condiment” by Gee Zee

Submitted to Contest #100

‘I am going to Saharanpur,’ he told her over the phone about his plan to visit his ancestral home soon.‘Well, that’s great!’ She couldn’t keep the relief – she felt on hearing that – from her voice.It would give him the much-needed break from the hellish life, devoid of any normalcy, he was living these days. If that could be called life at all – nights lacking the intimacy with his partner and days full of dealing with customers at an underpaid job. To top that, he hardly got the standard three meals in a day let alone quality ones. Some of...

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“In Pursuit of Moksha” by Nidhi Bhattacherjee

Submitted to Contest #100

“Aaron, you utter fool!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. And it was needed, very much needed. In the three hours that I had spent walking in circles with him, I had blamed him every second. And rightly so, too. I mean it was his idea to explore more of the beautiful Indian jungle behind our little motel, when the rest of our crew had decided to stay indoors. “I’m sorry, Kat. I really am,” his voice sounded genuine. But that didn’t help with the fact that we were lost, in an unknown jungle outside a small town in India! I felt my ...

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“Sleepy Eyes” by Yash Gajjar

Submitted to Contest #100

The fabric of darkness was tugged away by the sun, as it shined the light first touched the trees and then on the mesa and at the end on the rest of the land. The sunrays hit his eyes, while his hair flew on the wind as freely as someone’s dreams. A tiny tear of blood rolled down his left eye. It shimmed in sunlight, majestically, like piss but when one eats an unhealthy amount of beetroot. Mark enjoyed the sun for a minute but had a decision to make, whether to save his friends or leave. He could go and ask for help but who knows how...

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$50

Prize money

891

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 02, 2021 EST

Won by Rayhan Hidayat 🏆

Title: mie goreng

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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