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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#101: Antanaclasis

Benjamin Franklin’s famous quip “your argument is sound, nothing but sound” may be the best known example of antanaclasis. This is a literary device in which a word is repeated but has two different senses (here, “sound” meaning both “sensible” and “a load of noise”) — reminder that in writing, as in everything, context matters.

 

With this week’s prompts, we're using antanaclasis as a jumping off point to create stories that play with repetitions, routines, and the importance of context in creating meaning.

This week's prompts

Write about a character doing something they’ve done hundreds of times — only this time, it’s taken on a new meaning.

Character – 148 stories

Write a story about a character who fails to understand something until they have the full context.

Character – 75 stories

Write a story in which the same line recurs three times.

Fiction – 163 stories

Write a story about a character who always repeats themselves.

Character – 45 stories

Write a story that involves a reflection in a mirror.

Horror – 296 stories

Stories

“The Man in the Mirror” by Peter Saydollar

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #101

How often do you look at yourself in a mirror? Sure, you may check to see how far a certain shirt comes down your waist, or maybe you check to make sure the part of your hair is in the right spot, or maybe you’ve been hitting the gym more frequently and want to see your progress. Perhaps you want to see if that shirt still fits from your 20’s. But this is not what David was tasked with. He wasn’t supposed to look at his body, he was supposed to look at himself. David couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that.&nb...

4 comments 4
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“Manipulative Reflection” by B. W.

Submitted to Contest #101

Astra cautiously walks through the hall and towards the bathroom and attempted to not make any noise. At least not until they got in there, as they could hear the light snoring from their roommate coming from another part of the apartment. It's not just my 'silly imagination'... I know what happened! They turned the doorknob and entered, still quietly as possible. In the next step, Astra managed to somehow be even more careful, by just simply closing the door, which was known to be creaky. A grin appeared on the teenager's face once succ...

53 comments 53
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“To Be Him or To Be Me” by Kira Krieger

Submitted to Contest #101

"I didn't touch it, Arlin, and you can't prove I did!" Nebula yelled, stabbing Arlin with her index finger.  "I don't care if you did!" He met her intensity. With a breath, he continued, "I just want to know who fixed my tablet." "Even if I did, don't think you could catch me with that lie. You've never thanked anyone in your life." "Not to you. You mess around with everything… what… what is the sound?!”  They walked out of the hall into the main room of HQ. Nothing was there, but the noise persisted.   They took a few mo...

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“Shots” by Michael Martin

Submitted to Contest #101

Trigger warning: alcohol addiction   The leather of the basketball made a satisfying swish as it sailed perfectly through the hoop, making no contact with the metal rim. Marcus whipped both hands towards Coach Martin, ready to take the next free throw. “How many is that, Coach?” “Number 100. That was your last shot.” Finally! Hitting 100 free throws before leaving the gym always hit Marcus harder than anyone else. The center of his semi-professional team, he never had to shoot from more than two or three feet from the bas...

4 comments 4
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“The University of Cambridge” by Ash W

Submitted to Contest #101

Axl was sitting in the library with Tinsley and Felix. Even though he was staring at Tinsley, he was thinking about Everest and his friend Knox. They’d been talking a lot recently and Axl still hadn’t figured out a way to tell Tinsley that he was one, applying to Cambridge, and two, he wanted to break up.  “Where are you applying?” Tinsley asked, looking up at him.   Axl took a moment to realize that she was talking to him and shook his head, looking down at the application form that their teachers had given them. “Uh, I don...

2 comments 2
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“The Reflection” by Shannon McCumber

Submitted to Contest #101

Magnolia gently ran her fingers over the worn leather spines of the stack of books; Spells for Aspiring Mages, The Official 21st Century Potion Cookbook, The History of Magic, and The Laws & Regulations of Mages. She’s read The History of Magic, and The Laws & Regulations of Mages. However, her mother forbids her from spells or potions until she’s eighteen, though the law states Mages can begin practicing magic on their sixteenth birthday.“Magnolia Opal, quit touching those!” her mother, Narcissa, scolds, “This is why I don’t take yo...

11 comments 11
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“Dead Reck’nin’” by James Pendleton

Submitted to Contest #101

Adult themes/languageFor best effect read in a slow southern drawl.————————————-DEAD RECK’NIN’I slowly wake outta a bad dream that I can’t remember. It’s dark as all hell. I can taste iron in my mouth. I like it. Reminds me o’ the best steak I ever done ate. A lean blue T-bone. Barely dead. Blood seepin’ onto the plate. Home-made fries like momma used to make, and the best damn sauce this side o’ the equator. I lick my lips. My tongue’s too dry to get ‘em wet. I fumble ‘round in the hopes of findin’ a light switch, hell even a drape. Who kno...

6 comments 6
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“Cold, hard concrete floors” by Sabeela Asmal

Submitted to Contest #101

After the sun sets every night, and the bell on the far left compound dings and dongs, and all the inmates are rushed to their cells, and the icy winds penetrate the ragged and tattered walls of the building, I end up in the same place as I do every other bitter night, on the cold hard concrete floors, dwelling on thoughts. Thoughts about my life's happenings. Reflection. Definition: The ability to witness and evaluate ones own cognitive, emotional, and behavioural processes. 'Know thyself'. The concept of self reflection itself, ...

3 comments 3
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“Evil people” by Melody Frost

Submitted to Contest #101

"Finally," said Tracy Dixon to herself in a relieved voice. "Ah, I should switch off my phone before there are any calls that disturb my once-in-a-lifetime vacation," said Tracy while switching off her phone. When she was just about to switch off her phone, the name 'DEVIL' appeared on her phone screen.  "Lord! When in the world will I be able to live freely?" she said to herself while attending the call. "A body was found this morning. It was a man in his thirties. He was found dead in his house," informed Sergeant Cole. "So??" asked T...

5 comments 5
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“Two Cups of Tea” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #101

As always, Leonard woke before his alarm and listened — whilst he lay there — to the creaks of the home. Before the bedside clock could bleat, he reached over and silenced it with a preemptive click. No movement from the other side of the bed, so he snuck out of the bedroom before he woke Myra. Dressing gown swiped from the back of the door — next to Myra’s fluffy pink one — and slippers slipped into. The stairs creaked beneath his weight in all the usual spots — the third, the fifth, and the ninth. The coffee-coloured carpet thinned out...

4 comments 4
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“What I can't say” by Consistently Lost

Submitted to Contest #101

"You're wasting your parents money." My music teacher tells me for the 5th time this hour.There's certain things you can't say to adults. Especially when they're mean to you.For example: Shut the hell up, You're an idiot, How about get outta my face you *** of a *****, stupid ******* *****.You shouldn't say that.That's not nice.You can think it.But don't say it.Usually when my teacher is giving me a hard time, I just sit there and take it, telling myself that 'I'm a Musician and this is what we go through to be the best.'I mean, compared to ...

8 comments 8
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“Magic Like Zizou” by Sorcha Wilde

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #101

CW: substance abuse Our communication was laborious: a labour of love. He didn’t speak my language, nor I his. Neither of us fully mastered our third, French, the one we shared. Our earliest conversations, then, were exceptionally banal, little more than names and nodding. We established a common love of football, listed teams, national and international, the names of players, deduced which ones we both liked. Henry. Barthez. Schmeichel. Cantona. “Zizou.” He said the name like it was a magic word, and I responded, slowly, nodding with the sa...

2 comments 2
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“Band-Aids Are For Babies ” by Andrea Magee

Submitted to Contest #101

Lyla Magda and I lay sprawled out on Lyla's turquoise sectional in her spacious entertainment room. There were various modes of entertainment to choose from. A 50-inch flatscreen was mounted on the wall; programmed with any channel or movie you wanted to watch. There was fuse ball, a pool table, a VR station, a scrabble table (my personal favorite), and a recording studio where you could make a video to the song you were singing off karaoke.Lyla was checking her food delivery apps to see who was delivering with a discount. Lyla could eat and...

8 comments 8
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“An Angel From Heaven” by Keya J.

Submitted to Contest #101

Content warning: A few suicidal thoughts of the characters are inserted.*breathes in**breathes out**knock at the door*“What is it now Skye?” I asked, my voice thundered with despair yet anger.Accompanied by the creaking sound of the doorknob, Skye entered. Her long purple-dyed hair was attached in a braid from the top of her head to the tip of her back. Her bronze skin was covered with a creased white shirt and a champagne pink pencil skirt. The shades of her leather boots dissolved with the spilt colours of the mucky floor. Her eyeballs dan...

4 comments 4
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“Entomology” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #101

They were back in the trees, and this time, he did not care. He had seen them over the course of five summers and still knew very little about what they were, why they gathered among those leaves, and why he was so fascinated with them. Every spring and summer, they were there. They never went away. They were a certainty. It was a pleasant thought that day. It was too hot for the suit, he thought, but he knew why he had to wear it. He grabbed at the black tie and loosened it a bit. The jacket was already on the picnic table ...

6 comments 6
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$50

Prize money

729

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 09, 2021 EST

Won by Mary Sheehan 🏆

Title: Colleen

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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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