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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#103: Synchronicity

Have you ever experienced a strange or serendipitous alignment of events? Happy accidents, creepy coincidences, or randomly resonant moments happen to everyone, yet they always take us by surprise. Whether you believe they have any spiritual significance or not, it can be hard to shake the feeling that some things happen to us by design.

 

Since truth is often stranger than fiction, I’ve taken some of this week’s prompts directly from life — one poses a situation that has happened to me personally, and another to a friend of mine. The rest I leave up to your own imagination — or what the universe wants you to write!

This week's prompts

Write about a character looking for a sign.

Fluff – 153 stories

An apparent coincidence occurs. Write a story about a character who suspects paranormal, spiritual, or criminal causes.

Horror – 129 stories

Write a story where a character runs into someone they’ve seen in their dreams, or enters a building they’ve dreamt about before.

High School – 230 stories

Start your story with someone discovering a photograph that has something written on the back.

Valentine's Day – 196 stories

Write a story about someone who starts noticing the same object or phrase wherever they go.

Thriller and Suspense – 106 stories

Stories

“Sins and Sinners” by A J

Submitted to Contest #103

“Secrets carry weight, like lead.” Iris inhaled the pleasant air which was ripe with the dewy petrichor of the post-rain evening. A cool breeze ruffled the leaves of nearby lofty mango trees, all of which were well endowed with succulent yellow mangoes. The sky was shades of pretty pink and purple pastels. Making her way down the narrow path between the tall trees, she recollected her memories with Dante, Isabelle, Rhett, and Jax; running along the shore, pushing each other in the sea, and dreaming about sailing the world one day. They w...

14 comments 14
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“The Golden Beauty ” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #103

(Content Warning: Blood, Gore, some mild language.)Let’s get one thing straight here people, I am not an American Picker. If you don’t know what a Picker is, why don’t you google it because I don’t have time to explain it to you. If you were to call me something, I guess you could call me a sign collector. All my life I have been searching for a highly collectable 1950’s Chevrolet Bel Air Dealer sign.There are two versions of this sign. One is an indoor poster that dealerships would display in their stores. The only problem with this poster ...

8 comments 8
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“Santa's Real∙” by 𝔘𝔤𝔬𝔠𝔥𝔦 𝔑.

Submitted to Contest #103

I look for a sign. Anything that will change my mind. Anything. I walk down the streets of New York same as everyone else. I know someone is out there thinking how beautiful this place is– Just give it a few years. When I first moved here, I was in awe of the high buildings. We never had building like these in the country side so it was always such a beauty. I always felt like the buildings would fall being how tall they were. I would go to the parks, filled with beautiful landmarks and the grass was always trimmed so nicely. My mouth wou...

16 comments 16
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“The Lucky Cat” by Sarah Lau

Submitted to Contest #103

It only cost one dollar. She’d picked it up on a whim from that popular Japanese variety store, Daiso. It was a shiny, gold-painted plastic cat with a solar-powered waving arm. Noticing them in people’s cars, she’d always thought these cats were so cute. Her best friend from Japan told her that it was a “Maneki Neko” or “beckoning cat”; a talisman of good luck and fortune. Now she had a lucky cat of her very own sitting on her dashboard. As soon as she removed it from its packaging, the cat’s arm immediately started waving. Amused, she...

4 comments 4
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“Session” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #103

Cerise sighed when she spied Adelie curled up in the reading nook, eyes on the rain outside.Her heart sagged in her chest, a damp dress hung over a coat hanger. Limp. The air caught against her ribs, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Framed against the washed-out backdrop of droplets, Adelie looked older than her age. For one frozen snapshot, Cerise caught a glimpse of the adult her little sister would soon become. A temporary maturity — achieved through grief. Every nerve ending and vein ached, and not only for their recent loss. She ...

3 comments 3
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“"And then, we live"” by Cuppa Chae

Submitted to Contest #103

I am sitting in the ice cream parlour, watching the marshmallows slide down the Rocky Road which has begun to melt from the summer blaze. I think the staff members are watching me from the countertop, wondering how long I’m going to be here for. Or maybe they’re staring at the strawberry parfait opposite me that’s been reduced to nothing but slush because no one was here to eat it. With a sigh I get up, pay with a twenty-pound note and leave without the change. The same routine.I plug in my earphones before stepping outside and bring up...

11 comments 11
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“The Dream Demon” by Charlie Murphy

Submitted to Contest #103

The slightly cool breeze blew on Audrey’s body as she walked Carrie.“Getting chilly out, huh, girl?”“Yeah, I like it.”“Me, too.""It’s invigorating!”“Yeah, look at us nude on a chilly September day!”“Well, it’s cool, but not chilly!”“Yeah.”Audrey continued walking Carrie on the sidewalk.“I gotta go,” Carrie said.“OK.” Audrey stopped next to a bank. Let’s go in here.” She opened the door and walked in.Carrie looked around. “Hey!”“What?”“I’m having déjà vu. I’ve been here before.”“You have?"“Yeah, I recognize these God-awful ugly walls!”“Hey!” ...

21 comments 21
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“Justice” by Kira Krieger

Submitted to Contest #103

Twelve-year-old Steven Ross cuddled up with a pillow on the couch in his brother’s house. His sky blue pajamas conflicted with the black leather fabric as well as the darkened sky. Wiping his eyes, he yawned as he waited for his older brother to rejoin him for their movie night. Rylee was in the kitchen, heating up water for coffee and hot chocolate. A figure appeared behind him. Like a shadow, they didn’t make a sound until it wanted to. “I haven’t missed much, have I?” she said, throwing off her hood. Rylee jumped around leaning against th...

5 comments 5
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“Ferries and Trains” by Ruth Smith

Submitted to Contest #103

Barb and Tom got off the ferry and walked over to the sign that listed the times the boat came in and when it left. “2:30,” Tom said, setting his wrist alarm. Barb nodded. She flung her beach bag over her shoulder, grabbed her husband's hand and they walked towards Manly beach.It was September 2000, and the Summer Olympics were being held in Sydney Australia. Tom's brother and his Ozzy wife lived in a suburb of Sydney and were kind enough to host Barb and Tom for the Games. The couple saved up for 4 years for this once-in-a-lifetime opportun...

7 comments 7
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“Sam Ben Andy Jake” by David G.

Submitted to Contest #103

“How about Crittenden Lane, Pop?” I ask, but by now I’ve lost hope.We’re driving aimlessly over the rolling hills on Route 23 in northwestern New Jersey looking for some sign that my Pop might recognize. But we may as well be wandering through a dark cave with a flashlight whose batteries are on their last few blips, the bulb flickering with increasing intermittency.“Does that name mean anything to you, Pop?” I ask again. “Does it ring any bells?”The purpose of our journey had seemed straightforward enough when we’d set out earlier this morn...

8 comments 8
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“GOD, I NEED A SIGN” by Dr. Ugs

Submitted to Contest #103

Note:The protagonist, along with the rest of the story and plot, is pure fiction and not meant to be offensive in any way towards an individual's religion.I peeled my butt off of the couch and sauntered over to the edge of the cloud to admire my most extraordinary creation ever: humans. They were walking around, happy as ever. Some of them were driving in their own clever inventions – automobiles – and punching the steering wheels to honk at each other. Complimenting each other, I guess.   Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a ...

2 comments 2
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“Memories” by Navitha Paranavithana

Submitted to Contest #103

I gently tug the teak drawer and turn the pages of a hardcover album. Then, my hands slip onto a smooth and glossy photograph of my playful childhood. It took me back eleven years ago. The photograph fell with a sudden knock and as it hit onto the ground, the room completely transformed into the suspenseful environment in the picture with a sudden violent tremor. I felt that I was pulled into the image. I looked around and searched for my photograph. But, it was out of sight. I started to panic with fear. My heart pounded, my face turned pal...

3 comments 3
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“ When The Stars Aligned ” by Jenitta Daniel

Submitted to Contest #103

Claire and Ben fastened up their luggage and hurried out after been waiting for this day. Yeah! Finally, they decided to fly to Quebec, Air Canada, in a Boeing 777 as their tickets confirmed. Sighing deeply, they smiled at each other after pinned their back at the seats of the cab, which was started and moved on firmly to the destination as suggested by Ben for the sake of Claire. Claire placed her palm on his lap, as it was the journey of chasing their dream, which could be doomed if they had failed to make this choice. As their life filled...

6 comments 6
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“Mr No Name Devil” by Pahani Wijeratne

Submitted to Contest #103

”Woah, where in the world am I?”I whispered in my child like astonishment.A tall figure, quite slender but not too skinny, I would say about half sliver and half white hair wearing fancy, not really elegant but not casual as well clothing. This ”man” walked up to me. His hands in his pockets, his wispy hair glowing in the immense darkness. His aqua blue eyes with a touch of caramelised brown. Didn’t come up to me at a fast pace, surely taking his time, unlike the encounters I’ve had with several other men. Middle school was, quite... awful. ...

14 comments 14
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“Don't Know” by Carrie O'Keefe

Submitted to Contest #103

 I made a creaking sound as I adjusted myself on Dr. Schmidt’s couch. Feeling the tension growing inside me because I was being made to take time out of my own schedule, talk to a psychologists, and explain to him why I didn’t get along with my coworker. “Linda.” Fingers snapped grabbing my attention. I looked up trying not to glare. Snapping of the fingers, I’m not a dog. “Anything you want to get off your chest?” “I don’t feel the need to be here” Dr. Schmidt crossed his legs and jotted something down in his notebook. “Why don’t you t...

6 comments 6
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$50

Prize money

814

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 23, 2021 EST

Won by Abigail Airuedomwinya 🏆

Title: THIS IS THE DAY WE DIE

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 | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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