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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#110: Hit the Road, Jack

On September 5th, 1957, Jack Kerouac published On the Road — a hugely influential novel, swelling with jazz, heat, and Americana, that follows free-spirited mavericks Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty on their travels across the States. To celebrate its 64th anniversary, this week’s prompts all take place on the long and winding road (or right next to it). Safe travels!

🥇 Winner

“My Mother's Dreams.” by JanetthePlanet 66

In her dream she is fourteen, running home from work on precarious little heels, down the paved street, as molten metal plip-plops around her, dotting the cement with perfect silver discs. Her mother lags six feet behind, following her footsteps, urging her to tread carefully. A V2 rocket launches overhead, triggering the timer in her mind. She waits in the signature silence for the rocket to find its mark, as it careens...

95 comments 95 WINNER 🏆
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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Before His Time” by Cassidy Lewis

“We have plenty of time,” Mum said. The whole world was practically on fire, but she made it seem like everything was cool beans. Ever the optimist, Dad thought, only half-cynically. Usually her idealism annoyed him – he called her a dreamer with her head in the clouds, which usually came out “Where’s your head at, woman?”

11 comments 11 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Off the Road” by Tim Roberts

“My father worked on the lorries. His checked shirt billowed gingham; his sod-brown arm lugged snug at window. He'd fit the coupling to the trailer, hugging the waggon cab close as a babe in arms. An expert. His white arm aiding brown to steer the great wheel tight and right; his eye narrowed and angled at the road, mapping the route exactly - back to Shropshire hills. We pestered o...

2 comments 2 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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This week's prompts

Set your story in a roadside diner.

Dystopian – 59 stories

Write about a couple who fall out on the road.

Valentine's Day – 16 stories

Start your story with a vehicle pulling over for a hitchhiker.

Horror – 49 stories

Write about a character on the road — and on the run.

Adventure – 42 stories

Start your story with the line “We have plenty of time,” and/or end it with the line “We were never going to make it.”

Angst – 47 stories

Stories

“My Mother's Dreams.” by JanetthePlanet 66

In her dream she is fourteen, running home from work on precarious little heels, down the paved street, as molten metal plip-plops around her, dotting the cement with perfect silver discs. Her mother lags six feet behind, following her footsteps, urging her to tread carefully. A V2 rocket launches overhead, triggering the timer in her mind. She waits in the signature silence for the rocket to find its mark, as it careens...

95 comments 95 WINNER 🏆
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“Little Casanova Town Diner” by Allie Mae Sakry

I watched the downpour pound away at the old gas pumps through the window. They were already rusted from however many years they’ve stood there, barely covered by the awning hanging overhead. Must have been about seventy years by now. My chin resting on my palm, I sighed into the silence of Little Casanova Town Diner, just outside the town. “Nice weather out there,” called a voice a few rotating stools away. I tu...

18 comments 18
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“Kerfuffle in Yazoo County” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

The white boy falls out of the Ford F-150 pickup truck first, hitting the road with a sickening thud. His left eye is already turning purplish-red, eyelid swelling to a most startling size. Moments later, a pretty dark skinned girl is launched from the Ford’s passenger side as well, but she elegantly falls, executing a dive, tuck and roll, ending up on her feet as if she’d been preparing for that particular move her whole life—all while keeping ahold of her purse.It is impressive. We almost applaud, taking the cigarette...

22 comments 22
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“Shortcut” by Alex Sultan

For good reason, not all paths and trails are marked on every map. Marko kicked through piles of autumn leaves at the roadside. His parents had refused him a ride, he couldn’t afford the train, and hopping the bus without change didn’t work out. It'd be a three-hour walk back to Moscow.A car drove behind him. He turned. It didn’t come from the end of the road, but halfway as if it drove out of the forest. He waved his hand, slowly, inspecting the vehicle as it approached and stopped.Purple stains, like splashes of wet...

14 comments 14
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“Too close for comfort ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Just the first morning after he told her, "We have plenty of time," Suzan Mayweather adorned herself with a low hanging top and made her way across a wide expanse of land, unaccompanied. She did not take her umbrella or her hat or the sample sweater that usually smelt of patchouli. At some time, the cold would settle on her skin and drag her down the grass, screaming in her head. She was not to worry her...

3 comments 3
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“Before His Time” by Cassidy Lewis

“We have plenty of time,” Mum said. The whole world was practically on fire, but she made it seem like everything was cool beans. Ever the optimist, Dad thought, only half-cynically. Usually her idealism annoyed him – he called her a dreamer with her head in the clouds, which usually came out “Where’s your head at, woman?”

11 comments 11 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Joel's Diner” by Mister X

CW: abortion On Saturday nights, the diner gets busy just after 9:00 p.m. I don’t mind it. It helps keep my mind off things—things like unopened bills, unanswered texts, unreturned phone calls. “Say Billy, I’m ready to order,” rasps the grizzled old man, raising a finger to get my attention. Typical of Fort Worth, he always wears a cowboy hat and belt buckle the size of a salad plate. I trot over. “Let me guess. You want chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, no green beans, and extra g...

5 comments 5
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“Mr. Carter’s Decapitation” by Joe Malgeri

Although it happened many years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday; in fact, I can vividly recall the entire incident. The following is my own interpretation and clarification of Mr. Byron Carter’s fatal, freak automobile accident! Behold:    It was during a hot summer day in the year of 1985 when my car had unexpectedly died, as a result, I began hitchhiking home. It wasn’t long before a couple, who appeared to be in their mid sixties, stopped to pick me up. The driver had quickly introduced hi...

14 comments 14
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“But Do We Have Time” by Shelby Schwartz

“We have plenty of time.” He says to me, a smile playing on his lips. He is always tries to make lighter of the situation. Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn’t. He always says we have plenty of time. I don’t think he realizes that my time is running out. “Let’s go and enjoy ourselves.” Another famous saying. He grabs my hand and drags me along with him through the amu...

11 comments 11
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“The Travelers ” by Daniel R. Hayes

(Content Warning: Blood, gore, mild language, some crude humor.) Wallowing through the darkness at sixty-five miles an hour on rural I-79, Bethany’s eyes grew heavy. She had been driving for the past three hours, and fatigue was starting to set in. In a desperate attempt to stay awake, she cranked the radio volume to the max, hoping the noise would keep her senses alert. It hel...

7 comments 7
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“Off the Road” by Tim Roberts

“My father worked on the lorries. His checked shirt billowed gingham; his sod-brown arm lugged snug at window. He'd fit the coupling to the trailer, hugging the waggon cab close as a babe in arms. An expert. His white arm aiding brown to steer the great wheel tight and right; his eye narrowed and angled at the road, mapping the route exactly - back to Shropshire hills. We pestered o...

2 comments 2 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“a convincing illusion” by F.O. Morier

a convincing illusion He was 6 months under the age of 21, and he had lived many lives already: different people, different roles, different professions… None of them significant. Now he had 10 worn-out dollar bills in his pocket and he had a choice: stay and be the town queer or run and be free. Become a stray dog or a hippie maybe. Grow his hair and live his life as simple as ...

8 comments 8
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“Promoted” by Michael Martin

Why was Rick calling again? It had only been 30 minutes since Ed’s last check-in.Work could wait; Ed swiped Ignore on the cracked screen of his old phone. “Alright Danny, let’s…” Where was his son? Ed whipped his head around, looking from one end of the massive roadside truck stop to the other. “Honey, where’s Danny?”“He was right h-” His wife, Ivana, paused as she turned to face the candy aisle that Danny ran down just moments before. “Uh, Danny? Danny?!”

8 comments 8
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“Dangerous Drive” by Jesse Maurer

Before you judge me, please know, that i do know it is dangerous to pick up a hitchhiker. I am perfectly capable of making good decisions. So I have ONE flaw. One weakness.. I like to help people. It was raining. I saw him standing out in the rain along the highway, thumb out, trying to find someone willing to give him a break from the rain. This is normal weather for southwestern Pennsylvania. <...

12 comments 12
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“Danny and the Tin Snail” by Katharine Widdows

I love my tin snail. 29 horsepower, full length roll back sunroof, four gears, fun suspension. She may date back to 1971 but the front inboard mounted brakes are the same technology used in formula one cars. I have to say, I feel more like a rally driver as I throw her round the corners.Speaking of corners, there’s a guy with his thumb up at the bend, heading out of Talby.I’d love the company, I wonder if he’ll accept a lift from a 2CV? Some consider these old Citroens unsafe but, with their built-in cr...

21 comments 21
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$250

Prize money

213

Contest entries

151

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 10, 2021 EST

Won by JanetthePlanet 66 🏆

Title: My Mother's Dreams.

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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