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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!

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 – 47 stories

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

Adventure – 40 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

“Moonlight in the day” by Anickson Jean

Submitted to Contest #110

I found myself back here again, a dark forest where no life can be found but the sound of my past echoed through every leaf. I slowly walked through the forest knowing I can’t leave till I wake up. No matter where I turned there were only trees surrounding the dark starless night, well it’s usually starless, but this time there is something there. One bright star stands by itself in the night far above the trees. Something came over me and without reason, I ran in its direction ignoring the voices that tried to beat me down. As I ran ...

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“Adventures of Moira” by Natalie K

Submitted to Contest #110

Adventures of Moira “We have plenty of time, Moira.” Jack Litheson said with a glance at the girl next to him. She was about ten years old, she had black hair that resembled molten ore, and her eyes shined of purest black. She wore an old, tattered dress that was a hand-me-down from her orphanage. “We're never going to make it on time.” Moira complained as she sunk lower into the seat. “We’re already late, and Auntie Kate -must I really call her that?- is already waiting for us to arrive. If we started earlier, like I said, we would’ve gotte...

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“Greenland” by Charlie A

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” I say casually to my best friend Tulok as we make our way onto the beach. We were fifteen when the Invaders first came upon us on those “long kayaks” we called them. Tulok and I were tasked to maintain a lookout this year and we were beyond excited. It was the first time we’d been chosen for this. This beach was the edge of the world and no one wanted the job. We took it because we’d be that much farther from the village that we hated all our lives. We were supposed to stay here for almost a year with seasonal ...

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“Congratulations” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” reassures Mariah. She smooths a strand of my flyaway hair as I purse my lips in the mirror. I toss the lipstick on the dresser and push my sister’s long fingers from my head. I grab her arm as strong as I can and pull her out of the room towards the car. She drops me off at the pier 15 minutes later. 2 hours later. She is the kind of woman who is wearing a little, lacy, black thong underneath that royal purple pencil dress which displays her cleavage like two eggs, sunny side up-his favorite. I am th...

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“Pentagon Twelve” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time, Sis.” There was much to learn and organize. In warp speed, they invested every waking moment to this idea. It seemed like the possibilities could be endless. The beauty of a plan like this is it can be used over again. Once established, it’s all reusable. Complete details were to be logistically thought through and ironed out. It would be some time before this business would be able to be put into action, but time wasn’t of the essence, perfection was. “Hello.. anyone home? “Quietly she steps inside liste...

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“The Fallen” by Paula B

Submitted to Contest #110

"We have plenty of time." The voice called out from behind, a throaty, chilling voice that was just as out of breath as I was, choking up on the dust that flew into their mouth as we ran. My feet pounded the floor, scraping at the rocks and sand in this torturous desert as I feel my heart ramming into my ribs, my body begging for me to stop but I won't. I breathe out, leaning forward and jumping over a rock here and there, running past into the mini village that lay settled between two abnormal canyon rocks. You'd occasionally hear the t...

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“Duet” by A. Smoak

Submitted to Contest #110

“We have plenty of time,” Sophie had muttered to Kara under the early morning sun that first day. Kara had closed her eyes and with a smile pressed to Sophie’s neck, she dreamed of music and love on a deadline. A year can be as long or as short as you make it, and that’s been something Kara’s been thinking about for a while. For most of her life, her years moved quickly, like when you’re standing completely still on a moving train while the world flashes by through the tiny porthole of a dirty window. Her life had been mapped out f...

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“CYCLONE TRAIL” by Eve Whittall

Submitted to Contest #110

CYCLONE TRAILSometime in February 1936 The slimy-looking black ribbon highway reflected like a mirror in the early morning light. Nearby parked cars were covered with a heavy frozen mist, appearing like flash-frozen fish. It was dark and silent. No distant dog barking, no rooster crowing, just a page waiting to be written upon. Klamath Falls is like that in the wintertime.Standing by the side of the road was a young couple, nearly crouched as the man and woman defended each other from the blasts of southerly wind. One lone suitcase...

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“An Unusual Hitchhiker on an Uncommon Path ” by Elizabeth Fenley

Submitted to Contest #110

An Unusual Hitchhiker on an Uncommon Path Elizabeth Fenley Serdwynne slowed Loki to a walk when she caught sight of a figure trudging alongside the dirt road. Instinctively, she pushed her cloak back over the hilt of her sword and pulled her hood off to scan the landscape for others. Loki remained steady, unspooked. The stretching time of the gloaming cast uncertainty on her surroundings. As Loki slowly closed the distance between Serdwynne and the stranger, she observed its di...

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“'I' is for Imogen” by Kerry Goldsworthy

Submitted to Contest #110

The silver sedan was waiting for her on the road up ahead, its blinker flashing faster than most cars, as if impatient for her to get in. The woman approached the car hesitantly, then opened the front passenger door and slid gratefully into the seat. She briefly made eye contact with the driver, a woman in her late twenties or early thirties; a similar age to herself. ”I’m Courtney,” the driver said. “Hannah,” the woman responded, pushing her sunglasses up, and fussing with the curls that framed her face, a gesture she was known for. Courtn...

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“Sara Makes a Decision” by Pako Dunwhile

Submitted to Contest #110

The tall man in the purple trench coat and beige Barcelona sun hat caught her attention far in the distance. Annoyance crept through her calm demeanor at his visual interruption of the sunlit ocean. She expected a distraction-free drive along the winding, mountainside road. Nothing about his presence made sense to her. His lumbering obstruction forced her mind back to the reality of the moment, out of a serene headspace. She hadn't ever seen any hitchhikers until the mandatory exit off the road. Even at her far vantage, Sara could see that h...

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“Detour in Texas Hitchhiker” by Cyntra Pinhorn

Submitted to Contest #110

Charlie“Oh, for crying out loud, Charlie!” she berated herself as she steered the old Harley off the side of the road. “You couldn’t possibly have chosen a worse vague-out moment!” To backtrack or take the scenic route for a bit, she thought, tugging the map from her pocket. She didn’t know why, but something deep within Charlie’s soul urged her to keep going forward. She looked at the map again, thinking aloud, “Pretty straightforward, woman; you’re now on Highway 287, so take it to Claude, turn left on 207, and follow it back to I-40!” She...

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“Deer in Headlights” by Faye Goodwin

Submitted to Contest #110

The truck stop beacon is a 50-foot tall neon waitress trapped in an endless purgatorial motion of kicking one high-heeled foot back while holding an immortal tray of drinks, her faceless smile, faceless wink beaming out on the interstate for miles around in the falling dusk. The advertisement seems unnecessary considering the only other options are a decaying Exxon that you passed an hour ago and the uncertainty of the long night ahead. Robin feels that the giant waitress is a kind of lighthouse. A sort of north star for the weary traveler, ...

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“Towards Her” by Val D. Torian

Submitted to Contest #110

(TW: homophobia) Clink. My empty energy drink can hits a pile of others after I toss it into the backseat. It’s only my first one today considering it’s barely 4 am. I crack open another, driving with one hand as I stare out into the darkness and at the unbelievably mind-numbing road taking me through New Mexico. Believe it or not, I normally don’t consume two energy drinks by 5 am. I also normally am not driving at 5 am, but it just hasn’t been a normal 24 hours. I guess “normal,” though, is the kind of thing that goes away once your ...

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“Somewhere Getting Gone” by Tasha Walker

Submitted to Contest #110

Thursday, 1/1/151:32AM In retrospect, I don’t know why I thought that eight months of delivering pizza was going to make me an expert on the highway interstate system. I mean, I’ve memorized the backroads of Williston damn near as well as I know the winding valleys of freckles spotting my face and limbs. I know North from South; East from West. I know who Dwight D. Eisenhower is. What else is there to know, really? Wrong. It’s not a convenient moment to be humbled, frankly. I don’t have the time. I waited until the grandfather...

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$250

Prize money

209

Contest entries

144

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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