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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#116: Permission vs Forgiveness

As the old saying goes, “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission.” It’s not a policy to adopt too often (if you want to keep your friends, that is). But there will probably be times when — whether out of expedience, impulsivity, or sheer laziness — you throw caution to the wind.

Whether your characters are seeking another’s blessing or begging their pardon, this week’s prompts focus on the complex dynamics between permission and forgiveness.

This week's prompts

Write about a character breaking a rule, but for good reason.

Teens – 38 stories

Write about a character seeking forgiveness for something that happened in the past.

Angst – 67 stories

Start your story with someone being forbidden from doing something.

Dark – 44 stories

Write about a character who is being asked for their blessing, but is reluctant to give it.

Angst – 14 stories

Write a story that centers around a parking permit.

Fluff – 11 stories

Stories

“Ending with New Beginning” by Merari Acosta

Submitted to Contest #116

“Honey, CALM DOWN!!! What is the big deal about having parking permits. For goodness' sake, you do not live in a private residential area. You are as basic as me.” Neal was stringing my nerves with his tantrum as soon as we pulled into the apartment complex. “Please, just find any spot,” I kept urging him. “Menani, you just do not understand. I PAY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT FOR RENT TO BE LEFT WITH NO PARKING SPOT, and be forced to be a merry-go-round each night,” Neal continued to justify his displeasure with a defeated tone by the end of his ar...

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“Seeing (Parking) Spots” by Delusional Poet

Submitted to Contest #116

Seeing (Parking) Spots Karla pulled her 2005 silver Honda Civic into the visitor’s spot of her building. Her front bumper made a terrible scraping noise as it hit the concrete divider. The bumper was sagging lower than a rapper's pants, due to hitting a mailbox when she was 16. She stepped out and hit the lock button on her keys. The car made a sound that was more like a wheeze than a beep. She walked up the steps of her building, and into the front office. Today was the today she was going to get a parking permit. Due to the fees, she ha...

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“Sins of the Father” by Kieran Conway

Submitted to Contest #116

Sins of the Father “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been...waow, years since my last confession,” the man said, that fact obviously just dawning on him. A short, throaty chuckle from the listening side of the confessional reminded him of a department store Santa. “I’m not here to judge,” the priest said. “I’m just the middle man; now, tell me your sins” “Sin, Father,” the man said, correcting him. “I’m sorry?” “There’s just the one sin, Father.” “Go on,” the priest said hesitantly. “I killed a man, Father.” “I’m sorry?” “I kill...

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“Breaking the rules ” by Triniti Williams

Submitted to Contest #116

Breaking the rules Sitting in room 202 Amelia. She is the sweetest girl ever known and NEVER EVER broke a rule. But one day after all room 202 left for summer break she saw something that had a red tablecloth on it. She walked over to it and touched it and it barked . She jumped back from fear and walked back to it. She lifted the tablecloth and it was a PUPPY!!! She jumped up in excitement.Then she noticed that it had been here without food or water. she took him out. I am going to name you butterscotch. Amelia put butterscotch in her bac...

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“Telling Touch” by Deanna Badgley

Submitted to Contest #116

TW: Story alludes to violence but does not contain any explicit content. The restaurant was relatively quiet for a Wednesday night. I keep a personal, standing reservation at this local Italian place I’m really into right now. Ever since I moved here, I've kept up this tradition, changing the restaurant after a year or so of patronage. Regardless of what’s going on in my life, I always like to treat myself to dinner once a week. I eat alone most of the time anyway, but somehow eating in a restaurant turns it into something else, lik...

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“From the Cupboard” by Christopher Cayen-Cyr

Submitted to Contest #116

“Peter! Have you forgotten about the Green Rule?”The pupil froze on the spot the very second Mrs. Soloway raised her voice, stopping midway between the door and the teacher’s desk as all of his classmates directed their inquisitive stares towards him. He might as well have been a frail, hopeless leaf caught in a sudden winter storm, hammered to the ground by the merciless weight of the snow falling from the skies.Truth be told, her tone had been kind and nurturing. One might even say playful. Had her words been sung to the tune of the softes...

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“The Reckoning” by Catherine Gravely

Submitted to Contest #116

There was that soft “plop” in the front hall, which set the dog to barking and scratching at the door. Moving into the hall to shush Ruggles, I gathered the scattered mail, before it could be shredded by his exuberance. I instructed him firmly to be quiet, to be a ‘good boy’. As usual. But this was not to be a usual day. That realization landed, like an unwanted guest, the moment that I had spread the envelopes across the kitchen table and looked at the return addresses.Only a few letters arrived, these days. Mostly, they were requests ...

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“Confessions of a Sinner” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #116

The box was small and dark. I hated going in there.I hated the darkness but every Friday I didn’t have a choice. I made it to the front of the line and waited my turn. In my head I was thinking of the things that I was required to say when the door opened to the box and the person before me stepped out. I really didn’t have anything to say but that would not do. You were expected to say something once you entered the box and the door closed. I wiped my wet sweaty hands on my uniform skirt and tugged at the bottom of my sweater. S...

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“Living Water” by Jessie Hartness

Submitted to Contest #116

TW: drug use, self-harm, languageAll she knew how to do was run. So she ran. But this time she ran towards the truth, not from it. She ran fast, and she ran hard. Her hair blocked out the sun, causing those behind her to wither and die. Her hands directed the winds, generating a blast of destruction. Her feet trampled the earth, shattering the surface into a million pieces, shards flying behind her as she quickened her pace.She was almost there. She saw that blanket of blue infinity. She kept running. She was so close. As she lunged towards ...

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“The Confession” by Cliff Pratt

Submitted to Contest #116

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.” Father Michael seemed to hear the word “ever’ in the whispers and echoes of the old church. He was an older man, verging on elderly. He had been the parish priest for a decade or so, and was almost unflappable, having seen many unusual things in his long life in the church. There was a long pause. He scratched his balding head. “Go on, my son,” said the priest. In case the penitent was unfamiliar with the sacrament of confession, he added “You need to list your sins.” ...

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“Unwritten Rules” by Don Green

Submitted to Contest #116

Dak was a blue-collar man with a white-collar mind. He had tried, and spectacularly failed a number of times, to break free from what he considered his blue-collar prison. Still, he was good at his trade and it paid the bills, which was not not an insignificant consideration for this father of eight. Thus is was he found himself employed as a "temp" by a large university hospital, in a role that easily matched his skills. The position was advertised as "temp-to-hire," meaning that if the need for his work might reasonably continue into t...

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“The Long March of the Silent Sentinels ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #116

Lucy Lovell Could outrun any of the boys in her sixth grade class. It was June 1910 and this would most likely be her final year at Marsh Flats School since girls didn't need a formal education like the boys did. "You ain't nothing but a tomboy, Lucy Lovell." Gunther Borsch Yelled as she crossed the finish line in her bare feet. "I beat you, Gunther. That's a fact." She yelled back her retort. Gunther's plump face turned red as some of the onlookers laughed. Her father Zachiah was sitting on the buck board loosely holding the ...

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“Earning my Place” by Karena G

Submitted to Contest #116

(Excerpt) Heather June 10, 2016 Fredericton, New Brunswick You are good enough. You can accomplish anything. The world respects your sacrifice. Once again, I think my reflection is lying to me. My mantra, I chant it every day; maybe one day I’ll believe it. For now, I cover up my insecurities with a coat of lip gloss, a spritz of hairspray, and my best practiced smile. Today is a new day. “Mom, are those my jeans?” Anna is mortified. “I don’t know. Are they?” I laugh. “Your mother is the only woman in town who could get away with t...

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“Forgiveness” by Tracy Mason

Submitted to Contest #116

Rachel stood alone, looking down onto the freshly lowered coffin. There were no tears, but feelings of anger, shame, sadness and guilt consumed her. She imagined the lid opening and Holly sitting up, laughing infectiously, proclaiming this to be a bad joke. That would be so typical of Holly’s personality. Always happy, wanting to make other people smile. She smiled sadly at the thought. A light rain started to fall, mocking Rachel as her eyes remained stubbornly dry. Rachel stood for a minute longer, not wanti...

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“A Knock at the Door” by Marcia Harris

Submitted to Contest #116

The chill filled the air and traveled through her bones. The bed whined slightly as she turned over. She couldn’t bear to look at the ceiling one second more on this sleepless night. Her current view, her nightstand, was not much better. As she stared at the picture of an elated bride and groom, she could not help but to notice the hopeful gleam in their eyes shone brightly. Their smiles stretched across their faces to an almost painful degree. She could no longer recognize those people in that...

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$250

Prize money

174

Contest entries

112

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 22, 2021 EST

Won by Story Time 🏆

Title: Straw, Sticks, and Brick

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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