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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#121: Giving Thanks

Next Thursday marks American Thanksgiving: an occasion for people to come together, catch up, and enjoy large quantities of mashed potatoes. In keeping with the name, many also take this time to reflect on what they’re thankful for — whether that’s good friends, a great job, or the aforementioned potatoes.

This week’s prompts expand on the idea of thanks, exploring not just gratitude, but also recognition, perseverance, and shades of the phrase itself. Whether or not you’ll be celebrating on Thursday, we hope this theme gets you thinking (and in case we haven’t mentioned it lately, thank you for being a part of our amazing community!).

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone saying “Thanks a lot” (sarcastically or sincerely).

Fiction – 37 stories

Write about someone giving or receiving a gift.

Christmas – 50 stories

Write a story in which someone gets credit for something they didn’t do.

Thriller and Suspense – 13 stories

Write about a character who struggles to express their thanks.

Angst – 14 stories

Write about someone in a thankless job.

Teens – 33 stories

Stories

“The Nature of Being a Necromancer” by CJ Rodgers

Submitted to Contest #121

There were three Laws of Nature. One: Don’t change the natural order of things.Two: Don’t expect the universe to play fair.And Three: Never, ever try to cheat Death. A necromancer’s job was to violate all three rules (and get paid for it). Ashby wiped their forehead of sweat and leaned on the shovel, taking a deep breath as their stomach churned. They hadn't eaten before this but now it was coming back to haunt them. Digging up the grave of the deceased was the worst part of being a necromancer. One might think it was wat...

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“Thankless life” by Holli Walsh

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot,” I said earnestly at the news of my new promotion. I guess it was true what they said about the holidays being a very giving season. Ever since I became an independent adult, no one really gave or did things for me out of kindness. Everyone was too busy trying to get by day by day when you became an adult and had to pay bills. I smiled though chasing away my jaded thoughts. I texted my best friend, Jamie, about the good news. Ever since we started working in the office together as new hires, we got along instantly and hung o...

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“154 Juniper Lane” by Nix ♞

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot," I say to the mailman.He hands me a bill. Trekked all the way to the last house on my dead-end street where I live. Trekked all that way to my house at the end of a dead-end street in a snowstorm, may I add. Just to hand me a bill. Can you imagine?I suppose it's his job, but sometimes, they skip my number. It happens a lot, actually. I don't blame them. Today, I wouldn't have complained. It's the last house on a dead-end street. Would you go all the way to the last house on a dead-end street during a blizzard? Just to hand me ...

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“Destination: Woodstock” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot for answering the door for me, Mrs. Drew.” When it came to Tom’s mother, I was always polite. “How are you this morning?”She smiled at him. “Goodness, Alex. How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Paige, not Mrs. Drew. You make me feel like an old woman.”Alex smiled back at her. She was a very warm person and easy to talk to. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Drew, I mean Paige. Please forgive me. Is Tom up yet?”“Hush, now Alex. There’s nothing to forgive. Anyways, why would you think Tom is up? It is seven in the morning, you know.”Alex ...

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“Faith's Law” by Vonnie Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot," Lisa said when I gently mentioned that she looked like death warmed over this morning. I was half-joking, but she did look a little green around the edges. A wild weekend maybe? Then I spotted her pale neck brandished with purplish-black bruises and knew what was up. She'd come in other days with odd marks on her arms, and one time she had a black eye that she claimed was a result of tripping over a laundry basket. That's an old story. My mother had mishaps in the laundry room more often than I could count. When I was you...

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“Teddy Bear” by Aurelia Moon

Submitted to Contest #121

Trigger Warning: Death "Thanks a lot." Snow whispered sarcastically to the brown teddy bear with a red bow and huge eyes, her eyes filled with hatred and tears because of what she did. ************************************************************ Finn handed her a teddy bear with a smile, looking like a lovesick teenager, even though he was twenty four. Snow was twenty three. He brushed his dark and wavy brown hair out of his eyes. Finn was one of the most compassionate people on Earth, but sometimes he couldn't take a hint. Snow forc...

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“Horizon” by Emma Wu

Submitted to Contest #121

"Thanks a lot," he said, all squinting eyes and balled up knuckles as he settled down in the foldable plastic chair. It sunk precariously close to the sand under his weight, and for a second Melanie thought it might break. She sunk into her own chair without a word, closing her eyes. She kicked off those old sandals and dug her feet into the sand, feeling soft grain and broken shells between her toes. The mild breeze and overcast sky had already shifted to a cloudless, lurid blue by the time the two arrived at Salta Bay, despite it being...

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“The Secret that we should have left unsaid” by Sim K

Submitted to Contest #121

“Thanks a lot” Jade said…. In such a deadpan voice that I half believed she was just a programming speaking through a broken mic. Of course I knew it was all sarcasm but it was who it was directed at that made it a little surprising as to what she said. After all, the person at the receiving end of this sarcasm was quite the ace student, Scarlett, with what seemed to be a secret sort of Nero complex (and by secret I mean obvious if you really look into It.) but nevertheless an interesting person to have a conversation with. Everyone has th...

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“Nana's Gift” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #121

Gertrude Swartz passed away peacefully in March, but in her final Christmas, Gertrude or Nana as I knew her gave me a gift that I will treasure for the rest of my life. As we stood around our Christmas tree, she handed me a small package she had in her wrinkled hands. I had no way of knowing it at the time, but this would be her last Christmas with us. “Talia, this is for you.” She smiled as only she could. The scent of cinnamon clunk to the air as I peeled back the wrapping paper of what she hand handed me. ...

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“Blink” by Patricia Robinson

Submitted to Contest #121

BlinkEven though I can’t see the sun shining; I feel the warmth acting as a cloak against the winds I can feel and hear blowing in the early days of Autumn. I walk without stutter, side-stepping when necessary, and knowing when to pause. Years of experience allow a confidence in my white cane that I imagine the sighted cannot understand; I would not survive a day without it. I call her Theia in honor of the Titan Goddess of Sight. Today I decided to leave Chloe, my service dog, at home, opting for Theia instead in hopes of reducing interacti...

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“The Lonely Fairy ” by Thomas Gooch

Submitted to Contest #121

The last Fairy; diminished; sat on a well-worn stool of dark wood. The shadow from the rusted garage door was cast across her back, partly hiding her four insect-like wings; delicate and crumpled. They didn’t work anymore. They hadn’t for a long, long time. So long in fact that the Fairy had almost forgotten they were there, the memories of flying freely with her kin came in faded, confused gasps of nostalgia. Tonight was the only night she could be seen. Those that did catch a glimpse of her would wave as though she had always been there. W...

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“Tiny Bubbles” by KS Logan

Submitted to Contest #121

I was about eight years of age when my mom broke my heart… the first time. My older sister, Margaret, gave me a few dollars to buy Christmas presents for my family. This would be the first year that I would choose my own gifts and take part in the secret magic of Christmas that is the ‘giving’ part. A fortunate child, I never went without. I wasn’t spoiled, but I usually got whatever I wanted as far as toys, clothes, etc. I don’t know if my parents spent the time instilling a sense of gratitude in me, but I remember vividly having one. ...

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“Vemork & Hitler's Atomic Bomb” by Michael Regan

Submitted to Contest #121

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends(John 15:13)The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. - Wilfred OwenDedicated to the 42 men who gave their life on this mission.The BombThey had no idea why, but in early 1941 the Norwegian Resistance was asked to report on the production of heavy water, at the In Vemork Norsk Hydro near Rjukan. In early June 1942 reports showed a marked increase of heavy water being stockpiled at the plant. The Resistance was asked to immediately start planning fo...

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“Part One.” by S D

Submitted to Contest #121

Last Christmas, a miracle bloomed inside the empty house of an empty person. The arrival of Christmas brightened the darkened home and found light from the outside world for the first time in the year. The girl who looked withered before her time, opened the heavy curtains wide and made the home ready for the most wonderful time of the year. And there it was, the world taking on a new face, full of lights, glimmers, love and hope. She did not care that it was all fake and temporary, that it existed before her eyes comforted her enough ...

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“THE GIFT IS INSIDE THE PACKAGE” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #121

THE GIFT IS INSIDE THE PACKAGE It was December 30th, a Friday. The next day would be the last day of the year. And it would also have been his birthday. Alex was born on December 31th , fifty years earlier. He would have celebrated his 50th birthday during the New year’s Eve dinner, in the company of his friends, his sons and his daughter, and his two ex wives too. He ( Alex) would never had expected that visit. Greta had been one of the many women with whom he had had a brief affair , as a young man. &nb...

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$250

Prize money

147

Contest entries

113

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 26, 2021 EST

Won by Deborah Elliott 🏆

Title: Onboard an Angel Flight

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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