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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#122: Spree Season

What comes after Thanksgiving? Black Friday, of course! Though this massive shopping occasion originated in America, it’s since become normal practice in many parts of the world. And did you know the reason why this jolly season has such a bleak name? (Hint: it’s got nothing to do with sales and discounts!) Apparently, the police once used “Black Friday” to refer to the bumper-to-bumper traffic and crowds congesting streets as people rushed through their holiday shopping.

With this origin story in mind, here’s our gift to you this week: five prompts inspired by this strange and exciting intermission in the end-of-year holiday season. (And if you’re looking for actual gifts with a writerly flair, we’ve got 60 gift suggestions for you.)

This week's prompts

Write about a character who’s stuck in a shopping mall.

Christmas – 27 stories

Start your story in the middle of a traffic jam.

Thriller and Suspense – 27 stories

Write a story about a limited edition item going on sale.

Thriller and Suspense – 11 stories

A package arrives at your character’s house, but they didn’t order anything. Write about what happens next.

Thriller and Suspense – 59 stories

Write about a character who won’t (or can’t) shop for the holidays.

Christmas – 25 stories

Stories

“All I Had Ever Wanted” by Chuck Canady

Submitted to Contest #122

I tried to scream. “Help me! Help me get out of here!” A young couple walked by, holding hands. They didn’t even see me. “No, wait! Come back!” I pleaded, but they didn’t stop. I wanted to cry, but tears wouldn’t come. They never came. I had no idea how long I had been there. The lights came on. The lights went off. Days came and days went. Seasons changed. I might have been there for years. I knew I was at the Mega Mall of the South in one of Atlanta’s suburbs. I wanted ...

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“Dashing my way” by Kate Irwin

Submitted to Contest #122

The traffic jam wasn't bad at University and Glenn Avenue. But, the bright afternoon sunlight hit my eyes, making me squint and barely see the light turn green. I was on my way to the first call.It was the week of finals, most papers were graded and my base salary covered the necessary bills. But, nothing was left over to pay for a much-needed adventure at the end of the semester. So, why not earn some extra money while forging a work-induced adventure in my four-door silver Hyundai? I accepted the app's challenge as a teacher/middle-aged mo...

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“Damn, This Traffic Jam” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #122

Damn, this traffic jam How I hate to be late It Hurts my motor to go so slow Damn, this traffic jam Time I get home my supper'll be cold Damn, this traffic jam Capella song by James Taylor runs through my head every night at quitting time when I am stuck in this traffic jam to get on the highway home. I should’ve written that letter to the mayor letting him know that an fifty percent increase in population means we have to widen the roads to accommodate it. Nothing ever gets done and we sit in this traffic wondering how long i...

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“A Hour in Traffic” by Words By Mary Isaboke

Submitted to Contest #122

Mr. and Mrs. Hall were looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with their son, daughter n law and two grands. As it turned out, they got stuck in the middle of a traffic jam for a hour. They were on their way to North Carolina from New Jersey. Three more hours of driving was in front of them. On a major highway, everything stopped. They got stuck in the middle of a congested traffic jam and their anxiousness turned to fearfulness.This couple are in their middle fifties. Mrs. Hall does not drive long distance. So Mr. Hall is at the wheel. M...

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“A Shopping SPREE” by Flora Posey

Submitted to Contest #122

The large oval room was eerily silent except for the rhythmic clacking of hard sole shoes on the glossy granite floor. Nine heads turned as a well oiled metal door swung soundlessly open. The man in the entrance looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. Inwardly the four men and five women groaned at the prospect of someone else in competition for what they wanted. The man himself seemed unfazed by their angry glares. In fact a small impish grin played on his face as he met each of their eyes. He apparently was unim...

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“Two Wheels” by Norp Dee

Submitted to Contest #122

One fine early fall morning, a young delivery man stepped out of his truck. He walked up the driveway of a small, well-maintained white ranch house. He carried a large cardboard box pressed tightly against his wide chest. His long muscular arms were outstretched, and his fingers tightly gripped the sides of the box. The words, “FRAGILE, TV, Glass, THIS SIDE UP,” appeared in large black letters on the big box. &n...

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“Signature Required” by Lisa Roberts

Submitted to Contest #122

What fresh hell is this? The porch motion detector flash of white light blinded me. As my eyes adjusted, I tore off the yellow post office slip fluttering against the screen door. What now? I had signed all the documents for the sale of the house. Did the realtor forget something? Again? The post office slip said “Signature Required” In bold letters along the bottom. Struggling to balance my purse and keys, I miss the lock, after several tries the key catches and my front door unlocks. I dig in my ...

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“The Package” by C J Howell

Submitted to Contest #122

The package arrived on a Thursday. December 2nd. Natalie spotted the thing as she pulled into her drive that evening. It was squat and brown and all taped up. It had been placed neatly on the top step before the front door. She frowned. She hadn’t ordered anything. Natalie was smart, you see. She’d gotten her Christmas shopping out of the way in November. Had she ordered something and forgotten about it when it didn’t arrive? Late shipping? She was thinking this as she got out of the car. She watched the package warily as she climbed the st...

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“Mind Astir ” by Agnes Goldfinch

Submitted to Contest #122

It was not its sudden appearance that she found the most suspicious. No. It was the name that was written on the box, which otherwise was quite bare, lacking in the usual stamps, stickers, and obscure signs, maybe even the occasional QR code (and this lack was particularly glaring in comparison to all those other packages that she hoarded throughout the week). But even the absence of a sender’s address did not startle her as radically as that name did. Elle N. There was no last name, no Nichols, just these two words (or, perhaps, a word and ...

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“Apocalypse Present” by Barak Nicholes

Submitted to Contest #122

The doorbell rang with an eerie GONG at four in the morning. I had become an incredibly light sleeper over the last several years, so the instant I had woken up I had already rolled off the bed and was looking for something to defend myself with. I had to be prepared for when whatever rang the doorbell decided to force its way in. “Wait a second,” I thought, realizing that didn’t make any sense. Nothing trying to break in would’ve rung the doorbell. That just made me more worried. I’ve never heard this house’s doorbell ring before, I didn’t...

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“Drinks With Righteousness” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #122

Jack Washburn’s heart hammered in his throat as he sat in the stall just outside the food court at City Center Mall. He’d been there for half an hour already, and his legs were starting to get sore, as were his arms, mostly from the fact that he was perched with both feet on the toilet bowl with his hands pushing at the sides of the stall for support. Sweat beaded on his face, and his mop of curly black hair was sticking to his forehead from beneath his hoodie. He gave his arms a short break, but a ding from the intercom made him quickly pus...

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“The Shorcut” by V Hew

Submitted to Contest #122

THE SHORTCUTHe can’t believe it. There is traffic on this road. He pounds his fist into the steering wheel and brakes to a full stop. There has never been traffic on this road. That’s why he deemed it a shortcut. Nobody knows about this shortcut. “I hate traffic!” His eyes get wide, and his mouth drops open as he realizes he did tell t...

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“Things happen in a house by the Sea... ” by Kathy Frizzell

Submitted to Contest #122

Stories always start with {Once a Time}, well not this one, it's about a silent house by the sea...cozy fire, sitting snuggled up, and a very stormy night, clouds rolling in, thunder just right around the corner!On this stormy night; in the garden of a forbidden forest, the pathway goes for miles and miles. There is a story I should share, but before I get ahead of myself, where I was, I was in, warm, cozy little silent house by the sea. A warm fire, burning, lights were low, thunder roaring and by myself deep in thoughts... Out o...

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“The Good Dog” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #122

In an effort to overcome her extreme impatience and frustration with the completely stopped traffic, Emilia was reading a sign out email about the patients she would be responsible for over the next week, provided she didn’t miss her flight home. She had been in this Central American country, her father’s homeland, for six days. Most of her time here had been spent meeting with local physicians and nonprofit board members to discuss the next steps in formalizing a partnership between thei...

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“A Limited Edition Christmas” by Diana Stiffler

Submitted to Contest #122

A warm tropical breeze caresses my skin while I lounge on the beach, sipping a pineapple-mango slushy. And I must say, the view in front of me has my temperature rising. A dozen guys glisten in the summer sun, showing off their muscle bound physiques playing beach volleyball. I peer over my sunglasses and am delighted to find all of them bear a striking resemblance to Chris Hemsworth. How can that be? I wonder as...

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$250

Prize money

149

Contest entries

104

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 03, 2021 EST

Won by Laura Jarosz 🏆

Title: No Forwarding Address

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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