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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

“Christmas Cookies” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #122

Christmas Cookies Elizabeth imagines snowflakes and cold as she daydreams through her bedroom window, wondering what birds and squirrels might feel if not for their feathers and fur. Warm, safe, riddled with guilt, she is the lucky one. The one that now has a family of her own. The one that is insulated from the cold of the world.Christmas Mornings PastThe smell of their favorite cookies baking on Christmas morning always followed a sleepless night. After midnight mass, Baby Jesus would bring gifts for the children. They listened carefu...

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“Stars on the Ground” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #122

The fires stretched way out. Dots of ‘em, then blending out into a horizon that was starting to shake with the screams while ghostly snakes of smoke found their way up to the sky. Or maybe it was just my eyes seeing a shimmer, scratched from my own cookout themselves. Who knew. Who even could say when the world was last stable. We’re just ants on a big rock tumbling through space after all. When I learned that the world was like a spinning top I asked my mother why we didn’t fall off. She covered up the gap in her knowledge by asking me to r...

3 comments 3
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“Before George” by James Crilley

Submitted to Contest #122

“What can I do?” said Maggie, “Maybe I should start trying the exact opposite of what I think I want or just stop trying altogether. “Do you ever begin to think that everything you’ve wanted all along in your life—especially early on, well, none of that mattered and most of it was wrong.”Maggie paused, squinting her eyes. A small frown formed as she compressed her lips, as though she were concentrating.“There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to dance. And there was Claire living out that dream. She seemed like a better version...

1 comment 1
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“From Somewhere With Love” by Zach Martz

Submitted to Contest #122

The package was sitting on Harwell’s front porch, undisturbed since the postman dropped it off an hour earlier. Harwell was home and knew it had arrived but was in no hurry to retrieve it. With not a soul living within a hundred feet of his house in the woods, there was no chance of a neighbor making off with it. He also had not placed an order for a delivery of any kind.           He stood by his front window, sipping a cup of tea and staring at it. It was as plain as any parcel he had ...

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“The Christmas Hat” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #122

Miss Smithereen, as excited as her class, stood in front of the chalkboard. The short, spiney quills down her back poked through the soft red wool of her most Christmassy dress. She stamped her tiny hedgehog feet, shod in sensible black penny loafers, and clapped her tiny hedgehog paws together for attention.She pushed her eyeglasses up her pointy black nose and said, “Now class, we still have an hour before the bell…”The class of woodland animals groaned in unison. Eddie, an outspoken raccoon child, looked around at his classmates...

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“The Hourglass” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #122

Adam sipped a glass of red wine watching the camera feed that displayed the entrance of his house. You could the see freshly painted red door, the porch, and the garden with calendula and winter jasmine. And Oscar, roaming around the freshly cut lawn, who stood at attention as though something moved in the distance. The attic was a makeshift command center with dual displays, featuring a small fridge that used to be stocked full of energy drinks, and a stack of books on home security systems which sat on the wooden desk. While taking br...

1 comment 1
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“A Surprise Package” by Lisa Neuvelt

Submitted to Contest #122

A Surprise PackageThe Continuing Story of Maddie-Rose(Read more about Maddie-Rose in my stories: “Singing in the Rain” and “The Surprise of The Fallen Leaves)Maddie-Rose was a typical seven-year-old little girl. She loved playing in the rain and jumping in piles of leaves. Her mother, Kelly would sometimes join her. She had two best friends, Lynn and Lauren. They were twin sisters that lived across the street with their father, Jim.Maddie-Rose had only been home after being abducted by her father for about six months.&nbs...

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“Shyama's Choice” by Nandini Kumar

Submitted to Contest #122

The temperature on the phone registered 24 degrees Fahrenheit. Shyama looked at it without recognition and then typed, "What is 24 degrees Fahrenheit in Degree Celsius". As the number flashed on the screen, she put her hand on her mouth and let out an "aah". Then, slowly, she tiptoed towards the pearly white front door. She put her hand on the golden knob and turned it. Her bangles clinked as the door revealed a flurry of white powder. It was snowing. And Shyama was seeing it for the first time in her life. Shyama didn't belong here. She u...

4 comments 4
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“'Tis The Season For Believin’” by Brett B

Submitted to Contest #122

  "Uncle Mike?" Jake said while looking up from his soggy Cheerios. Michael Remer peaked over the morning paper at his nephew. "Yeah kid?"   "What does jackass mean?" he asked, balancing a spoonful of milk in mid-air.  "Where did you hear that word?" the tone of his question didn't match the chuckle he covered with his knuckles. "I heard mommy say that to daddy," he said, retreating back to his cereal. "It's a bad word. Isn't it?" Mike's smirk turned to a frown as he closed the paper and laid it on the table. Re...

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“The Package” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #122

Looking back, I should’ve known.I shouldn't have gotten involved. But my back was to the wall. It was either do something or be beaten, if not killed. And I warned him about the gift.Let me back up and start at the beginning. I had finished working the carousel at a Christmas lights festival in Stuart, Florida. I’d seen better but it was some money to get me through winter until the start of fair season. I was in my camper hunting for the instant coffee when Tom Blanco banged on the door.“Go away!” I called.“Package for you,” he hollered bac...

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“A stolen pen” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #122

The last week of august was always an exciting time. The holidays were almost over, but it was still summer, and there even was a carnival in town. School was around the corner. The beginning of a new academic year and the prospect of new challenges and achievements filled me with energy and motivation. For me, the highlight of this exciting week was going to the city, to buy my new school supplies. Armed with a list, I started writing in July, I took the bus and headed to the city. That year, a new business had opened: a fancy store selling...

2 comments 2
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“Love Compensates Tragedy” by Sheila Sarrett

Submitted to Contest #122

As people were entering the Mall they heard something that sounded like gunshots coming from inside the Mall. Evan and his fiance Carol had just come inside the main door, The gunshots started up again and two more shots were heard. It was 10 AM and the Mall had just opened. As people followed into the main entrance the sounds of gunshots throughout the west side of the mall were strong. The east side of the Mall seemed to be quieter. People were running and screaming and holding on to their children not knowing where to run to be safe. ...

1 comment 1
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“Stuck” by Ashley Cullen

Submitted to Contest #122

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she says in disgust. Against her better judgment, she turns to face the mirror and sees it, magnified from all three sides. Her torso, a busted can of biscuits, her midsection gone awry. The overpriced black pleather pant legs are stuck, curled over just below her waist, her thighs blocking any attempt at an exit. She curses lightly and laughs at the absurdity, then shakes her head at the inevitability. Sweat pools inside her navel and starts to slide down her back into her underwear. She hopes it’ll act as som...

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“Mall Mystery” by Luke McDermott

Submitted to Contest #122

The music is too much. We see the lights on the walls, the garland and tinsel on every ledge, the wreaths on every storefront sign. We see Santa with elves at the North Pole for Christ's sake. We’re already at the mall. We’re already surrendering our money and our Thursday evening. Do you have to rub it in by blasting the most cloying versions of these tunes that we've heard ad nauseam every December of our lives? I was in the Christmas spirit on the way here. I was singing along with Sinatra. I couldn’t believe how bad Ella and Emma want...

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“Trapped” by Lexi Duckett

Submitted to Contest #122

My name is Rachel Smith. I am going to tell you the story of when my family and I got stuck in the local mall. This happened six years ago, but I remember everything as if it happened yesterday. I was only fourteen when this happened. My family and I were in the car listening to Christmas music. When we got to the mall mom found a parking place in the front. She turned off the car and we all got out of the car. For a moment, as we walked through the parking lot I had a weird feeling. Until my little brother threw himself at me and disturbed ...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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