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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#127: Gut Feelings

Most people know December 31st as New Year’s Eve, but did you know it’s also Make Up Your Mind Day? Unfortunately for many of us, making your mind up is more easily said than done. I always want to make a considered decision, but oftentimes wind up relying on gut instinct alone.

This week's prompts are all about intuition, and the strange way we sometimes know what to do without understanding how we know it. Whether you believe intuition is a sign sent from the universe, or the workings of your own subconscious, it’s time to trust your creative instincts and get writing for the very first contest of 2022. Happy New Year!

This week's prompts

Begin your story with a character having a gut feeling they cannot explain.

Thriller and Suspense – 75 stories

Write about a character whose intuition is always right — until one day it isn’t.

Horror – 22 stories

Write a story about a problem with no good solutions.

Angst – 32 stories

Write about a character learning to trust their intuition.

Character – 27 stories

Your character makes a living faking psychic powers. One morning, they wake up with real ones.

Fantasy – 64 stories

Stories

“To Love or Live” by Morgan Anderson

Submitted to Contest #127

When she moved to Chicago, Stella made her peace with the fact she might run into him. She lived in the Uptown neighborhood, north of Chicago, barely included in the city proper. Falling apart at the edges, but it was close to Lake Michigan and the peeling paint wasn’t so bad. She knew through the grapevine that he was somewhere on the north side of the city. Probably River North, with its diamond lights and silver high-rises. The fact that she’d never seen him since moving there was further proof that he ran in different circles than she di...

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“GRUESOME ” by Yolanda Hlongwa

Submitted to Contest #127

I wake up to a small amount of warmth on my arm in a room as cold as the Arctic. I look up to find the stark white sheet still scrunched up in my hand and my face instantly gives in to its former spot on the bed. The spot is damp and sticky with my salty tears and warm mucus. The warm spot on my arm becomes warmer as the nurse gently tightens her grip on me. ‘’I’m sorry sir but you’re going to have to leave unless you’re family or a friend, and you have already stated that you are neither.’’ I don’t budge and she sighs. ‘’I can give y...

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“Jokers Wild” by Lisa Roberts

Submitted to Contest #127

He paces. Short choppy steps, pivots, begins again. His left hand holds a red plastic poker chip, the top grooves worn smooth by incessant rubbing of his thumb. His intensity bleeds through the walls. Upstairs, she adjusts each arm ...

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“No Other Option” by Genevieve Willingham

Submitted to Contest #127

No Other Options Lucy had always found that journaling had helped her to understand whatever the situation was at the time, and there certainly was a situation now. So she fixed a cup of tea and sat down on the front porch with her favorite spiral notebook and began to write. “The problem is this: my beloved 70-something sister has realized that her time on this planet is winding down. Well, of course it is; she never thought she would live forever. But the question that has always pestered her is plaguing her all the time now: how to pr...

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“Gut Feeling” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #127

My first job application since the lockdown ended and I am all nerves since the benefits cut off months ago and I am not looking my best because no proper haircut. My side tooth is freshly broken and my face contorts from time to time as my tongue keeps exploring the gap where the tooth used to reside. I try not to do this, but it’s practically a reflex. I show up at 3 o’clock as directed by the restaurant email. The maître d’hôtel, who looks like a walking penis, gives me a paper application form and points to a side booth, the table bare ...

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“No Way Out” by Lilly Blossom

Submitted to Contest #127

The maze was a never-ending compilation of twists and turns, small hills and dead-ends. Tests, challenges, and overcoming fear were requirements to master this maze, but this was no ordinary maze. For Billy, Sarah, and Adam, three college best friends, they would have to decide if their friendship was trustworthy enough. "Endure till the end, find the secret key, and make it out before dawn, that's all you have to do," the instructor gave the orders. Teams were split into groups of three, of all ages and backgrounds. But the better you kne...

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“3x+1” by Preston Hall

Submitted to Contest #127

The pain tore through me, the knife cutting through the layers of flesh, blood spilling out. For an instant, I felt nothing, and then, I felt a soreness in my chest, a soreness that seemed empty, void of all feeling and emotion, unaware of its own existence. Chills began to dominate me; the cold bit at me. The wind blew right through me, as if I did not exist. Shivering, I looked up into the face of my attacker. I could only see his hair, a light brown with luminous golden streaks, his lips small yet full, slightly parted ...

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“Mother May I” by Noelle C. Lee

Submitted to Contest #127

Atop the long staircase she would stand with her silky robe tied tightly at her waist. Holding the banister securely always concerned about falling or tripping with sleepy eyes and wide yawns, she slowly descends. Clunking hard down each step. One by one the sound etched into my memory. The oak rail was finished with a shiny coating allowing the beauty of the natural wood to peer through. The steps covered in movie theatre bold carpeting, the grand centerpiece of the home. I ran all the way home with a puppy in hand. Rocky was just...

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“Viscera and Vicissitude” by Rob Ryter

Submitted to Contest #127

Monday lunchtime Hector Bullivant wiped greasy lips and chin on the starched linen serviette he had just freed from between his ample paunch and his broad lap. The foie gras had been more than usually rich today. That was fitting, because Hector Bullivant was a more than usually rich man. One who could afford to lunch at the Savoy five times a week. Today’s crypto deal had netted him a seven figure sum by his morning coffee break and prompted him to order the insanely expensive wine. Across the table, Julian Lloyd sat back and sipped his gl...

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“Lady Love” by Lucy Newman

Submitted to Contest #127

“Hello dear soul, this is Stella Amour. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” I always greeted clients in this way, in a most soothing voice. Having been crowned the “Love Psychic” for my company, I liked to make a loving first impression. “Hi, this is Amy,” a gentle, shaky voice replied. “Oh my dear, you’re upset. What questions do you have for me?” Step one. Read the tone. “It’s my husband. I just found out he’s been cheating on me. I knew something was up so I looked through his email while he was sl...

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“The Gift” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #127

The plump little lady in a green tartan skirt and yellow hand knitted jumper stood on the other side of the threshold. “Do come in. Mrs Hobart, isn’t it.? My daughter made the booking for you and didn’t quite catch your first name.” “Alma. It’s Alma.” Alma’s jaw dropped as she looked around the room at shelf after shelf adorned with statues and images of glittering angels, dragons, and unicorns. The windowsill beneath the tall opaque window festooned with pink rose quartz and amethyst crystals. Clutching her handbag close to her chest, she c...

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“The Second Sight” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #127

My mother’s voice sounded odd on the phone that evening. We live just round the corner from each other, but she’s good about giving me space and usually doesn’t get upset about anything. Tonight, she sounded worried.“Di, can you come over now?” she said. “It’s Mrs. McPhee. I can’t explain on the phone. Please. It’s urgent.”“Sure,” I said, staring at the phone. This was strange. Mrs. McPhee was my mother’s nosy old neighbor. I assumed it wasn’t a medical emergency or my mother would have called the ambulance“Mom, how can you stand her?” I had...

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“Party Trick” by Kari Larsen

Submitted to Contest #127

The birthday parties at our school range from normal fun to over the top ridiculous. With two daughters we have seen it all. Magic shows, gymnastics parties, paint your own pottery, iceskating in Central Park to trapeze school, a private tour of FAO Schwarz and a sleepover at The Plaza Hotel, for nine year olds! I have lived in NYC for 25 years and I have only walked past The Plaza. Not many people have birthday parties in their apartments because of space issues. We hosted a luau in our apartment for our then 13 year old’s birthday, but not...

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“Charlie and Sarge” by Professor Alan Dale Dickinson

Submitted to Contest #127

CHARLIE AND SARGE By Professor Alan Dale Dickinson Charlie, Sarge and the new Undersheriff Robert (Bob) Peterson rolled up to a co-op (similar to a Condo) located at number 666 Calle Aragon in lovely LWV (Laguna Woods Village). The undersheriff joined them at Sarge’s request. The undersheriff works directly under the great Orange County Sheriff and Chief Coroner, Don Barnes and also is second in command of the entire OCSD (Orange County Sheriff’s Department). Charlie and Sarge wanted Bob to get a first-hand look at the beautiful community...

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“Failing to recall” by Queen Green

Submitted to Contest #127

Something had been bothering me, it was one of those annoying feelings, you know that sensation of knowing deep in your gut? Or maybe a more accurate description would be those times where you feel as though you've forgotten something, but for the whole life of you you simply can't remember what you're missing, that's where I've been for almost the whole last week. In the beginning I thought I could ignore it, I was just leaving my house when I felt as though something was missing. I thoroughly patted myself down to assure myself I had...

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$250

Prize money

220

Contest entries

135

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 07, 2022 EST

Won by Dena Linn 🏆

Title: The Problem Is

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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