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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#128: Tea Time

Did you know that January is National Hot Tea Month? Tea is a wonderfully diverse beverage that’s enjoyed in many different ways all over the world. It can be a soothing drink, a social drink, and has even sparked conflicts (think the Boston Tea Party, or the First Opium War).

Inspired by the history and cultural significance of this beverage, here are the prompts for this week’s contest:

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone making a cup of tea — either for themself or for someone else.

Fluff – 171 stories

Set your story in a tea house.

Spring – 36 stories

Write a story about a tea party that your character is reluctant to go to.

Summer – 44 stories

Write about a character who’s dying to “spill the tea” (gossip) about something.

Fluff – 21 stories

Write a story about a conflict that breaks out over something ordinary (like tea, perhaps).

High School – 26 stories

Stories

“The Chore War” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #128

Tamara froze in the doorway of the kitchen. A boundary between realms. She knew she could retreat to the comfort and solitude of her still-warm cocoon of duvets, blankets, cushions and the 20-odd soft toys she liked to surround herself with, despite being 20-odd herself. Or she could tumble into an unknown future, proceed to the communal cutlery draw, pulling the handle with similar apprehension to plucking the sword from the stone, discovering at last whether indeed the last teaspoon in the house was the one whose muddied oval eye was mo...

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“She pours a cup of tea” by WhirlOfThoughts Ko

Submitted to Contest #128

She looks at me and smiles: “Tea?” I nod. She turns around and hums the melody of an old song. I cannot tell the name of the song. It is familiar but I can’t find its words. I look at her body. She is slim. Her cloth are tight and align at the shape of her hips. Her hair is up in a ponytail. When she turns around it swings from one side to the other. She hands over a cup and I grab it. She looks directly at me and is still smiling. She sits down on the chair next to me. We had barely one proper conversation since today in the morning. ...

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“The Needle Whisperer” by Francis Hill

Submitted to Contest #128

Gunpowder green tea pellets, mum’s favourite. She would have bought these in Chinatown, Melbourne. Mum visits the city once or twice a year. She piggybacks on dad’s trips to watch the Collingwood Magpies play football. Mum manages to buy herself a few treats, green tea, and Hague’s chocolate frogs.Steam billows from the kettle. It’s a Smeg kettle. Mum has always wanted ‘at least one Smeg thing’ in her kitchen. She is making a pot of green tea for her sister Greta, her niece Kala, her oldest daughter Liz, and myself.Rosebud is the town of her...

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“Tea - Masaala Chai” by Amrita Sharma

Submitted to Contest #128

Close friends Raj, Shana and Josh looked forward to Joshna’s tea, her famous masaala chai. Chai latte; brewed Indian style with a dash of fresh grated ginger, turmeric, cardmoms, cloves, fennel, black pepper, milk and honey. The other guests at this friends get together, happy to polish off their alcoholic beverages; help themselves to water, juice or fancy coffee from the new automatic expresso coffee machine. They’d been an awesome foursome once, not too long ago that Josh and Joshna had been a super duper duo, a couple; those sure were ...

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“A Cup of Tea” by Richard Ault

Submitted to Contest #128

1925 words A Cup of Tea By Richard Ervin Ault Jocelyn Urabana (Joss) was concerned when she went to the sun porch and detected tears in her wife’s eyes. Lana Hartman was in her usual well-worn wicker easy chair, looking out over the Huron River in Ann Arbor. She slowly looked up. All Joss could think to say was “I’ll make us some tea.” Lana tried to swallow her tears and put on a fragile smile. “Thank you,” she said in a feeble voice. By the time Joss returned with the pot and two mugs, Lana had straightened ...

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“A Fine Cup of Tea” by Sandra Fischer

Submitted to Contest #128

Charles prepared afternoon tea for the Dunston Historical Society ladies as he did every Wednesday. As he put the pot on to boil, he thought about how this Wednesday seemed a little off. In all his fifteen years as Lady Dunston’s personal servant something seemed amiss. He set the biscuits out on the tray and put the Heavenly Gyokuro leaves in the strainer over the pot. He recalled how Lady Dunston had gushed over the purchase of the tea that morning. Everything had seemed the same mundane routine when they made their weekly trip to Ryan’...

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“Tea for Two” by Brandi Y

Submitted to Contest #128

It was Tuesday evening when I made that last pot of tea. I paused as I reached in the cupboard for the bright yellow teapot. It seemed almost too festive for evening tea, but it was my favorite. One for you, one for me, one for the pot, and that makes three-I sang the diddy in my head like my Granny used to as I added each scoop of tea leaves to the basket. I wondered if Granny ever made tea for more than two people, and if she did, was there a different song? The kettle's whistling broke my revelry, and I poured the steaming water into...

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“The Boardwalk” by Caitlin Vogel

Submitted to Contest #128

“Sugar?” “Yes, please.” “Milk?” “Do you have any oat milk?” “No, sorry.” “I’ll pass on the milk then.” Margot handed the steaming cup of English breakfast to a pair of frail and wrinkled hands. The hands happily accepted the mug, bringing it close to their face and inhaling deeply. “I’ve always found tea to be more aesthetically pleasing than anything else,” the hands remarked. “Hmm, I’ve always thought it tasted like childhood,” answered Margot. “My mom used to make me a cup of tea whenever I needed warming up. Two spoons of...

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“Bystander” by N.R. Pierce

Submitted to Contest #128

Nina watched absentmindedly as the hot, amber-colored liquid poured from the urn into the pot in her hand. She realized that it was almost time to open the doors for the evening dinner service, so she tipped the urn, hurrying the last few dregs from the fixture. Moving quickly, she placed the last pot of tea onto the cart and wheeled it from table to table, gingerly placing each pot into the center, taking care not to spill a drop before moving down the row. She made sure to re-stock the sugar and milk as well, knowing that the residents oft...

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“On The Matter of Names” by Aiste G.

Submitted to Contest #128

Quinn felt stupid.Okay, well, that wasn’t the best word. Ridiculous, maybe? No, out of his depth. That sounded more fitting.Not that anyone would be able to tell.From an outsider’s perspective, all he was doing was staring at slowly heating water. What could be daunting about that?The pot, for one, was daunting.Lately, he’d been using it more. When he’d been by himself, he hadn’t thought much about what he ate. He’d set some traps, catch himself a few hares, a fish here and there, and roast them over the campfire. Sure, the meat was hard and...

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“Teatime with Nana” by Alice Stannard

Submitted to Contest #128

Bev reached into the cupboard with one gnarled hand, misshapen by arthritis and spotted with new bruises. In spite of the fact that her auburn hair had faded to a lackluster, white-streaked brown, and that her face was now shrouded by a patchwork of intersecting creases, Bev still maintained her youthful countenance. Old age had snuck up on her like a winter blizzard arriving too early in the season. She was not prepared. Many times, she was silenced when her body let her down. Because inside, she never changed. She never grew old. While she...

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“Unexpected News” by Gillian Kingsley

Submitted to Contest #128

Unexpected News “Tea’s ready, Mum!” April called from the kitchen as she finished arranging the big teapot, complete with tea cozy, milk jug, and two china mugs on the old wooden tray. April was in her mother’s kitchen which was so familiar to her. She grew up in this house and her best childhood family memories always included this old teapot with its padded red tea cozy. The kettle was always on in this house and the tea was always flowing. April headed for the ‘morning room’, as her mum grandly called it, at the back of the house with...

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“Fog” by EJ Lagerberg

Submitted to Contest #128

“Tea.” She stared out the window at the fog rolling in, washing over the hillock, down the ravine and across her garden. She could smell the damp air, almost thick enough to break into a drizzle. She scanned the yard, remembering the chores she had meant to complete. “Tea,” she nodded, turning around to face the kitchen and her friend who was busy looking through cupboards. She pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders. “Please.” Damp and eerie mornings such as this were best met by a warm cup of tea. Coffee was too sharp, too ene...

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“Stop That Wedding!” by Tanya Smith

Submitted to Contest #128

Jessica Baker was sitting at her kitchen counter drinking a cup of Chamomile tea, when a mutual friend, Charles Huntington, of her and her ex, called her and said that her ex was getting married. Charles told her that if she still loved him, that she needed to tell him before it really was too late. That he knows that she and Devin still love each other and belonged together. It was time for her to stop sitting by, because Devin wasn’t going to come after her, since she was the one that walked away. ...

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“The Staying Game” by Erin Olig

Submitted to Contest #128

I've often said that all poetry is political. This is because real poems deal with a human response to reality and politics is part of reality, history in the making. Even if a poet writes about sitting in a glass house drinking tea, it reflects politics.-Yehuda AmichaiThe tea kettle doesn’t whistle, it screams. Vibrations of built up steam trying to escape through a narrow opening. Once my habit was to poise beside the stovetop, listening for the stirring of water, anticipating the alarm before it could occur. “It is like a g...

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$250

Prize money

298

Contest entries

160

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 14, 2022 EST

Won by Jay Wayne 🏆

Title: my fellow passerine

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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