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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#131: First Impressions

On the 28th of January 1813, Pride and Prejudice was first published. Originally titled First Impressions, Jane Austen’s most famous work has gone on to be a genre-defining classic — and one of my personal favorites.

To celebrate the anniversary of its release, this week’s prompts explore the themes of Pride and Prejudice, and the slipperiness of first impressions.

This week's prompts

Write a story about two characters whose first impressions of one another are wildly inaccurate.

Fluff – 55 stories

Write a story that includes (or subverts) the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Romance – 25 stories

Start your story with the arrival of a new person in a town full of gossips.

Adults – 41 stories

Write a story about a group of sisters, or a group of brothers.

Vampire – 35 stories

Set your story in a drawing room.

Fiction – 29 stories

Stories

“A Fortunate Change of Luck” by Rebecca Stack

Submitted to Contest #131

Walking slowly up the driveway Emilie looks around the neighborhood at all the twitching curtains. Suddenly a circle of women form on the lawn opposite out of each of the nearby houses, `Have they nothing better to do than nose out of the window’ Emilie thinks – ‘obviously not – that’s quite sad.’ No manners either as they’re not being discreet in the slightest. Clearly debating why she’s there (in THEIR stuck up area) and not dressed appropriately for the visit, in their eyes. She ascertains this from the brouhaha of `Who’s...

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“The Indio” by Sofia Garner

Submitted to Contest #131

We remember when he first came to town. The way his shoes were polished, shiny even. But it wasn’t his shoes we noticed first, it wasn’t the way his hair spiked up in the back or how he grimaced when he laughed so he didn’t show his crooked front tooth. "Indio," is what we whispered when he walked through the glass doors of John Adams Middle School. We had never seen a Mexican so dark. We knew he heard us whispering, when he walked in, but we couldn’t hide our disbelief. So dark, his skin the color of soil after a rainfall. “Is he black...

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“Brothers” by B. Stanley

Submitted to Contest #131

The weather was foul that day. It was hot, humid, foggy, and lightly misting. The sun was obscured behind the thick wall of clouds overhead, so Scott drove with his headlights on. He drove slowly on the barely damp road, watching the other cars go by. Occasionally, he would pass by a person walking a dog, or an animal would dart in front of him, and he even saw a group of teenagers hanging out, but mostly his drive was uneventful. Still, he drove slowly. Once he turned into the neighborhood, he slowed down more to look at...

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“Unforeseen Consequences” by Fi Brie

Submitted to Contest #131

We sit at the table every night, in the exact same places. Ma on my right at the head, on the chair with the arm rests, Chaarun on Ma’s right, little Cody next to him, and Coffey next to me. When I’m lying in bed at night, Chaarun asleep beside me, I like to replay dinnertime over and over in my mind. I screw my eyes shut tight and force myself to remember. I’ve done this every night since my 5th birthday. That was 3 years ago because, on my last birthday, my cake had 9 candles. If I don’t remember, I’ll never get my chance to escape. ...

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“The value of time” by Dragos Marcean

Submitted to Contest #131

TW: mild language “So there I was in a bar in Rotterdam. After so many weeks at sea, I was aching for a cold beer on a non-swaying surface. Little did I know, it wouldn’t be long until I would get this ‘battle mark’ on my eye.” Leaned back in his armchair, cross legged and gesticulating, Bryan was entertaining his brothers with his sailing stories. Moving his arms around, the ice inside the whiskey glass created the melody and the Cuban cigar he bought after docking in Havana, acted like his baton. “I can remember like it ...

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“Moving Forward” by Heather Johnsen-Gisi

Submitted to Contest #131

I slip and fall on my back. This is the fourth time today. I sigh and just stare at the sky. “You all right, little bro?” Julien asks. I raise my head and look ahead at my two older brothers. They have both stopped and waited patiently. Julien was smirking. Tyler looked a little more concerned. “Yea.” I struggle to standing again, heaving the heavy backpack, and slipping on the mud a few times more before I am upright. The birds chirp mockingly in the trees as if they are laughing at me. I send a glare upwards.Julian chuckles. “You...

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“Clementines” by Maridith Graham

Submitted to Contest #131

I thought nobody lived on Sweetfeather Lane anymore. The man with deep lines in his face seemed just as surprised to see someone else, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Tattered briefcase in one hand, newspaper in the other, he made slow, heavy steps down the fractured sidewalk, until he came to the house. The tire swing was the only real thing that made it stand out from the rest of the run-down row of cookie cutter shacks. That, and the big, blackened patch that trailed down the chimney and around one of the upstairs windows. Where ...

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“Home” by Daina Higley

Submitted to Contest #131

The rectangular fire pit chiseled into the thick slate floor had witnessed decades of bartering, arguments settled, betrothals, rents paid, and fines levied; all of it happened here in this room. The Laird’s bench was the tallest and longest in the room, and if you weren’t there to see the Laird you waited by the fire until you were needed by someone. Always competing with the dogs, babies, or arguing neighbors, it was impossible to ever get close enough to actually feel the warmth of the fire in the stone floor, but you knew it was th...

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“Antoinette” by Phil Manders

Submitted to Contest #131

The Lawson family had been in residence at Charlesworth house for over four hundred years. Except for her loyal companion Duke, an old English Foxhound she’d kept from the last of her hunting days, Antoinette Lawson lived alone in four rooms in the east wing: a bedroom, a bathroom, a dining room and a drawing room. She had no use for a kitchen. Albert, her butler, took care of all her dietary requirements. In fact, Albert, a balding, wiry little man now in his late eighties, took care of everything.*******************************************...

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“Princeton Andy” by Tara Malia

Submitted to Contest #131

I thought for sure she wouldn’t hold the door for me. She almost didn’t, but I guess catching it before it hit me counts, right? Most people don’t even bother. After all, we are in Princeton. “He can’t be coming in here.” That’s what they always say. The sounds of her clacking shoes made so much noise on the pavement I almost wished she had just gone ahead. Who wears high heels to shop, anyway? Dumb chic. “Thanks.” I muttered. ...

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“Sally and Mason's first impressions” by Cool LMI

Submitted to Contest #131

Sally sat in the corner of the library, with her nose in a book. She wore glasses and wore a sweater with jeans. She looked like the textbook definition of a nerd. Books were scattered across the table, and there was a notebook with notes laid open in front of Sally. Tap tap tap, her pencil sounded like she was admitting mores code. Hours went by, and Sally never stopped writing. Tap tap tap, the sound echoed through the library. Once she was done, she packed up her things and gathered the library books in a pile. She had alread...

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“Profit & Loss” by Tanya Forsyth Taylor

Submitted to Contest #131

The click of the rocking chair on the wooden floor created a meditative sound. The woman's gnarled hands were white as she gripped the armrests. A letter sat on her lap, its folds bringing the top and bottom of the embossed paper together. A scent of jasmine caught on the breeze. She breathed deeply. The turmoil of loss swirled deep within her, the news in the letter reminding her just how much of her life had gone as Images of the past flooded her memory. ** * * * 'Ah, Mr and Mrs Gould, how wonderful to see you. Please come in. It will be ...

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“The Assumption” by Val Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #131

Ally’s dream was to be a fashion designer. She hoped to design wedding gowns someday. Her mother, a well-known Artist, had showings in several elite galleries in New York City. She inherited her mother’s artistic talent. Ally loved everything about the fashion world. After graduation, she applied to the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology. When she received her acceptance letter, her dream came true. Ally was in her room studying when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” she said. One of her friends said “Phone call Ally.” The...

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“The New Boss” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #131

Staring into her webcam, Pam feels disgust rise up in her throat as she introduced her boss the ‘new Sales Manager, Maddy Tigree’ on the sales call to her biggest opportunity and potential client. This bitch took her promotion, and now is stepping all over her big moment. Pam has had enough working for people who only care about themselves. She will never forget this no matter what Maddy does. This was the first time Pam had met her, other than a brief introduction to the whole sales team, and seeing her face on the zoom ...

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“MR. X and Mrs. Y Cruising the Caribbean” by Ayman Baroudi

Submitted to Contest #131

The adrenaline is a friend that makes our life pumps with the power of life. Mr. X was alone at the deck, looking into the dark seawater of the midnight. An image of a lady waved in his mind. He did not dare to talk to her during the week of cruising the Caribbean. ‘She looks like a black widow spider eats the male after they mate. Yet she has an irresistible appeal that makes me sweat and causes my heart to beat fast,’ Mr. X did not have enough time to go further talking to himself. Mrs. Y came to the deck holding a glass of wine and sto...

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$250

Prize money

185

Contest entries

128

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 04, 2022 EST

Won by Zack Powell 🏆

Title: Love Ain't Blind, Grief 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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