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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#136: The Old College Try

Though its origins are debated, it looks likely that the phrase “the old college try” was first used in baseball. According to Babe Ruth, to “give something the old college try” is to keep going, even when the odds are stacked against you — like chasing a flyball out into foul territory, just in case you somehow make the impossible catch.

There’s a lot to be said for those who keep trying despite knowing that their chances are slim. This week’s prompts take a closer look at those determined (or perhaps foolhardy) folk among us. After all, as the saying goes, God loves a trier.

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with someone saying “You’ll never know unless you try.”

Dialogue – 57 stories

Write about somebody who knows they’re probably going to fail at something, but does it anyway.

Narrative – 32 stories

Write about a character giving something one last shot.

Narrative – 51 stories

Set your story on a baseball field.

Middle School – 39 stories

Write a story where hard work doesn’t pay off.

Angst – 28 stories

Stories

“The House on High Street” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #136

Knuckles, Chapman, and Whisky stopped in front of the house at 624 High Street just as the nearby streetlight flickered and then went out. Chapman looked up at the dead light and scratched his threadbare head. “Well, that’s convenient.” Knuckles played with his lighter, grunted. “This the place?” “Uh, yeah,” Whisky said, each word a whine. “I think so.” He pulled a crumpled paper from his vest and squinted at it. And then flinched when Knuckles snatched it. “Man, what is this?” Knuckles said. “Your writing is garbage, you idiot. What is – is...

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“Hard Work” by Jinx York

Submitted to Contest #136

I felt a tickle on my brow and I nervously wiped away the trickle of sweat that had built up there. It felt like butterflies were whipping up a hurricane in my stomach as I sat in my office chair. I peeked over the low wall of my cubicle and looked around, but the only people I saw walking around were a few of my coworkers headed to the break room. I swallowed and rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants as I sat back down.Reaching out to my keyboard, I continued to stab quickly at my keys. Line upon line of code began to scroll across my screen. ...

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“The Free Throw” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #136

The Free Throw You may have heard a coach say something like, “What the kid lacks in talent can be made up for with hard work and desire.” Don’t believe it. Timmy was small for his age, clumsy, slow on his feet, lacking in any semblance of hand-eye coordination, and saddled with vision only corrected to a functional level with Coke bottle thick lenses. Other than that, he had all the makings of a great basketball player. Timmy’s desire and work ethic were unmatched in the history of grade school sports, but he still stunk at ...

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“"If you can't hack it in an honors course, perhaps you shouldn't be in it."” by Rebecca Vitsmun

Submitted to Contest #136

In college, I had a teacher who, on the first day of class, said, "most of you will fail this class. Just because you get an A does not mean that I will write you a recommendation."As a person who believed myself capable of academic excellence, I didn't start by putting much stock in this, though it did seem as though he was standing in a serious posture. My early papers, where I was not trying very hard, returned scores in the 80's and I was surprised. I began to put more attention into the class and still received scores in the low 90's. A...

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“Love at First Slight” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #136

Dennis opened the front door to see his senior classmate, Dakota, standing on the porch. “Dakota? What do you want?” Not awaiting an answer, but leaving the door open, he returned to the kitchen. She entered, shut the door and followed. On her way, she sniffed the air. The odor of stale cigarette smoke being absent, the house smelled unexpectedly fresh. Walking by the living room and seeing well placed furniture, book shelves… in short, a normal home, surprised her. There were no torn curtains. No clutter. She had expected early cob-web. T...

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“To the Crater's Edge” by M.C. Washington

Submitted to Contest #136

"You'll never know unless you try," the villager wearing tattered clothes shouted through an odd grin. He laughed mockingly, and his movements were deranged before his black eyes locked onto the traveler. The villager went still and became silent; now that his gaze was fixed, he was entranced. The villager's face was distorted and ugly, barely distinguishable from any other resident in the small fishing community. There was a pain to this man that made the traveler uncomfortable. The traveler could feel the villager reading his mind. The sen...

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“Walls” by Maggie Gibbs

Submitted to Contest #136

Young love. Whether it was something you said about a couple, or it was something an adult said about you, I’m sure you’ve heard that saying before. It’s how adults describe two teenagers who are infatuated with each other. Most young adults or teenagers experience this young love or even a first love and it shapes who they become as adults. It shapes how they handle relationships going forward. But what if, you never had a young love or even a first love? What if you spent the better part of your teenage and young adult years fashioning ...

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“Postcard From Pollyville” by Janey El Napier

Submitted to Contest #136

CW: mentions of child death, needles/drips, blood. Russ Carney could see through anything. Allie Creet had never found it particularly impressive. They all did something here, after all. Captain Bennet only liked children who could do things. Vicky Stevens stretched. Benny Poladi stuck. Ian Wright glowed. The new girl floated. It was all very uninteresting, and Allie was the most uninteresting and uninterested one of them all. Allie Creet vanished. Russ Carney was the only one who was good at f...

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“I Can't Say Good-'Bi'” by Shelby Rose

Submitted to Contest #136

Stuck in a loop is an understatement. You could consider me stuck in a box. I try, I make progress, then I hit a wall. Once I have found that wall to be hard and near impossible to get around, I turn then try again.I’m stuck in a very boxy loop.Let me start from the beginning; I was once in a happy, fulfilling, and genuine marriage. A marriage I- along with everyone we knew- reveled in, but that was a few months ago back when I thought that nothing could shake us. Then something small happened, a pebble hidden in the road sent us reeling and...

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“Sampling ” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #136

“You’ll never know unless you try…” Corey loved his mother; he kept her words in his head as he stared at the dishes in front of him. The waitress was charming enough when she put the food in front of him, but was there something devious in her look? Was there a bit of a sneer? He had a little tick in his face that would not go away. It was growing from the spicy and steaming mix of items in the biggest and most beautiful bowl in front of him. Yes, mom, I will never know… And he was glad that he had made it. Taking a trip overseas when hi...

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“How to Love a Married Woman” by E. B. Bullet

Submitted to Contest #136

My marriage was a hastily drawn picture, looked upon as the work of madwomen who painted in unthinking urgency. For me however, it felt less a matter of haphazard color splotches and more so that the strokes were simply confident, and unrestrained. We were linework without preceding sketch. My wife was an amalgamation of thoughts untethered, beautifully complicated and unfinished from the frayed ends of her faded platinum hair, down to the tips of her chipped nail polish. Her first name was the same as my middle, which always seemed like ...

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“Last Chance” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #136

Last Chance Mum, dad and I lived on what you might call a hobby farm on the outskirts of a nice little country town. Big enough to have everything you could need, including a permanent doctor and staff in a well equipped medical centre, two hotels and two supermarkets. We had a few head of multi-coloured sheep that mum looked after lovingly. She used their wool to spin into thread that was then knitted into jumpers, jackets, scarves etc, that were very much sought after in the city boutiques. It was a lucrative business for her with the adde...

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“Vern’s Enormous Hole” by Sharon Hancock

Submitted to Contest #136

It was a suggestion, not an order. Unfortunately, Vern Jerkin, didn’t get the difference. He did, however, get a shovel. And that’s when things went south. Vern wasn’t like other men who spent their days drinking beer on the porch of Burt’s Town Store. He wasn’t married and he had no taste for hunting, fishing, or board games. Vern’s only love in life was work—grueling, hard, work. So, when he lost his job at the coal mine due to an unfortunate accident that was entirely his fault, Vern f...

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“Pitch Black” by Duha Khan

Submitted to Contest #136

A doorbell rang in the blackness of the night, sending a wave of disturbance in the pin-drop silence. Despite it being so late, however, it didn’t take long before the bell was responded. “Karlile?” the woman who opened the door asked in mild surprise. “What are you doing here so late? Is something the matter?” The boy addressed as Karlile stood quietly at her door, a look of deep sorrow creasing his face. “Hi, auntie. Can I come in?” he asked in a tired voice. The woman stepped aside and opened the door wide. Karlile walked in ...

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“What's that.. Lurking?” by Mahi Raghawa

Submitted to Contest #136

Content Warning: Mediocre swearing, Suicide. "What the hell was that?" My friend screeched. "What happened?" I questioned. "I don't know, I just saw something standing behind that damn tree!" I turned around to the direction he was facing and I went in closer for a better look. I was walking through some diminutive twigs and kept giving myself a jump scare each time. As I leisurely made my way towards the instructable 'figure' my friend had spotted, I managed to make out some details about it. "That isn't a figure, It's just a stupid Lamp!"...

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$250

Prize money

207

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 11, 2022 EST

Won by Howard Halsall 🏆

Title: Cigarettes: A Romance

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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