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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#138: Days in the Sun

If you live in the Northern hemisphere, now’s that time of the year when the days begin to feel a little longer. The start of Spring means you can look forward to afternoon picnics in the park, long walks while the sun is still up, and days that feel endless — like you have more time on your hands, even though that’s not technically true.

Celebrating this turn of the season, this week’s prompts take inspiration from these longer and sunnier days.

🥇 Winner

“After the Rock” by Christopher Kelley

🏆 Winner of Contest #138

Humans can transform from solid to spirit in about half a second. I just found this out. Just a half-second ago. I might be shocked if I weren’t so dead. “Huh,” is all I have to say about it. “Yep,” my wife agrees, equally shockless. She is standing beside me along the sun-baked shoulder of a two-lane country highway, and we are both staring down into the drainage ditch. At the bottom are scattered piles of junk — a nasty trail of breadcrumbs — all leading to a battered tomb. The tomb used to be a car. For a while, it was our car...

163 comments 163

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Homewrecker” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

“No, she isn’t my daughter,” he corrects a colleague. “She’s my wife.”On cue, I beam at my husband, innocent and doe-eyed—like I did in my 20’s when he was in his 40’s. His friend invariably elbows him, making comments about cradle robbing and spring chickens. We laugh. I say something clever in reply. His companion looks surprised. And she’s witty, too?My cheeks hurt in an attempt to hold a smile. They continue to talk like I’m not there, but my husband reaches out for my hand. Above all, we are the dearest of friends. But in publ...

128 comments 128

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“Where Light Has No Purchase” by Glen Gabel

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

CW: substance abuse, abuse“Dad taught me some sign language at five, but I learned to fear my father when I was seven. Tangled blonde hair pressed to my arm, covering my face. My hand retreating from my backside, the welt of a belt mark stained red across my knuckles. Begging, screaming for my mother to come out of the bathroom, to rescue me. But she was hiding in the shower, he had already educated her on when to get involved. Now, it was my turn. I had encouraged Ziggy, our cocker-spaniel with one blind eye, to race through the room, acros...

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“Latitude Sixty-Nine” by Thomas Graham

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

On March 5, 2022, a research expedition’s remote submersible spotted the wreck of HMS Endurance, sitting intact ten thousand feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea. The ship has rested there since November 21, 1915, when, after months of being trapped in pack ice, she crumpled from the pressure and sank. The history of the ship and the failed attempt of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent are well known, as all twenty-eight members of the expedition overcame improbable odds and sur...

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This week's prompts

Set your story on a day when the sun never sets.

Dark – 26 stories

Write a story about an afternoon picnic gone wrong.

Fluff – 37 stories

Write about a character who doesn’t want to go to sleep.

Horror – 53 stories

End your story with someone saying: “What a day.”

Summer – 40 stories

Write about light returning to a place that has been deprived of it for a long time, literally or figuratively.

Christmas – 89 stories

Stories

“After the Rock” by Christopher Kelley

🏆 Winner of Contest #138

Humans can transform from solid to spirit in about half a second. I just found this out. Just a half-second ago. I might be shocked if I weren’t so dead. “Huh,” is all I have to say about it. “Yep,” my wife agrees, equally shockless. She is standing beside me along the sun-baked shoulder of a two-lane country highway, and we are both staring down into the drainage ditch. At the bottom are scattered piles of junk — a nasty trail of breadcrumbs — all leading to a battered tomb. The tomb used to be a car. For a while, it was our car...

163 comments 163

Read story

“Homewrecker” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

“No, she isn’t my daughter,” he corrects a colleague. “She’s my wife.”On cue, I beam at my husband, innocent and doe-eyed—like I did in my 20’s when he was in his 40’s. His friend invariably elbows him, making comments about cradle robbing and spring chickens. We laugh. I say something clever in reply. His companion looks surprised. And she’s witty, too?My cheeks hurt in an attempt to hold a smile. They continue to talk like I’m not there, but my husband reaches out for my hand. Above all, we are the dearest of friends. But in publ...

128 comments 128

Read story

“The Midnight Swimmers” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #138

It was midafternoon when the local police patrol found me shivering in my swimwear on the shoreline. My weary carcass was covered with abrasions; I had dried blood matted in my hair and fingers wrinkled like anaemic prunes. “He looks rougher than road kill,” the first officer joked, wrapping a heat reflective blanket around me, as if he was covering burnt barbecue scraps in tinfoil.The second officer offers me a plastic bottle. “This’ll help you, sir.”“No, it’s too late...” I whisper.“Suit yourself, sir,” he says, “I was—-““She was with...

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“The Pest Cowboy” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #138

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Norman breathed to the wide-eyed racoon gaping at him from across the crawl space. “Daddy’s not gonna hurt ya,” he muttered calmly as he army-crawled towards the creature, hoping it was not rabid. He’d had one rabies scare in his nineteen years of pest management. He didn’t want to have to go to the ER today to deal with a coon bite; it was 75-degrees out and he wanted to go fishing when he got off work. The racoon rubbed its paws over its eyes anxiously, darting its little beady orbs back and forth. “Don’t hu...

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“The Best Years of Our Lives” by Zack Powell

Submitted to Contest #138

Friends, faculty, alumni, and fellow classmates, good afternoon and thank you all for coming to my TED talk. Only kidding. Just a little valedictorian's joke to kick things off before we all disperse into the world to work at high-paying prestigious institutions like McDonald's, or, if we're lucky, Starbucks. That's also a joke, mostly. Peter Springer, if you're listening, I'll have two Big Macs and a venti cold brew.But seriously, thanks for coming out today. It means a lot to me. You all, of course, had no choice in the matter if you want ...

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“Potato Salad” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #138

They didn’t even bring potato salad. A picnic with no potato salad. I mean, what is the point, Grace? I ask you-- What is the point? I know, I know-- Take what you can get. When you’re an ant-- Mark says we’re bugs, but I disagree. There is a difference between an ant and a bug, and if you’ve ever spent time with a ladybug, you understand the difference. The point is, we take what we can get. That being said, there are certain expectations you have when you’re at a picnic. Nobody tries anymore. That’s the difficulty...

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“Where Light Has No Purchase” by Glen Gabel

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

CW: substance abuse, abuse“Dad taught me some sign language at five, but I learned to fear my father when I was seven. Tangled blonde hair pressed to my arm, covering my face. My hand retreating from my backside, the welt of a belt mark stained red across my knuckles. Begging, screaming for my mother to come out of the bathroom, to rescue me. But she was hiding in the shower, he had already educated her on when to get involved. Now, it was my turn. I had encouraged Ziggy, our cocker-spaniel with one blind eye, to race through the room, acros...

Read story

“Perseverance ” by Palak Shah

Submitted to Contest #138

“What a sunny day! Let’s go on a walk.” The hairs on Mike’s neck stood up, delighted by this thought. His soft contentment radiated into the surroundings, making his dog’s bright eyes light upon a full-beam tail in a propeller spin. Bouncer had been with Mike for a decade. Having each other made them determined to add meaning to their lives. They knew each other like the back of their hand; they were family. Bouncer kept Mike going in his challenging times, as she was his anchor for innocence and kept him persevering during his many hard...

116 comments 116

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“Say Goodbye at Sunrise” by Alexandra Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #138

I have never seen the sun. When I say that, I mean it literally. Not as some dramatic statement about how depressed I am or a metaphor for how I’ve never had a good day in my life. I mean I have literally never seen the sun. You’d think it’s a miserable existence. Never feeling the warmth of a warm summer's day, never laying down on a beach to get gorgeously tan, never being blinded by pure light. At least that’s what I’ve been told it’s like. Light and warmth and tan mean nothing to me. After all, I’ve never experienced them. I’ve heard...

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“Just Right 🚪🗝” by PJ Aitken

Submitted to Contest #138

“Come on Bea calm down for me!”“I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, DADDY! I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN BUT NOBODY LISTENS!”“Of course we do!”“NOOOO YOU DON’T!”“The noise you’re making, I’d be surprised if the whole world wasn’t listening in to your tantrum podcast.”“OH VERY FUNNY, DADDY. MR COMEDIAN NOW ARE WE?”“Well you have to admit you’re being a bit silly.”“SILLY! ME, SILLY?!? YOU’RE THE ONE WHO LEFT THE FRONT DOOR UNLOCKED!”“…”“WHAT’S WRONG? NOT GOT ANYTHING FUNNY TO SAY?”“Bea, it has been a long day and we all need a rest.”“WELL I’D LOVE TO DO THAT...

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“Matchstick” by Andrew Sletten

Submitted to Contest #138

“Piss off Jeffrey,” Machi yelled, half laughing, as he slammed the front door to his villa behind him. He felt hot and sweaty. A vein throbbed in his neck to the tune of his racing pulse. “A cold drink,” he thought, as he used his phone to set the thermostat for his zone to 66 degrees. The lighting shifted to a Caribbean blue tone with another couple taps. Mars, by Holst, builded quietly in the background as his heels clicked across black, glossy tiles. He hummed the drum beat as he rushed to his black and gold, Rococo style, bar. Machi fe...

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“Last Light” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #138

Melancholia never saw Hex coming as she ran down the community centre hallway. He slammed into her with enough force to send her bodily into the peeling brick wall, a blow strong enough to break a normal person’s bones. She bounced off the wall and recovered almost immediately, drawing herself up with a snarl. “What the hell, Hex–” “–shhh!–” Hex hissed at her. His wide eyes darted left and right. “–I swear I’m going to tear you in half–” “–please, Mel! Just shut up and listen for a moment!” She bared her teeth, but her features softened when...

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“Latitude Sixty-Nine” by Thomas Graham

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #138

On March 5, 2022, a research expedition’s remote submersible spotted the wreck of HMS Endurance, sitting intact ten thousand feet below the surface of the Weddell Sea. The ship has rested there since November 21, 1915, when, after months of being trapped in pack ice, she crumpled from the pressure and sank. The history of the ship and the failed attempt of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent are well known, as all twenty-eight members of the expedition overcame improbable odds and sur...

Read story

“The Lost Light” by Brendan Sanders

Submitted to Contest #138

The smell of ash riddled the cave, lights fading as the torches were snuffed out. This world is not my own, I don’t know how long it’s been since I ended up here, but I’m beginning to lose hope of ever returning to my own world. The sun is bright today, the streets are busy and full of people shopping, running late to work, delivering food. Of course Japan is always busy, no matter which part of the country you go to, everyone is either working or planning to...

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“The Warrior” by Marcus N

Submitted to Contest #138

NOTE: This story and the characters in it are fictional. As are their thoughts, and their findings. HOWEVER, the threats to indigenous land by the Brazilian government are very much real. As is the suffering of the Awá people and the suffering of other indigenous peoples of the Amazon at the hands of illegal loggers.Night had fallen on the Amazon Rainforest.In a small clearing two days away from the nearest city, a seventeen-year old boy lay awake, staring up at the starry sky above. The other inhabitants of the clearing - sixty of them, the...

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$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

152

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 25, 2022 EST

Won by Christopher Kelley 🏆

Title: After the Rock

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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