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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#148: The Lease I Can Do

Most of us at one time or another will live in an apartment building. Whether you live in a dorm while at college, or you live in a high-rise in Manhattan, sharing a wall or two with your neighbors certainly keeps things interesting. And living in such close proximity to other people has its pros and cons — you’re never too far from help if you need it, but you’re also never too far from the party your downstairs neighbors seem to throw every weekend.

What are some of your fondest (or least fond) memories of apartment living? Use these five prompts to explore what it’s really like to live in an apartment building — or just a little too close to your neighbors for comfort.

This week's prompts

Write about two neighbors who cannot stand each other.

Sad – 43 stories

Write a story involving a noise complaint.

Sad – 45 stories

Include a character in your story that is often in an apartment building, but doesn’t actually live there.

High School – 38 stories

Write about a couple touring an empty apartment they might rent.

Narrative – 27 stories

Write about an apartment building being demolished.

Sad – 42 stories

Stories

“Notes of Conversion” by Karen Leidy

Submitted to Contest #148

Notes of Conversion Erwinn Metzger climbed out of his car on Central Avenue in Dothington this blustery March afternoon, stared plaintively at the empty rubicund brick high-rise in which he and his deceased mother used to live. Their flat had been situated on the top floor at the end of the hallway, one which had afforded them a picturesque, panoramic view of the once-bustling city. As a young boy, Erwinn sat on the window seat every night and gazed wistfully at the lights in the distance, envisioning being the headline trumpeter in major ...

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“Brutally Murdered” by Alyssa Reed

Submitted to Contest #148

Mentions of murder, brief mention of blood. 78-year-old woman brutally murdered in apartment. At the time I was relieved. The loud voices of police officers at my door, wailing sirens outside, people asking me what happened - all that was a welcomed relief to the oldies music and scratchy voice yelling at her cats from the other side of my wall. 78-year-old Judith Maren was gone now. The world now knew her merely as a woman that was murdered in her apartment. All they would ever know i...

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“Long-Term Lease” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #148

“Rebel and defend your rights,” “Don’t let the government bullies push you around,” “Do we live in a democracy or not?”--the loud slogans blasted across every window on Karen Singleford’s new car and shouted from the door of her two-bedroom walkup in the Seacrest Arms Luxury Apartment complex. Karen, the single mother of two pre-teen sons, Harry and Jarod, made no secret of her disdain for “health regulations” imposed during the influenza endemic and what she considered the clear danger they presented to her fre...

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“Hate in Building Eight” by Judi Wallower

Submitted to Contest #148

I pulled into my apartment complex and made a left, a right, then a left near building eight where my apartment is. I backed up my car into the parking spot The Alps Apartments gave me, shut the car off, walked to the back of my car, opened the trunk, took out all my shopping bags that are holding all my goodies I bought including dinner. I approached the first of four flights of stairs it takes for me to reach my apartment number two. I stopped and pursed my lips. There he i...

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“Finding Out” by Derrick Higgins

Submitted to Contest #148

“And this is why due diligence in a scientific screening is so important from a crime laboratory.” Ethan tried his hardest to stay awake while Professor Adams carried on diving into the introduction of Medicolegal Death Investigations. Ethan knew he would’ve been more attentive in different circumstances. He was passionate about this subject and he wanted to learn about it more than anything. If it weren’t for his early morning job combined with an obnoxious late night neighbor, Ethan would’ve been hanging on every word of valuable informati...

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“Run, Mr. Bates” by Malik White

Submitted to Contest #148

The collar of my shirt was drenched with sweat, and my heart was racing faster than a jackrabbit’s. Detective Thorne walked ahead of me and led me into the interrogation room. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun and she wore a black skirt suit. “Right in here Mr. Bates. Have a seat,” she said. This was a mistake. Why did I come here? Without a second beat, I reached back for the door. Thorne grabbed my shoulder firmly, but not so firm that I couldn’t push past her. “I’m sorry, detective, I shouldn’t have come here,” I said. “Mr. B...

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“The Price of Silence” by Angela Creasy

Submitted to Contest #148

Thump, Thump, Thump, the walls were trembling uncontrollably as if fireworks were being set off in the apartment above Lara. Groaning, she threw a pillow over her head and tried to block out the noise. Nothing she did would make the sounds stop, nothing even quieted them; enough was enough, it was time to take action. The exercises were becoming far more frequent and they cost Lara about three hours of sleep that her exhausted mind desperately needed. With University exams in full swing, Lara had been up almost the entire night frantically r...

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“The Dog that Shagged Me” by BOFT V

Submitted to Contest #148

The proverbial burning of the midnight oil ensued for the deranged medical student with his nose stuffed in cocaine; except the midnight oil was the electrical bill, and the cocaine was coffee. Words like nicotinamide dinucleotide and glutathione peroxidase taunted the medical student, who only had enough energy left to stare blankly with his eyes redder than a baboon’s ass. Biochemistry used to mean something to the man, but by this time the brain of the once brilliant medical student (the term “brilliant” being loosely used to actually mea...

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“What is That?” by Arwen Bender

Submitted to Contest #148

“Arwen,” I wake up to my mom nudging me “Don’t panic, alright? But we… we think someone is in our attic.” I get out of my bed but wonder how I am supposed to stay calm? I try my best to be attentive and, well, somehow calm, but it is unsurprisingly hard to do that at twelve in the morning. I follow her to my parent’s small walk-in closet She tells me to get behind some of my dad’s clothes. “Stay here, and stay quiet. I’m going to get your sister.” she says and leaves the closet. I’m alone in here, unprotected, vulnerable. Why would she leave...

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“Accommodation drama ” by Callum McGee

Submitted to Contest #148

Bang, thump, clank, squeak. In that order. Stay in accommodation, they said. It's time to come out of your shell, they said. I grind my molars as intoxicated chuckles and bitter tobacco fumes snake through my window lining. The party-goers prowl in packs through coffee-stained university halls, sing drunken discord and slather vodka-stained fingerprints across windows. Their sticky purple cider stains cling to my shoes like velcro, leaving putrid puddles of vomit across carpets. Smooth country ...

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“Sunday Easter Sunday” by Scott Harris

Submitted to Contest #148

Sunday Easter Sunday Ronnie feels his eyes open – or does he? Is he awake? Or is he sleeping? He can’t tell, which usually means he’s dreaming. He finds comfort in that thought. Familiarity. He tries to settle into his slumber, but there’s a creeping sensation that he is awake. His delusion of unconsciousness is being replaced with a fear of consciousness. He’s certain...

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“Porkchop, Espionage, and a Mechanical Symphony” by Sparrow Aston

Submitted to Contest #148

Contains some adult humor “Chapter 9: One for the Road”, the Narrator’s voice is like cream, thick and sweet. It drips down Ted’s ear canals as his head sinks into the pillow. It’s his lone indulgence, horribly written spy fiction. But man does J Coen Daniels write excellent characters. It’s just after 9 o’clock on a Tuesday, and 100 Washington Heights winds down for the night. Ted readies himself for tonight’s chapter: pillow at perfect 45 degree angle, blanket snug but not too tight, and the light dimmed to an ambient glow. He adjusts...

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“The Unwelcomed Guest” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #148

The darkness of the street was broken by flashing blues lights of police cars. The tenants living in the apartment complex watched in disbelief. “He’s just our maintenance man, who greets everyone with a homey smile,” everyone would say. “So, why should anyone suspect him?” putting their trust in a stranger turned out to be the tenants’ greatest mistake. A few of the long-time tenants remember when Joe started working there. It was four years ago when Joe started working as a maintenance man at the Apollo Apartments. Each day he would inspe...

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“Growth” by Lana Redfield

Submitted to Contest #148

May 18, 2017 I can't believe I'm doing this. I haven't kept a diary since I was in middle school. But Doc recommended it, and every good nurse listens to her doctor, I guess. So... I'm seeing a therapist because my relationship just went south. My girlfriend and I split on good terms, but I'd be a psychopath if I was fine, wouldn't I? Anyway, Doc said I should write my thoughts and feelings rather than bottling them or drinking them, and if an apple a day can keep the doctor away, then surely this journal can do something helpful. But I fee...

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“Curiosity Killed the Kid” by Arwen Bender

Submitted to Contest #148

Leo pulled his ragged hoodie over his head as he walked through the rainy streets of San Francisco to his… apartment. Sure, it was not his apartment, but the owner, Blaze Nyx, was never there. He was always traveling and would come home for a night at most. But Leo only used the place for shelter because… well, he had no home.Growing up an orphan was tough, he had been living in this man’s house for almost a decade now. His parents had died in an accident when he was seven and Leo, being a seven year old, was scared and he ...

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$250

Prize money

195

Contest entries

90

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 03, 2022 EST

Won by S.K. Wulf 🏆

Title: Two Stubborn Women

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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