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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

“Hotspot” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #148

Carol hadn’t wanted anything to do with her old man’s business. Taking care of an apartment complex is no easy feat. Sure, it kept money in her pocket, but most of that money went right back into broken appliances. When it wasn’t the washing machine, it was the drier. When it wasn’t the drier, it was the sink. When it wasn’t the sink, it was the toilet. Carol had to keep a list of every messed-up machine in the complex.And that wasn’t even mentioning the worst part: the tenants. Mrs. Donald’s had five cats that scratched up the furniture and...

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“Uninvited” by Ava Raim

Submitted to Contest #148

A loud crash echoes through the stairwell I’m currently running up, towards the roof garden that positively blossoms in autumn. I stop, craning my head towards the sound which seems to be coming from Apartment B on the second floor, seeing if anything more follows. I think the Martins live there, with their pet goldfish who they constantly fawn over, and Mr Martin’s mother, who they don’t. I see Mrs Martin Sr often, hobbling towards the rickety old lift with her rickety old legs, using her sturdy oak cane to help her with her uneven gait in ...

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“The man from 240” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #148

The terrors that inhabit the night maybe even more awful in deceitful broad daylight. According to Helen, it all started with a dead cat and a green monster in the garbage chute. And that, according to her, was all due to the neighborhood in which she lived. The neighborhood wasn't exactly known as the best part of town. An unsavory neighborhood to be honest. But apartments were hard to get. She would have loved to live in a beautiful complex, but that wasn't an option right now. When she came home after work in the evening, she always...

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“Dateline Noise” by Cynthia Maria Grace

Submitted to Contest #148

For the last two decades, we have always owned our own home. Our last home was an expansive one on a lake-six bedrooms, a full basement, three bathrooms and a full walk-up attic that hid everything from various holiday decorations to unused furniture. It was a lot of room but more importantly there were no sounds except for the occasional fox rustling through the leaves, singing bullfrog or a fish jumping to capture their evening dinner. At some point, we wanted to retire and downsize. My husband was already retired and I was coun...

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“The Handkerchief” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #148

“We have plenty of time,” Zelda said, reaching across the space betwixt her and her fiancé. She lovingly caressed his forearm in an attempt to assure that his despondency was due to nothing more than the gloomy weather that filled the streets of Paris this rainy day.“We have plenty of time to go all the places and see all the things your heart desires, Jacques. In a month we’ll be married and living together right here in this lovely Parisian apartment. Life is young. We are on the precipice of so many possibilities, so why in heaven’s name ...

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“The Wall that Joins Us” by Liv Howll

Submitted to Contest #148

The beat of the bass pulses through my body, making my nerves tingle and washing away the thoughts from my crowded mind. The trouble is, this is not my music, and those thoughts eddying out of my head are my livelihood. I gave myself six months to detach and focus, and the ending would come: I would finish my novel at last. But it’s been six weeks, and I am no closer to giving my heroine the resolution she deserves. I came to Mayfair for peace and quiet, and the last thing I had anticipated was my ignorant, boorish, tyran...

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“A Lease on Love” by Nic Silvestris

Submitted to Contest #148

A Lease on Love Beams of sunlight emitted through the blindless windows, casting a spotlight on the dust dancing in the air. The fresh smell of Pine-Sol invaded the noses of anyone who toured the apartment. Freshly painted white walls added to the cleansed ambience but could not hide the slight imperfections caused by the previous owner’s bedframe. Naomi had been looking for an affordable place to rent for ages, and through a good word from her friend Gwen (who worked in a r...

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“Apartment 402” by Kayla Altagracia

Submitted to Contest #148

I knock on the door. No answer. Try three more times. Bam, bam, bam…nothing. Why is nobody answering? Jerks. Particularly, the one living above me. I pace around, wondering if she thinks I’m just going to give up. I will stay outside all night if I have to. Before I knock once more, I hear the door’s lock. Muffled voice shuffling around. A crack. The door opens slightly. I see her ear and right green eye pop out. “What do you want?” a meek voice escapes her lips.&...

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“Johnny” by Kara Beth Baker

Submitted to Contest #148

“Someone get my boy!” John shouted, amongst the smoke, “don’t worry about me I’ll be fine. Get him! Hes downstairs and he’s paraplelegic. Get him out if you have to drag him!” John noticed it wasn’t fire fighters helping him, it was community members, and was confused but all he could focus on was Johnny. Downstairs the flames were quickly moving toward Johnny, who had just been put in his bed for the night by his nurse, Brenda. She started scream...

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“Candy Hates Winter” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #148

Wade Wakeman is worried that Winter has stopped taking his lithium. Winter’s real name is Bartholomew Winter Pomerantz, but everyone calls him by his middle name because of his disarming personality and ice-blue eyes. A striking, wavy-haired charmer, Winter comes from old money, and not getting his own way is foreign to him. Wade Wakeman is a pleasant, practical, underachieving red-headed rube from Odell, Illinois who barely has enough money for tuition. Living in a paid-for luxury apartment in busy Carson City, partying with classy co-ed...

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“We All Heed Her Piercing Cry” by Simon Pacis

Submitted to Contest #148

(This story talks about death.)It was the 3rd of October, late in the afternoon, and there she was again. That old woman. She walked with a slight limp but looked otherwise strong. She came by the apartment complex once a month. Not always on a particular day of the month. It could be either on the 5th, the 16th, or the 30th. But it was always ever once a month. And she never skipped. Not for the past year that Tyler had been keeping an eye out for her anyway.He observed her through his kitchen window from the third floor. She was ambling al...

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“The Crimson Diary” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #148

Lady Brackvark had sent her manservant to the constables to complain about her neighbor, Lady Razia, and her raucous party. This was nothing new: Lady Razia was always throwing parties of some kind in her salon, and Lady Brackvark was a jealous, acrimonious old badger who longed for the days when she would be invited to such parties.This party was unusual, though, as it had been snowing heavily: Enough to deaden most noise. The constables - mostly collies and a few bloodhounds - assumed that Lady Brackvark was simply complaining again and ga...

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“The Eleventh Floor” by Robert Gross

Submitted to Contest #148

I got up at five and drank a hot cup of instant coffee as quickly as I could. The coffee was strong and chased away the half a night's sleep fogging my mind.I thought it was important to really see the place one last time. Jay, my only friend left in Taiwan who can remember what happened told me the old place was coming down. I had chased away the memories for several nights with tall cans of beer.Then one day I woke up and I thought I should look.Then I thought I shouldn't.The Pong game in my head. The ball, expertly flying across the scree...

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“Noises From Above” by Nigel Holmes

Submitted to Contest #148

I’ll pick up your prescription after work tomorrow and drop it off about 5. Neville was a slow texter, but also one who believed in correct punctuation. He re-read the message he’d typed, pressed ‘Send” and put the phone down on the countertop. At that moment the lights in his cramped kitchen dimmed. Then he heard a wooshing noise, like wind through trees, faintly at first but growing louder. Glancing through the window, the blue sky was dotted with a just a few white clouds, and the sun was casting long shadows. It didn’t look windy. Then h...

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“The Other Woman” by Mo Colby

Submitted to Contest #148

When I move in they show me the other apartment too. It is right above mine and entirely identical. I don´t know what makes me choose the one below. Perhaps it is the striped wallpaper. It does not matter which apartment I choose at the time, I just need an apartment. As you do, when you´ve just graduated from art school and they refuse to let you hover around campus for another semester, the way the fragile teenager that still lives in some back corner of your body – the eighth rib, perhaps, or the left ankle – would prefer. And then your ...

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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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