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#152: Miracles and Oracles

We have little control over what happens to us, though there’s nothing more human than trying to micro-manage what will come next. This week, I want us to think about both the expected, and the unexpected; times when life throws positive twists at us — miracles, some might call them — or times when we try to predict those turns, for better or worse.

🥇 Winner

“Foretold in Smoke” by Aeris Walker

Content Warning: Mild foul languageMarie S. 5/5 Stars Vivienne is incredible! My life has completely changed since my visit. It’s like a light came on and she’s somehow unlocked all this hidden potential. She’s the best, seriously just go. Call today!Bradley J. 5/5Worth every penny. Highly recommend.Kevin R. 5/5 StarsI never thought I’d come to a place like this, but when I was at an all-...

140 comments 140 WINNER 🏆
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⭐️ Shortlisted

“To Let Death Steal the Last Kiss” by Jay McKenzie

(CW:death)At dawn they swing from the gallows. They sway towards Hell, pitch for Heaven, dance in limbo. Everyone in the square holds their breath at the cracking moment, a yellow fog of expectant inhalations against the tea-stained sky. The bell tolls. The scaffold creaks, splintered and umber and steadfast.On the outskirts of the town to the west, and in the hills gazing over the valley, a century of distraught mothers - keening, breaking - swear vengeance into the guts of the lords. <...

59 comments 59 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“The Fortune Teller's Daughter” by Cecilia L. Maddison

*Content Warning- reference to murder*“I can see it now, how I’ve been misled, as clear as day. It’s true I killed the fortune teller’s daughter, but she made me do it.”“Is that so?”“I’m a God fearing man, sir. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you I’ve never harmed a person before. Never in my life.”“Indeed.”“Mr Hopkins, I beg you- listen to my account and make right the wrongs that have taken place. Only you can save me from the gallows. I don...

45 comments 45 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Tim Finnegan's Wake” by Seán McNicholl

Ah, hello there an’ welcome, ‘tis yerself? Are ye well settled there?I sincerely hope this story finds ye well. And if yer not well, then I hope it finds ye nonetheless. It’s all about a poor man Timothy Finnegan, or Tim as we all knew him. Now Tim was born a gentleman, never a nicer man could ye meet. A gentleman surely, but as poor a blighter as ever ye seen. His father was a cooper. They don’t have many coopers these days, which is a shame. For those who don’t know, a cooper is a m...

48 comments 48 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Viviana” by Betty Gilgoff

Holding both of the young woman’s hands, Viviana focuses on slowing her breathing with the hope that Claire’s too will calm. She keeps her eyes closed, her head erect. She can feel Claire’s pain radiating up her arms as she breathes deeply, forcing herself to stay steady.  “You’re going to be okay,” she assures Claire, “but you need somewhere you can go. You can’t continue on like this.” “...

25 comments 25 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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This week's prompts

Write a story in which a miracle happens — or everyone thinks it did.

Middle School – 45 stories

Start your story with a character saying “I can see it now.”

Middle School – 37 stories

Write about a character whose life changes for the better.

Middle School – 48 stories

Set your story in an oracle or a fortune teller’s parlor.

Fantasy – 74 stories

Write a story about someone whose job is to make miracles happen, literally or figuratively.

Middle School – 45 stories

Stories

“Foretold in Smoke” by Aeris Walker

Content Warning: Mild foul languageMarie S. 5/5 Stars Vivienne is incredible! My life has completely changed since my visit. It’s like a light came on and she’s somehow unlocked all this hidden potential. She’s the best, seriously just go. Call today!Bradley J. 5/5Worth every penny. Highly recommend.Kevin R. 5/5 StarsI never thought I’d come to a place like this, but when I was at an all-...

140 comments 140 WINNER 🏆
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“Ace of Pentacles” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

It’s easier with the drunk girls—especially the loud-mouthed ones who travel in packs. Dressed in sparkly tops, short skirts, and wobbly heels, they wear “Bride To Be” paper tiaras or “Nifty-to-Be-Fifty” ballcaps. On weekends, I expect them after the bars close. They burst through my door, tittering, eyeing the darkened reading room with glassy cows eyes. They half expect a fallen angel or an imp to peek out from behind the beaded curtains. But it’s just me here—and the cards. “We’re here for the $20 sp...

30 comments 30
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“A Mother's Future” by Kathleen Fine

Nicola scurries down Cedar Street, glancing behind her to ensure she’s alone. If word gets back to anyone where she’s headed, especially to her Catholic mother, she’ll never hear the end of it.“Six months along after years of trying. Can you believe it?” the pregnant woman at the coffee shop had exclaimed to her friend earlier that morning. Nicola’s ears had perked up as she finished her Monday crossword puzzle and sipped the foam from the bottom of her matcha latte. She’d peered over at the expectant mother, trying not ...

24 comments 24
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“To Let Death Steal the Last Kiss” by Jay McKenzie

(CW:death)At dawn they swing from the gallows. They sway towards Hell, pitch for Heaven, dance in limbo. Everyone in the square holds their breath at the cracking moment, a yellow fog of expectant inhalations against the tea-stained sky. The bell tolls. The scaffold creaks, splintered and umber and steadfast.On the outskirts of the town to the west, and in the hills gazing over the valley, a century of distraught mothers - keening, breaking - swear vengeance into the guts of the lords. <...

59 comments 59 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“The Fortune Teller's Daughter” by Cecilia L. Maddison

*Content Warning- reference to murder*“I can see it now, how I’ve been misled, as clear as day. It’s true I killed the fortune teller’s daughter, but she made me do it.”“Is that so?”“I’m a God fearing man, sir. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you I’ve never harmed a person before. Never in my life.”“Indeed.”“Mr Hopkins, I beg you- listen to my account and make right the wrongs that have taken place. Only you can save me from the gallows. I don...

45 comments 45 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“What Really Happened” by Zack Powell

Content warning: DeathWhen you came home from Vietnam in one piece, people called it a miracle. Not that you blamed them. Growing up, you attracted bullies and beatdowns like a magnet. You were never the biggest, the toughest, the strongest. You, who could loop your middle finger and thumb around your wrist and still have room. Quite a few bets were lost the day you stepped off that plane in Los Angeles, dressed in fatigues and feeling the way you looked.The homecoming was not what you had expected....

52 comments 52
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“Tim Finnegan's Wake” by Seán McNicholl

Ah, hello there an’ welcome, ‘tis yerself? Are ye well settled there?I sincerely hope this story finds ye well. And if yer not well, then I hope it finds ye nonetheless. It’s all about a poor man Timothy Finnegan, or Tim as we all knew him. Now Tim was born a gentleman, never a nicer man could ye meet. A gentleman surely, but as poor a blighter as ever ye seen. His father was a cooper. They don’t have many coopers these days, which is a shame. For those who don’t know, a cooper is a m...

48 comments 48 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Malefic Machinations” by Michał Przywara

Juanita raised the crystal ball above her head, the bangles on both her arms tch-king, and then spiked it at the floor with a primal scream. It slammed into the scuffed linoleum with a doof, neither bouncing nor breaking. It just rolled an inch and stopped, a dead eye glaring up at her.“No!” she wailed. She tore at her bandana, at her hair. “You can’t!” Her raw voice cracked. “Not him!” She sunk to her knees, her bead necklaces clacking a riot. “Not Andrew!” She drowned her face in her hands, overtaken by...

48 comments 48
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“Nothing But Blue Skies” by Kevin Broccoli

Your husband tells me you can’t sleep.I explained to him--Is his name Frank? I explained to Frank that it’s not that you’re not sleeping. It’s that you’re not sleeping well. You’re getting some sleep here and there whether you know it or not. The trouble is that it’s of no quality. Sleep is like food--there’s the good kind and the bad kind. You’re getting potato chip sleep. You need carrot stick sleep. Did you ever show your children the food pyramid when they were younger? Not that it’s any of my business ...

16 comments 16
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“Under the Spell of the Morning Star” by Riel Rosehill

It’s been a hundred days; one tenth of my punishment.Shrouded in the black of a storm cloud, in the damp, smothering scent of rain I kneel there with my eyes closed. Thunder rumbles. Electric pulses ruffle my soaking feathers, sting my skin. My hair is dripping, my wet tunic sticks to me as cold drops of rain trickle down my body. Every second of every day. Without light.In this desperate darkness, all that’s lucid are my worst memories.Fear flashing in the g...

31 comments 31
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“One of the Abandoned Boys” by Shuvayon Mukherjee

[Content Warning: Claustrophobia]East Side, London, 1889.Charlie sobs into the dark. He doesn’t want to be one of the abandoned boys. When Patch got stuck, Master Smith left him in there for a week until the landlord complained. They had to break the wall with a hammer to get him out. Charlie hadn’t seen it, but the other apprentices said they found him curled up like he was asleep, but all stiff-like. Patch didn’t sweep any more after that.Charlie’s kne...

29 comments 29
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“Do None Condemn You?” by Hannah P. Simmons

Before she was killed, my mother named me Shani. It means scarlet. Aunt Miriam believed it was a last act of defiance. I would be a constant reminder to the Sanhedrin— the council of elders—that they had failed to break her. As a child, the women of the village whispered that my mother had spoken a curse over me in revenge for her death. That in giving me this name, she sealed my future just as I had sealed hers. It was my fault that she was put to death. An unmarried Jewess found with child has but one fate under ...

27 comments 27
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“This is the One: the final entry posted to ‘Dispatches From the Grave’” by Christopher Kelley

Everyone uses Saltbox to buy a home, so I really didn’t have a choice.The app’s clever logo splashed on my 6-inch touchscreen then vanished, followed by some sleek Roboto-font text that congratulated me for making the decision to download.Good morning, handsome! the app lied, but I let that go. We all lie a little. Welcome to Saltbox!“Uh-huh,” I said, wondering if anyone at Saltbox actually spied for quality assurance.Would you like to find a home ...

17 comments 17
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“Portents of Doom” by Graham Kinross

“You predicted death and you were right. Four times.” I hold her hands on her glass orb. When she tries to pull them back, I grip them tighter. “You told them to get their affairs in order. You told them to write their wills. They listened. When you had their wills out in the open, you killed them. You switched the wills. Four murders.” Her blue eyes bulge.             “You’re crazy,” she says. She’s about to shou...

19 comments 19
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“Mother knows best?” by Wendy M

"Beware the Ides Of March," I told him. I'm sure I told him more than once, but did he listen? My mother said that morning, "You want to be careful, my girl. Giving out messages of doom is going to get you into trouble. You mark my words!" "Mother, it's a job," I told her as I wrapped myself in a warm cloak. "You said get yourself a job with a future. Well, I get lots of futures every day....

26 comments 26
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$250

Prize money

249

Contest entries

103

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 01, 2022 EST

Won by Aeris Walker 🏆

Title: Foretold in Smoke

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.

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