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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#155: Swings and Roundabouts

One of my favorite British expressions is “swings and roundabouts”. It’s a tricky phrase to define, but it basically means a situation where good and bad, pro and con, ultimately cancel each other out. You might be up at one point, and down at another, but you’ll always end up somewhere in the middle. For example: “It rained on Friday. The laundry I hung out to dry got wet, but the flowerbeds needed watering, so, you know — swings and roundabouts.”

Much of life is a case of swings and roundabouts; accepting the good with the bad, and going along for the ride. This week’s prompts are all about this sense of balance, and the imperfect situations that we still make work.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character facing a situation that isn't awful, but isn't great.

Middle School – 34 stories

Write a story that includes a character using the phrase “swings and roundabouts.”

Thanksgiving – 37 stories

Write about a character who gets good and bad news in quick succession — not necessarily in that order.

Angst – 46 stories

Write about a character who is pathologically ambivalent, until something shakes them up.

Narrative – 33 stories

Set your story in a kids’ playground, or at a roundabout.

Kids – 44 stories

Stories

“Trust for Strangers” by Elle Curry

Submitted to Contest #155

I was raised to be polite and respectful to strangers, especially my elders. And yet, I wasn't allowed to trust too much in them as well? Strangers are potential friends, and simultaneously, could be a factor that is detrimental to my life? Since the phrase "Stranger danger" is continuously ingrained into the minds of young children, why are educators allowed to teach students if they are a "stranger"? Significant others start off as strangers, even extended family members become strangers after a while. To say the least, trusting ...

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“A Simple Phone Call” by Ally Fleming

Submitted to Contest #155

Who knew the human language could possess so many variations of pissing people off? Craik Corporation was never a very accommodating company. Its exterior was grey, the cubicles were uniform, and there seemed to be a stench of peanut butter wherever one went. Even the people who weren’t allergic to peanut butter felt like they were allergic to it after a certain period. To Carl, he felt as if he would suffocate to it. He never told anyone. His job, like everyone else’s, was to make people’s day worse through answering pho...

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“The Lady with the Clipboard ” by Sean Sorce

Submitted to Contest #155

'Okay Stuart, easy on the breaks,' I said to myself as I lightly hold down the breaks as my mother's car slowly went in front of a roundabout. As I pulled up, my driver instructor was on her clipboard taking notes on my driver's test.This is my second attempt and I was more nervous than the first time. The last instructor was a middle aged man who never once hinted a smile and had a cold demeanor. Meanwhile this lady with the clipboard seem genuine nice for she smiled here and there yet she was too wasn't much talkative as the last one. Both...

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“When The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down” by Randy Murrell

Submitted to Contest #155

It was about midnight and it had been for several hours. I came here to walk and reminisce about my rights and wrongs and thoughts from the past both happy and sad. There is something ghostly about how it looks ya’ know. A playground devoid of the sounds of excited children, anxious parents and angry teachers. I brought my ghosts with me. I have no shortage of regrets and many of mine rest here, fester here and should I see the dawn of another they will be left here. As I walked I happened upon a set of swings. ...

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“Kidnapper’s Playground ” by Kale Gordon

Submitted to Contest #155

Section 1: Voices “But mom I don’t want to go outside it’s so hot,” ten-year-old Gordon whined. “It’s the summertime, in my day all we did was play outside,” Gordon’s mom Patricia said. “Agh, fine,” Gordon said enthusiastically. Gordon walked into the garage that was stale with hot humidity. He grabbed both grips of his dark purple GT Mountain bike and walked his back to the end of the driveway. Gordon looked back, and saw he forgot to close the garage door, he rushed back to close it. It was so hot outside just that act ...

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“The Woman in the Roundabout” by Kasey Kirchner

Submitted to Contest #155

Only one person knew about the antlered woman living in the roundabout. But they didn’t know quite yet, and she didn’t quite live there, exactly. She just visited every night, sitting with her back against the circle of sad pine trees, watching the people of earth revolve around her like self-absorbed planets or silly little yo-yos on invisible strings. The woman wasn’t from here. She could have been, I suppose, but she probably wasn’t. A month ago (according to some), the woman was wandering her maze of glacial caves with her ...

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“Wishing I was on the swings” by Evelyn Duke

Submitted to Contest #155

*This story contains gory images and physical violence therefore it may be sensitive to some readers.* Wishing I was on the swings I know that I’m a little old for playgrounds. However, something about swinging on the swings excites me. Going up so far almost like you’re going to touch the clouds with your feet, then falling as if you’re going backwards off of a cliff. When I think of a playground, I think of kids happily yelling whilst chasing each other around in a game of tag. I think of parents sitting and watching while their k...

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“Playground ” by Dana Hammer

Submitted to Contest #155

Adam is playing with his cat and ignoring Braden. Adam is always playing with his stupid cat, but it’s even stupider today, because they’re at the park for a play date, and nobody brings a cat to the park. Nobody except Adam, who is weird. Adam is older than Braden. Adam is ten years old, and Braden is only eight. But their moms are friends, so the older boy has to play with Braden, whether he wants to or not. And Adam really does NOT want to play with Braden. This doesn’t hurt Braden’s feelings though, because Adam doesn’t like to play wi...

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“Taking Flight” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #155

-suggestion of domestic violence-Her last, fervent wish was to land on the bed of roses and crush them all. As she soared in the air, her hat floating above the seat next to her, she looked down and saw the gorgeous roses next to the roundabout, reds and yellows, blues, purples and whites, no dead heads, no weeds and she loathed them with all her heart.A memory was launched as well, of a similar roundabout, 10 years ago and a choice to be made: take the third exit and turn off into a chance for adventure, or the fourth exit t...

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“The Wolf Prince ” by Krysta Anderson

Submitted to Contest #155

Elyria and Koden have been best friends ever since Elyria was born. Over the years Elyria found out she had a special bond with Koden, and she kept a secret with him. At times when they were alone he'd change from a wolf into a man. He had fur that could change colors based on Elyria's moods. Everywhere Elyria went, he went with her. Koden always made sure that Elyria was happy; since she didn't have any other friends to play with. Sure, she talked with the other girls, but none really knew her. And she didn't really know them. One day, Elyr...

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“Swing at The Roundabout Club” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #155

In the Mood was playing as I walked into the club that night. That tune isn’t exactly my favourite of Glenn Miller’s hits, but it did what it said on the tin and by the time I’d ordered my bourbon and had a taste of that amber nectar, my foot was tapping along to the music and I was looking around the room to see what I could see. Besides, Miller was on fire and about as popular as could be. Little did I know it at the time, but he’d have almost as many hits as The King and The Beatles combined, and in only a few years too. Now that’s b...

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“Swing and Amiss ” by Amanda Reilly

Submitted to Contest #155

The ambulance was in rough shape. All four tires were blown and in pieces all over the roundabout. A giant rock was lodged in the undercarriage. It had come to a stop halfway on the roundabout, halfway off, and drivers were forced to swerve around it. Several cut too wide and drove on the sidewalk. But this was normal Philadelphia driving that would have occurred regardless of a sitting-duck ambulance. Still, the scene was funny in a Philly way, meaning it was one hundred percent avoidable but for the sick humor of God. A young woman steppe...

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“Apologies ” by Karen Lethlean

Submitted to Contest #155

Apologies Lucas fell asleep late one night and left gas burning on the kitchen range. When he realized, hotplate grates glowed red hot, and surrounding room space smelt like dead fish. Could gas meself, he thought. Never happened if Freyda still lived here. She’d hide his drinking buddy, Jack Daniels away. As she’d done a lot lately. Plus chiding him to drink less. What had been her problem? He only hit her once. And apologized. After sighting those bruises which shadowed her face a few days later. Despite a bouquet of roses, he came...

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“Stressed Friend” by Marie White

Submitted to Contest #155

Jasen doubled over in his patio chair, clutching his abdomen, a bead of sweat glistening in the mid-afternoon sun and swelling in the furrow between his brows. His raspy groan hit her like the blare of an air horn at close range. “Jasen, you okay?” she asked, breath leaving her. “Jolly good. Just a…a smidge of pain…” ...

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“The Reprisal” by Simon P

Submitted to Contest #155

“Donny! Pull it together; I got you! I got you, brother,” I said Kareem’s men surrounded us with blazing gunfire from both sides of the crypt. Last week we got intel that Kareem shook hands with SSA’s (Terrorist group) leader to aid them in delivering chemical weapons, which were later being used on our troops fighting Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region. Our mission was to execute Kareem and seize the delivery. “We are trapped, Simon! We are not getting out of here alive!” Donny said. He was seriously wounded when the explosion happe...

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$250

Prize money

194

Contest entries

78

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 22, 2022 EST

Won by Lonnie Russo 🏆

Title: Someone Has Died

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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