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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#158: It's All Good, Man

With only a few episodes left to air, the legal drama Better Call Saul is coming to an end. Along with the Breaking Bad saga, this spin-off garnered dozens of nominations and countless fans around the world through excellent character development and storytelling. Saul Goodman’s colorful suits, elaborate scams, and wordplay (“It’S all Good, man”) will be hard to forget.

Whether you're familiar with the series, or this is your first time hearing about it, there'll be something for you in this week's prompts — inspired by the show's characters and themes.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a couple sharing a cigarette in a parking lot.

Adults – 66 stories

Write about a character with questionable morals.

Dark – 41 stories

Write a story where the law plays an important role.

High School – 24 stories

Write a story about a character who is trying to become a better person.

Middle School – 42 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “It’s not fair.”

Middle School – 72 stories

Stories

“Smoking Kills” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #158

TW: Sex, swearing and spontaneous dance.Kirsten’s smile was the evil black of an aching tooth that lived to cause pain. She was the absence that smirks as cars veer of the road in the night. Invisible. The lovers broke from a kiss with ‘fuck me now’ lust in their eyes. They were youth and beauty. They were hope and health. Kirsten couldn’t resist. The cigarettes and lighter sat on the hood of his car, waiting. Some people like their bacon smoked. Some vampires feel the sa...

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“Mystery in Mayhem” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #158

It was another dismal day in the City of Mayhem, where criminals outnumbered law enforcement three-to-one. The dark, grey clouds hovered over the city like a blanket. Thunder rumbled so loudly, that it rattled the windows of the 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that was parked in the shadows on Porter Street. Shards of metal fell from the rusted-out fenders as the door swung open. &n...

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“Meeting Death at MacDonalds” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #158

Mike was high as a kite that had binged PCP. He always seemed to do his best work when he was stoned, though his many former employers disagreed. Between volleys of bullets, he stumbled and wobbled his way through enemy fire, clicking his fingers. The multiverse was a continuous carousel of universes. Clicking on one hand took him one way, clicking the other hand took him back. Putting in the work to...

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“You Called My Name Again” by Judy Ma

Submitted to Contest #158

My McDonald’s fountain drink cup of spare change sits quietly in front of me. Snow is beginning to bury it away. No one looked my way. That’s how it usually is. People avert their eyes, and do their best to block me out of their consciousness; if I did appear in their field of vision, I suppose they’d feel some sort of social obligation to hand me some spare change. But I’m simultaneously too young and too old to garner too much sympathy, so then again, maybe not. I sit down, pulling my blanket around me a bit tighter. New York winter...

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“The Gift of Prophecy” by I Jones

Submitted to Contest #158

"The current ruling is undeniably unjust; there are currently many languishing in prison for the 'crime' of trying to save a human life. The expectation of inhumane apathy must end, starting with the liberation of those wrongfully condemned!". The speaker was a short man who appeared to be balding. Matt recognised him but couldn't put a name to him. He was older than most Change advocates, many of whom were young and, in Matt's opinion, too immature to think through the consequences thoroughly. "Gallery, we have heard this all before." Mat...

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“The Visiting Room” by Melissa Taylor

Submitted to Contest #158

*Contains sexual content; Discusses death.* Rita slowly opened her eyes to early morning sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Reality hit her full force like a punch to the gut when she rolled over and saw the empty space in the bed beside her; the space that should be occupied by Mark, her husband of just three years. Mark was not there, and he never would be again. It was exactly one month to the day since her husband, the love of her life had died in a car accident on his way home from work. If only she had known when he left...

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“Pick a box” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #158

Pick a Box Gina stood in the dingy, smelly basement (or ‘the dungeon’ as it was colloquially referred to) and cringed inwardly at the sight of row upon row of boxes stacked on shelving units. There must be hundreds of them, she thought. ‘Pick a box. Any box,’ Senior Detective Matt Rankin said with a smug grin. ‘Every one’s a winner and every one’s a loser. I’ll leave you to it then,’ he said as he turned on his heel and walked out into the passage that led back to the relatively bright lights of Police Headquarters. ...

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“A Good Man ” by H. J. Pargeter

Submitted to Contest #158

The five thirty-three to Reading departed London Paddington. Onboard the train was Jill. Jill was in love with Saj; she was married to Ben. Ben, better known as Dr Benjamin Morgan MBE (awarded for “Services to Paediatric Medicine”), was a good man. As Jill sat there, head pressed up against the glass window, watching the suburbs of London fly by in the dusk light, she reflected on her recent revelation: she was leaving Ben today. Saj had been offered a job in Canada, something in IT, and she had decided to move with him. Why? She was in...

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“Special Like Her” by Cate Stamper

Submitted to Contest #158

The inner ring is beautiful. Well, perhaps beautiful is the wrong word. It is very intense, very bright. It is clean, shockingly clean. Everything from the architecture to the people is perfect. The middle rings are fine at first. In the first middle ring, the only real difference is the new inclusion of color into the clothing and buildings. It starts subtly at first, this addition of color, but it is still refreshing after the eye-watering white of the inner ring. As one begins to go further into the middle rings, one will see a less desir...

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“we were only seventeen” by Richa Jain

Submitted to Contest #158

“Dunhill.”I gaze at his stubby fingers clutching the packet, each nail shorter than the last. The warning label pokes out from between them, informing the consumer of the cautionary tale of Fiona, who'd succumbed to lung cancer at thirty-three after being a serial smoker most of her life. “Someone's rich.”“Only the best for her majesty,” He jokes, holding out the last stick for me. I graciously accept it, fishing out a lighter from my pocket as I grasp the cigarette between cracked lips. He throws the empty square a few metres away from the ...

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“Rabbit Hole” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #158

On August 20th, 2013, Lena walked into the classroom of the Queen. She taught junior and senior AP English. She had long blonde curls and piercing blue eyes. As always, she dressed with a retro air, choosing a fitted navy skirt, red heels, and a white blouse. The Queen was also the Debate coach. Which is why a fourteen year old Lena walked into her classroom at 2:05pm because she would join the debate team, just like the cool and confident girl on her TV. That girl was involved in lots of extracurriculars which is why she was so popular. The...

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“That’s Not Fair …” by Todd Crickmer

Submitted to Contest #158

“That’s not fair, Mr. Crickmer,” has over time become one of my fondest memories of raising my kids and being actively involved in the lives of my grandchildren. During the formative years of my kids’ lives, we were an all Scouting family. My wife was an active Girl Scout Leader, and I had been an above-and-beyond Boy Scout Leader. And together, we had many amazing adventures, creating a lifetime of cherished memories. However, becoming actively involved in my oldest granddaughter’s Scouting experience was an even greater hono...

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“Wouldn't Hurt A Fly” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #158

He was circling the cigarette between his fingers, watching the embers that slowly drizzled onto the pavement. In one swift swipe, the cigarette was hovering vertically in his palm like a candle, the smoke rising upwards slowly. Just as quickly, Devi flipped his palm down, and the cigarette danced above his knuckles before landing perfectly between his index and middle fingers. Lifting it up to his mouth, he let the skinny tobacco stick part his lips. “You know you’ve got to leave town.” It wasn’t a question. He took a long drag off the ...

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“Door-To-Door” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #158

He hated his roommates, but they were not a problem on week-ends. Both Jerry and Bobby went home to their families when school was out, and they could both afford to drive home to have home-cooked meals and fresh laundry. Saturday and Sundays were clear. Dan would not see them until Monday, so… Their place was a mess. How could two guys with girlfriends get away with being such slobs? He started in the bathroom, getting the sink, tub and toilet to some level of decency that he could take; the kitchen was harder and the dishes and floor took...

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“The Coder” by Ela Mikh

Submitted to Contest #158

“Davey, is you ok?” His mother’s accent came through stronger than usual whenever she was panicking. David sighed, turning off the speaker on his phone. Another melodrama! He was sure it would be something not worth discussing. As always. “I’m fine, mom. What happened this time?” “Oh, I glad you ok. So, they get money all right?” David sat up feeling like something yucky stirred in his stomach in anticipation of trouble. “What money, mom? What are you talking about?” She went into a long confusing story but he finally was able to get the gis...

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$250

Prize money

245

Contest entries

103

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 12, 2022 EST

Won by Scott Christenson 🏆

Title: Your Cat™️ Customer Service

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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