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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#159: Money, Money, Money

Like it or not, money makes the world go round. And while it (supposedly) can’t buy happiness, it can certainly change your life — for better or worse. This week’s prompts have money on the mind; whether your characters are winning big, or down to their last dollar, it’s time to start counting your cash.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character accepting a bribe.

Adults – 48 stories

Set your story in a world where the currency isn’t money — or at least not money as we understand it.

Fantasy – 62 stories

Write about somebody down on their luck who unexpectedly comes into a large amount of money.

Teens – 49 stories

Your character checks their balance at an ATM and is surprised by the number they see.

Adults – 32 stories

Write about a character who’s never encountered a problem they couldn’t buy their way out of — until they do.

Angst – 25 stories

Stories

“Jen” by Miika Mooten

Submitted to Contest #159

Note: This story contains sensitive content including sexual assault and substance abuse. The soles of my boots pound hard against the gravelly concrete. I can hear footsteps and the soft murmur of voices behind me. I plaster myself against the wall of a nearby alley, pressing a tired hand to my forehead, my breath coming to me in a series of shallow pants. Sweat is starting to bead on my forehead, and I sigh as I remember forgetting to put on deodorant this morning. I shut my eyes and bring my hand to my lips as I hea...

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“Treasure hunting” by Becca Fox

Submitted to Contest #159

I’m not walking in any direction. I came here to get lost. Northern Israel beaches are almost deserted this time of year, and the weather is still hot even in November. Sand and rocky coast, an endless sea spreads before me and disappears past the mountains north, all the way to Lebanon. I came here because I didn’t know where else to go. He ended things so abruptly last month. I’m completely lost. I left my apartment as is and took the first train north. I found a small furnished apartment and hunkered down. I cried for three days. Hunger i...

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“Boone the Blacksmith” by Scott Dutkus

Submitted to Contest #159

Boone stood looking across the street at the Quartermaster with his Officers and supply Sergeants, all impeccably dressed, boots shined and hats tall and proud. No matter how much Boone tried over the last 4 months to encourage the Quartermaster to buy his swords and bayonets, the Quartermaster went with Boone’s competition. After hearing the rumbles of a possible military conflict, Boone spent almost all his coin to purchase steel, coal, and other supplies for his forge. He left barely enough to buy meager food and drink to s...

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“Idle and Wild” by Samuel Morelos

Submitted to Contest #159

Raymond J. Marshall. Chances are you’ve never seen a man with a suit and tie like that, each seam tailored to a precise finish by lavish artisans and each fold ironed to a smooth halt by prestigious butlers. Whether he’s stepping into the headquarters of a Fortune 500 corporation or a skyscraper in Hong Kong, you can be damn sure that every CEO and every one of their lackeys has already turned their head towards him. What a life! From the second he left his mother's womb he was set, practically following the rich-asshole checklist to a T. A ...

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“For the Money of Love ” by Gill James

Submitted to Contest #159

For the Money of Love They were a pain the backside, the ATM machines at his local supermarket. They always had the sun shining on them and you couldn't see the screen. Glyn tapped in his credentials from memory. He hoped he'd got enough credits to cover the tokens he wanted to extract. They said today that every citizen should keep at least 200 universal credits in cash tokens because of predicted power failures. Oh, what the heck. He may as well take the full 200. He held his breath as he keyed in the amount. Thankfully there were no...

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“The Little Things” by Ashe Greenwood

Submitted to Contest #159

Whrrrrrrr. The machine moaned as it compiled my cash to spit it out. It made a click as it stopped, then the little door slid open. I reached in to grab my money. Thumbing through it, I counted, just to make sure it was correct. My dad always taught me to do this, as he claimed he had been ripped off before. Five hundred I thought. Perfect, it was just enough to cover the rest of rent for the month. I had dropped off another five hundred dollars last week, and three hundred fifty the week before, but I had to stay on top of things every ...

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“My Hand for a Watch” by Mark Chadish

Submitted to Contest #159

Lucille can’t believe her eyes. She checks the balance for the 5th time. She is not sure if it’s the hangover, the sleep deprivation, or both. Again, the numbers show the exact same unbelievably large number. One hundred thousand euros. And the seven thousand two hundred eighty she had before but who would read after the first two commas anyway. Her heart is palpitating. “This changes everything” she mutters under her breath. “I can finally finish my studies, pay for mom’s hospital bills, get a pick-up truck for the business-“ “Hey lady, it...

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“Wow! Where did the money come from?” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #159

Most of us have dreamed of a huge deposit of money mysteriously arriving in our bank accounts. Trust me, even if you truly believe the deposit to be legitimate and then spent it, if it is actually not yours, you will be expected to pay back every cent (dime or penny), whether you can afford it or not.I knew a young lady, let’s call her Florence, who found a windfall in her bank account.At this stage she had been saving up for a plane fare to attend a family reunion which had been planned for a year and a half. In the mean time she had marrie...

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“Credits and Debits” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #159

Well blow me! Verner ended his visit and took the slow walk away. It struck him for the very first time in his mundane and miserable life that he did the self-same thing at communion when he was a boy. Head down and quiet. Strange thing to do when you were supposed to be communing with people, but that was how it was done back then, or if it wasn’t then no one batted an eyelid when he acted like that and he knew he’d gotten it from someone. So there it was. This time though he found a spot at what he considered a safe distance and watche...

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“7-7-7” by Cody Cooper

Submitted to Contest #159

TW: SUICIDE, SEXUAL HARASSMENT Frank awoke from his delightful dream thanks to a shrill beeping noise. The beeping kept Frank from remembering the details of said dream, so as much as he wanted to return to whatever that magical world was, all he could muster was a half-awake mumbling “How do I forget to turn off my alarm on July 4th.” Each beep felt like a jackhammer crashing against Frank’s ears, so after a few seconds, Frank finally turned over and hit the “alarm off” button. &...

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“Spending without Guilt” by Jocelyn Yeomans

Submitted to Contest #159

Oh my. That’s not right. It’s nice to see but its $100,000 more than I should have. I was standing in front of the ATM machine having just withdrawn some cash and was staring at the receipt.. I immediately thought I should go into the bank and question it when another thought came. Hold on now. It might be ok. Wait until I am home and check the computer. Might be another windfall I hadn’t expected. Remembering back 10 years ago when I had found I was entitled to a pension from my husband’s work. ...

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“Money Can't Buy Sleepiness” by Ryanna Arnett

Submitted to Contest #159

One hour. The blonde stood inside the doorway to the subdivision home, frozen in place. The house was silent. Outside, she heard the Toyota Corolla slowly pulling out of the driveway. Emily’s hazel eyes scanned the house. The living room was painted in subtle tan colors and looked overly tidy. She noticed that all of the outlets had safety covers, and there were no furniture items with pointed corners in sight. Her attention shifted to the hallway. Down the hall were three white doors, all closed. One had a few floral stickers...

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““Tears of Green”” by Nova Clark

Submitted to Contest #159

The following story contains brief mentions of death and hospitalization. 1960. Frank Baxter lived for wealth. He based his career on it, chose his friendships based on it, and sacrificed his dignity for it. In fact, he even went to sleep each night and dreamt about it. It was par for the course for a Manhattan stockbroker. He wore the best suits, had the best company dinners and took the best business trips. He could still feel the jealous grips of his coworkers’ hands when ...

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“The Bribe ” by Maddie Vander Wiede

Submitted to Contest #159

I walk out of the police department and get in my car to see a guy sitting in the back seat. "Did you close the case?" he asks, and I nod. "Did you get the file and evidence?" he asks, and I nod again so he throws a bag in the passenger side then gets out and leaves. I lock the doors and open the bag seeing a shit ton of money. I blow out a breath then open my bag pulling out the case file. I sigh then just put it back driving home. I am sitting on the floor in front of the fire later that night when I feel someone sit next to me. "You did...

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“Who is at Fault” by Karen Lethlean

Submitted to Contest #159

Who is at Fault? Boris poured himself a stiff scotch. Been long day, with more than usual legal argument. He needed to unwind. If he took this bribe what would be the outcome. The courts were stressful, even in the office he always felt everyone was trying to score more brownie points, beat him to the pot of gold, everything he did included a look over his shoulder to make sure someone hadn’t already beaten him to the punch. “You’ve got a good team, don’t worry.” Empty, non-therapeutic words from outsiders. Pick your excuse but he just wa...

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$250

Prize money

216

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 19, 2022 EST

Won by Daniel Allen 🏆

Title: Blood and Cookies

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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