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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#163: Leo Tolstoy

Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy was born on September 9th, 1828 — so happy birthday, Leo! In his novels, Tolstoy explored the intricacies and contradictions of ordinary people, as well as examining the nature of power, history, and society as a whole. In his later years, he renounced his aristocratic lifestyle to focus on a more spiritual path, promoting the idea of nonviolent resistance. 


This week’s prompts pay homage to one of history's greatest writers and most interesting thinkers.

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone breaking an awkward silence at a family dinner.

Adults – 36 stories

Write about a character who is living through a major historical event — whether they know it or not.

Historical Fiction – 40 stories

Write about a character who risks everything to pursue their heart’s desires.

Romance – 19 stories

Write a story about someone facing death for the first time in their life.

Sad – 88 stories

Write a story in which someone says “You'll never be content.”

Adults – 51 stories

Stories

“A Misguided Memoir” by Kelita Sim

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #163

“A man’s pursuit for wealth and fame is his greatest downfall”What a statement! I hear you exclaim. Please know, dear reader, I’m not intentionally trying to rustle feathers. I’m not trying to make a name for myself and become known for my thinking like the great Aristotle. No, I’m a simple man making a, quite frankly, obvious observation.Although I am now old and suffering from “disease in my legs” (the physician insists it is gout), spending my latter years prostrated on my bed, I have lived a comfortable and fulfilling life. Now that I am...

2 comments 2
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“El Cerrajero” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #163

Of Miguel’s many talents, the one he liked least was his ability to be underestimated by everyone he met. He thought it would help in his career, but really it was just annoying. Of average height and weight, curling light brown hair with stooped shoulders and a paunch, he was not attractive, nor a threat. Always ready with a quick joke, he was remarkable only for being unmemorable. His light brown complexion could be of several nationalities, and his voice was lost in crowds. He was a cypher in more ways than one.The last morning ...

6 comments 6
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“"I am Death."” by Cynthia Prokarym (Scott)

Submitted to Contest #163

The taxicab slows to a stop, the brakes screeching. The driver barely stops in time before hitting the Plymouth in front of them. This isn’t the first time during Oppie's trip the driver had shown himself a bit inattentive. Oppie wonders briefly if the driver got his license from a crackerjack box. This is no time for reckless driving, he thinks to himself. He has to be back at the lab soon, but he'd rather walk the rest of the way than go through that again.He looks out the window, trying to stuff down his feelings of annoyance. Where ...

4 comments 4
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“The Infected Part Two” by Brendan Sanders

Submitted to Contest #163

                                FIVE YEARS LATER… The world has changed a lot since I watched my best friend Nick reanimate as one of the Lurkers. The Lurkers are what we’re calling the infected now. With everything that has happened to the world these past fifteen years, the Lurkers have made it somewhat easier to live in, but harder to survive. There are less living people to conten...

9 comments 9
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“Eat What You Kill” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #163

Eugene sat on the dock and watched mayflies dance across the calm water’s surface. He’d never seen anything like it. They looked like fairytale figures, only real. ‘How fun to float so lightly. Not even a ripple.’ A disturbance from beneath and a mayfly vanished. It shocked Eugene. ‘Who knows what lurks down there?’ Of course, being seven, Eugene thought in emotions more than in carefully chosen words. This morning’s ‘never before’ experiences tracked mainly between awe and bliss. His father, Cal, was taking Eugene on his first fishing trip....

6 comments 6
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“Successful Families have Good Ghouls” by Hannah Barton

Submitted to Contest #163

Caution: A bit of foul language is used in this story.The silence at the table was deafening and awkward. My brothers and sisters just glanced around at one another, waiting for the banshee to start. Cynnth was doing everything he could to hide his laughter while sneaking looks at me, then at our mother. "No! Absolutely not! Have you gone MAD?" my mother screeched at me, her eyes wide in horror and disbelief. "Nobody's allowed to just leave this family like that, Cedric. Nobody! We built this business and this family around all of us helping...

9 comments 9
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“Into The Fire ” by Ian T. Smyth

Submitted to Contest #163

Susan stared out the window to the vast metropolis below, and sighed. Despite the vast height of the building she was standing in, and despite it being early in the morning, she could still make out the movement of cars and even people as they went about their daily lives.  Susan worked in an office as a customer service representative; her job was to take calls and help people install their printers over the phone. It was a boring job, she admitted, but a well-paying one, and she’d been there for over three years. She was eager for a ...

2 comments 2
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“Reunion ” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #163

CW: allusions to an affairValerie and Sarah walked into the cafeteria which was glittering, lit up by cafe lights in the shape of mini light bulbs with a soft, yellow glow. Ten tables, with numbers on little gold stands written on thick card stock in a flowing black in calligraphy, were arranged around the stone statue of the knight in the center of the room. A huge banner hung above the sign-in station bearing the knight in shining armor read “WELCOME CLASS OF 2017.” Soft pop music played over the speaker. “I’m so glad you came ou...

23 comments 23
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“A King's Game.” by Kaitlyn M.

Submitted to Contest #163

I've killed a man. I don't really know how else to say it; I've. Killed. A. Man. And looking down at his slumped form, I feel a hint of humor tugging at the corner of my lips, a laugh bubbling from my gut. Don't think me insensitive, please. This wouldn't be so funny if he was slumped over his desk, or bleeding out on his bed, or even fell back in the chair... No. The man fell face down in his food. It was a rather good dinner, might I add, dry roasted, Northern-style herring. Very delicious, a bit heavy on the salt. This scene just makes ...

3 comments 3
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“Checkmate. You Win.” by Grace Anderson

Submitted to Contest #163

Melancholy /ˈmɛlənkəli/  a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. Can you hear that? Exactly…..silence. For the first time in years. You. You're the one that I’ve been waiting for. The one that can free me.  Reader, though I may not know your story.  Though I may not know your ups and downs. Though I may not even know your name. You are the one.  I’ve been engulfed in a prison of misery, trapped in an endless void of black.  People open and close me. Only to throw...

3 comments 3
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“Damocles' Icicle” by Yulen JL

Submitted to Contest #163

TW: Violence, Stalking, Adult Language, Body Horror It was around two in the morning when Adam crept out of the shadows of the parking lot. Long, pale limbs reaching at the edges of concrete, pulling out the rest of his well-muscled, if gangly form. Other flesh-molders usually got fancy with their bodies, pushing at the limits of function for the fun of a stranger form. Anything to appear artistic, anything to stand out. Typical artist shit. But standing out wasn’t useful to Adam. Form for the sake of form was idiocy, no matter how advance...

1 comment 1
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“I Didn't Mean It” by Kimberly McFetridge

Submitted to Contest #163

The previously raucous chatter at the Thanksgiving dinner table came to a sudden halt when I harmlessly remarked that our daughter Julie’s professional obligations and pressures from her fiancé Ted and her mother had been taking their toll on her. The awkward silence was short lived, though, because of our son Anthony. Now my wife's not talking to me. As a matter of fact, neither is our daughter.  The holiday week started out the same as it always did at the Cirillo household. My wife Maureen started cooking and baking o...

11 comments 11
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“The Hollow” by Kev Neylon

Submitted to Contest #163

“You’ll never be content.” I didn’t know whether the words were supposed to be a prophecy, a curse, or just a bitter outburst. It was difficult to tell when you were dealing with a terribly upset witch. I should have known better by now. Dating witches never turned out well. Breaking up with them always turned out badly. And it was always me that did the breaking up. I suppose there was some truth in the statement. I wasn’t content. That’s why I broke up with Selda. And Ezzie before here, and Lileth before that. I tried not to remember an...

1 comment 1
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“That Which Nourishes Me… (A Psychobilly Romance)” by Benjamin Boxer

Submitted to Contest #163

NOTE: This story contains a scene where a body literally hits a floor.PsychoBillieJean was a real rock-n-roller with a chip, a good head, and a tattoo on her shoulder. The tattoo read, "Quod me nutrit, me destruit." Whatever made her feel good--or just feel--she'd do it. She put a lid on her past because she couldn't unscrew it. When she found a good fit, she immediately threw it, and when she wanted to fight, everybody knew it. Her brimstone eyes stared their way through Hell's souls. I needed her; she needled me--her moan, a pandemonious ...

6 comments 6
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“The Sapling” by T.S.A. Maiven

Submitted to Contest #163

The Sapling This is a tale that needs to be told. It’s set in a beautiful Newfoundland forest. Right out in the middle of no where, a place that no one sees except for the odd hiker here and there. In this luscious forest, the beauty is unmatched. there’s a kaleidoscope of colors on each and every freely growing foliage. There were so many varieties of grass, flowers, bushes, right up to the woodland wonders. The trees.  Tender wisps of fog embraced one tree and then the next. It was so smoothly jumping around each tree it was remin...

16 comments 16
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$250

Prize money

234

Contest entries

126

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 16, 2022 EST

Won by Zack Powell 🏆

Title: 10 Ways to Explain Your Husband's Death to Your Son

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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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