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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#166: Game, set, match

Lately, my sporting news feed has been taken over by the retirement of two legendary tennis players — Serena Williams and Roger Federer. Whenever sports stars end their careers, it leaves me wondering what it must feel like to start something new after dedicating so much time and effort into performing at top level.

Of course, retiring, quitting, or changing careers are life-changing events whether you’re a professional athlete or not, and the prompts this week are inspired by the bevy of emotions this can bring to the surface — from trepidation to excitement, to regret or even nostalgia.

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone saying “I quit!”

Adults – 55 stories

Write a story about someone who knows it’s time to retire or change jobs, but is hesitating.

Adults – 43 stories

Write about a rivalry between two coworkers that has unforeseen consequences.

Adults – 26 stories

Set your story at a retirement or leaving party.

Adults – 19 stories

Write about someone who has long since quit but decides to go another round for old time’s sake.

Adults – 37 stories

Stories

“Cock and Bull” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” Morgan stared at his face in the angled mirrors of the bathroom. He had been practicing the line in his own thoughts for more than a week. It was the first time that he actually said it out loud, and he made sure to say it in their upstairs bathroom. “I…” “Darling?” Tracy was in the kitchen with her coffee and some of that green blended mush that Morgan would be forced to wash down with his toast and poached egg (no caffeine for you, dear; very bad for your health). He really thought she would not be able to hear him over the blend...

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“Arthas Brought a Droid to Dinner” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #166

TW: Murder, infidelity, guns, heavy makeup.The cuffed killer fidgeted in his seat. “I quit caffeine recently. I have fewer headaches now. Sleep better which is the most important thing,” said Mark Brigg. He bent his neck and strained to scratch his brownish-grey hair. “Can you quit talking as well?” Detective Arthas Jacques asked with an Arab-French accent common to the Martian capital. “My concentrati...

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“Eddy and Tom - Part III (Dad's Retirement Party)” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #166

Eddy knew deep down this wasn’t the most fantastic idea. But his mother said it would be okay. She actually pushed him more than usual. And frankly, his mother could be quite annoying about these things. “You need to show Tom you want him to be a part of your life. What better way than to bring him tonight?” “Mom. Don’t you think it’s short notice, and… Dad isn’t exactly crazy about me dating a guy.” “Don’t you worry about your father. He will be so busy saying goodbye to his friends and drinking that he won’t even notice who you brou...

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“Back to the Grind” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #166

I’m not entirely sure I’m doing the right thing. Why on earth would I want to go back to work after being ‘retired’ for almost nine years? But I do have my reasons. It was a long process to get my social security disability, but it paid off in the end. I received a nice back paycheck when they finally started sending me checks every month, and I could help my boyfriend buy a house for us. But in the back of my mind, I felt ‘less than.’ I know I didn’t fake my symptoms, and someone who takes as much medication as I do for my mental hea...

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“Freedom is a Double Edged Sword” by Kyle Bennett

Submitted to Contest #166

Content Warning: language, substance abuse, self-destructive behavior. ==== "I quit" Rodney's client was not only an asshole, but an idiot to boot. He blatantly lied on the stand. Rodney knew it, the judge knew it, opposing counsel knew it, and the jury knew it. Rodney could prove it, and it put him in a tight situation. Technically, he hadn't known his client would lie, but the bastard had made it clear that he thought it was his golden ticket to getting out of this mess. Law was the kind of intricate challenge Rodney loved, until...

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“I make over 6 figures as a Janitor” by Sam Sadiq-Adamu

Submitted to Contest #166

I can’t tell you much about my organization. The only reason I’m being permitted to tell you these stories is because they simply don’t think anyone will believe me. And if you value your sanity, I'd suggest you follow suit. I can’t share any company secrets but I can tell you about some of the shit I’ve seen. You see, we’re the guys who clean up messes. Messes that don’t make sense. Is your son speaking backwards and doing backflips on the ceiling? You need the Janitors. Your dog stand up on its hind legs and tell you he’s God? You need the...

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“A Monstrous Regiment of Dunces” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #166

“I quit!” Peter (Pedro) O’Tule announced. He tossed down his company apron and his company hat, but was taking his sweet time leaving. The manager looked at him resignedly. “I actually fired you, but yes, you may say you quit. It is all the same to me, Pedro.” The manager went back to filling orders and doing whatever managers of fast-food restaurants do. “My decision cannot be brooked, my good man. The repercussions will be enormous. Enormous!” Pedro waved his arms in the air as he departed the Taco Bell at which he had resigned/been fired ...

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“The Final Skyscraper” by Theresa Fox Turner

Submitted to Contest #166

I stand at the edge of a sheer drop-off, looking out over a river meandering into infinity. The water calls out to me with a promise of calmness and serenity. On the opposite shore, dogs rush back and forth, excited to meet a new friend. A house with a wrap-around porch, large windows, and a bright yellow door hints at the warmth and comfort I will find inside.Although paradise beckons me, fear and vertigo take over when I look down at the river far below. Do I have the courage to make the jump? Could I survive? Although the water rises...

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“The Retirement Party” by Annika C. Jodran

Submitted to Contest #166

Retiree Kshitij Punit Aati closed his workstation and leaned back in his chair which bounced gently up and down over its magnetic base. He would miss that reassuring rocking he thought as he tidied his few personal possessions into his carry all. He had spent the morning finalizing the data from his latest project, his last project, he conceded, and was happy to return from his midday break and find that his hypothesis had been confirmed. It was satisfying to be right and even more so to have provided more important data to add to the Collec...

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“blue memories” by Jennifer Cameron

Submitted to Contest #166

I was 7 when my dad went to jail for the first time. My childhood was blue carpeted visits halls and those blue jeans he always had to wear and his intense blue eyes that seemed to hold something more than he was letting me see. It was all very blue. He came out when I was 14 and then went back when I was 15. Almost like he couldn’t be outside with us, like the big green acres of land behind our house was just too open for him and our hugs too full of love that he wasn’t ready to receive after 7 years of having it limited to short hour-long ...

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“Burnt Out” by Anne O

Submitted to Contest #166

Trigger warning: Covid / PandemicI sit in the dark with my laptop, surrounded by the glow of lavender candles. My apartment is complete chaos. There are empty boxes piling up by the front door that need to be broken down and recycled, my table contains remnants of a lost chess match, and in my bedroom are small mountains of clothes camouflaging the carpeting — and here I sit, in the dark basking in candlelight because I’m too physically and emotionally exhausted to tackle the dysfunction surrounding me. If you work in healthcare, or mor...

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“The Tap Dancing Healer” by Hamzah Malik

Submitted to Contest #166

Note: this story contains a metaphor for abuse, and to be sensitive to all readers, I thought it best to mention before you begin reading.Once upon a time there lived a woman named Zyla, who was gifted with the rarest of abilities. On a full moon, if she was outside, without warning she would begin dancing frantically, a big smile on her face, and her eyes a pure shimmering white.At the very spot she danced, a tree would grow, which bore fruit that could heal any illness in the world. Quite naturally, Zyla made 'dancing healer' her professio...

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“Cupid's Arrows” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #166

The blank look in the pimp's eyes matched the broken video monitors on the walls of the dark bar. He was generally against the sale of love, it was more of his mom’s department. But it brought real love more often than it should. Dressed as an old man, he regretted his decision to stay in character and buy the cheap whisky. He wished for Ouzo and olives. Maybe it was time to give up, he was failing at his job. The pimp was doing better than him. He just couldn't keep up with Tinder or Bumble or even Match. He tilted ...

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“Reset” by T. S. Memory

Submitted to Contest #166

Barney snapped back to the present at the sound of a booming voice that travelled across the bullpen. He raised slightly from his cubicle to see his boss barking unintelligibly in the distance. Barney groaned and slouched back into his seat, the meeting he dreaded was about to begin. He swept the mess of papers on his desk towards him and hugged them as he got up. It was a clumsy manoeuvre that toppled the already precariously positioned cup of coffee on his desk to the ground. The startled colleagues nearby responded with a scowl.“Smooth mo...

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“The Carrier” by Courtney Renee

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #166

George Barnes was a mail carrier. The greater part of his fourty year career was spent taking the neighborhood of West Sagamore by foot. He was offered better routes over the years, ones with less hiking and houses that were easier on the eyes. As the years took their toll on George’s knees, he was encouraged to take another route. After all, he’d certainly earned it with his years of loyal service.Places like West Sagamore were meant for fresh faced carriers, with untried limbs and naive vigor. But with each passing season, George...

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$250

Prize money

180

Contest entries

73

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 07, 2022 EST

Won by Rebecca Miles 🏆

Title: Letting go

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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