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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

“The Matriarch ” by K.B. Tally

Submitted to Contest #166

CW: Violence, topics of racism (i.e. the Jim Crow South), offensive language ---Up in the Appalachian Mountains, nestled in Goose Creek past the Edwards’ seventy-acre cattle farm, a run-down store everyone within a fifty-mile radius knew as Five Church closed indefinitely. The closing came after the death of Nellie Pine – one of the original founders of the store and a well-known matriarch in Auburn County - as family and friends requested privacy to mourn. The newspaper printed a five-page obituary for the born-and-bred Goose Creek resident...

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“A Hundred and Fifty-Four Acres” by Christine Richardson

Submitted to Contest #166

“How is your back doing?” Millie asked. The grimace on Harvey’s face said it all, but she wanted to hear him admit it.Harvey ignored her question. His pain levels were private business, and acknowledging them was a sign of weakness. A farmer had better things to do than feel sorry for himself.“Did you count the livestock?’ he asked.“All present and accounted for.” That was not the chore it used to be. Harvey had sold the horses, the mule, the yearlings, and all the cows but six, along with their calves. The...

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“Mr Fixer” by J D Robins

Submitted to Contest #166

‘One black coffee for you, sir,’ he says, placing the cup in front of me. I look up to see a man with a wave of silver hair swept back from a weathered face. I would guess he’s around seventy-five. ‘Thank you,’ I say with a nod. He starts to wipe down the plastic tablecloth on the table next to me, lifting the salt shaker and sauce bottles as he goes. This place reminds me of my childhood. My mother would bring me somewhere like this as a treat on the way back from visiting aunts and uncles on a Saturday afternoon. It’s a little oasis in ...

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“The Aspiring Retiree's Club” by Russ Hussain

Submitted to Contest #166

ERIC: “Now if you're sitting comfortably... Whether to retire or not can be fraught with anxiety but I'm sure by the end of this you'll agree with me that retiring can be both fun and positive. How about we first explore the options for retirement...?” FACTORY MANAGER:” I never finished tenth grade. What's that mean ?”STOCKBROKER: “It means what you gonna do with yourself when you retire.” ERIC” Correct! And whilst I nod and blink with enthusiasm, can everyone be positive about the subject? Well, don't all ...

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“A Different Sort of Operation” by Levi Powell

Submitted to Contest #166

“You need to get out,” Vance said. I grimaced. I didn’t turn to look back at him, standing behind me, but I could feel his dark gaze on my back. I ignored it. Just kept loading the flats into the van. Heave, stack, shift into place. One after another. Get out. That’s all I’d been hearing for nearly a week now. All the way down the ladder. Starting with the Big Dog, passing the warning down as a type of professional courtesy, then spreading among the crews like wildfire in mere days. The Big Dog himself had been gone first. He knew his bu...

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“The Trade of a Lifetime” by David Ader

Submitted to Contest #166

A memo went around the trading floor. Finally, after threatening, after complaining, after squeezing in few added weeks to his already long vacation allowance, after working remotely two days a week, and after years of discussing his rich bucket list, Allan Buckley put in his retirement notice. Three months from now, he would be gone. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need advice,” he’d told the colleagues that crowded him on the cramped trading desk. “But it would be a sign of weakness!” It was a long time in coming. At 64...

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“Tom and Barbara” by Kelly Sibley

Submitted to Contest #166

“I can’t believe you just did that!” “What I did! What about what you did!” “What? I did nothing!” “I didn’t kill him! That’s totally on you, buddy!” * It’s not often that co-workers are responsible for the ‘accidental’ death of their boss. But unfortunately for Tom and Barbara, an undeniable dead body is hard to ignore. * “I didn’t know he was allergic to lima beans! It’s not like you go up to your boss and say, ‘Hey, Satan, could you give me a list of all the foods you might be deathly allergic to?’ Now is it!” Wide-eyed, ...

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“What the Party is For” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #166

I’m not a big fan of parties, especially office parties. They’re usually pretty boring, and being the new guy I haven’t really gotten to know a lot of my coworkers. I’ll probably just spend an hour or so holding up a wall, sipping weak punch and eating bland sheet cake. But it has to beat spending another hour trying to transcribe heavily redacted reports, so I’m here. Six weeks I’ve been working at the home office for the vaguely named Interworld Solutions, and this is the first time I’ve heard of Baker. Of course, there’s a lot about my ne...

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“Professional Courtesy” by Francis Dagmar

Submitted to Contest #166

Time is seldom generous; when it passes it tends to bequeath only regret and longing. For many, the sorrow of unfulfilled potential that plagues them at the end of their days is life’s final indignity. For artists, especially those whose lives are governed by a desperate desire for justice, leaving work undone brings the added burden of having left a hole in eternity.Dainne Folter had spent a lifetime perfecting her skills. Her first apprenticeship had begun when she was only eight seasons old, helping her father on his rounds. By the time t...

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“Hoping For a Blessing” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #166

The silver armor of the approaching order of knights gleams with menace as they advance toward King Quentin Kaloric’s castle. Four knights detach themselves from the order, their metal shoes clanking loudly as they cross the drawbridge. Still standing at attention outside of the castle, their battle flags flying, the figures of the other hundred knights appear to fade into the moonlit night. Despite the warmth of his oversized robe, King Quentin shivers as he watches the four knights get closer, their metal shoes leaving a trail of blood...

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“The Weavers” by Haley Roeder

Submitted to Contest #166

Time is an illusion to most, but not to Vrijeme, and not in the usual sense. Vrijeme can touch the fabric of space-time between her fingers, a physical thing that can stretch and mold. She can pinch a piece of the cosmos and tug at it until it forms a long thin yarn and then she can weave it with other pieces until it forms a river, a building, a planet, a dog. Those are one of her favorites, dogs. Her sister Ruimte can then animate the fabric, rousing it to move and sway, breathe, and live. But after an eternity of this, Ruimte became ...

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“Freedom 95” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #166

Elliott retired years ago and Maxmillion Pennyworth, his financial advisor, compliments him on his glowing health. Until today, when he frowns. “The challenge, Elliott, is longevity risk.” “Longevity?” Elliott chuckles. “That’s a nice problem to have.” “In these high-inflation times, you might outlive your assets. That’s not so nice.” Maxmillion says. “Of course, you could consider a ‘top up’… do you have a preference for right or left arm?” “Right, right…” Elliott has been nodding along as usual to Maxmillion’s polished phrases and is caugh...

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“Just Breathe.” by Frederic Aurelien

Submitted to Contest #166

“Jesus, if I knew the weather would be so bad, I wouldn’t have agreed to come out tonight,” Johnny murmured to himself as he grabbed his wet fedora hat from the passenger side of his Model T Ford. He walked toward the distant sound of laughter and jazz that hummed beneath the tattering rain until he saw rose pink lights that read, Big Easy Cuisine, shining against the blackened New Orleans sky. Women with fancy fur coats and short black dresses scuttled in, followed by men with dark blazers and matching scarf ties. As he walked toward the do...

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“Ball and Chain” by R. N. Jayne

Submitted to Contest #166

Warning: Strong language, non-explicit hebephilia. Reader discretion is advised.***Jasper’s phone’s fluty notification alert dinged. It was her. A jaunty grin split across his sun-chapped lips. He had been waiting for the go-ahead; this welcome development fortified his resolve to bear the heat. Satisfaction flooded his pleasure receptors like contrast fluid pumped through an IV.Though the evening soccer game was winding down, the sun displayed staying power. Jasper’s smoke-black Jetta hadn’t yet reached inferno status; however, judging by t...

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“See Through Me” by Dawn Kaltenbaugh

Submitted to Contest #166

The fateful words had just rolled off her tongue, it was too late to take them back. “I quit” is a pretty hard thing to erase once it has been said. Sarah had worked for the worst boss in the world for what seemed like forever. She was condescending, aggravating, and most of all, impossible to talk to. Sarah had many complaints about having to work for Betty, but she didn’t want to lose her job. It had taken too long to find a placement. Oh, how she longed to tell that sorry excuse for a boss exactly what she thought o...

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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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