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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#173: Giving, Receiving, and Return Receipts

Yikes! The holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s almost time for me to panic-shop for gifts. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Black Friday (when mega discounts and hard-won bargains are up for grabs) you might still be thinking about what to give to your loved ones, or what you might ask for yourself.

This week’s prompts are in the spirit of gift-giving. Whether your characters know just what to get, are scrambling for ideas at the last minute, or are the lucky (or perhaps unlucky) recipient of their own gift, it’s time to gather those wishlists and prepare for the upcoming festive season.

This week's prompts

Coming up with a gift idea was the easy part — getting your hands on it is another thing entirely.

Adventure – 22 stories

End your story with a character receiving a deeply meaningful gift they weren’t expecting.

Adults – 66 stories

Write about a character going to great lengths to return an unwanted gift.

Funny – 22 stories

Write a story starring a store cashier, during the busy pre-holiday season.

Holiday – 27 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “Thank you! It’s just what I wanted.”

Holiday – 31 stories

Stories

“Training Day” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #173

Kina waited patiently for her new trainee to come to the store. She had been a cashier there for the past six years and was finally put in charge of training the new cashiers. This was her first trainee and she could not wait. The training room was apart from the store. It was a room in the basement where they had a cash register set up and some clothing and other accessories that they could scan and go through the motions of what a cashier does. Kina would train them for three days before they get “thrown to the wolves” as Kina calls it. So...

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“A Damn Fine Martini” by Sean Smith

Submitted to Contest #173

The night was starting to wind down and Jim was feeling the hours. He had gotten to work at 10:30am and would be wrapping up business around midnight. Most of his patrons had trickled out at this point. He was hunched over his faithful three-tiered sink, diligently cleaning and stacking glassware to dry. Once his prodigious pile of dishes was cleansed, he’d make a sweep of the tables and set to polishing. It was about an hour before last call, but the time was moving steadily. The bar stools were empty and the tables of guests had mostly b...

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“A chosen prisoner” by Corina P

Submitted to Contest #173

A chosen prisoner By C Pitt December 24th 2021. This is the happiest day of my life. After years of waiting, hoping, praying, I am now released from my cage. The procedure is typical. The crowd watches, observing the prisoners closely. The non-released prisoners watch the released prisoners (or the lucky ones as we are often referred to), slowly getting out of our cells and setting foot into life. Jealousy outlines their poor, tired faces, wondering when is it going to be their turn. I was one of them in the past. Now, my time has come to ...

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“The Mezuzah Eaters ” by R. Naomí

Submitted to Contest #173

The last time Aviva Zwetschkenstiel owned a mezuzah was when she had slid a matchbox-sized one right up her long-sleeved admiral blue hoodie as she strolled down the open-air markets in Jerusalem. She had purposefully distanced herself from her peers. Eight days later, she found her mother throwing lavender seeds around the garden, and handed her the mezuzah with a slight grin.“Thank you! It’s exactly what I wanted,” screeched her mother, and then in a single motion, she flipped it over to whack the Hebrew letter shin against her palm, picke...

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“For my Very Best Friend in the Entire Realm” by Cora Weaver

Submitted to Contest #173

My very best friend in the entire realm has saved my life on many occasions. My very best friend in the entire realm has stuck by my side since we became friends. My very best friend in the entire realm is also in need of a fantastic, superb, and incredible birthday gift. (He’s turning twenty-six.). “You don’t need to get me anything, Claire.” he said when I asked him what he wanted. “I gotta get you something.” I had said. “You’re my very best friend in the entire realm. What about a new sword? Didn’t you drop yours in that chasm?” (I was r...

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“Recapturing the Joy of Christmas” by Caissa Powell

Submitted to Contest #173

Recapturing the Joy of Christmas by Caissa D. Powell It was a cloudy, cool afternoon in November and Sean stood outside looking up at the remnants of the basketball hoop in his backyard. As memories flooded back to him, he wiped away a single tear that rolled down his cheek and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He wanted this year to be different and decided that he would find a way to make this Christmas special. A few hours earlier he had seen his mom at the kitchen table paying bills. His baby sister, Abby, had walked in carrying ...

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“The Stuffy Fluffy Buddy Polar Bear Heist” by Teresa Freeland

Submitted to Contest #173

Lucy Carter forces herself to stop trembling by standing stock-still in front of the massive and shiny brass doors of Percy’s Department Store. Her stance is made difficult due to the Christmas passers-by that keep bumping into her and hitting her dirt smudged Percy’s labeled gift bag which she has tightly coiled through her white knuckled hands. Her equally filthy used-to-be white woolen coat is torn away at one sleeve, the coat buttons dangling by threads. Taking a deep breath and tracing her eyebrow with her free hand she moves toward the...

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“The Sapphire Necklace” by Kimberly McFetridge

Submitted to Contest #173

In the brown box, tucked in around the socks, shorts, and tees, was a manilla envelope containing the gold bangle bracelets Jon had given Audrey. However, she had been unwilling to part with her oval sapphire and diamond solitaire pendant. She hadn’t taken it off since Jon had given her the necklace last Christmas. Sapphire was not only her birthstone; it also matched her eyes and had healing properties. Yet, Audrey was tired ofthe guilt she felt whenever she glanced at the glimmering sapphire in the mirror. She and Jon had called...

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“Exchanging Secrets” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #173

Harriet paced her living room floor, pausing every so often to glare at the glossy department store carrier bag sitting on her dining table. It contained the dullest, frumpiest sweater that she had ever seen, a birthday gift from her son Edgar and his wife, the prissy church-going Madeline. She wondered what had possessed them to pick it. Goodness knows but she wouldn't put it past them to choose it for her burial outfit. She made a mental note to specify her funeral wishes. Harriet wanted to take it back to the store and exchange it for a s...

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“The Smile” by Anna Frederiksen-Washington

Submitted to Contest #173

She reached for the remote control and turned the tv off after watching “Songs of Praise” which her son recommended for her. It was not that she was particularly religious but the program was usually set in an interesting place and today it came from Inverness in Scotland where she had been on a trip around Europe. It must be over 30 years ago now. It was just after her husband had passed on and her daughter in law was going back to see her father in Sweden. She decided to come with them as she feared the thought of being left alone and ther...

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“It's the Thought That Counts” by DEBORAH CLARK

Submitted to Contest #173

Christmas was just a few days away, Miles and his sister Evelyn are sitting on the porch of their childhood home in Northern California, reminiscing about Christmas celebrations from their past. Evelyn smokes her third cigarette and scans the neighbors in the cul-de-sac, putting out decorations, and visiting others with gifts and food. “What do you bet Blair is making his famous apple chutney to go with the ham dinner?” asked Miles. “I can only choke down one bite every year. ...

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“Conquer Him With Love” by K. M. Jacobs

Submitted to Contest #173

What is most shocking, perhaps, is the silence of the room. Four grown men and a baby all occupy the same space, and yet none of them make a noise, at least for the moment. The baby does a little baby stretch in its sleep. One man–the one who has wings that glow faintly in the dim light of the room–cracks a small smile. “I cannot understand what you want us to do with it,” says another. His language is stiff and his body stiffer, although that could be discomfort from his well-pressed and extremely angular suit. He stands up a little...

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“By the Colour of Your Dreams” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #173

Lyric Bass blows the steam off her mochaccino. “Are you still looking for the right song for your advertising campaign?” Brice Bass closes the lid of his laptop. Taking off his glasses, he rubs his tired eyes. “Yeah, nothing seems to fit.” “What about Derry Dalrymple’s ‘By the Colour of Your Dreams?’ Great song. Great album. It’s very sentimental and sad yet uplifting at the same time. I think it fits because you’re selling the idea of a theme park where fantasies come true.” Brice’s boyish features brighten. “That’s perfect! And I love...

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“Lost Time” by Cece Y

Submitted to Contest #173

My dear is out running through the long grass, chasing after the last of the rain that is travelling West. She never liked parting with what has come into her life, and that includes the dreadful rainstorm that ruined our front fence. She runs to me for warmth, and I give it to her as we sit on the front porch together.“My dear, I will be going away for a short time. There is something I wish to do for you, for you are so rare and precious to me. I will be gone for no longer than a week, just in time for the first snow fall.”Her precious han...

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“Of Giving and Getting ” by Rehana Mithwani

Submitted to Contest #173

Rita stood at the edge of the store, watching through huge glass windows past the mannequins at the queue of people waiting to return and exchange gifts. She stared, her own department store bag held tightly in hand. Could she do this? Did she have the courage? In the queue, people were fidgeting, some casting fearful looks at the doors, others attempting to hide faces behind huge sunglasses and sun hats. Really? In the cold of winter? As the first person in the queue shifted, she caught sight of Sally, her friend who’d given her thi...

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$250

Prize money

168

Contest entries

79

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 25, 2022 EST

Won by Jacob Brown 🏆

Title: How to Return a Book Titled "How to Improve Your Writing in Five Easy Steps" in Five Easy Steps

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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