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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

“Love's Manual” by Daniel Allen

Submitted to Contest #173

TW: Contains mild bad language. What’s so special about a damn book? That thought had been spinning around my head for the past two weeks. Whenever it seemed willing to leave, Emily’s tears flooded it right back into place. After a long day of dragging from pawnshop to pawnshop, it was dug in deeper than ever. Still, my quest would end here, one way or another. I looked up at the sign. Cody’s Quick Cash. The last pawnshop in town, located right in the middle of the slimiest, most run-down neighbourhood. Against my better judgement, I pushed ...

31 comments 31
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“A Reasonable Facsimile of Life” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #173

Deidra looked at the long line in her checkout lane and sighed. If she had the chance, and a reasonable expectation of avoiding detection, she would kill at least fifteen of them. Especially the old lady she was checking out; the old bat had twenty-five tinned fruitcakes with twenty-five coupons. This one should die horribly, she thought. Slowly as well. “That’s one, dearie. Two…three…no, four. They stuck together, lordy lordy!” The old lady slowly peeled the coupons apart and kept on counting. The holiday crowd behind her was becoming a lit...

29 comments 29
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“Gas, Gripes and Gratefulness” by Annabella Bones

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #173

“I ain’t working Christmas Eve. I’ll walk out!” Linda took a long slow drag off her Strawberry Vanilla vape and exhaled dramatically. “Are you smoking again?” Toni asked, her voice intermittently fading, just strong enough to push through the weak signal. “Vaping,” Linda answered. “Since Jordan was diagnosed with asthma last month. I swear it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done but, what can you do?” Her lips tugged at the warm electric pen. Feet propped in a red plastic chair and eyes locked on the puddle collecting at the foot of the staff...

9 comments 9
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“Adventures in Retail” by C. J. Peters

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #173

I clock in at 9:53 and drop into a wobbly chair in the break room (I’m not getting paid for those extra seven minutes anyway), barely suppressing a shudder at the reality of what my life will be for the next eight hours; a sales shift on a weekend during the holiday season (no such thing as "pre" anymore). The large table in the center of the room is adorned with a seasonally appropriate plastic tablecloth, but the snowman and reindeer seem to mock me, smiling and prancing about, knowing they will be safe back here all day.I check the schedu...

5 comments 5
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“All I want for Christmas is Jus” by Rebecca Miles

Submitted to Contest #173

Christmas: peace and good will to all mankind; well, that was certainly not the case in the London supermarket where I worked. My boss, nicknamed Mr Blotchy by all the employees forced to endure his red-faced rants, found running the store during the big Christmas lead-up stressful, to say the least. I’d taken on the holiday job as cashier and stock clerk to earn a bit of cash, help pay off the student bills, perhaps save a bit for Fran’s gift; I wasn’t expecting a bonus packet of high blood pressure and nervous tics. And that was before I b...

21 comments 21
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“Language of Love” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #173

I am so bad at buying gifts I almost got arrested. I blame the long distance relationship we were in, I could not think straight. Janey and I had lived up to the stereotype of U-haul lesbians, we moved in together after just three weeks of dating. To be fair, rent in the Bay Area is ridiculous, so we understood just being roommates would be OK even if it did not work out.But it did work out, until she was accepted into her dream graduate school, and we had to stretch our relationship over three states, thinning the connections unti...

8 comments 8
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“The Posy of a Ring” by Jack Bell

Submitted to Contest #173

George Kourkoumelis is mad as a cut snake, and I was hoping this might work in my favor. In his little office out the back of the Kourka Service Station, he looked caged, but not securely. It wasn’t his natural habitat, the office. Right now he seemed to be checking the back of his computer for nits.I cleared my throat. “George, you got a moment?”He spun, arms akimbo, ready for anything—hold-ups, shoplifters, pretty girls—and fixed me with his coal-black eyes. “Adam! What’s up, bud? We’re out of unleaded, sorry. Coffee machine’s backed up li...

18 comments 18
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“The Wrecking Ball” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #173

It is Christmas eve, 2052. The temperatures in a midtown Manhattan building scheduled to be demolished in a week are freezing, but the encampment of transients who reside there build bonfires to warm the space sufficiently enough for domestic comfort. Wrecking Ball, a burly transient with a cleanly shaven head and a gold incisor, is the shot caller in the illegally occupied structure.   Compared to most of the dwellers in the encampment, Wrecking Ball is well-dressed, decked out in brand label outdoor winter gear.&nb...

34 comments 34
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“The Red Fields of France” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #173

Major Terrence “Poppy” Fortescue sat as upright as he could in his army hospital bed. Located two kilometres from Passchendaele, France, his second in command, Special Adjutant Arthur “Dinky” Jenkins sat by his bedside, sharing a moment with him, before heading back to the front line. Discharged from the same hospital, Jenkins had recovered from shrapnel wounds that tore through the flesh on his right arm – the same bombardment that robbed Fortescue of his lower right leg and most of his left arm. The few shards of hot shrapnel that sliced i...

11 comments 11
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“Kore Statue #673” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #173

In the past, people described my mother's personality as quirky. These days they would likely say she is ‘on the spectrum’. She is into puzzles, factual knowledge and has very strong opinions on many topics. Conversations with her tend to have a one way flow to them, so I’m never quite sure if what I'm saying is being heard. I will mention one thing, and then the conversation will quickly jump from topic to topic never getting back to that thing I wanted to talk about which can be frustrating.I used to be sure I was different. A ‘normie’. I ...

21 comments 21
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“A Crappy Day” by Terry Wayne Carpenter

Submitted to Contest #173

Cries and grunts from little Abigail fill the room. She hasn’t pooped in three days. Poor little thing. Two months old is too young to have so many problems. My wife and I have enough to worry about. With bills piling up, her inability to cope with an increasingly colicky baby, and my inability to find steady work, it’s looking more and more like there will be no Christmas to celebrate this year. It’s hard to understand the world these days. I work two jobs and can’t find enough work to make ends meet. All you want as a father is to provide...

11 comments 11
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“No Smoke Without Fire” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #173

I never believed my father when he said Uncle Terry burned down his own house.Who in their right mind would do such a thing? I’ve read about people setting fire to their homes to escape debt and defraud insurance companies, but my uncle wasn’t desperate for money. My father said he was never the same after Aunty Jean died. #My father wasn’t a practical sort of man and relied on Uncle Terry to fix and mend things for him. I used to go round and watch him work on his various D.I.Y. projects in his tool shed. Uncle Terry could turn his han...

14 comments 14
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“Gabriel's Horn” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #173

Gabriel's horn (also called Torricelli's trumpet) is a particular geometric figure that has infinite surface area but finite volume. The term ‘Gabriel’s Horn’ refers to the belief that Gabriel will blow a horn as a call to judgment.**************Ruth Rendon looked around the room, amusement apparent on her face. Grandpa Gabriel Rendon’s will had just been read, and the shocked faces around the table bore testament to the odd contents of the will. Gabriel Rendon’s $131 million estate would be liquidated and ...

32 comments 32
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“Dust Collectors” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #173

“You don’t get it, Fie. I don’t want anything.” Shoppers pushed by. Oblivious to his surroundings, Owen stood between shelves stacked high with Christmas décor. Looking exasperated, Fiona pointed to their surroundings. “Wake up!” He mimicked her and ended with an exaggerated yawn. “I have what I need.” He shook his head. “Look at this crap. Kitsch, kitsch, kitsch… Could have cornered the glitter market.” Fiona held up a gnarly gnome leaning on a candy cane. “Here, Owen. This is so cute! How can you resist?” “No more dust collectors. Simpli...

13 comments 13
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“What Goes Around” by Ginny Moore

Submitted to Contest #173

Assault with a deadly weapon carries a one-year minimum sentence in New York, at least according to the reputable legal advice of the Google search I complete on the taxi ride to Sam’s apartment. The question the internet can’t answer is whether a wool scarf counts as a deadly weapon.  I suppose it all comes down to motivation. Sharp wind blowing down 8th Avenue grabs the ends of my pea coat as I exit the cab, slipping inside the dense fabric and causing my entire body to shiver. I clench my teeth and pull my wool beanie further dow...

5 comments 5
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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