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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#174: Evolution

On November 25th, 1859, Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking book, On the Origin of Species. The idea of evolution was controversial; to claim that the world wasn’t unchanging and had not always been the same chafed against human ideals of perfection. But as we well know, nothing in life is truly static.

In the spirit of this anniversary, this week we want to explore evolution and new discoveries; because sometimes change can be terrifying, but it can also be freeing.

This week's prompts

Write a story where someone says, “Everything is changing.”

Dramatic – 59 stories

Write about two old friends meeting for the first time in years.

Adults – 60 stories

Write a story about someone coming to terms with how different they are from their younger self.

Angst – 49 stories

Write about someone whose desire to constantly improve something borders on obsessive.

Dramatic – 25 stories

Write a story about a brilliant scientist making a startling discovery.

Science Fiction – 45 stories

Stories

“Veronica Ward ” by Ksenija Rubež

Submitted to Contest #174

*this story contains a few swear words*She was sitting restlessly in the restaurant. Her phone kept beeping, and she tried to politely decline each call without slamming it against the table. Why was it so difficult for her colleagues to respect her time off? Yes, it was the middle of Friday afternoon, but she worked extra hours this past week to make up for leaving early. As she was figuring out her calls, someone put a hand on her shoulder. She turns around to find Ronnie. To others, she was known as Veronica Ward. It was th...

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“Evolving” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #174

Yes, she could have made some different choices in life, but she did what she did, both good and bad, and she turned out to be who she now is. It's simply just growing up and moving on. But as the years passed, she continued to dream that all was not too late and that something genuinely romantic might eventually happen to her. In her wild, heady past, most female friends had a similar ilk and would hunt in bars to find a guy to flirt with. After a heavy, boozy night, it usually ended with a quick fumble and speedy se...

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“Checkmate” by Pauline Milner

Submitted to Contest #174

Checkmate Shannen Taylor kicked a stone along the dirt road as he made his way toward the asphalt that would be teeming with heat as the temperature was already in the low nineties. Soon the stone was transformed into Bettle’s head and Shannen stopped to mush it into the dusty sand. It only made him feel better for a moment. Shortly after he arrived, Bettle would likely be at his desk with the perpetual mocking or ridiculous antics that often started his day. &nb...

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“A Little Older, A Lot Wiser” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #174

It was the worst few years of my life. First, I contracted Lyme disease, which was so excruciating, physically, mentally, and any other way a person can suffer, that I considered suicide more than once. A parade of doctors told me I was delusional and needed a psych evaluation. If I'd heard, "All your labwork is normal," one more time, I might have landed in jail on assault charges. One doctor, who looked about twelve years old, actually twirled her finger next to her head and said, "You know, many times, these things are all in our hea...

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“Now and Then” by Devin Chapman

Submitted to Contest #174

She grins. A dimple in her cheek and copper eyes remind me of a happy little round face not seen for decades which now exists only in dusty old photo albums at her grandmother’s house. She darts back and forth across the lawn in the warm sun. “Catch me!” She’s surprisingly fast on her tiny legs, thinner and longer now than that of the wobbly baby that she was only a couple years ago. I snatch her up and swing her through the air. She squeals in delight as I produce my best propeller sounds. “Airplane!” she screams, flying round and round i...

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“Baby Teeth ” by Bianca Riddle

Submitted to Contest #174

There’s a rip in the fabric of the universe. She knows it. Her younger self knows of it. Others probably don’t understand what they’ve stumbled upon yet. It’s inconspicuous. She can’t even describe how it works; just knows that years ago she got off the four-o-nine, a pitstop on her way to Ann Arbor and there she was, already at the corner.Autumn thinks this might mean that Blue Benn’s Diner in West Virginia is at the center of the galaxy. Or the edge of it. Maybe that’s why or how it happens. How they’re able to meet at the same place, the ...

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“Stardust or Starbucks” by William A. Neary

Submitted to Contest #174

They built a future that could nearly last forever. I guess ‘nearly’ wasn’t good enough. It’ll happen a thousand years from now, but we can already feel the effects, seeing things that are gone or never existed, remembering things that hadn’t happened. Whatever they’ll do, or ‘did’ from their perspective, caused problems with all the timelines, this one and the ones beside us. I didn’t know we had those... parallel timelines. That’s all I can gather so far. Baffle doesn’t explain things very well. He’s a trans-human being from five hundred y...

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“The handwritten letters” by Dao Huy Kien

Submitted to Contest #174

It was the first time in my life I received a handwritten letter from a girl who wanted to make friends with me. The story happened in 2005 when I was seventeen. After appearing on a TV talent show to set a new national record of football juggling, I experienced the sweet taste of fame for a while. The next Monday, the vice-principal commended me and a girl in the same grade in front of the whole school in the patriotic ceremony. “Our high school is well known for the high academic achievement”, he said with a strong voice. “But studying is ...

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“Thank Guvvie...” by Dylan Mass

Submitted to Contest #174

“Hey kiddo, how are you?” I ask to the kid across the kitchen table, who just smiles. “You know you can talk right? Guvvie approved it.” Nothing “Say something at least.” I beg. “Like what? What do you want me to say?” he tilts his head, the smile gone. “I don’t know. Don’t you have questions or something? Am I married? Kids? Something dude.” my face gets hot with annoyance. “Just looking at you, I can tell that you aren’t married. No wedding ring or any trace of a former wedding ring, so no divorce. And there are too many fragile objects ar...

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“An Evolutionary Fall” by Sarah Goodner

Submitted to Contest #174

The seasons were changing, and the air was crisp and cool. It had become easier to hear the sound of the traffic on the freeway as the molecules in the air clung together to find warmth. Joining the freeway noise was the sound of dry leaves underfoot and fighting together in the breeze on their way down to the cold ground. This was my favorite time of year. For some reason, I’ve always associated the smell of autumn with childhood. At this time of year, my mother would open all the windows, letting the clean smell in to mingle with the tur...

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“Fabricated Deities” by Lily Borealis

Submitted to Contest #174

Tw: allusive depiction of bulimia and graphic portrayal of Pica, specifically amylophagia. Fabricated deities There was raspberry polish on your middle fingers smudged on the edges of your skin. The rest of your fingernails were painted black. The glossy finish reflected through the light and made it look like you added specks of glitter for festivities; I couldn’t tell from the distance. I looked down to my own grown, naked nails sprinkled with tiny indents. I wondered if sickness ran through me and if you had the same calcium-depri...

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“Please Press Enter” by Benjamin Ginnett

Submitted to Contest #174

To Begin Program, Please Press Enter A new android is born. Apha opened his mechanical android eyes. It was hard to tell that they were android eyes, in fact one would have to take them out and cut into them in order to tell that they were not organic. Entirely organic at least. “Good morning Apha! It is 3:15 pm on Wednesday, January 10th, 2037” beeped the computer, cheerily, in a norwegian accent. “Oh. Um, good morning computer. What am I doing here?” “Ah, Apha.” came a nasally voice from the next room. A small man wal...

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“Just one more tweak...” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #174

Dr. Circe Adams paced back and forth, stalking between the lit and unlit parts of the lab, squinting every time she passed under the stark fluorescent bulbs glaring down from on high. The lights were unavoidable--this deep underground, natural light just wasn't an option. Technically, there shouldn't have been any unlit areas on the entire floor, but she was having to conserve her dwindling personal funds now that the last of her sponsors had ghosted her. "Just one more tweak, and we'll have it!” she muttered. “If they'd waited just a litt...

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“The Narrative” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #174

“To make sense of something you have to know its narrative. If the story makes sense then the subject of the story makes sense. Essentially, what I do is decode the story. I find the story and I translate it. That’s what I do.” Harlan was being modest. He was also dumbing down what he did so that his audience might have a clue as to what his day job was, having been asked what do you do? Peggy nodded and smiled, “I like stories.” “That’s good,” said Harlan. He was doing his best to give Peggy his attention, but his eyes were darti...

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“Spice Water” by Ellen Barker

Submitted to Contest #174

The night of the biggest mistake of my life, I was trying to make dinner. I had pulled out my cook book as I searched for the recipe for chicken cacciatore. I discovered I was missing two ingredients, so I decided to look to see if there was anything I could substitute.Unfortunately, when the two missing ingredients are chicken and peppers, it pretty well destroys the chances of making anything with chicken for dinner. Oh, well.I scrounged up some vegetables and made a soup, instead. It was not as fulfilling, but definitely more doable. In e...

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$250

Prize money

238

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 02, 2022 EST

Won by Sam Porter 🏆

Title: Playing God

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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