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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

“Smooth skin ” by Jadeyn Buchholz

Submitted to Contest #174

Trigger warning this content has mental health, self harm, gore and depression, If you do not wish to read about that do not continue. As a child I was diagnosed with OCD, I never really thought it would affect my life as much as it has. The day my mom had brought me to the clinic to see if I was mentally ok, the doctor said I was showing early signs of OCD. With me being only a child I thought I had a so-called "good difference" about me, I would soon learn I was wrong. I started to noti...

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“Deep Sea” by Beth Elliott

Submitted to Contest #174

On what would have been December 12th of the Earth year 2155, two blue suns simultaneously rose and set on a distant planet. The cool light moved in an invisible atmospheric breeze, blending twilight and dawn across the sky into a shifting fabric of color, greens and blues and purples and other colors that didn’t exist anywhere else but here, in this place. The unearthly beauty of this event was not lost on the planet’s sole inhabitant. Tan looked out of the thick plexiglass window of his residential dome, drinking instant coffee out of a ...

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“The Leaf Blower” by Kathryn Fitzsimmons

Submitted to Contest #174

The Leaf Blower By Kathryn Kerr Fitzsimmons “Birth, life, and death - each took place on the hidden side of a leaf.” - Toni Morrison Carol is an elegant 79 year old woman who has had both hips, both knees and one ankle replaced. She suffers from bursitis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. While doing her best to age with dignity, there are few things that bring her greater joy than blowing leaves, despite her lack of balance, strength or agility. For nearly thirty years, she has lived in the Low Country of South Carolina, where everything eve...

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“Correction” by Laurel Hanson

Submitted to Contest #174

Correction“Are you sure you want this item?”Christine stared at the question blinking on the white screen. She’d never had this particular page pop up before, and come to think of it, she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to buy her son a pair of pizza socks. Sure, they were funny, but were they comfortable? Upon further reflection, it struck her that footwear decorated with cheese and pepperoni wasn’t that clever after all.“Thank-you, Amazon.” She clicked on the blinking ‘No’ choice and continued her online browsing, searching for just the...

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“A Bit of Auld Lang Syne” by Deni Bee

Submitted to Contest #174

Morning crept slowly through the mists, almost imperceptibly, waves of pinks, yellows, and blues spreading across the horizon, reflecting off the glassy, rippling lake. Sitting in my Adirondack chair, legs bent, with my chin resting on my knees, I waited, watching— listening as the world around me whispered back to life. We had arranged to meet this morning for a reunion, but I came early because I wanted time to think; I did my best thinking at sunrise. We were close friends back in the day— but that was many years ago. I had recentl...

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“Amy's Gift” by Cassie Gibson

Submitted to Contest #174

Amy turned slowly, gracefully in her white dress - her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and her eyes sparkled with malice. ‘Isn’t this perfect?!’ She squealed, ‘I think this is it, it’s ‘the one’’ she described the air quotes with her manicured nails. Alicia smiled gamely and tucked a strand of hair behind an ear ‘looks great on you,’ she bit back ‘…everything does’. Amy stared adoringly into the mirror, her eyes crossed paths with Alicia’s and there was a strange clouded moment where they seemed to be looking through one another. ...

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“Love's Cruel Bite” by John Lindquist

Submitted to Contest #174

“Hey,” I said, “what happened to that awful creaky sound?” “My dad fixed it with some grease.” Replied Jessica, as she rose higher and higher on the swing. “Now that we’re moving out of the house, he wants it to be perfect.” She said with bitterness. I was lightly swaying like a bug caught in a spiders’ web, heartbroken that my longtime best friend from next door was leaving me. Jessica, Jess as I got to call he...

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“Life-Death River ” by Simone Sherron

Submitted to Contest #174

I killed you. My heart raced as I stumbled to my feet from my affectionate bed. Suddenly the bedroom door pounded like the thoughts in my dreams. “Danny,” my bewildered and inebriated Chinese father called. “What?” my properly irritated American response bellowed as I quickly threw clothes on. My bedroom door flew open, apologizing before the reprimand. “You’re always responding with this sense of entitlement when will you get that…,” his slurred voice trailed as I walked pass him out to the hallway towards the city bus. You kill...

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“3,452,677” by Ashes .

Submitted to Contest #174

Three million four hundred fifty-two thousand six hundred seventy-seven. I’ve just finished counting them. The number of unresolved problems in my life.It’s a pain to spell out such a long number.3,452,677There, much better.1 / 3,452,677 solved.It’s so much easier to write it this way, but it’s still a mouthful to read.So, don’t.It takes your eyes 23 milliseconds to recognize if two numbers are the same. That’s all that matters. That sameness. If there are still problems to be fixed, why bother reading the total?2 / 3,452,677 solved.Why do I...

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“A Monster at Midnight” by Julie Squires

Submitted to Contest #174

Twelve-year-old Caleb Prescott was afraid to go home.All he could think about was what his foster father was going to do to him when he got there.He stood motionless for a long time. Until the neon sign of the pizza joint across the street turned off, signifying the late hour.And Caleb knew it was now or never.Snapping out of his hypnotic trance, he looked down and was surprised to see the aluminum bar of his mountain bike between his knees; he’d been straddling it the entire time. His grip on the handlebars felt stiff and achy.&nb...

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“Right In Two” by Daniel Legare

Submitted to Contest #174

Warning: Graphic imagery and language. The park bench is painted with frost and I curse Dr. Fillmore under my foggy breath for dragging me out here this early. I look up and let my eyes rummage through the multiplicity of stars, the morning light only just beginning to peak out in the faintest hue over the horizon. A hand on my shoulder pulls me out of my whimsy and I turn to see Dr. Fillmore. “God, you scared me. Why don’t you have a coat on? It’s freezing-” “Come with me, now,” he says before turning around and walking briskly to...

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“Wholly Recyclable” by Michelle SHAAY

Submitted to Contest #174

The lab was as quiet as a museum while everyone focused on their specific assignments. This marked day 1000 for Dr. Craddock and his team of unorthodox, resourceful thinkers. Dr. Craddock, once a tenured professor gave it all up to pursue something much greater. "I am very much a scientist and realist," he said while walking around to each lab station. "You have been an integral part of my contribution to humanity. We will change the world for the better." As a genetic mapping pioneer, he hungered for acceptance in the alternative science co...

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“My Friend, Kyle.” by Roberto Naili

Submitted to Contest #174

August 5th, 1940 - 10:10 AM I stepped foot into a colorful cafe, and I was welcomed by the sweet smell of the croissants and warm coffee the smell made my nostrils glow. I kept walking till I found a red booth in the corner of the room, this is where I was supposed to meet my friend, Kyle. We hadn't seen each other for years and I hoped to catch up, ever since the war started and I got my position I had been very busy. 'coffee sir?' the waitress asked. 'Yes, thank you, ma'am.' I replied. And she poured me a nice, warm, cup of coffee. Now a...

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“When we were wallflowers ” by Jennifer Cameron

Submitted to Contest #174

mentions of drugsThe beauty of being shrouded in yesterdays is that you are blissfully ignorant of all that you will learn in the todays. Yesterday I had no idea that I was capable of murder, today there is no doubt. My eyelids closed delicately and released the singular drop that had been waiting for a slight movement to shimmy it down my cheek, tracking a path through tan foundation. It started 12 years’ worth of yesterday’s ago, that’s it. That’s all it took. And I can see your face contorting into a look almost like bewilderment but let ...

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“This City Will Burn” by Abigail Cooper

Submitted to Contest #174

“Everything,” Eden began, heart pounding in her chest. “Everything is changing.”She took a tentative step backward, dangerously close to the ledge. Piercing peaks rested underneath, whispering for her to just jump. It would be easier if she were to end it all now, instead of trying to talk some sense into this lunatic.He stood right across from her, an annoyed scoff escaping him.“Right, yes, and you expect me to believe that?”His voice was deep and crass; venom dripped from his words like a maddened snake, preparing to strike its victim. It ...

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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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