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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#18: Pocketful of Sunshine

Pockets are where we keep items of importance: our keys, cellphone, wallet, or, if you're Bilbo Baggins, the One Ring. (And if you're Natasha Bedingfield, the sun.)

Losing or finding such items can be a strong starting point for a story. Which is why this week, we're challenging you to write a pocket-sized (aka "short") story based on a pocket-themed prompt.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character who buys a secondhand coat and then discovers something in the pocket.

Thriller and Suspense – 99 stories

Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Science Fiction – 44 stories

Write a story about someone cleaning out their attic. They find an old piece of clothing, and inside of its pocket is an old keepsake.

Adults – 52 stories

"It was just here!" you shout, frantically searching your pockets for the missing thing.

Funny – 31 stories

Write a story about a very skilled pickpocket.

Character – 65 stories

Stories

“Just in Case” by Eve Brown

Submitted to Contest #18

Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. The rhythm of my footfalls on the path is a steady pulse as I jog. This is my time to be present, to reflect on the day to come, to enjoy an almost meditative break from the craziness of life and schedules and people. My breath is deep and calm as I think about the things I need to get done before lunch and remind myself to pick up a gratitude journal later. I pop out of my thoughts for a moment and scan the area quickly. I shouldn't be letting myself get so distracted. Of course, Jen keeps saying I sho...

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“To Kill or Not to Kill” by Brittany Fenwick

Submitted to Contest #18

I held the dagger to his throat, it would be so easy to end him here and now."I didn’t mean to hurt her, I swear to you I didn’t mean to hurt anyone", there was water trickling down his face, was it raining or was he crying? I really couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t take my eyes off of him for a second, afraid he would run out of the alley before I had a chance to decide if I would take his life or not. My fingers tensed around the gun in my pocket as I continued the internal, torturous dialogue of whether I could live with myself if ...

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“The Letter” by Mike Olsen

Submitted to Contest #18

“Uh, Ingrid, can I talk to you real quick?” “What is it Adam? I have English with Mr. P and I can’t be late.” “I know, I’ll be quick.” “Well?” she inquired, turning on the spot to face me. I knew she wouldn’t want to talk to me, but I also know she wouldn’t say no if I asked, “What is it?” My fingers slid into the front pocket of my hoodie, locating the item in question. A tightly folded piece of paper in the shape of a square. I closed the note in my right hand feeling the points of the corners against my palm and middle finger. I was hesit...

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“What’s In Your Pocket?” by Mark Newman

Submitted to Contest #18

Dan and Sue were rummaging around in the attic of their home. Dust floated in the air all around them and they coughed gleefully as they searched for last years boxes of winter gear. It was their date night and they had decided to go out to the local pub together. It was the one day each month that they had to themselves as work took either Dan or Sue away from home for days.“Ah ha! I win.” Dan shouted happily. Sue clapped her hands together. Then caught the smaller box Dan threw her way. Then they closed up the attic and went downstairs to ...

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“The Twisted Twig” by Dominic Weingart

Submitted to Contest #18

Jamie was infuriated. Today was Christmas, and after joyriding her mother's car the night before she was burdened with the task of having to clean out the attic before their relatives showed up! She pulled the ladder down and started climbing up. As she climbed, she felt she was getting closer and closer to impending and inevitable doom. When she got all the way up she took a deep breath in and regretted it right away because her lungs filled with so much dust that she almost fell down the stairs. She looked around at all the boxes of forgot...

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“Another Life” by Madison Oster

Submitted to Contest #18

The attic was even worse than I’d thought. I looked around the musty, crowded space, the air laying hot and heavy on my neck. It didn’t look like mom had been up here in years. But now that the house had been sold, there was no time to waste in getting all this crap cleared out and ready for the buyer. I was only jealous that I’d drawn the short straw against Cody, who got to clear out the bedrooms down in the AC. I tied my hair back and got to work. At first, it was pretty simple. Old holiday decorations, junk from when Cody and I had ...

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“Santa's Coin” by Nicole Rook

Submitted to Contest #18

Julia pulled down the lever from the ceiling of her Grandmom’s house. The panel opened and the steps poured down with a creek and a groan. Dust poofed outward like a cloud. She thought of Grandma, how thin and frail she’d become as she laid in bed at the hospice. Christmas was just days away, and the only decoration that stood in her barren room was a small desktop tree decorated with dollar store balls.Grandma loved Christmas, her home full year round of ornate decorations, twinkling lights and Christmas Rif Raf. Ne...

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“A Gift from 'The Attic'” by Somdatta Gangopadhyay

Submitted to Contest #18

‘We got a pair of silk stockings for Aunt Dolores, last Christmas…right mom!’ said Grace to her mom while wrapping up her final project for school on ‘Family Ties’.‘Yes, honey.’ replied a tired Betty, as she was spreading her daughter’s favorite strawberry jam on the bagel for breakfast. ‘I have an idea!’ said Betty as she arrived with the breakfast platter, standing beside Grace. Taking a closer look, Betty shared that some pictures might add uniqueness to the project. ‘That’d be fantastic, mom!’ replied Grace, as she sped up toward the att...

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“Memories of Marbles and Mom” by Cynthia Stock

Submitted to Contest #18

My knees compete with the groan of the wooden stairs leading to the attic. Embedded in the garage ceiling, the steps unfold like the arachnoid limbs of the monster in Alien, warped by the trapped heat of Texas summers. I half-step, half-pull myself up to forage for winter giveaways, destined for the Goodwill and the homeless. I torque through stacks of miscellany and memories. Three boxes of mud brown dishes, prone to chipping at the slightest abuse, earn a spot near the attic opening, awaiting transport to their next home. I blow dust from ...

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“LOST AND FOUND” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #18

Chandrakala visited Govindan’s family. She happened to be his daughter, Prameela’s classmate-cum-friend, since their schooldays. She sought his blessings first, then gave her wedding card to him. Govindan was at first, surprised. Normally, the invitation card would be given by parents only, unless otherwise, the marriage did not have their approval. But in her case, as they were not keeping well, she came in person. She cordially invited both Govindan and Kokila and insisted on their hundred percent presence. They too assured her of their co...

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“A Glitch in Time” by Kim Wolters

Submitted to Contest #18

The rain ticked softly against the slate roof tiles, giving the old, dusty attic a cosy feeling. Behind a neatly organised stack of cardboard boxes, Harry sat on his knees and rummaged through one of the last boxes he still had to sort. He had moved into his new house in Verviers, Belgium, only a fortnight ago and he had finally found some time to clear out the attic that still held several boxes left by the previous owner. According to his new neighbours, the old man had served in the resistance during the Second World War. Harr...

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“The Place of Forgotten Stuff” by M.Z. Lucy

Submitted to Contest #18

The Attic was the Attic. It was just the up most top floor of the house where they kept things that couldn’t fit in the basement. What was being held there diminished over the years due to Nessy’s mother slowly discarding the excess clutter from the basement to make space for the clutter from the attic. Then again most of the things that were brought down from the attic were thrown out as well. Nessy and her younger brother didn’t often t...

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“The empty pocket that saved my life” by Alice Guile

Submitted to Contest #18

Blake had everyone fooled at the start. Even my friends thought he was great. We were 18 year old sixth formers and he was studying medicine at Oxford University. Oxford. I used to love telling people that. I cringe when I think of myself at our family’s big Christmas party, telling every single relative that asked how I was that I was very well and that I was dating a lovely future doctor from Oxford University. I was so naïve, I can barely believe that I thought cleverness would make someone a good person. I didn’t think really.Things star...

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“The Dimensional Thief” by Elizabeth Orwig

Submitted to Contest #18

“It was just here!” I exclaimed, frantically searching my pockets for my soldering tool. I had just put some of the final touches on my time machine, but I needed to solder a few wires before it was a complete product. The red and green lights of the machine were blinking, seemingly mocking me, and I knew that my soldering tool wasn’t anywhere in my workshop if it wasn’t in my pocket - I always kept it in my pocket. It must have been stolen.I was at a bit of an impasse as I had planned to present my time machine tomorrow, but I co...

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“THE STING OF FRIENDSHIP” by Aduragbemi Oyekunle

Submitted to Contest #18

Merry moments it would be, to share the same room with one’s best friend, especially in college where every fresh face sought for peer acceptance.My best friend, Jenna, had stayed with me for a year and now we are both sophomores. Those times spent together were most horrible moments of my life. When her presence became a torn in the flesh rather than a cloak of comfort.A year it was, when it all started. Like the soothing relief of the evening breeze, the news of our admission to Burmey international college – one of the best schools in tow...

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$50

Prize money

291

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 06, 2019 EST

Won by Sam Lauren 🏆

Title: The Price of a Nice Guy

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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