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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

“If Only Three Months Earlier” by Kate Strong

Submitted to Contest #18

“It was just here!” I said again, fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow my eyes. I reached a shaking hand down into my white lab coat pocket and closed my eyes while hoping for the feel of cold glass meeting my fingertips.The crisp touch of the sterilized lab coat pocket was what my fingers slid against and nothing more. Swallowing the hard lump that was rising in my throat, I forced my eyes open and stepped back over to where I had been sitting at my desk which housed several microscopes. For more than three hours on end, I ha...

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“Melody of the Hunt” by Maddie Logemann

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

Quiver and hunting bow were his most prized possessions, one slung over his shoulder, the other held tight with stained wood smooth under calloused fingertips. An arrow nocked in careful decision, he stalked silent through the lush forest growth. It was with a thrill in his blood, a trapped butterfly pulse beating beneath his skin, that he tracked the snapped ferns. The white catches of fur, the spare spottings of blood, they led him after the frenzied hare with an arrow shaft sticking splintered from its haunch. It was a dead thing walking,...

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“A Stain on the Left Elbow” by Asher Littlefield

Submitted to Contest #18

If he’d had twelve dollars, Simeon would have bought the better coat, the one with the working zipper and without the stain on the left elbow. But he’d been two dollars short, so he bought the one with the stain on the left elbow and the broken zipper. It would be a halfway decent layer for about a month, until it snowed.With the remaining three dollars he bought lunch for himself and a crow that followed him from the thrift shop down the block to the gas station. The bird seemed happy enough with the scraps of his meal but did not leave the...

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“The Key to Reconciliation” by Kate Strong

Submitted to Contest #18

Henry Maddox sauntered down the dusty streets of Sweetwater, his scuffed boots kicking up clouds of dust into the air. As he neared the end of the main street, he took a sharp turn and stepped up onto the board sidewalk that looked as if it had seen more than one brawl on its wood planks.He was aware of several gazes following him down the street, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood outside the dual-swing double doors that led into the Lone Coyote saloon. Gray eyes traveling across the street, he caught a glimpse...

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“Symbiotic Quid Pro Quo” by Gordon Petry

Submitted to Contest #18

Cal was a catch, a 33-year-old lifetime bachelor, a full professor before he reached thirty, having published three acclaimed historical novels which accelerated his rapid climb in academia. Despite everything, he was modest, adored by his female students, and surprisingly, popular with his male students, also. Six-foot-tall with a muscular, make that toned body, he was a blend of several races giving him wonderful tanned skin all year long. Possibly, his most alluring physical feature was his barely perceptible Epicanthic fold.&...

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“Pick a Pocket” by Braelyn O'Hare

Submitted to Contest #18

The door slammed behind me. The sleigh bells attached sounded with their holiday cheer. My goal was simple; find cold weather gear for the homeless shelter. I look around me at the small shop, racks of clothing and shelves of unorganized décor and home goods filled the space. The air was thick with the smell of second-hand goods, Christmas music whined from old speakers at the back of the room. My stomach tingled with excitement; Christmas was my favorite time of th...

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“The Blue Coat” by Alaina Logan

Submitted to Contest #18

Sarah Weeks was a frail, happy child. Although being born into a rather poor family, Sarah kept her head high and looked towards the brightest sides of things.When winter rolled around again, poor Sarah found her coat had grown too small and decided to go to her mother, who was a widow."Mother, my coat has grown to small for me. What shall I do?" Sarah held the old gray coat out to her mother, who was darning a sock.The woman sighed and took the coat. "Give this coat to your younger sister and find your older brother Turk."Sarah nodded and t...

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“Switch A Roo” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #18

“Hey, I think we just passed a Thrift Store. Do you want to stop in there and try to find something to get?” My next-door neighbor, Jessica, and I were walking side-by-side on the sidewalk next to an extremely busy, death-by-zooming-car highway. Or least it was like it, the way each vehicles raced past me in a flurry of colors as I looked and watched a car dash past me and then back at Jessica. She was turning around. &...

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“Lock away compass, Lock away Mom” by Isabella Stein

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #18

"Mom, look at this!" I called, pulling the dress out of the large bin in front of me. Initially, when my Mom brought up the idea of going through the attic, I was opposed, but with a little chocolate and ten bucks, I was kneeling on the cracked, wooden floors, rummaging through an old chest. "It looks victorian to me," she replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The chemotherapy took a toll on her physically. Her skin was a shade paler than it used to be, and her hair was thinning rapidly. I glanced down at the dress that lay in my ...

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“Strange Encounter” by Unknown User

Submitted to Contest #18

A red haired woman, peeked out the window before she stepped out of the Italian Coffee & Pastries Carriage. She pushed her face against the window, leaving a smudge from pressing her oval-shaped face against it, then her breath fogged up the window. She stood watching as it began to sprinkle outside, gray clouds touching in closer. Then the sound of thunder screeched, similar to someone beating on a drum.Just as the red head escaped out of the Italian Coffee & Pastries Carriage, a tall man, with broad shoulders, and long fingers, the...

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“his gift” by Nan Anna

Submitted to Contest #18

He who never believed in love was given a giftIt was a cold silver day. It's December , happiness and joy lingered in the atmosphere. The streets decorated with red and white candy canes, miniature Santa dolls, Christmas lights and sale posters plastered everywhere your eyes would ever reach . Sale! sale! sale! .Among the flexes and posters he found the store he was looking for; a cheap store that sold used clothesDing! Opening the door he, a tall handsome man entered the store."Can i get a coat ?" he asked. He slammed his hands against the ...

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“Secondhand Reunion” by Daniel Eanes

Submitted to Contest #18

It wasn’t a bad purchase for only $14.50. Winter had hit hard and I had needed a new winter coat for years. Unfortunately, I happened to lose my good, high-paying job through a cruel twist of fate – as well as convoluted office politics – not months earlier and had to scramble for the new, so-so, lower paying job I had at that time. Needless to say, as a result, I had to scrounge and cut back wherever I could, even in the clothing department. That’s not to say that I was blowing my money on Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, ...

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“The Ghost of Winter's Past” by Natasha Arnold

Submitted to Contest #18

With a rusty crowbar at hand, Link pried at the boarded-up door. With every creak, it was as though the house had become aware of its itself. It eeked in pain, the spirit of the house free to cry out after centuries of torment.“There there,” Link muttered to the cabin, “Take it easy, I won’t hurt ya.” Once more, Link pried at the door again. As he did, the wind whistled through the crack, bringing the faint laughter of children. Link could smell the air. No longer did it smell of Mom’s fresh pies and Ditto’s stinky dog breath, but ...

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“Oma's Legacy” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #18

Oma’s Legacy Suzanne Marsh &nb...

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“Homeless” by Jane Pait

Submitted to Contest #18

HomelessBy Jane T. PaitAnson awakened from a deep sleep. He was half frozen in the abandoned hotel in spite of the overcoat the young stranger had given him. But, he had slept, really slept, for the first time in a long time. This time, there were no dreams to remind him why he was alone in a broken down hotel. When he awakened, he walked in the new snow savoring its cleanness. Some children throwing snowballs attacked him as he passed them in the park. He surprised himself by laughing and returning fire, delibe...

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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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