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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#180: A Roll of the Dice

Despite all our skill and effort, sometimes life simply comes down to luck. Whether you’re trying to win a game, land a job, or find a significant other, there’s no sure way to know how it’ll work out — or how good your luck will be. A twist of fate could send you catapulting into happiness, or your luck could sour in the blink of an eye. But if you can push through bad luck, you might just find you can change it.

So this week, you’ll want to get your rabbits’ feet and four leaf clovers ready. Are you feeling lucky?

🥇 Winner

“Come In Spinner” by Marilyn Filewood

🏆 Winner of Contest #180

Thommo rammed a bayonet into the rocky clay and tied a string to it. Thommo, the only one of us over thirty, and therefore responsible, was our Ringie, the supervisor of the Two-up ring. He attached a second bayonet to the other end of the string and, using the bayonets like a giant school compass, drew a perfect circle in the clay soil. It was the 23rd May 1915, just months since I'd left Australia, to fight for my country and our King, George V, King of England and the British Empire. We were perched on a small section of rock on a hil...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“For Ruby” by Kelsey H

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

If you are reading this, then you must want to know what happened. I’ll try to explain, so you can understand.This is a story which could have gone many ways, but it went this way.It began at a house. The house was very beautiful. It was large and white and had pillars either side of the front door, more like some monument than a home. There were strings of lights hanging from the trees, moons in a moonless night.I stood with Isabella at the end of the driveway, which was wide and long and edged with squared off hedges. I’d never been inside...

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“The Two Shades of Luck” by Russell Mickler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

The Collector. A Chance Meeting. How Luck Works. It was a warm spring night in the forested plain three miles north of the Free City of Enceröss. Blustering westerly winds rustled the trees surrounding the riverside glade where the academic Vabriel Shuno parked his wagon. Hitched to the wagon, his stalwart mule brayed nervously. “Easy, Cavalier,” the Mulzunite soothed, adjusting his parchment and inkwell on his desk. Cavalier snorted. An oil lantern wobbled above from a high hook to spill light over him and the wagon. Vabriel worked diligent...

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“Supermoon” by Brendan Doyle

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

“So in a weird way the pandemic made me realize that, like, I should be in social media marketing instead of nursing.” “Yeah, totally,” said Charles, his hand fidgeting in spasms in his pocket. “Once I was out of lockdown, I wanted to go right to the middle of it all - New York, you know.” Jenn took a sip of her rosé and hummed softly, looking around at the flowers and purple wallpaper appreciatively. “Hm, this place is so cute. How’d you pick it?” “I’ve brought some other friends here,” Charles said; his mind bla...

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“Indifference” by ROBERT Ellis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

Eduardo and I sat on the bluff, overlooking the factory complex in the valley below. The gritty sand beneath us was a dusty buff color, matching our sweat-encrusted camouflage clothing. The air was warm from the day-long bright sun, now moving behind the Lliama Volcano in the southern Andes, and particles of dust swirled in the air. As the sun descended, the vents and air conditioning units on the rooftops of the Chilean weapons complex flashed in the copper sunlight. I pointed into the valley. “See how they don’t open one gate until anoth...

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“The Visitor” by Mandy S

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

The owl was dead on the balcony. A thick cloud of fog had settled over the estate, and between the drops of rain, Lionel could see the cluster of white and brown feathers being flattened, wet and lifeless, to the marble. His heart beat dully in his chest, what felt like an eternity between thumps. There was no wind, no gusts or breezes to ruffle the creature’s wings or feathers and create the illusion of life. No, the beautiful barn owl with countless shades of red and brown and white with large, deep black eyes Lionel had come to lo...

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This week's prompts

Write a story that hinges on the outcome of a coin flip.

Adventure – 68 stories

Start your story with someone having a run of bad luck.

Angst – 42 stories

Write about someone losing their lucky charm.

Mystery – 26 stories

Set your story in a casino.

Adults – 34 stories

Write about someone whose luck is running out.

Character – 44 stories

Stories

“Come In Spinner” by Marilyn Filewood

🏆 Winner of Contest #180

Thommo rammed a bayonet into the rocky clay and tied a string to it. Thommo, the only one of us over thirty, and therefore responsible, was our Ringie, the supervisor of the Two-up ring. He attached a second bayonet to the other end of the string and, using the bayonets like a giant school compass, drew a perfect circle in the clay soil. It was the 23rd May 1915, just months since I'd left Australia, to fight for my country and our King, George V, King of England and the British Empire. We were perched on a small section of rock on a hil...

Read story

“Writing the Last Chapter of My Life” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #180

I try not to think about it. Yet, it’s always in the back of my mind: I’m dying. Nothing will change that. As it was in the beginning it’ll be in the end, world without end, amen. Hey, wait a minute! My world is ending. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. And honestly, I don’t want to die — I want to live forever! But well, what’re you going to do, right?I’m losing my battle with COPD. For those who don’t know, that’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It’s a long-term respiratory disorder that began as a dry cough, usually ab...

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“She and E” by Wendy Kaminski

Submitted to Contest #180

She flicked the freezing, fetid mud from her heavy-duty gloves. No luck today, but this area was mostly tapped out, and soon she'd have to make a decision as to whether to move on permanently. E shifted slightly in the makeshift carrier on her back; she removed a glove and reached back, tucking the blanket more snugly around him. He was resting still, which was good. There wasn’t much else for him to do.Used to be, you could find valuables by the cartload, courtesy of the destruction wrought on the wealthier hillside neighborhoods where...

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“When Lady Luck Gives You the Finger” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #180

CW: dismemberment.It took me twenty four years to find my finger. That’s twenty three and three-quarter years after Debbie left me at the altar.Okay, we never quite made it to the altar, but we did have matching rings. She was my high school sweetheart and I had big dreams for us. I had a sweet job and a football scholarship promised me a pro sports career. Everything was bright.My major was meaningless. Coach told me I was the best wide receiver the school had ever seen and nothing else mattered. I supported myself with the coolest job ever...

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“The Coin Flip” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #180

“Okay, heads I eat the worm, tails, you eat it,” Riff muttered to Clay as he gripped at the cold copper-plated zinc in his sweaty palm. He wiped a bead of moisture from his forehead, wondering how he could flip the penny strategically to get it to land on tails. He debated about using the trick coin that he’d traded with Billy on the bus last week for his pocketknife. Double tails = Win every time! was the writing on the package. He felt guilty about using it on his brother, but maybe he should just this once. He wasn’t about to eat no ...

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“The End of Time” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #180

It wasn't noise that caused his eyelids to flutter.It couldn't have been because all he could hear was deafening silence.He wasn’t even sure where he was or why he had been asleep. He only knew that he was now awake. Dazed, he looked around the cabin, struggling to see anything in the darkness.As his eyes adjusted, he was struck by how nothing and yet everything seemed familiar.His memory, however, hadn’t failed him completely. He knew his name was James, and he knew the woman to his right was Eileen, his beloved wife. That being true, he ha...

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“For Ruby” by Kelsey H

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

If you are reading this, then you must want to know what happened. I’ll try to explain, so you can understand.This is a story which could have gone many ways, but it went this way.It began at a house. The house was very beautiful. It was large and white and had pillars either side of the front door, more like some monument than a home. There were strings of lights hanging from the trees, moons in a moonless night.I stood with Isabella at the end of the driveway, which was wide and long and edged with squared off hedges. I’d never been inside...

Read story

“Lucky” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #180

Bogart was sure this was the Sherwood Crime Family. They were known for making these sorts of statements. Then again, the Sherwoods now had an honest thing going with their frozen yogurt stands, and nobody had attached a felony to them in over nine years. Ah, but old habits die hard. Bogart’s mother, Tibbity (may she rest in peace), always told him that a wronged skunk never forgets. A raccoon, maybe, because eventually they’d want to get back to their trash, but a skunk? Nah, you ticked off a skunk and you were going to smell that odor arou...

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“Flip for Infidelity ” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #180

TW: Sex. “We could hurt a lot of people. People we love,” she said. “How about we leave it up to the coin?” She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a shiny silver coin. His eyes lingered on her body. “What do you think? Heads, this is the end. Tails, we keep going?”He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but he didn’t want to stop either. As much as he loved his wife, there had been nothing between them in bed for a long time. At first he had tried to conjure up the old sparks. Every rejection hurt more than the one before. Eventually...

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“The Two Shades of Luck” by Russell Mickler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

The Collector. A Chance Meeting. How Luck Works. It was a warm spring night in the forested plain three miles north of the Free City of Enceröss. Blustering westerly winds rustled the trees surrounding the riverside glade where the academic Vabriel Shuno parked his wagon. Hitched to the wagon, his stalwart mule brayed nervously. “Easy, Cavalier,” the Mulzunite soothed, adjusting his parchment and inkwell on his desk. Cavalier snorted. An oil lantern wobbled above from a high hook to spill light over him and the wagon. Vabriel worked diligent...

Read story

“Fortunately, They Suck at Quick Service” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #180

Detective Jordan (GQ) Williams gazed at the body on the floor. Two shots to the chest. Quick, clean, efficient. He turned to his partner and asked, “Wanna help me out here?” Detective Harry Barnes did not want to help him out. He was sitting in a chair with a drooping frame and seemingly in pain. His strong and rugged physique looked frail, bent over with bowed head. “You hung over?” “It’s the eggs,” Barnes groaned out. A strident voice rose from the first floor and hit the eardrums of the two detectives on the second floor. Barnes muttered...

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“3AM” by Daniel Fernandes

Submitted to Contest #180

Love has more trials than tunnels on an ant farm. An emotion so pure, like a nerve sworn to cause no harm. An enclosure of the unknown. Fear of separation is a pain like a broken bone. No visions of us killing joy like a pulled-out tooth. Minds can't be tamed, just altered as we evolve away from youth. I'm more sorry than I am satisfied with life. Hating myself to death, crying all night. Listening to the chirping of the birds but forgetting where I live. Kindness is death if you tap da wrong bitch. Shattered and lost. Devotion took off....

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“Running Out” by Corey Melin

Submitted to Contest #180

There is a knock at the door. “Who in the hell is bothering me now?” asks Devlin as he gets up from his cozy chair and marches to the front door. “This better be good, for this is my seventh day. My day to rest.” Devlin opens the door, a fierce look on his face, ready to berate the one who disturbs him. He opens his mouth to speak forth foul words, but clamps it shut when he sees a you...

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“Supermoon” by Brendan Doyle

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

“So in a weird way the pandemic made me realize that, like, I should be in social media marketing instead of nursing.” “Yeah, totally,” said Charles, his hand fidgeting in spasms in his pocket. “Once I was out of lockdown, I wanted to go right to the middle of it all - New York, you know.” Jenn took a sip of her rosé and hummed softly, looking around at the flowers and purple wallpaper appreciatively. “Hm, this place is so cute. How’d you pick it?” “I’ve brought some other friends here,” Charles said; his mind bla...

Read story

“Our Lot in War” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #180

[TW: pg-13 WW2 battle scene]In 1942 my father was lucky. He studied anthropology in university—even published a paper on the Minahasan people of Indonesia—and when the draft came he was enlisted into US Army Intelligence rather than being called up for combat.During the war he shuttled around the Pacific collecting information on local populations, providing weapons to resistance movements, and helping negotiate problems locals had with US military bases.On one such journey, on a troop ship bound for the Philippines, he saw something unusual...

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$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 22:59 - Jan 13, 2023 EST

Won by Marilyn Filewood 🏆

Title: Come In Spinner

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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