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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

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 f...

85 comments 85 WINNER 🏆
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⭐️ Shortlisted

“For Ruby” by Kelsey H

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...

32 comments 32 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“The Two Shades of Luck” by Russell Mickler

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 abo...

28 comments 28 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Supermoon” by Brendan Doyle

“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 flowe...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Indifference” by ROBERT Ellis

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...

6 comments 6 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“The Visitor” by Mandy S

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 i...

4 comments 4 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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This week's prompts

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

Adventure – 73 stories

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

Angst – 44 stories

Write about someone losing their lucky charm.

Mystery – 27 stories

Set your story in a casino.

Adults – 35 stories

Write about someone whose luck is running out.

Character – 44 stories

Stories

“Come In Spinner” by Marilyn Filewood

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 f...

85 comments 85 WINNER 🏆
Read story

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

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 Obstructiv...

68 comments 68
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“She and E” by Wendy Kaminski

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 hillsid...

73 comments 73
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“The Coin Flip” by Kathleen Fine

“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 writi...

23 comments 23
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“The End of Time” by Thom Brodkin

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 ...

32 comments 32
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“When Lady Luck Gives You the Finger” by Michał Przywara

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 m...

60 comments 60
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“For Ruby” by Kelsey H

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...

32 comments 32 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Flip for Infidelity ” by Graham Kinross

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. ...

35 comments 35
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“Lucky” by Kevin B

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...

23 comments 23
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“The Two Shades of Luck” by Russell Mickler

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 abo...

28 comments 28 SHORTLIST ⭐️
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“Charmless ” by Helen A Smith

Put me next to my sister Charmaine and I fade into the background. It’s a twist on ugly duckling/ beautiful swan syndrome.      The fact I’m two years older only makes matters worse. I’m eighteen and Charmaine is sixteen. She’s everything I’m not. She has brilliant green eyes to my hazel ones, golden hair to my light brown, and a figure to die for. But it’s more than that! Every pore oozes sexuality and confidence. She only has to crook her finger and the boys come running.   &nbs...

18 comments 18
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“Bhang! Snake Eyes” by Kevin Marlow

CW {Drug use, Sexual themes, Prostitution, Violence, Offensive Language}Karnack tapped the crystals out of the little zip-lock bag, onto the shiny, reflective stainless steel plate. Pulling his dagger from the top of a worn and crumpled leather boot, he used the flat side of the razor-sharp blade to crush the rocks back into powder form. Tucking a long shock of dark hair behind his ear allowed him to get close and inspect the product.“I've got a pipe. Are you sure you don't just want to light up?”

7 comments 7
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“Fortunately, They Suck at Quick Service” by Delbert Griffith

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?” ...

30 comments 30
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“3AM” by Daniel Fernandes

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. ...

12 comments 12
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“Our Lot in War” by Scott Christenson

[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...

20 comments 20
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$250

Prize money

223

Contest entries

101

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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