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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?

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

“The Master of Battle” by Dane MillerHass

Submitted to Contest #180

Ben stared intently at his right hand, twiddling the coin between his sweaty fingers. Across the table, Riley had his full attention on Ben. This was the deciding moment, the climax of two hours of foiled stratagems and devious maneuvers. For the afternoon, Ben had not just been Ben, and Riley had not just been Riley. Ben was High Commodore Ben of the 27th Expeditionary Corps, with direct orders from Earth Command to secure a foothold on Procrolia III by any means necessary. Riley was Arch Warseer Riley of the Hurzot Ascendancy, who had ...

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“Luck Be A Halfling” by Reece York

Submitted to Contest #180

Holly Peddlewood twiddled the wood-carved three-leaf clover in her halfling hands as she scouted the hidden entrance to the temple before her. She loathed these one-person missions. When she was with the others, she’d be reassured against the disastrous scenarios an anxious mind conjures before a tense quest. The carving fell from her hand and struck the earth with a clatter. She glanced and noticed it landed, and stayed firmly, on its stem; a rare occurrence, but for Holly as clear sign of favor by Fortina herself. She pulled a coin from...

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“Gambling with Fate” by A.B. Sedlacek

Submitted to Contest #180

How does someone win a gamble against Fate? Many would deny that a person can, claiming she is called Fate because it is absolute, and one cannot alter nor reverse the events written in the stars by her divine hands. They can only accept it. And those who wish to achieve victory in her game are deluding themselves and sealing their own destiny within a fool’s paradise. The dreamers, however, like to imagine they are not bound by Fate and her obscure paths. They believed a stroke of luck would always find its way to them. Afterall...

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“One More Life ” by Travis Hitchcock

Submitted to Contest #180

Eight times I’ve survived. That’s eight more than I deserve. I’ve heard about the luck of the Irish, but I’m not Irish. At least, I don’t think I am. Can those such as me be Irish? It’s impossible to tell. Such concepts are beyond my understanding. Death doesn’t scare me. Well, it does. But it doesn’t scare me more than anything else. The problem is everything scares me. Death is no more frightful than a car horn or a creaking floorboard in the night. Touching me anywhere, but particularly on my neck or back when I’m asleep provokes a...

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“The Luckiest Woman Alive” by Katariina Ruuska

Submitted to Contest #180

Trigger warning: kidnapping, firearm, threat of violence, foul language They call me “The Luckiest Woman Alive.” I would say that’s a pretty accurate description – that is, if you buy into the more traditional meaning of “luck” –, as I’ve won pretty much every lottery, sweepstake and contest I’ve ever entered, the prizes ranging from all-expenses-paid trips and dream houses to cars, boats and cold hard cash. Of course, another term of endearment given to me – one that’s particularly popular amongst the masses – is “Rich B...

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“The Coin” by Meli Ann

Submitted to Contest #180

Gary Craver’s auction hall was engulfed in searing, rising orange flames that emitted pale gray smoke that blanketed the surrounding area. The firefighters rushed towards the flames, sirens ringing throughout the city, the sound bounced off the brick walls of the building amplifying the bells. They rushed around like ants around their meal, organized but scattered as they struggled to put on heavy vests and protective gear. They had one task in mind, to save the antiques. The antique items range from two hundred thousand dollars maps, up to...

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“A Token of Fate” by Annabella Bones

Submitted to Contest #180

Kenneth Andrews stood from his leather-bound seat and cleared his throat. “I would like to call the defendant, Calvin Brown, to the stand.” His request was met with the quiet rustling of shifting bodies in creaky hardwood seats as the gallery spectators anxiously watched the boy approach the stand in silence. Oily blonde shoulder-length hair covered most of his face as long as he kept his head down. Long beanstalk legs moved slowly, careful not to entangle and trip. While kids in school called him a circus clown, any attentive eye could cl...

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“Finding Nerve” by Hope Linter

Submitted to Contest #180

1974, Courtney, BC. John and Adam, tenth graders, lingered against the wall of the gymnasium with the other boys, while the girls waited on the other side. Dimmed lights and amplified rock music changed the gym into a sock hop. John rubbed at a mark on his indoor running shoes with spit and straightened the hem of his new Lee jeans he’d ironed for the dance. His mom had told him how she had worn socks when she first danced with his dad at a school dance. Across the room, Caroline swayed in a very short pink skirt, and he could trace t...

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“Credence at Christopher's” by Lindsey B

Submitted to Contest #180

A man's heart stopped next to the town's small ice cream shop. The man fell slowly, like his legs were slow to catch on that blood had stopped flowing through his body. The man's wife caught on more quickly, her eyes going wide as she watched her husband fall. His knees hit the concrete sidewalk first, shattering with disgusting, loud cracks. The wife screamed, making the other people on the sidewalk stop and look. A few started to run to help.Gabriel sighed and took a sip from her cup of root beer. The door to the shop jingled open, and she...

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“Rolling Out Of Bed” by Anna Komora

Submitted to Contest #180

Pure horror freezes the blood in her very veins when she sees the time as her phone screen lights up. 8:13 AM No, this wasn't happening. Nope. Not to her, not today. In a flurry of blankets, sheets, and pillows she attempts to get out of the warm bed she'd been in as fast as possible. There wasn't a second to waste if she has any hope of getting to her job in a reasonable amount of time. If she still had the job anymore at all, since she is already thirteen minutes late. Why her useless phone didn't wake her as it did on any other ...

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“Facing Eviction” by J.C. King

Submitted to Contest #180

*Profane/Suggestive language* Dear God, It is I, yes, your humble servant yet again. I know it’s the eighth time today, so? What else do you expect from me? And given the circumstances how could I not call on you, did you see that?! This past week has been trifling and do mean absolutely trifling, Lucifer himself would throw in the towel—only you can undo and fix this, Jesus! Please. Stepping in fresh dog shit was just unfortunate icing on the cake. And it feels as if you’re testing me Lord, what do you need me to do? Do you hate me? My ...

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“The Shoplifter” by Molly Layne

Submitted to Contest #180

March 3rd, 2022 Gratiot; The Red Zone; Detroit, MI, USA The wind whipped through his thin clothes and penetrated his bones. He bent over and dug deeper into the trash can, ignoring the stench of rotting food and dirty diapers. It was a shame that people didn’t throw away good clothes. He could sure use something more than the pair of ragged jeans and the light, sleeveless vest that currently were doing little to keep out the weather. Reaching the bottom of the ga...

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“Just a Few Questions” by Juan Diego Olivarez

Submitted to Contest #180

Detective Fraser needed this break. The murderer hadn’t left any fingerprints, any DNA, or anything concrete enough to know where to start. The killer used a 9mm handgun, but there was nothing else to go off of aside from some footprints. The boyfriend was working a night shift when it happened, he’s cleared. There was a suspect, and he did have a 9mm handgun registered to him, with a good lawyer, it wouldn’t be enough to book him. But the killer made a dumb mistake, his luck was about to run out. Luck had been a Lady towards one Logan Moor...

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“My Sociopath, John” by April Mattson

Submitted to Contest #180

What is it like to be under the glare of a sociopath? A real one; a dark triad of malignant psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Here’s the thing: sociopaths aren’t wearing trench coats and creeping around playgrounds. (Well, some of them are.) You know them. Or perhaps you don’t really know them. They’re utterly charming. They can gaze into your soul; they know parts of yourself that remain in shadowy corridors. They find your weaknesses; they anticipate your joys. Eve knew him as the Beguiler. A shapeshifter, a snake, a temp...

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“The Four-Leaf Clover” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #180

My daddy was a lucky man. I know this because I saved special things to give him luck. Sometimes I found pretty stones or a penny when we went for a walk. Once I found a four-leaf clover. I always went to old Mrs. Pike’s house next door after school because Mom worked until late. She showed me how to press the leaf between the pages of a book until it was dry and pretty. We glued it onto a card which I decorated with glitter and magic marker for Daddy. I showed it proudly to Mom when she came to get me, still wearing her waitress top, her fa...

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$250

Prize money

214

Contest entries

99

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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