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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 Impossible Choice” by Paul Michael Winters

Submitted to Contest #180

I’m never sure which sensation I’m aware of first. My consciousness is slowly returning, and my head is still buzzing with the sedative they use to keep our bodies in stasis.There’s the feeling of the viscous liquid purging from my lungs, designed to provide oxygen and keep the lung tissue healthy. Imagine the deepest, wettest cough you’ve ever had, then multiply it times a hundred.The feel of the synthetic adrenaline courses through my muscles. A tingling sensation, spreading through every vein and capillary. It wakes the muscles up and rep...

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“All because I stole an apple” by Lilith Aline

Submitted to Contest #180

I am running for my life all because I stole an apple. Well, not really for my life. I just encountered a bit of bad luck. You see, there are two things that you need to know before I go on. First of all, I stole this apple for my little sister. She was hungry and we didn’t have enough money to buy it, so I thought I could slip it under my jacket without being noticed. Obviously I was wrong. Second of all, I am running because I can’t afford to get arrested. I’ve...

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“Heads Of Luck, Tails of Sin” by Tayleece Young

Submitted to Contest #180

"The choice is yours." The cloaked figure exhaled as he hovered along the aged floor boards. The black robes danced around his body as if life itself seeped through the threads. "And what choice is that?" The young woman questioned, standing in the door frame. Her tone empty, indifferent. She watched, unflinchingly, as the tall figure's decaying hand escaped the thin veils of darkness to gently pour steaming water into a teacup. The tilt of the kettle releasing a cloud of steam."Is it a new life that you want? Or is the need to feel som...

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“The Final Gamble” by Brian Niedzwiadek

Submitted to Contest #180

Jack stood at the mirror, hands resting on the edge of the white porcelain sink as he watched his reflection stare back at him. The muffled sounds of music, slot machines and crowd chatter pressed against the bathroom door, exploding into second-long symphonies each time it flung open to welcome a new patron. The air pulsated with swells of positive energy and potential, an invisible invitation to a shot at becoming one of the so-called lucky ones. Jack had felt a similar euphoria in this casino every weekend for the past ten years, but toda...

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“A Series of Unfortunate Events” by Jessica Lunn

Submitted to Contest #180

It was approximately 9:00 pm when I finally pulled into my driveway after a long day of work and dinner with my coworkers. Today had been a good day. It was nice to go out and to top it off, my project that I had been working on for over five weeks was ready to present. I sat in the car for a few moments holding my keys in hand. As I was thinking about the day’s events, I gazed at the white rabbit’s foot my sister had given to me a few years ago. The keychain showed many signs of wear and tear, but I had always felt like it was my good luc...

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“THE OSTRICH” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #180

When Butch McHaferty told Jim Danker about the ostrich, he just as well might have given him a million dollars. Jim had waited all his life for such an opportunity, one that would have made his father proud. “Well, don’t that just tear the rag off the bush!” proclaimed Jim. “I don’t believe it. You have got to be ridin’ me a good one!” “I swear as I stand before the Good Lord himself,” stammered Butch. “I didn’t believe it myself when I first heard about it. But Jake down at the post office heard about it, too. He and the Cranshaw boys a...

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“Should I Stay or Should I Go?” by Katie DeShane

Submitted to Contest #180

Stella lay in their king-sized bed, blankly staring at the ceiling and feeling her husband waking up next to her. She was vaguely irritated that he was conscious now, bracing herself for whatever mood he was in today. They no longer fully listened to each other, both waiting for their chance to speak but never to be heard. It had been years of useless bickering with minimal moments of fun in between. After eight years together, she had been certain they’d beaten the seven-year itch, but this indifference was worse. Sure enough, casual morn...

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“D20” by Os Cole

Submitted to Contest #180

Twenty: Paladin Grovesnor walks surrounded by the holy flame of her god. Her enemies cower at the magnificent approach of her white painted armor. Even the grass wilts under the intense light that follows her footsteps through shadowy forests and desolate plains. Attacked by goblins, the paladin has nothing to fear. She wields her finely crafted mace with ease. Its silver, rune covered head sings through the air as she brings it down on her foes. She dispatches the goblins like so many rats. Her blood covered mace provides the only hint ...

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“The Black Fox” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #180

The black fox had always been a creature of the night, moving through the shadows with a grace and stealth that belied his blindness. He had always been a hunter, using his other senses to track his prey through the dense forests of his home. But he had never encountered an enemy like the anti-natalism regime that now ruled the land. For years, the regime had been using climate change as a guise for their true goal: the destruction of the traditional family unit. They believed that the only way to save the planet was to stop childbirth alt...

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“The Final Flip: A High-Stakes Batey Game in the Anti-Gravity Sphere” by Nico Pengin

Submitted to Contest #180

Nico had always been a survivor. Growing up in the slums of a dying planet, he had learned to adapt and to make the most of every opportunity that came his way. When the Unknown Blues arrived in their massive spaceship, offering a chance for a select few humans to leave Earth behind and start anew, Nico jumped at the chance. The immigration process was straightforward, if a little unsettling. Nico was immunized against a range of diseases, and given a crash course in the customs and technologies of the Unknown Blues. He had never seen creatu...

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“Canned Coffee” by Kela Bear

Submitted to Contest #180

The smell of rain, thick and sweet in her hair. Wrapping her frozen hands within his own, wanting to withdraw instinctively to preserve his own heat, but then forcing it back and holding her tighter. It had been three days since he had seen Sarah, and Ian was worried after the first few hours. He had met the police, dialed her parents, texted friends, called her phone only to reach her voicemail immediately. He sat in his darkened room, staring at his computer screen, eyes pulsing around several open tabs of her social media. Ian looked do...

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“Devil Came Down to Georgia” by Emma Hedrick

Submitted to Contest #180

She’s got a good head on her shoulders. That's what Gran said. Daddy and Uncle Hector said it too. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. So even though the brimstone in the air is making her eyes water, even though the scalding ground is making the rubber soles of her shoes soft, and he’s looking at her with fire in his eyes, she's come too far to back out now. This deal is too important to lose her head now. “It’s the standard contract,” the devil says. The pinstripes on his suit aren’t black like she’d first thought. They’re red ...

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“STOP ROCKIN' THE DICE” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #180

** WARNING: Story contains alcohol abuse and profanity. *** * *Ralston Casperelli rolled heavily, flounced really, onto his side with a groan, becoming even more entangled in his sweaty sheets. Within seconds it was clear that was a mistake. The room not only began to spin, it ping-ponged around in his head as if searching for a way out. He rolled back to his hot spot, becoming dislodged from what sheet cover he’d barely managed the first time. Now he was completely without cover but neither cared nor dared do a thi...

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“One Last Gift” by K. C. Brote

Submitted to Contest #180

Roxanne Guinevere Reardon never had the chance to get to know the woman who had given her such a mouthful of a name, but she knew that it had something to do with her father not being at the hospital the night she was born, during a spring blizzard in midcoast Maine. Roxy, as she was commonly known, was nearly a teenager before she thought to wonder at her origin story, but by then, her mother had been dead for years, and her father in prison for her murder. The only person she could ask was her Aunt Brenna, and she was too busy raising Roxy...

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“Take a Gamble?” by Kenneth Kendall

Submitted to Contest #180

Malory awoke and turned towards Benjamin. Her outstretched hand moved without impediment and dropped atop the comforter. Rolling back, removing the eye mask that blocked the lights of the Las Vegas strip, the clock read 3:17.It was too much. She rolled out of bed and went to the drawers, where hours before, she had unpacked before she and Benjamin had joined his entire family for dinner. She hadn’t wanted to come on the trip at all. Benjamin pretended it was all fun and games for him with his family, but Malory knew that it was different for...

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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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