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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

“When it Rains, it Pours” by Pyrrhic Everby

Submitted to Contest #180

It was a quiet Friday morning in the Halstead household. The home was dark, and rain pounded outside the window, no one bothered to turn on a light. Mari sat at the kitchen counter sipping her morning coffee, while she stared out the window with a melancholy expression on her face. Liam sat on the couch in the living room, typing furiously in attempts to reach his deadlines. He was behind after the events of this past week. Mari finished her coffee almost in an instant and sighed loudly in annoyance at the typing. She shuffled to the kitchen...

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“The Wheel of Fortune Never Stops Turning” by Nicole Wilbur

Submitted to Contest #180

Last night Queen Amalia’s string of bad luck culminated in an unfortunate sneeze at the exactly wrong moment. The guards at the checkpoint found her hiding under a tangle of nets in a fisherman’s boat. They seized her, tying her arms behind her back, and marching her across the beach and into the jungle. To me. “Where is she now?” I ask Kacee. She’s brought me the news during my morning walk on the highest terrace; the only space that pierces the rainforest’s emergent layer. The children sit with their nanny on the glass floor, watching th...

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“A Flip Of A Coin” by Remi Rose

Submitted to Contest #180

Time seemed to slow as the coin spun in the air. The world faded around Elias as his eyes fixated on the gleam of the copper coin. The ruckus of the busy tavern around him, so crowded that you couldn’t hear your own thoughts or have even a foot of space to yourself, all quieted. The floors sticky from the boots of mercenaries, merchants looking for a deal their peers would frown upon, watchmen who didn’t care to follow the laws they enforced, and anyone else who had trouble on their minds, disappeared. The stench of stale bread and whatever ...

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“Dark Magic” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #180

Bad luck. She tells me it was luck, that I had some luck and my luck was bad. “It was not your fault,” she tells me this like it was something that happened in the past. A blip. The universe hiccupped and I suffered as a result. She’s wrong. They all are. The words in my head remind me of that. She’s wrong. They are all wrong. They are always wrong. Always and forever, wrong. You are bad, luck has nothing to do with it. I have many words inside of me, and they are all bad words. This is all that I know. That is all that I...

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“Some Days Are Like That ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #180

Edie awoke to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof. She yawned, stretched, and rolled over. As she drifted back to sleep, she could hear her baby brother, Whit, crying from down the hall. A few moments later, or so it seemed, Edie’s mother burst into her room. “Oh no, you’re not up yet? Edie, we’re late. You’ve got to wake up!” Her mother gently shook Edie’s shoulder. Edie opened her eyes and smiled. “Good morning, mommy,” she said. “Honey, you need to get ready. Whit is sick, so I can’t drive you to school today....

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“The Apocalypse Charm” by Michael Williams

Submitted to Contest #180

The door to the tavern bursts open. BOOM! Every manner of creature and human or half-breed alike fixated on the source. My name is Ushor, and my life will never be the same. "Have you seen him?" says an upset young nixie. Oh, she was beautiful. I'd never seen someone so elegantly concerned as if the world was going to end yet not look like hell froze over. Of course, I'd never seen a nixie either on account that they kept to themselves and rarely were ever seen in towns or villages. Nixies weren't a favorable term but a slur for t...

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“Bob, Warren, and the Rabbit's Foot” by Sharon Farnsworth

Submitted to Contest #180

BOB, WARREN, AND THE RABBIT’S FOOTWarren came through the door of his apartment like a man on a mission. He threw his keys on the hall table and stomped across the room to his office chair. Disgusted, he slammed his briefcase on the desk and kicked off his brown laced shoes, then held his head in both hands.“What have I done with you, what have I done!”Bob, Warren’s Maine Coon cat sauntered over and sat across from Warren on the arm of the living room couch.&nb...

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“The City of Ambition” by Angela Monroe

Submitted to Contest #180

*Warning: Swearing, Sexual Theme, & Physical Violence* Forgive me if this is not tagged correctly, this is my first time posting ------------------------ “Panda! Where is that girl?!” Even without being in the studio, I can hear the director’s shouting from inside. My friend shakes her head, looking directly at me. “Hell of a time to get stage fright, kid. This interview means everything to us. He’s not going to be happy,” my friend, Bella, says. Inside that studio, I know that Jameson and the rest of the corporate spies sit in ...

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“ BAD LUCK PERSEVERANCE” by Vanita Johnson

Submitted to Contest #180

Sally woke with excitement due to hearing some very good news concerning a job that she has dreamt of so many times before. "It is finally happening." She always desired to be a Day Care Director and owner. After years of planning and studying for this phase of her life, the existence feels so real. But, first Sally must make contact with a few influential individuals who may be the key component for door openings. The sun is shining and getting dressed for the first appointment is essential. There's a day care center, which an appointment h...

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“Luck O' The Irish” by Dylan Mass

Submitted to Contest #180

CW: Language, Violence “If yer Irish, ain’t ya supposed t’ be lucky?” “Oh wow, I’d ne’er thought o’ that. Aren’t ya supposed t’ be the smart one?” “Now now. No need fer the ‘ostility. I was just makin’ a point.” “What’s yer name, if you’ll allow me to ask?” “Rowan. Rowan Mahony. It’s m’ name, but don’t ya be wearin’ it out. Only got the one.” “Ah. An Irish like m’self. M’ names Maja Hackett. Now what wer ya sayin’ about us Irish bein’ lucky? Cuz my luck o’meter is at about seventy percent.” the woman glances at her watch, a wisp of crimson h...

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“No Lucky Star” by Elisabeth Bridges

Submitted to Contest #180

Kaz’s eyes are locked on mine, soft and warm. His lips graze the mic as he sings about finding his lucky star. My smile is automatic, as practiced as the tender, self-deprecating banter that always precedes this part of the show. It’s an old song, at odds with the rest of his music. The final, dreamy ballad from Singin’ in the Rain. I know without looking that the band’s faces are blank, vacant, even as their instruments sigh and swoon. Kaz always jokes that he’d never even heard of the movie until I came into his life, and it’...

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“The Flick Of A Coin. ” by Alaaniya Ismail

Submitted to Contest #180

Run. All I did was run. No looking back, fear, prominently flashing in my mind, and my heart furiously banging against my chest, as I puffed out air, dodging the stones on the street. My worn out sneakers I had bargained for a mere 4 dollars were starting to fall apart, the soles filling up with dirt. As I turned around the corner, I snuck a glance behind me, praying that they couldn’t follow. Alas, they don’t call me Hapless Harold for no reason. Seeing a dumpster out of the corner of my eye in an alley up ahead, I g...

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“Choice” by Imtiaz Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #180

A bead of sweat trickles down my eyebrow. I feel the salt in my eye as it mixes with my tears. I have to blink a couple of times.My hands are tied behind my back. The rope cuts into my skin, but I am used to the pain.My knees are starting to hurt though. The chair that I sit on is far from comfortable, and its splinters are digging into my back. An old man like me cannot take much more of this.“I will flip a coin,” a gruff voice says near me. It’s calm and measured, almost as if the words have been rehearsed. “Heads or tails. If you choose c...

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“Out in the Rain” by Thomas Mahoney

Submitted to Contest #180

Out in the Rain My gaze was fixed so intently on the dice. It felt like this one decision would change my whole way of life, and who knew, maybe it would. The dice tumbled around cupped in my hands. If it landed on six, then yes, my dreams would be accomplished, but if it was anything else… well… then no. I looked at my mother’s intense gaze. I remembered how she gives me that loving look, how she encourages me on, wishes for me to grow up being the best I ...

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“Wolf” by Brittany L. Delaware

Submitted to Contest #180

Please note that this story contains sensitive content, including hints to sexual violence and struggles with mental health.“Welcome to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” says Chief Ranger Ford, as he shakes the hand of a young man in uniform. “Ranger Dorman, this here is Ranger Reed and Terrier.” The young man greets his new colleagues with a firm handshake. “And this is our post, so make yourself comfortable.”“Thank you, sir,” says Dorman.“You’ve come a long way to work law enforcement in the trees,” jokes Ford. He crosses to the co...

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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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