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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

“Priceless Treasures” by Kristen Nazzaro Keller

Submitted to Contest #180

Content Warning: Mentions of deathIt was the first day of summer and the young man made his way down the street, doing his best to avoid the students who were on a short reprieve from school. It was a foul day, and just as the man glanced up, the sky opened, releasing angry buckets of rain. All around him people were scurrying inside, trying to avoid getting drenched. But the man didn’t care. He continued moving forward, walking with hunched shoulders and his head down. If you hadn’t seen him walking like this before the storm it would be ea...

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“All in a Day's Work” by Corrie McCue

Submitted to Contest #180

Please note: This story contains use of strong language and adult themes.Marti returned to the register, the beer from the six pack dropped by the local drunk causing her shoes to stick to the floor. “Hi,” she acknowledged, hoping to avoid as much conversation with the plump, middle-aged man as possible. “Why are you in such a bad mood? You should smile more. You’d be so much prettier,” he admonished. “You need gas? Where you at out there?” She eyed him indifferently, ignoring the comments so typical of insecure men. It was like th...

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“Quintessentially (Un)lucky ” by Fathima R

Submitted to Contest #180

The air tasted sour that day. I just knew from the moment my eyes opened that it was an absolutely morose, burdensome, horrible, tumultuous, momentous in a bad-kind-of-way, day. I knew it when I woke up feeling the broken frame of my glasses jabbing my right side. As I reached my hand out and patted the sheets around me blindly to find the rest of my frame, I knocked down my table lamp, which resulted in a floor full of porcelain shards and a room full of curses.I took a deep breath and released it as a short sigh.Remembering the busy schedu...

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“It's Unlucky Not to Be Superstitious” by Bob Banel

Submitted to Contest #180

It was Steak Night aboard the harbor Tugboat Samson moored at Pier 13 on the San Francisco waterfront. At the dinner meal , Deckhand Nicky, a flibbertigibbet in Captain Billy's well seasoned opinion, spilled the salt shaker onto the galley table and apparently didn't possess enough common sense to toss a pinch over his left shoulder smack dab into The Devil's eyes. The other two crew members, Mister Mate Mark and Chief the Engineer, were too occupied chowing down their supper and were oblivious to this transgression. After all, it was Steak ...

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“Unlucky Day” by Nataliia Stempkovska

Submitted to Contest #180

A short, thin, middle-aged man moved cautiously down the street, keeping away from the walls of the house. Nervously adjusting his glasses, he looked around as if looking for someone. It was pitch-dark outside, and not a single lantern was lit. The man reached into the pocket of his worn old coat to get a flashlight, only to find that there was a huge hole. He chaotically stuck his other hand into another pocket — another hole. “Damn, when will this day end!” John thought to himself and wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead with his s...

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“Lemons and Oranges” by Es Bee

Submitted to Contest #180

She wasn’t my first heartbreak and she wouldn’t be my last, but she would be the most memorable by far. Even now, tangled in blankets and sleepwear, I can feel the ghost of the warmth she would bring to cold winter mornings. When I woke up, I had a feeling I would walk out of my bedroom and see her at the island in the kitchen of my large penthouse apartment placing bowls of fruit and premade plates on any free counter space available. “Lemons and Oranges for decoration,” she would say, though it never made sense to me, “And for healthy snac...

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“The Game is a Foot ” by Laura McCluskey

Submitted to Contest #180

The Game is a Foot By Laura McCluskey , Jan. 8, 2023 Harvey was born to hop. Due to an unavoidable birth defect, he only had one foot. So, he hopped. Everywhere. He hopped to the school, he hopped to the store, he hopped to the park, he hopped to his grandmothers and even hopped to his doctor appointments. Arriving at Dr. W.R. Iamlate's office, Harvey was always greeted with the same salutation. "Good day, Master Harvey! Is this the day you will opt for a cane and stop...

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“A Day With Dorothy” by Robin Owens

Submitted to Contest #180

When Mario let himself into Paige’s apartment, he was greeted by a pair of striped legs protruding from under the couch, à la Wizard of Oz. “Has there been a tornado in here?” he shouted with mock concern. Paige flexed her disembodied legs and bumped her head on the underside of the couch. “Ow! Ugh, Mario you scared me.” “Well, that’s what you get for making me think I’d walked in on a dead body.” Mario plopped down on the swivel chair. “The wicked witch is dead!” he sang as he swiveled side to side. Paige wiggled free and sat up. “Y...

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“Quizz Whizz” by Sarah K

Submitted to Contest #180

The lights in the studio flicker to life all at once, shining down on the brightly-colored set. The audience begins to clap immediately as the vibrant podiums and décor become visible, an array of tiny yellow bulbs spelling “Quizz Whizz!” in large letters on the far wall. From speakers above, the jazzy theme song starts to play, eliciting a louder cheer from the crowd. From the side trots out a suited man, tie impossibly straight and hair drowning in sleek gel. He smiles charismatically out to the crowd, holding what must be the world’s skin...

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“The Mystery of the Stalker.” by Yonathan Haddis

Submitted to Contest #180

Today something remarkable happened. I have always been fortunate, but today it looks as if my luck is running out. For instance, in the morning I was going to school when I found a car wrecked in our trash. I thought it was a coincidence, but later I found something unusual in my locker. A dead rat, but there was a sketchy guy in all black I saw out of the corner of my eye. Then I thought about the trash can. The trash can incident then popped into my head. It is just connecting the dots. When I realized it might stalk me at first, I was ve...

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“The Last Pearl ” by Cole Kordus

Submitted to Contest #180

Martain shifted, crouched on a narrow rafter overlooking a small, well-adorned office and dabbed away the sweat from his brow with the cloth-wrap on his left wrist. Luck had gotten him this far - and it would hopefully see him through to the end. But this wasn't the kind of every-day luck that someone experiences when a good trade comes their way or they find one of the Emperor's gold coins stepped into the muck. No, no, this was Luck with a capital 'L.' This was magic. And he only had one pearl of Luck left. Worming his fi...

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“The Specator” by Andrew Sweet

Submitted to Contest #180

Warning: Contains some (minimal) gun violence. I was near enough to the door to catch the kiss of ice when it opened and to be reassured when the frigid blast shrunk proportionally to the width of the narrowing crack that the chill that still resided in my bones would eventually diminish. A family came through. I only dared to catch a glimpse from my station as I posed over the half-empty coffee cup that graces the three-foot-diameter table my elbows rest rudely against. The father led, head held high with a gray fedora and a black band ...

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“Better Than Ezra” by Dave Bolin

Submitted to Contest #180

Ezra sat at the table with his co-workers on a Friday night, and the conversation had turned, as they sometimes do when it is too late in the evening, philosophical. “All I’m saying is that there is a reason for everything.” Ezra scoffed, as he peeled the label off his beer bottle. “That’s ridiculous.” “Why is that ridiculous?” “Just take a look around! This world is a random pile of messes, stacking one on top of the other.” “Well, I just believe in purpose and destiny.” Ezra set his bottle to the side. “Okay. Let’s put th...

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“Guardian of the Dragon’s Breath” by Hannah Chapdelaine

Submitted to Contest #180

The rest of my life depends on this, on a stupid simple coin flip. Everything I’ve been working towards depends on this moment. My whole life my family has been preparing me for either outcome and now they’re both staring me in the face. I’ve been training to become the Guardian of the Dragon’s Breath, the most dangerous form of magic known to man, if it falls into the wrong hands it can be a weapon of mass destruction. My great grandfather was once the holder and protector of the Dragon’s breath, now it’s my turn. Unfortunately, I never met...

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“Out of Luck” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #180

It’s nineteen-sixty-seven, and Larry Lungren is hot-footing it to the nearest bus stop. Behind him are two big burly looking guys in close pursuit. Larry makes it to the bus just as the doors start to close. He forces them open, jumps in, and stuffs a ten in the cashbox. “Step on it, will ya!” he snaps. Gears grind, and the engine lunges to life. In a cloud of smoke, the bus rolls into traffic. Larry laughs as he watches his two pursuers give up the chase. Slapping the driver on the shoul...

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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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