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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

“Cherry Blossom” by Kaia Jai

Submitted to Contest #180

Cherry Blossom Monday, early April. Tip tap tip tap. I sluggishly roll out of bed in my small studio apartment and look out one of the few windows that remind me these walls are not a prison. It’s grey and raining. Gross. This is why I never liked April. It’s always rainy and cold, especially here in Vancouver. It’s harder to get out of bed on rainy days, and today I’m already running late and need to get ready for work. It’s a thirty minute walk to get there, which includes the time it takes for me to get a coffee at Sprouters, my second...

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“The Fare” by Amanda Doak

Submitted to Contest #180

Content warning: hostage situation, off-stage death. I checked my watch and drained the last of the cold coffee from my mug at 4:30 Friday afternoon when Kevin walked through my office door with nine files and a smug half smile. “Bottoms up, Beck. Might as well get some more. Your weekend just ended before it began.” He slapped the files on my desk. My notepad fluttered in protest. “What’s this?” &nbs...

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“Luther Whitehorse” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #180

Tony Mercelli was flanked by his brothers Alphonse and Marcus as they filed off the private Lear hey at Sky Harbor Airport In Phoenix. Dressed in pin striped suits and sunglasses, the trio appeared like high rollers, movers and shakers ready to seize the town by a haboob. Baboons were sand storms that were more frequent during the monsoons. Known as Tony Mercy by his brothers and close associates, Tony was here to check out the Fort McDowell Casino out near Fountain Hills that was located on the Pima Indian Reservati...

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“The pokerplayer” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #180

trigger warning: gambling. Keith was an old-school gambler. He did not believe in modern and electronic gadgets. According to him, that only served to look chic, and posh. But that was the current situation in casinos these days. He cared little for games of chance and other rigged things. He thought that was nothing but inconvenient. He could be given a good poker game at any time, and Keith was happy. He stood in the doorway of the Desert Casino, silhouetted against the gaudy lights flashing inside, and waited. Patiently. Inside, w...

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“that's just show business” by Alexa Lea

Submitted to Contest #180

tw: brief mentions of body image-1956Cindy is 14. Sometimes, when I close my eyes at night I see a woman. She drips with jewelry and burgundy silk. Gold lays on her neck softly, coiling around her wrists in dainty loops. Her hair is in pins and her teeth are the color of paper. I see her now, on the stage. She’s swaying as she sings; her voice comes from deep in her stomach. In the heart of the stage, her body doesn’t reflect the spotlights that hit her; she soaks them in. The beams wrap around her, sliding unde...

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“The Best Helper” by Lashun Williams

Submitted to Contest #180

“I can do this. I just need to--” “Your wife isn’t going to accept this, and you know it.” I demanded Derek to put down his debit card. Too late. The transaction approved. With a relieved sigh, Derek lowered his phone and card. Defeated, I slouched on the other end of the couch. Disappointment flooded my stomach. Instead of bile clogging my throat, it was warm air. “Derek…” “I need to help these girls, Mark. They need my help. I’m the only one that can help them.” “Winning lottery tickets doesn’t make you a millionaire, Derek!” I...

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“Just Changing” by Mandy Waters

Submitted to Contest #180

Every morning I wake up one minute before my alarm goes off. The first thing I do is roll over to cancel said alarm before the siren blares, giving me the worst migraine a person could possibly imagine. I take a moment to wake up, rubbing my eyes and stretching a bit. After all, it feels good to get moving after a full 8 hours of sleep. This is the second thing I do every morning. Next on the list is opening the drapes. I look out the window and onto the roofs of the other old buildings in town. I see the ocean in the distance an...

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“The Cosmic Imbalance of a Lucky Foot” by Jamie Roe

Submitted to Contest #180

Fisker ran through the tall grass as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, the green blades whipping past his face in a blur. The wind coursed through his brown fur as his long ears flapped wildly behind. A clump of bright orange fur was held tightly within his large front teeth. The moon was full in the great beyond high above. Her radiant beauty shone with grace over the ocean of flowing grass, illuminating the narrow trail beneath the waves. But dark clouds brewed on the horizon, growing ever closer on a hurried wind. Fisker darted lef...

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“Coin Flip” by Dilbert Jazz

Submitted to Contest #180

Jack stood at the crossroads, torn between two very different paths. On the one hand, there was the steady, reliable route: a job offer at a prestigious law firm with a six-figure salary and all the perks that came with it. It was the sort of opportunity that most people could only dream of, and Jack's family and friends had all urged her to take it. But then there was the other path that called to Jack's wild side: the chance to travel the world and make it as a professional poker player. It was a risky, uncertain venture with no guarantees...

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“Calypso & The Coin Flip” by Joe Gatto

Submitted to Contest #180

I was unlucky to be born in Pontus, although I didn't realize it as I was growing up. My father was a successful merchant and had a prosperous business brokering the products of our abundant kingdom — cherries, olives, nuts, and fruit wines. When I was young he taught me his trade and I learned well how to conduct the business, source the products, find buyers and make them happy. My family lived very well until our king, Mithridates, picked a fight with Rome. King Mithridates stoked the passions of the young men of our kingdom, so my ...

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“The Flip of a Coin” by Kayla Baumann

Submitted to Contest #180

I stand at a crossroads. Wind whips my hair around my face as I prop my hands on my hip. I tap my thumb on the pommel of my sword and consider my options. One path leads into the forest that grows darker by the second. The other leads to a cave. I need to find shelter before night falls. To stay out in the open means certain death once full darkness settles. Both of my options hold dangers. All sorts of wild plants and animals. Thieves. Dragons. Dragons are my biggest threat. I open my money pouch and pull out a coin, my default for m...

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“George Washington” by Cris Forney

Submitted to Contest #180

I am notoriously bad at making decisions, and my dad knows this, which is why I’ve been sitting in my car for about twenty minutes, staring at the quarter in my hand. I have two choices. I can get out of my car, go inside, and go to bed. Or I can put my car in drive, haul ass across town, and hope I’m not too late. When I told my dad about it, he said that I should follow my heart. I told him that was impossible. That was when he pressed a quarter into the palm of my hand and said “Try flipping a coin, then.” I’ve been in love with Molly f...

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“The Spitting Caves” by Josh T

Submitted to Contest #180

Drew watched as the small silver coin twisted through the air. It looked almost orange as its polished sides caught the reflection of the afternoon sun over the turquoise-blue ocean behind him. Across from him, a tanned shirtless boy stood, his eyes glued to the coin. A bead of sweat was making its way down his forehead. Drew smiled, it was nice to see him panic a little. It had been a simple bet. Heads and Drew jumped, Tails and the other boy would. Drew almost felt bad, knowing what he did about the unexplainable influence he h...

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“Penny For Your Thoughts” by Sarah Nelson

Submitted to Contest #180

They decided to settle things the old-fashioned way, the way their Uncle Frankie used to do before pneumonia had killed him earlier that year: by flipping a coin. Frankie had always flipped a coin for everything, no matter how big or small. Leroy remembered one time his uncle even flipped a coin to decide whether or not to get married. The coin didn’t flip in his favor and, unsurprisingly, the woman he had been seeing packed up her slim belongings and was gone the next day. Now, Leroy stood in the parking lot of Smith’s Meat Market wi...

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“The Distorted Mirror and the Shield in My Head” by Natalie Schmitt

Submitted to Contest #180

TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains themes of suicide and mental health. This coin will determine if I live or die. I never thought it would get so bad, the endless rush of thoughts telling me, You’re a bad person. Nobody likes you. You’re revolting. Why would you think like that? I have bad thoughts, and they’re going to kill me. They chip away at the imagined shield in my head until the shield breaks and it all comes cascading in, and by then I feel it’s too late to turn around. I feel a pang of nervousness every ti...

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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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