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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#183: Opposite Day

January 25th was National Opposite Day — the day when topsy-turviness rules, and nothing is as it seems. On Opposite Day, you’re supposed to say the exact opposite of what you mean. And while this holiday is probably just one for kids, it’s a fun excuse to think about the ways we communicate, and about the concept of “opposites” more generally.

Opposites are a frequent source of inspiration for writing; whether your opposing forces provide balance, or are at odds with one another. With that in mind, this week’s prompts are all about obfuscation, contrast, and swapping between extremes.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone who is cursed to always say the opposite of what they mean.

Dialogue – 26 stories

Write a story about two opposites finding themselves surprisingly attracted to one another.

Romance – 48 stories

Write about a character who uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism.

Character – 14 stories

Write a story that includes the line “We’re just too different.”

Angst – 67 stories

Write a story about two characters whose paths briefly cross, but are actually going in opposite directions — whether literally or figuratively.

Dramatic – 93 stories

Stories

“When the Hay'tisan Came” by Noah Aylward

Submitted to Contest #183

The hay'tisan were grey. Their skin was grey. Their hair was grey. Their eyes were grey. The fires they seemed to weave from thin air were not grey. The blazing destruction they scattered about the city with waves of their hands came in more colors than a hundred of the finest rugs Elsbet had ever sold. Elsbet would never sell a rug in Marsett again. A great ship with sails like crimson bat wings had made anchor in the harbor. Just one ship. The hay'tisan had thrown down their gangplank and come sprinting to the docks in eerie silence. Then,...

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“A STRANGE GUY” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #183

A STRANGE GUY “ Yes, in my opinion, Maggie should wear the yellow dress. It suits her more than the green one” Even on that festive, cheerful, relaxed occasion Peter couldn’t help but say exactly the opposite of what he thought. Whenever it happened to him, and it happened to him regularly, to say the opposite of what he thought he felt like he was two people in one: one for the others, who he knew so much were never sincere, and one for himself, who had to remain hidden, unknown to others. So it was when he had asserted that the most ap...

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“I’m Looking for You” by David B Fraser

Submitted to Contest #183

Marta drove up to the house. She looked around the neighborhood that was neither wealthy nor poor. She checked the map on her phone, and rifled through the computer printouts on her passenger seat. She checked herself in the mirror. She got out of the car and went to the door and knocked. After a moment the door opened and a man in his pajamas with a coffee answered. Marta looked him over carefully. “Sorry, no solicitors, no religion, no energy saving programs, no uninvite...

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“Indulge” by Alexander Walters

Submitted to Contest #183

Warning: Insensitive language, body stigma. The fatties aren’t happy this morning. In fact, some might argue that they aren’t truly happy any morning, of any day; Keith Taft is one such person. Keith Taft is thin, and this morning he also happens to be the special guest on Riley Thompson’s podcast, Indulge. Riley Thompson is fat. She’s also upset. Keith Taft doesn’t care. “You guys are always talking about, ‘trust the science, trust your doctors’, how come that same sentiment doesn’t apply to weight or obesity? It doesn’t track!” “Keit...

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“Marwa and Sukayna ” by Ksenija Rubež

Submitted to Contest #183

“How about we invest the money intended for Green Owl into building the architecture for our writing hub?” “No. We should use the space that we already have for a smaller scale presentation of our idea, and then if the investors like it, then we start investing more money” Sukayna – who was her only interlocutor in a meeting of twelve people – flipped the pen through her fingers, and gave a sarcastic smile to Marwa’s reply. Managing not to throw the pen right between her eyes, Sukayna says “Our project involves a lot of people...

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“Opposites Attract” by Andrés Marticorena Hillman

Submitted to Contest #183

Howard POV The hallway lights were always too dim even during the day, but, standing alone with the person I hated the most in this life, I found myself grateful for the muted, yellow glow of the fluorescent lights and thanking the universe this was happening at night, so it’d be as dark as possible. When I made the final step toward the blonde girl standing in front of me, I felt my nose wrinkle unconsciously. I noted that her shirt was the one she had worn yesterday and today at school, too. Her shorts looked a size too small for her, an...

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“Do Opposites Attract? Oh Yes!” by RICHARD SEELY

Submitted to Contest #183

They were different: One short, the other tall. One slow and deliberate, the other always buzzing around like a bee. One needed to be taken care of, the other determined to be a caretaker. What a surprising love story! Hattie, the first in her family to move away from Ogdensburg since the Westbrook ancestors arrived in the 1700’s, took a teller’s job in NYC. Tremaine - from the Finger Lakes - was happy working in the 1920’s as a reporter for one of his father’s newspapers. Then the stock market crashed, Tremain...

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“Polar Attraction” by Michael Freeman

Submitted to Contest #183

“Whoa.” I gasp in awe at the grandeur of the manor that looms before me, enveloped in its enormous shadow. I’d heard rumors of the luxurious Strauss Estate but figured they were exaggerations. The three-story lime-washed brick mansion is old but well-kept. It’s so large that the small, single-floor rancher I call home could fit inside it at least a dozen times. Everything from the immaculate landscaping to the hand-carved mahogany front door, screams wealthy elite. That’s not to mention the six-car garage for the limos. One of which brough...

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“Your Favorite Student” by Jacob Brown

Submitted to Contest #183

Dear Ms. Miller, Remember me? It’s Ian, from English class, 2016. I don’t blame you if you don’t, it must be so hard to keep track of all your past students with all the work you have to do—those essays don’t grade themselves! Remember when you always said that to us? I do. It’s February now, hopefully the ones your kids submitted in November are almost done. Oh, please pardon me, I forgot how busy you are coaching the girl’s volleyball team. Sorry to hear you went 0-16 again, you’ll get ‘em next time! Your Facebook account is publ...

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“DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #183

I want to tell you a story about two people who are the complete opposite of each other. One is a star football player and the other was Dyslexic. Their names are Braelynn and Zavier. Here is their story. We're just too different, Braelynn use to say that all the time. Whenever she saw Zavier, she hid behind her Art. Whenever Zavier passed by her, she ran away. Braelynn and Zavier came from two different worlds. Braelynn wasn't the popular girl nor the smart girl. She is known as the dyslexic girl. Braelynn struggled so much in school th...

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“Finishing the Task” by Mary Anderson

Submitted to Contest #183

Tabitha walked quickly away from her twin. She almost stomped as anger seethed from every pore. “We’re just too different,” she called over her shoulder as she continued down the path away from their home. Shouldering her backpack as she walked, she briskly brushed the tears away from her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowed her pace to a gentle stride. Her jeans swished as her legs passed each other with each stride. The countryside had never looked so bleak. The dead of winter never showed off the place to its advantage. Too far sout...

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“American Interchange” by Kevin Rault

Submitted to Contest #183

It was just past three-thirty when the first customer pulled into Mo’s Irish Pub on the western outskirts of Omaha. Mo Murphy stood there behind the counter, listening to a Gaelic rock tape and plunging his damp gray washcloth into the bottoms of pint glasses when the bell tinkled. He looked up to see a man about twenty years his junior, mid-40s, wearing a cashmere sweater and leather boots and leading the November chill as the door slammed shut. “Afternoon, fella,” Mo said, flipping the washcloth over his shoulder and turning a glass uprig...

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“Sunrise, Sunset” by Jenny Powers

Submitted to Contest #183

Maggie’s headlights flash off the chrome bumper of an old Chevy pick-up as she pulls into the trailhead parking lot. She flicks off her Subaru’s lights and gets out. Darkness envelops her, but when her eyes adjust, the sky is a slightly lighter shade of black than the forest around her. An infinity of stars waits for her to look up. She doesn’t. Maggie pulls on a lime green cap, straps on a headlamp, and attacks the trail without preamble. She knows this trail backwards and forwards, muddy and dry, sunny and snowy, at a breezy walk and at a...

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“The Twins” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #183

The Twins Born on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini, five minutes apart and as opposite as night and day. Sandra was light-skinned, had blonde hair, a quiet smiler, and blue eyes; unlike usual black children, Sally was chestnut, chubby, and a crier with black curly locks. If I had not been one of the nurses assisting in the delivery room, I would not have believed they were sisters. They live three doors down on the right in this apartment complex, so I think that is why I feel invested in their lives, or maybe it’s because their mother suffere...

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“A Path to be Crossed” by Andrew Spangler

Submitted to Contest #183

The storm rages outside as Nathan closes the door behind him. He is soaked to the bone as he makes his way to the front desk of the inn. "I'll be needing a room." The Innkeeper eyes Nathan up and down, taking in a count of all the weapons the man is carrying. "Bounty hunter?" "Mind your business. Mine shouldn't be spoken aloud." The Keep understands. Everyone in the land knows of the one business no one should speak of. From behind Nathan a softer voice echoes across the room. "An assassin are you?" A rail thin man strides up to the side of ...

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$250

Prize money

248

Contest entries

125

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 03, 2023 EST

Won by Laurel Hanson 🏆

Title: Of Harpers and Heroes

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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