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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

“Sunflower” by Tracy Johnston

Submitted to Contest #183

Five miles in and I'm tired already but I feel the buzz of a new adventure moving through me. I set the purple backpack on the picnic bench and take a deep breath before opening it. Day 1 on the trail and I have a turkey and cheese tortilla wrap ready for me. Fresh food. Yum. I've already lost my appetite after two bites. I continue to chew, slower now. I look at the engravings and pull out my phone to take a picture. "Bill Bryson is a . . . " I read and then look down at the picture. That's right. He didn't finish. At least he tried. At lea...

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“Playing Cards” by Camille Mockingjay

Submitted to Contest #183

Playing Cards My grandmother told me to never fall in love with the other side. I didn’t know what she meant by that at the time. She had spread her cards, her beloved cards, that supposedly tell the future, out in front of my face and told me to choose. I chose the ace of spades. She clucked her tongue in disapproval, her eyes filled with the fire of knowing without telling. “Dear Adina, never fall in love with the other side. It’ll only be trouble for you.” I used to think I didn’t believe her. I had been warned from...

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“The Scarf and the Sword” by Jacob Gauthier

Submitted to Contest #183

A girl moved across a landscape of dead, yellow grass, her breath creating puffs of vapor in the frigid winter air. She wore a thick jacket the color of dried blood and pants covered with white dust. The only bright spot of color she wore was the bright apple-red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. She tried singing as she walked but stopped after just a few minutes. It felt wrong to disturb the all-encompassing quiet of a world that had come to an end. ~~~ A few miles west, an old man with a large sword strapped to his back was wal...

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“THE BLIND DATE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #183

It is a rare individual who does not desire and need the love of others.Larry Peppercap, an accomplished young man, but quite modest in appearance, longed for feminine companionship and love. Tall, muscular, handsome and athletic, he was not. But determined to find a genuine relationship, he was.Following the advice of his male friends, Larry opened a profile on an internet dating service, Lovemetonight.com. The posting of photos on this website was optional. And for that, Larry was most grateful. Larry was not photogenic, and usually had th...

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“We Are a Burning City” by Teddy Karelefsky

Submitted to Contest #183

We Are a Burning City “Follow that car!” I yell, slamming the taxi door behind me. Without hesitation the driver hits the pedal. Sweat pools on my brow as we speed past a blur of gray people and black cars. Keeping my focus on the beat-up, red Toyota she drives, we chase her around the corner. The hard turn slams me to the side of the taxi. We speed up, running three red lights, and screech to a halt when the Toyota parks at the airport. I'm fumbling to unlock my car ...

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“The Gray & Blood In Between ” by Angela Pirozzi

Submitted to Contest #183

Sensitive Content Warning: This story contains scenes of fighting, war, blood, and death. My ears rang as the barrage of artillery rained down around me as I stumble- walked- ran bleary-eyed through the unfamiliar hilly terrain. In all my years in the small town where I’d grown up, I’d never seen such chaos. Such utter destruction. No video game had ever prepared me for what I had come to witness. I wanted to close my eyes to it all but that would mean my immediate demise. So, I struggled on. Losing my bearings in all the anarchy, I...

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“In the Wake of World” by Emily Williams

Submitted to Contest #183

I saw you. A large duffle bag was slung over your shoulder, your sister’s hand tightly in your own. Your back was turned to me, but I knew it was you. I recognized the tattoo on your forearm you’d gotten after we graduated high school. You had called me after your appointment and showed me the intricate symbol that was now embedded into your flesh. I loved it. I got my first one soon after and you were there, just as you promised. The world was much simpler than before all of the fighting and the chaos. The last time I’d seen you was th...

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“Different Planets” by RJ Holmquist

Submitted to Contest #183

My planet is different from your planet. I’m not saying it's better. It’s just different. I know, I know, it's hard not to start drawing comparisons, especially when it comes to things like the place that made you. Naturally, everyone is curious to know whether the ball of matter that is responsible for the particular arrangement of molecules they are currently styling as “themself” is of high or low quality. But that’s the problem people! We have to resist the temptation to engage with those kinds of insecurities. Planets are just different...

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“Different Part Deux” by Colleen Ireland

Submitted to Contest #183

“That’s not what I mean.” “Of course it is. We’re saying the exact same thing, just in different ways.” Sabrina scowled. “No. I’m saying we’re two different people, and you’re saying we’re just too different. It’s not the same.” James laughed out loud, not because he thought it was funny, this Friday afternoon exchange with his girlfriend on a city sidewalk, but because it’s what he did when exasperated; he laughed. It was an annoying tick that got him in trouble on a few occasions, like this one. Botoxed brows straining to pin...

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“Opposites Attract Nothing but Pain” by C.C. Knight

Submitted to Contest #183

In the corner of my eye, I catch dark wavy hair and an all too familiar smile, with the dimples and hazel eyes to match. And somehow my heart goes into overdrive, beating out of my chest but at the same time feels as if it has stopped altogether. There is only one person who never fails to elicit such a visceral reaction out of me and that would be Jason Davis. Some people fall in love with the wrong people sometimes, or however that song goes. We all know this, we’ve all been there or at least seen it haven’t we? Well, my wron...

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“Lucky Girl” by Kasey Fisher

Submitted to Contest #183

I poured my cup of coffee, mindlessly scrolling through my phone, another week gone with nothing to do. I put my head in my hands and sighed dramatically. “You ok, Mrs. Collins?” Marta, the housekeeper, asked as she dusted the nine thousand dollar grandfather clock. Nine grand on a clock. Reason number three hundred and twenty-seven we were opposites. “Yes, Marta, I’m fine. Thank you.” I forced a smile. “And please, call me Juliet.” She smiled and nodded, but we both knew she never would. She took her job far too serio...

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“"Has He Hurt You?" ” by Malaika Shaikh

Submitted to Contest #183

The 90 degree heat of this August day was getting to my head. Sweat rolled down my face in little beads, I wiped it away with the back of my hand. I was in a parking lot of traffic, cars honked, people were yelling from their windows, some woman had even gotten out of her car and was leaning against the driver side door. Clearly the heat wasn’t doing much to the people around me, as a teenager in the car to my right scrolled aimlessly on her phone. An older man in the car to my left flipped through a newspaper, whil...

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“Karma in the Kitchen” by Tami Absi

Submitted to Contest #183

Karma in the Kitchen Colin bounced the solitaire ring in the palm of his hand and then grabbed it in a tight fist, jokingly shaking it at Jan. “I hope you’ve given up, finally,” he said. “Admit we’ve failed as jewelry thieves and the universe obviously pushes us in a different direction.” Jan smacked his hand and held out her palm, offering to relieve him of the faux ring from their failed he...

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“What the Heart Wants, Wants the Heart Too” by Vincent Paiement Désilets

Submitted to Contest #183

The woman had left quite an impression on me with her uncanny eating habits. But the most attractive feature in anyone is passion—intense, unrestrained passion. In this dull, mechanical world, when someone still has a spark in the eye, that light is contagious. What was she so enthusiastic about? Meat. Someone who can find excitement in the mundane is always a keeper. Since we’d met, on our first date, she occupied most of my mental screen time. My friends, they’d said of cou...

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“The Simplicity of Colour” by Mask Name

Submitted to Contest #183

My world is painted in a slanted grayscale. Time spins slowly, pacing my days out in front of me. I turn up at school to a full classroom, bustling halls, and crammed lockers. Hundreds of girls talking, planning, learning. Teachers writing names and equations on the board, study halls full of the rustling of paper, coming from worksheets or passing notes. Club rooms packed with noise, enthusiasm and progress. I sit in the hallways, reading from The Castle of Otranto or penning my own tales. I arrive home to empty sitting rooms, an ash-fi...

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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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