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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

“Oscar and Fred” by Cynthia Hoskin

Submitted to Contest #183

Oscar and Fred“What is this place?” the old man muttered while dangling his legs over a solid-seeming cloud. He looked around. There were hundreds of similar billows wafting around him. As far as he could see, he was the only living creature. At least he thought he was living, but he had no recollection of arriving.Intermittent breezes felt soft as they lifted a few strands of white hair on the top of his head. Soon he detected flutes piping somewhere far off.“Well, this isn’t so bad,” he whispered as he leaned back into the gentle...

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“The Honorable Battle of the Barbarians” by Raeleigh Wilkinson

Submitted to Contest #183

Everard raced through the dense forest, his armor clanking loud enough for both armies to hear. He paused for a moment, raising his hands as far above his head as his bulky shoulder plates would allow, catching his breath. His metal chest plate gleamed in the dappled sunlight. A twig snapped. Everard spun toward the sound, the arrow leaving his bow before the foe could step fully into the clearing. He fell with a garbled “for king and country…” Everard snorted. “The wrong king and country. Obviously.” Everard reassessed his ar...

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“The Layover” by Erin Keagan

Submitted to Contest #183

Subzero temperatures had transformed the torrential rainfall into tiny beads of ice. The sound reminded her of rice being poured onto a hardwood floor. She shuttered as she remembered a man she dated briefly years ago that was into some pretty sexually deviant stuff, least of all masturbating while watching her kneel naked on kernels of rice. The lengths she used to go. Next to her non-alcoholic beer her cell phone buzzed and lit up with yet another text message from the airline apologizing for the delay. Her flight would start...

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“Earl” by Jen Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #183

New York was a different kind of hell during August. That sticky heat still lingered from the summer months, preying on those who dared use public transport or run for a cab. No one understood this better than Earl.Earl was a 68-year-old cab driver in New York City. He had experienced thirty eight Augusts in this career, and it never got any easier. The unbearable heat mixed with the complaining, odorous passengers – hell.He liked his job, though, which is why he had stayed so long. There were highs and lows of course, but at the very l...

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“Dancing to Barry White” by Sharon Farnsworth

Submitted to Contest #183

DANCING TO BARRY WHITE 1976 – One week after the Ali-Norton fight. It was one of those small neighborhood bars in Boston's South End. Seedy part of town. Inside was dark, back-lit bar, TV on the wall, neon liquor signs for decoration, a rack of nuts and chips on the far end by the ladies room. Older than dirt and only frequented by locals. So when the two walked in, everyone who could still see straight turned their head. Interest in the women was obvious. They took immediate command of the room as they sauntered down the ba...

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“Solana and Solanum” by Laura Magee

Submitted to Contest #183

Curg Ridel was not a town in which Solana had ever imagined she would take up residence. The gnome town was bustling for nearly twenty-four hours, with a slight lull for maybe a couple of hours on the dark side of the morning, with emphasis on ‘slight’. At half past noon, nearly all residents, even those who had sung away the later hours of the night were up and about. Those just waking were starting out for breakfast at one of the myriad inns, diners, or streetside vendors. Others, who had the sense to have slept when sensible people slept ...

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“The Mermaid Enchantress” by Setter Brindle Birch

Submitted to Contest #183

The mermaid enchantress is my last hope. If she can’t help me, I doubt anyone can. Finally, the workday is over and it’s time to clock out. As I pass the receptionist in the front lobby I wave and smile like an idiot, but as usual I don’t dare open my mouth. All day long it’s been one gaffe after another, and I’m afraid to make a peep. At 9:15, during our morning meeting, I sounded sycophantic. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a brilliant idea.” But everyone applauded my misstatement. A few minutes later, I desperately wanted ...

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“A to B” by Lisa Cornell

Submitted to Contest #183

An elderly man sat at a table outside a cafe slowly sipping his latte. He was never a very outgoing person but the days felt long and lonely and he missed his wife. She had always been one to enjoy talking just for the sake of it. So he today he thought he would brave a visit to the cafe."Ting" went the door and a businessman bustled out in his haste his gaze briefly swung by the old man. Catching the look the old man started "my wife and I," but he noticed the businessman had already looked away and brought his full attention to his mobile ...

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“Briefly by the counter.” by Rosemary Brett-Green

Submitted to Contest #183

It was his legs that drew her attention. He seemed to have put on odd legs as he started the day. One was well calved, the other thinner and shapeless. His shorts – that came to his knees - made their appearance even odder. The one leg of the pants coming just below the knee, the other, cuff backed, fell mid-knee. His black socks, too, differed. The one covering the ankle of the fatter leg was lower than the other; the other, pulled high, exaggerating the thinness of that limb. Her eyes travelled up his body. The football shirt was of the s...

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“The Golden Lychee” by Neil L Yuzuk

Submitted to Contest #183

The Golden Lychee By Neil L. Yuzuk In the living room, the radio was playing—Johnny Mathis wanted a White Christmas, Leroy Anderson was on a Sleigh Ride, Nat King Cole was Roasting Chestnuts on an Open Fire, while Eartha Kitt was looking for her Santa Baby. A heavy snowfall was predicted for Christmas Day, but for the Eve, just a slow dusting, maybe an inch or two, to transform Brooklyn into a Winter Wonderland. Her leather boots would keep her dry on the way to the Golden Lychee. Rose Schwartz stood in the bathroom and pursed her lips a...

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“Since Death We Don't Part” by Zoë Page

Submitted to Contest #183

We met at a funeral. The sky was thickly overcast with clouds, dribbling miserably all day and forcing the huddle of mourners to shelter in clumps under a few black umbrellas. There was a chill in the air: not only from the strange, deathlike radiation the graveyard gave off and the dismal atmosphere set by the people, but an eerie, watery mist drifted amongst us all, snaking and curling at our fingertips, causing us to have to huddle close to the coffin. My aunt’s passing hung like a burden on all our shoulders; we pulled our black coats ti...

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“Origins” by Reece York

Submitted to Contest #183

Only planetary bodies and the spaces between them existed. Only the combusting stars and swirling dead planets patrolled the emptiness. The rotation of planets birthed the first two sentient beings, Darkness and Light; shadow and incandescence. They danced during the conception of time and material, and have ever since persisted in their chase, hunt, and play. These two conversed before all others. "Why do you flee, Darkness?", Light shimmered on the cusp of a mountain peak, inching closer by the slow spin of the vast desolate planet. ...

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“Take Down in the Electronics Aisle” by David B Fraser

Submitted to Contest #183

“I’m not interested in partnering up.” Anjelica said. She was quite serious in her full security uniform. Tony Rousseau led her to the back of the warehouse store, his belly almost bursting his too small baker’s apron. “No, no, Joey’s a co-op student from Watcheye College. We don’t have a lot of money for security here. It’s breaking the bank hiring you people, and then they said for what we could afford they could only send one guard. Joey’s taking the security and safety course at the College.” “Great.”...

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“Red and Blue” by Kitty Turner

Submitted to Contest #183

Mobilize for Phoenix, appeared on the channel reserved for the militia. The Free Born Discord servers had been blowing up for over seventy-two hours. Incessant be-boops were driving me up the wall. I mean, how much can you say about ammunition stores and meeting points? The clamor of it hurt my brain. Finally, I muted all media channels except for one. When the be-boop signaling the orders to move out sounded, it was loud and clear.At least two hundred protestors were on the way from Las Vegas, California, and Colorado. Free Born spies had i...

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“Sincerely Mistaken” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #183

“It’s like a light show. A really damn weird light show.” Andrew Taker muttered that to himself as he carefully stepped through the hallway on his way to first period, eyes darting across the room. The horde of people made the room particularly hot that day. He partially unzipped his jacket while holding his backpack tightly to his chest with his other hand, subconsciously paranoid about the watching eyes of those around him. It was a shocking sight for Andrew. Coming from a small town in Mississippi, his schools were full mostly of white fo...

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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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