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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#188: But There's a Catch

In life, there’s almost always a catch. The beautiful new shoes cause blisters. The exciting promotion at work leaves you feeling out of your depth. The free upgrade to first class comes with a screaming kid for a neighbor. If something seems too good to be true, maybe it is!

We might call these drawbacks ‘the fly in the ointment’; the little things that spoil what would otherwise be wonderful. With this week’s prompts, we’re encouraging you to lean into those frustrations, big and small. Will your characters be able to find a workaround, or is this as good as it gets?

This week's prompts

Write a story that starts with the line “So, what’s the catch?”

Dialogue – 96 stories

Write about a character who would have complete happiness, if it weren’t for that one thing.

Character – 63 stories

Write a story about someone who is determined to not have their day spoiled — but the universe is trying their patience.

Funny – 48 stories

Write about someone who thinks they just got a great deal on something, only for them to realize…

Mystery – 32 stories

Write about a character who’s attending a dinner thrown in their honor, but deeply embarrasses themself during their speech.

Funny – 19 stories

Stories

“Bargain” by Melissa Rea

Submitted to Contest #188

Two hundred feet below the earth a dark figure stood in a black Italian suit, waiting. His shirt was black silk and his tie crimson, just for fun. It wasn’t a color he particularly liked, but it he thought it expected of him. He did not like to wait. Someone was going to be disciplined. The door slid open with the whoosh of an airlock. The blast of warm air hit his face and he closed his eyes with the pleasure of it. The girl behind the door dropped the papers in her arms when she saw him. ...

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“Beyond the world of ideas” by Tonatiuh Duran Meza

Submitted to Contest #188

Sarah Jackson held the small leather journal against her chest excitedly as she nearly skipped her way out the campus. The words of her physics professor, Adrian De la Rosa, were still fresh in her mind, none of which had anything to do with the subject. The young woman had found a kindred spirit with the older man the moment he’d begun to share his fascination with the world of spiritualism and how he utilized his expertise in the field of science and applied it to the world of magic. Every end of his class, Adrian would take ...

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“Moth in the Bell Jar” by Martin Lipman

Submitted to Contest #188

When I was a boy growing up in the village of Burbage in the East Midlands, we would trap Elephant-Hawk Moths under our glasses of lemonade in the summer. When one of us caught a moth under our glass, all the other boys would gather around and watch the brightly coloured creature flit and flutter helplessly, dashing its wings against the glass, scrambling for a way out. We loved watching the pink and green shades of the moth’s wings dither, making pretty patterns in the air. Sometimes, we would let the poor creature out but, on many occasion...

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“Estate” by Daniel Legare

Submitted to Contest #188

October 25th I thought the add had been a typo, but it turns out it was real. 5000$ for a three-story mansion? I had two separate inspectors go over it and they said that other than a bit of peeling paint, the place was in great shape. The realtor told me that it was because the previous owners, who are now deceased, had set the price at 5k, when 5k was worth so much more than it is now. And now, due to some kind of legal loophole, the price was not adjusted for inflation. He also told me that because it was a bit out of the way (you nee...

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“Jackson's Winning Night” by Christine Bialczak

Submitted to Contest #188

***There are some derogatory terms used, however, they are not meant to insult or degrade any person or people*** Jackson walked into the banquet hall with his wife, hand in hand, so excited to be accepting an award for the work that he had put so many years into. When he first met Veva he had been a sophomore at Buick University studying architectural design. His dream had always been to design and build fascinating buildings that would become famous throughout the world. He hoped that one day people from other countries would seek him o...

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“Bat Mitzvah on Cloud Nine” by Liliana Carlomagno

Submitted to Contest #188

Today was the day Ruby had been anticipating for the past 364 days, Ruby’s Bat Mitzvah. Ruby turned thirteen four days ago, but today was her party. Of course, she was excited, I mean her entire class was coming, including Lucas. Lucas was Ruby’s crush, and at this point in her life, he was the most important person. Anything Ruby did, she asked herself, Would Lucas think I was weird if I did this? Or ugly? Or stupid? Everything had to be perfect. Not only for Lucas, but for Papa. Ruby and her ‘Papa’ have been rehearsing her speech ...

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“Point Eleven Percent” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #188

tw: alcohol, themes of manipulation, cheating, abuse If there was one thing Dolion loved about his wife-to-be more than anything else it was her smile. That intoxicating smile, a smile that brightened up the darkest corners of his mind. And her laughter! God, her laughter was brighter than the stars. It was hard to pick just one, he was obsessed. Amidst the traffic, he would swing his eyes off the road ever so often to get a glimpse of her. Michaela noticed, of course, blushing and laughing, telling him to keep his eyes on the road. Her l...

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“Aquamarine of Sapphire Skin” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #188

"So, what's the catch?" asked Vassilis, the leader of the group. Glauco Ponti shrugged, holding up his basket of fish. "Just the usual suspects. Some sardines, a few octopuses, nothing too exciting." Dimitri smirked. "Come on, Glauco, don't hold out on us. You always manage to catch something interesting." Glauco shook his head. "Not this time, boys. Just another boring day on the water." But just as he said that he felt a strange tug on his line. It was stronger than anything he had ever felt before, and he struggled to keep his foo...

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“Free Ride” by Pam Patterson

Submitted to Contest #188

"So, what's the catch?" The sign said "Free Passage to Earth!" I had to admit that I had never heard that one before. I'd seen lots of signs near the port saying things like "Cheap Flights!" and "You cant beat our deals!". They were all scams, but I had never seen anyone who thought that the general populace was stupid enough to believe in a free ride. The owner of the sign put his elbows up on the shelf of the window of his kiosk and leaned out. He didn't look like a slaver, but then again, they never do. He looked me up and down, takin...

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“A Pit of Flowers” by JM Daisy

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch?” these where the words echoing in grace’s mind as she stared blankly down at the brown wooden box that her grandfather now laid in. He always used that same phrase when people would share bad news with him. He knew there was always good and bad, but more importantly he knew that there was good in the bad. All you had to do was find it, and that is exactly what she was struggling to do. It had been almost an hour since the funeral had ended, and she was still stuck staring...

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“The Catch Cat” by Max French

Submitted to Contest #188

(Warning: The following story contains subject matter that involves Mental Health, Light Alcoholism, non-graphic but slightly physical violence/unintentional self-harm. DO NOT FRET This is NOT a gore piece, or violent for violence's sake.)The Catch CatBy Maxwell K. French“So, what’s the catch?” Rocky questioned the strange gentlemen standing in front of him.Just days after being relieved of his position at the Sactown Height’s Gallery for Fine Art, Rocky bumped into two mysterious figures. He was walking home from the liquor store late at ni...

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“'So What's the Catch?' ” by Victoria Worthington

Submitted to Contest #188

“So what’s the catch?” asked Erica. “If he’s so dreamy, and clearly seems to feel the same way about you, ask him out Liv.” “Don’t be ridiculous” I intoned, before even thinking about my response. I had come away from my second lesson earlier that afternoon wondering what on earth came over me, feeling embarrassed, thrilled and, of course, guilty, in equal measure. I had acted like a hormonal teenager, flirting unashamedly. I hadn’t meant to, it just happened. I had giggled at anything I possibly could, accidentally bumped into him when ...

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“38 Special” by Shawn Luther

Submitted to Contest #188

"So, what's 'The Catch'?" Silence fell around the table. Varying degrees of disbelief and pity played over the faces of the other four men sitting with him. Stewart felt his face redden at the apparent indiscretion he just committed. The situation was exasperated by the very real confusion he felt concerning their reactions to his question. "What?" Kent looked around at the others. "Is he for real?" "Sadly, yes he is.” Trevor lowered his head, his hand held over his heart. A twinge of ann...

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“The Catch” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch, Mom?” Marilyn hated Adam’s incessant disputing everything she said. ‘Six years old, and such an attitude.’ Giving birth was the easy part. She gained no status from that task. Adam kept her playing catch up. Always one, no, ten steps behind. How did he get so smart? Though glad of that, his sharp tongue exhausted her. To Adam, she could do no right. Before he could talk was really hell. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see your friends. And make new ones.” She knelt beside him. “You’ll learn new things… reading, writing. Your wor...

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“Escape to Eden” by Ryan Does

Submitted to Contest #188

So what’s the catch? Weaver thought to herself as Director Horton stood behind the podium for her speech to the Astraeus crew of 112 personnel. The director’s well rehearsed monologue continued, “After the upcoming months of training, you will all be ready to embark. The Astraeus mission will be the first long range mission in the history of space exploration to establish a permanent settlement off Earth. This crew includes experts from across the globe in every necessary field for a self-sustaining outpost amongst the stars.” Weaver leane...

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$250

Prize money

258

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 10, 2023 EST

Won by Tom Bombadil 🏆

Title: The First Idol

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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