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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

“The Catch” by Brett Gibbs

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch?” Bastion, towering leader of the heroic Aegis team asked, reclining behind his desk as much as his high-backed chair would allow. “Excuse me?” Artemis detected a note of accusation in his tone. Her bow and quiver rested upon the wide marble surface between them, next to Bastion’s blue, articulated mask. “What does she want?” Bastion persisted. “My job? Yours? Perhaps a… Vision-craft, or Vision-cycle?” His lip curled into a wry half-smile. “For her Vision quests?” Artemis snickered despite herself. “Boss, maybe ea...

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“They Called It Guppy Love” by Carly Kelly

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch?” “Pun intended?” I snorted, as Billy launched his line back into the still lake. There had not been a single fish in our direction the entire morning, and to be honest, I was relieved. I didn’t know what I would do if either of us caught something; I despise fish. I had only agreed to come with Billy because it seemed like the only way, I was going to ever get a date with him was if he was unaware that a date was taking place. I preferred to keep his knowledge that we were on a date with the fish; far away a...

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“SO.....WHATS THE...” by Garrett Buendorf

Submitted to Contest #188

So what's the catch? there's always a catch with these type of things. somebody says write something and you instantly obey. why? what do you get out of it? a quick dopamine hit? well, i'm not going to. I refuse. you wont catch me writing. wait... hey! what are you doing! are you writing down what i'm saying? stop that! nobody wants to read some random guy talking about how he wont write. your not going to stop? wait... you have to write everything i say. hmm... well try this on for size.... The smell You know, the one that goes roun...

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“Bearing Gifts” by John Lente

Submitted to Contest #188

“So, what’s the catch?” “No catch, sir! Just fill out this contest entry form for your chance to win our very finest hardwood gazebo kit and free professional installation! But today is the last day to enter, so it’s a good thing you came in today!” Sunny proffered her cheap blue pen to Frank to go with the index card entry form and tiny clipboard already in his hands. He looked from the pen to her red and white nametag to her puffy, smiling face before taking the pen and filling in the usual blanks. “Why the hell not...

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“Circus” by Margie Gaffron

Submitted to Contest #188

Circus “So what’s the catch, Kid? The show doesn’t start for a couple hours. You wanna buy a ticket early?” “No, I don’t want to buy a ticket. I want to join the circus.” “Ok Kid, I’ve heard that before. You want to join the circus. What do you think you want to do?” “I’m not sure. I like elephants. I’m pretty good at working. I could learn to do all kinds of things.” “Don’t tell me. You’re running away from home and you read the book Toby Tyler.” “How did you know that?” “Kid, this is kind of a daily occurrence for me.” “It is? So where ar...

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“Divergence ” by Jaye Hunter

Submitted to Contest #188

Content warning—mental health, drug/alcohol abuse, suicide. My life is perfect. My life is beautiful, and more than I could ever have known I wanted. My life is long enough to know what happiness means. My partner and I never marry—we are always better off as friends. We consider it, when we find out she is pregnant at nineteen just after I turn twenty, a product of the leftover teenage lust we never truly wasted from our systems during years of on-off foolish dating. We never decide if we make a mistake, or ...

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“Detection Division” by K. Boyer

Submitted to Contest #188

Breathing in deeply the brisk filtered air filled my lungs. Chin up and arms stretching wide greeting the day. The artificial sun had yet to warm up the new dawn. Morning is my favorite part of my day. I return inside from the balcony, dark metal clanging under my boots. Murmurs of my wife and daughter getting ready down the hall following me to the kitchen. With a few mental commands to my interface, the kitchen hums to life. The kettle clicks on, the pantry door opens, and Admin Sphere News lazily scrolls across the nearest wall. D...

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“One Love” by Lexi Holliday

Submitted to Contest #188

You have always been my one. I say ‘my’, not ‘the’, because you are not a character, not an idea. You are not a concept people dream about, nor are you someone that is hard to find. You are simply it, my one in existence, my only option. My life. But that’s not to say I don’t ponder what would be if you weren’t. What would it be? If I hadn’t chosen you? If I let myself go, let go of these ties that wrap themselves around our every limb, constraining them under the mask of protection and adoration? What would be, if I had made just on...

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“An (Annotated) Guide to Finding Happiness ” by Miriam Culy

Submitted to Contest #188

Step 1: Spend time doing something you enjoy I wouldn’t have thought it would be so difficult for me to find something that I enjoy. For some people, this is a straightforward task: they find this pleasure in baking or gardening; painting or drawing; music or books. Since first reading this guide, I have waded through an ocean of half-finished cross stitches and unsolved sudokus to find the thing I truly enjoy. My guilty pleasure.The key word there being guilty.Step 2: Do some exercise This newfound hobby of mine requires surprisingly m...

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“My long-distance lover from Leghorn” by Sharon Walker

Submitted to Contest #188

You were buying a birthday cake for your mother from the pasticceria on the corner of Via Venti Settembre. Pretty garish really, lots of gold. Bling. They soak the sponge in some kind of syrup and liqueur - even the ones for kids. It's supposed to keep it moist. Weird that word, 'moist'. But me, being me, I think it's to make the damned things heavier. You pay by weight you see. Ha ha. I'm not daft. 'Still got my wits about me.And that was it. Boom. Struck by lightning - love at first sight. At least on your part, or so you say. It took me a...

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“Rectangled” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #188

I met Vernon at University. He taught Astrophysics. I was one of three female students taking his class. I’d love to say it was because I was determined to help up the numbers of women in STEM, but truth is I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and hoped if I learned the laws of the universe they might guide me as to my place in it. I still don’t know what to do with myself, but I can explain synchrotron radiation and gravitational lensing and you’ll want me on your pub quiz team. I can also entertain your child for an hour using ...

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“The Woman of His Dreams” by Steven Lente

Submitted to Contest #188

The Woman of His Dreams Alex Ferber woke at his usual time, conducted his usual morning ritual, ate his usual breakfast, and then dressed in his usual non-descript uniform: white shirt, green slacks, brown shoes. Alex walked to work along the same route he had taken for ten years; the scenery was always the same, the weather was always nice. Even when it rained it was gentle, just light enough to water the flowers and clear the dust. Mostly the sun shined, but it was not so br...

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“The Game” by Jessica Stone

Submitted to Contest #188

tw- violence, reference to suicide - I found it on the dark web. That should have been my first indication that there would be a catch. Like a lot of similarly minded weirdos I have a drab sense of curiosity and was avoiding real feelings in my corporeal life by perusing the extreme oddities of others. Sounds healthy, right? I was submerged in some bizarre auction, where the auctioneer was called “COMPUTER” and those participating in the bidding had screen names made of only numbers. My user was called “Jamesy6...

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“Cure of a Monster ” by J. E. Sanchez

Submitted to Contest #188

Liam was snuggled up on his bed, piles of blankets on him, with a sudoku problem, he finished with ease. He sneezed, making him colder than he already was, and then he put the clipboard with the puzzle on it on the wooden nightstand. The doorknob rattled and his mother opened the door. She was holding a framed photo and a glass of water in the other hand. She replaced the picture hanging before on the wooden wall with the new one. This week's photo was of a blue bird on a tree, the sun beaming in the background. As she walked over to...

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“Gutter vs. the Universe” by Jason Miller

Submitted to Contest #188

Gutter almost skipped out the door. Tonight was finally the night! Gutter had been thinking about this moment for 10 years at least, since that fateful morning in third grade when the universe had decided to seat him right next to Melissa on the first day of Mrs. Twellman’s class. He danced out to his old Corolla, with feet that barely seemed to touch the ground. The car was freshly washed, the sun was shining, Gutter’s T-shirt was freshly ironed and he had doused himself in cologne. Tonight was going to be perfect. He had planned every...

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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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