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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#191: Sakura

Spring is finally here! In Japan, the season is famously marked by the mass blooming of cherry blossoms, also known as sakura, an event so beautiful it attracts tourists from all over the world. Due to its impressive yet short-lived blooming, the flower symbolizes the fascinatingly transient nature of life — but it’s also associated with a message of renewal, and hope for the future.

To celebrate the new season, this week’s prompts are inspired by cherry blossoms and the feelings they evoke year after year 一 we hope they’ll bloom into great stories!

This week's prompts

Start your story with your character(s) going to buy some flowers.

Spring – 78 stories

Write about a character who is starting to open up to life again.

Character – 68 stories

Write a story about a character who’s late to witness a special event.

Funny – 25 stories

Make Japan (or Japanese culture) an element of your story.

Narrative – 37 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “I feel alive.”

Dialogue – 68 stories

Stories

“Back From Outer Space” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #191

“Hey, Captain Caveman is back!” “…I’m sorry, what!?” “We thought you was lost forever. We even took bets as to if we’d ever see you alive again.” Jeremy Walpole stood in the doorway to his local pub. For the past two years, he had avoided all physical contact with the human race. The frightening Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an extreme reaction to cut himself off completely from society – relying solely on contactless home deliveries for survival. So, for him, a re-emergence into public life, was a monumental and brave return to civilisation...

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“Growing Up With You” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #191

I tilt the bucket and scoop out the last mug of water. Just warm enough to wash away the stubborn dirt sticking to your right toe from your barefoot walk in the garden with your Appa. I splash it at your toe, rub it, wrap you up like a croissant in your turkey towel, and carry you as you free your tiny arms and loop them around my neck. I place you on the bed where I have laid out your school uniform, baby lotion, baby cream, and comb. And give a final wipe to your underarms with the soggy towel as we both throw our heads back and giggle. Th...

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“Martha And Her Kite ” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #191

Kite waited patiently all the long, dark winter for the sun to return. Crumpled up in a tangled heap on a top shelf in the crowded, musty garage, she counted down the days till spring. While mice tiptoed across her tail, she dreamed of soaring through the sky. When sleds and shovels were taken out for snowy fun, she longed to feel the wind on her belly and warmth on her back. Just when she thought she might spend eternity covered in cobwebs, forgotten on that shelf, a hand reached up and pulled her down. The hand belong to Martha, the youn...

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“Grateful Nuisance” by Olivia Lake

Submitted to Contest #191

Arigatameiwaku: when someone does a favor for you that you didn’t want or ask for, and the favor causes you trouble, but social customs require you to express gratitude regardless. A Japanese word made up of ‘arigatai’ (‘grateful)’ and ‘meiwaku’ (‘nuisance’). “I’m going to help,” said Doug. Melanie could almost hear him beaming through the phone, proud of his own selfless offer. “Oh no, dad - there’s really no need. We have everything under control - ” “No, no,” he insisted. “I’ll help. I have all this free time now. What else would I ...

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“The Pigovian Payment” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #191

“Let me tell you how I got this flower." I rubbed my lapel with the white rose boutonniere and stared across the hard wood surface at the man in the bowtie, his gaze stern and expressionless."OK, Let me start at the beginning-"I smelled her outside the door before she ever knocked, aromas of spring flowers, lavender, and crisp $100 dollar bills.It was 11 AM and the sun was streaming through the dust floating in my cramped office. Coffee thick as tar slowly steamed next to me. I was wearing my powder blue suit, dark blue tie over a white...

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“Friendly Competition” by Kevin V

Submitted to Contest #191

I didn't intend to overhear anything. Grabbing my Walmart Great Value mozzarella string cheese and my sandwich bag of self-mixed nuts from the fridge, I'd only intended to take my quick break the same time I always did.She sat at the other end of the long table, her left arm, elbow on the table, supporting her head, which faced away from me. Though hushed, I clearly heard her say, "I can't do this job. Maybe I'm not cut out for any job."That is, of course, when I realized that she spoke to someone on her phone. I couldn't see it when I sat d...

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“Worms of Confusion” by Jody S

Submitted to Contest #191

For days, Jane was humming the song “Closing Time” thinking back on how much she liked the last episode of Seinfeld. She was humming it in line for coffee and a skinny blonde guy with multiple tattoos started singing it. They both laughed.“You like Seinfeld too,” Jane asked him. He looked at her quizzically, dropped eye contact, and fussed with his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone, which was clearly not buzzing. Jane shrugged, smiled, and kept humming until the barista took her order for one large gingerbread latte.“Don’t have gingerbrea...

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“Killer Capuchin” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #191

Wearing a fur collared kimono (which in Japanese refers to all traditional clothing), Shigeru braved the snow biting at his face. Fuka-gatsu, boots woven from barley straw kept his feet warm as they left deep imprints in the white powder. Looking up from the pristine ground before him rewarded Shigeru with a snowflake in the eye. He flinched, slipping on ice beneath the snow. His chestnut brown eyes blinked as he caught himself. Bone chilling cold snuck through his gloves in a heartbeat. Jumping back up, the hunter brushed the snow from his ...

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“Another Day on the Job” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #191

I blame the Underground; I really do.I got called in for a job that January and they told me that I had to be there by ten, so I knew that everything was already at the office and my wife, my Gloria, had me sandwiches ready for me and the mug of tea to go on the counter when I was reading the paper that morning. Angie, my youngest, lost her bleeding mind when she knew that I was going to be in when they was going to be in.“Can you get an autograph, da?”“Let your father finish his tea. He isn’t goin’ in to get autographs.”Oh, Angie. Such a br...

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“Yuuna’s Ghost ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #191

Suggested by, ‘101 Zen Koans,’ by Secret of Zen. Riku’s young wife, Yuuna, became ill. The doctor’s tried everything but told Riku to prepare, her death was nigh. Riku loved Yuuna deeply. Seeing her suffer tortured him. He gladly tended to her smallest need until she was gone. When she became too weak to stand, she said, “I may not last the night. But I’ll always be with you. Promise me, you won’t find another woman. If you do, I’ll haunt your memories and bring you trouble all your days.” Yuuna passed away that night. Riku mourned her...

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“Paper Violins” by Shaivi S.

Submitted to Contest #191

Even the clouds churn with anticipation as the flock of musicians park their cars and race to the building, a scatter of raincoats and umbrellas bustling through the streets. There is only one evening of the year in which this orchestra’s esteemed reputation wrinkles, before a concertmaster must smother it over a handful of weeks after. City orchestras can be a nuisance. A timid smile paints Lucie’s lips as she greets each performer walking into the auditorium, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. A blanket has been cast over the crowd,...

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“A Better Life” by Kelsey H

Submitted to Contest #191

CW: Offensive language, reference to abuse.I’m coming, alright. Jesus Christ, kid, quit standing by the car like that. Anyone’d think you can’t get away soon enough. The door's unlocked.You don’t need to give me that look, boy. I’ll smoke in my own damn car if I want to. Wait until you’re away in that place, you’ll be boozing it up and smoking pot every weekend with all the other kids, guarantee it.Here, put the address in my phone, would you? Make sure we don’t end up all the way in Invercargill. I never even been that far. Who’d want to, h...

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“Reproduction.” by Ken Cartisano

Submitted to Contest #191

I sat hunched over a table in an obscure little café I used to frequent. The place was deserted. All the locals go to the nightclubs a few blocks away these days. I just wanted a quick drink, and anticipated another quiet evening at home, alone. My expectations for the evening were low, but I felt like I had recovered from my break-up with Sue, and was thinking more constructively about relationships in general. There are certain things a woman has a right to know, but at what point in the courtship, exactly, does a man lay his cards on the ...

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“Expat Stories: An Auction in Osaka” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #191

In Osaka, during the first week of my new job, the only work I’ve done is to buy flowers. The rest of the time, I sit inside Ishikawa Real Estate’s small and crowded office, waiting for something to do while flipping through a manga under my desk, studying Japanese, and trying not to bother any of the real estate agents.The owner walks in. Everyone sits up at their desks. Like a commanding general, Mr Ishikawa has gray hair, rock solid posture, and an aura of extreme confidence. He looks amused each morning to see an American working for his...

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“The Wrath of Bridezilla” by Lark Malloy

Submitted to Contest #191

"I need Peonies," my mom said, burying her hands in her face. "This is a flower shop. Why don't you have the flowers I need?" The elderly florist wiped some sweat from her brow. My mom had that effect on people. Her third wedding was the following Saturday, and everything had to be perfect. "I'm so sorry miss, we just don't have any peonies right now. If you come back on Sunday, the new inventory will-" "Come back on Sunday?" My mom laughs hysterically for a minute. "My wedding is this Saturday. But by all means, I'll come in the day afte...

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$250

Prize money

276

Contest entries

170

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 31, 2023 EST

Won by Pari Ghodsi 🏆

Title: Lilies

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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