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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

“FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #191

“What’s that?”“I don’t see anything.”“There! It’s right there! Look! It’s green!”“Corey, it’s nothing. It’s probably just parsley.”“I can’t eat it.” “Honey, this is a very nice restaurant. They made this especially for you. It’s just pasta and butter.”“Then what’s that green thing?”“Here, let’s just take it out.”“But it’s already touched everything!”“Waiter?”It was about to happen again. I just could not fathom how a couple of foodies, avid students of life with a profound appreciation for great food a...

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“Memories of Magnolia” by Joy Velykorodnyy

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #191

“Look, magnolias! I love magnolias. I haven’t seen magnolias since…”She falls silent, and I follow her gaze to the gnarly tree trunks decorated with bowl-shaped flowers. As I watch, the delicately coloured blooms smudge together, and I blink rapidly, more for Anya’s sake than mine.If I have learnt anything over the last thirteen months, it is that I am no longer afraid of tears. I welcome them. They remind me I am alive. But Anya has more reason to cry. She has lost more. So, I feel embarrassed that my emotions leak out easily, while everyth...

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“Daisies and Daffodils” by Amy B

Submitted to Contest #191

The sky was gloomy. Not a good day for selling flowers. Or for a farmers market. Selia knew this when she arrived this morning. She had contemplated staying home, under her comfortable fleece blanket. Cuddled up with her small poodle, Gary. She had named him Gary because he reminded her of her grumpy Uncle Gary. Always barking and biting at people, except her. He loved to cuddle her, especially on cold and gloomy days. Yes, she had thought about staying home today. Something nagged at her, telling her to come and sell her flowers.“Selia, lov...

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“One With the Sea” by Mikky Kuenster

Submitted to Contest #191

Her hair whipped through the wind. The harsh breeze carried the heavy heat of her surroundings off into the waves. The beautiful scenery kept her from her reality, but only momentarily. Her eyes drifted away into the sunset, how mesmerizing. She never imagined things to be like this, so harsh, but so breathtaking. It was hard to comprehend, where everything had gone wrong. They were so happy, so in love. Yet now everything has come crumbling down. The walls of their once sturdy castle of freedom had been shot down by the cannonball of gree...

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“Decision at the Diner” by Darryl Roberts

Submitted to Contest #191

Donnie reclined gloomily in the plastic booth, absentmindedly toying with the froth in the coffee, now cold, that sat on the table.“Been in this dump too many times,” he mused, glancing up at the flickering neon sign proclaimingHAPPY HARBOR DINER - UNLIMITED COFFEE WITH EVERY MEAL!Shifting his weight restlessly, Donnie reflected that the coffee really wasn’t good enough that a person would want more than one cup anyway, unless they were really desperate. Of course, a large amount of the diner’s clientele were definitely desperate, so wh...

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“The Virtue of the Foxtrot” by John White

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #191

I won complimentary passes for Wednesday afternoon lessons at the Cheek to Cheek dance studio. I never win anything, and at the time, I wished my losing streak had remained intact. The "gala dinner" at the church hall was designed to raise money to preserve a local heritage home - McDougal House. Hattie Headly had donated the passes. Her sister was married to an English dance instructor who was a Canadian champion within some sort of specific category. There are always enough competitions and levels to reward decent talent, even if it is jus...

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“Flowers” by Morgan Douglass

Submitted to Contest #191

People always look at me funny when I walk into Flora’s Flower Shop. Today is no different. They also gave me the stink eye when I placed a headstone for a man when there wasn’t even a body. My husband disappeared over three years ago, though. Even if I did order the headstone a year after his disappearance, it was more for closure. I also wanted a place that I could lay flowers down for him. Not in memorial, but in hope. I think that if people can, then they will judge you for just about anything an...

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“Call For Life ” by Pouria Razmara

Submitted to Contest #191

As the heavy rain poured down upon the street, washing away the grime and debris of city life, a sudden flash of electric blue sliced through the darkness. The ambulance, a beacon of hope and healing, emerged from the downpour like a lightning bolt, racing towards its destination with urgent purpose. The rhythmic wail of its siren echoed off the slick buildings, adding to the symphony of storm and city. It was as if the very essence of life and death was encapsulated in that flashing, thunderous blur of motion, as it sliced through the rain-...

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“even your mistakes” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #191

— whoosh —The 12-foot tenkara fly-fishing bamboo-rod whipped through the air, releasing the thin line that touched down in the stream over twenty feet away.The rising sun painted the sakura cherry blossoms in the rose color of dawn, reflecting a light pink sheen in the old man’s steel-gray hair.The old man knew the water was too cold for the trout to be active and biting, but he loved the sunrise, the cool air of early spring, everything opening up to life again. The world was young.I feel alive, he thought.“Hel...

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“Spring Awakening ” by Abigail Craig

Submitted to Contest #191

Last night Anna dreamt she was secured in a large rose bud. Every petal of the flower was strategically placed to protect her from the outside world. Thick and thorny vines snap on the ground, threatening anything or anyone that might come close. In that moment she felt nothing in the real world could give her as much comfort as the flower and constantly moving vines did in that dream.The roses she examines in front of her now at her local garden fresh flower shop are more delicate. That’s part of the beauty of them. You have to take care of...

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“THE INTERVIEW” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #191

Fred burst into the kitchen and proclaimed excitedly, “Honey, I have great news!”His wife, Furn, spun around and responded, “Oh, Fred, you know I love good news! What is it?”Fred held back just for a moment to heighten the tension.“Well, do you remember the position I applied for last week?”Furn’s eyes widened. “Do you mean the director job at Platinum Industries?”Fred chuckled. “Director job? That’s a modest way of describing it. If I get this position, I would be running an entire division. Platinum is initiat...

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“Eric’s Last Stand ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #191

Was this Eric’s last stand? He hoped not. But the past year made him think it might be. Eric stood before the one room cabin. It was his, a gift from Simon, his dying friend. Eric had never seen it before. Spiders had spun brocades under the eaves. He felt numb. That was an improvement over the despair he’d nurtured lately. Maybe numbness was something he could build upon, use as a springboard. Regardless, numbness would do for now. He’d heard, ‘nothing to be done,’ too often. The doctors said it about his late mother, before she passed. To ...

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“The Bright New Day” by Deborah Cabral

Submitted to Contest #191

It was a breezy Saturday morning, and the sun was shining quite bright on the bustling streets of the neighborhood. Amongst the numerous stores floating around in the air, a quaint florist shop caught the attention of Harper and her friend, Elena. The beautiful pink and white arrangements, with sprinkles of daisies and sunflowers, were a sight to behold. Harper, who had a fascination for beautiful flowers, decided to step inside and explore the shop. And in no time, Elena followed suit, also admiring the beauty of the arrays o...

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“The Flowers Don't Bloom Like They Used To” by Giselle M

Submitted to Contest #191

“Not quite right,” I say inspecting the tiny bell-like flowers that hang along a green stem. The sweet floral fragrance hitting directly into my nostrils. Tied in bunches with one perfect ribbon made of thin twine rope. Lilies of the valley the florist had called them. The flowers I wanted were much different though, and they did not loop down like tear drops. They were lovely really, but they lacked something that I could not explain. Besides, these were not the flowers I was looking for.“Hmm okay,” the florist ponders briefly. Unmistakably...

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“Blossoming Hope A Chance Encounter Turned Nightmare” by Belinda Ward

Submitted to Contest #191

Aiko had always been a reserved individual, preferring the comfort of her own company over the bustle of life outside. But as she strolled through the gardens among the delicate pink and white petals of cherry blossoms, something in her stirred. It was a feeling of warmth, joy and...hope. She had come to Japan specifically for the cherry blossom season, and she wasn't disappointed. The sight of the blooms filled her heart with emotion, causing her to smile for the first time in a long time. As she wandered the gardens, taking in the sights a...

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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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