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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#193: A Bear's Favor

One of the perks of being a Reedsy Prompts judge is the constant exposure to new ideas and words. While reading Olivia Lake’s story ‘Grateful Nuisance’ recently, I was introduced to a new (to me) Japanese word that instantly captured my imagination. The story explores the idea of arigata-meiwaku, a combination of arigatai (thankful), and meiwaku (nuisance). In essence, it describes the all-too-relatable phenomenon when someone insists on doing you a “favor” against your will, only to wind up causing you even more inconvenience than you started with.

In Northern Europe, this concept is often referred to as a “bear’s favor,” derived from a fable about a bear who kills his master by hitting him in the head with a boulder, when he was in fact trying to kill a fly.

I’m sure the mere mention of such a favor has already conjured some examples from your own life, and this week’s prompts draw on the idea of “bear’s favors” and half-baked acts of kindness. Is it truly always the thought that counts?

This week's prompts

Write a story inspired by the concept of arigata-meiwaku — a favor that turns out to be a nuisance for its recipient.

Funny – 53 stories

Write about somebody whose intentions are pure, but somehow always manages to do the wrong thing.

Character – 45 stories

Write a story where someone insists on giving your main character a ride to the airport, only for their car to break down.

Fluff – 26 stories

Write a fable inspired by a relatable life experience (explaining the moral before or after the story, if you’d like).

Kids – 16 stories

Write a story containing the words “it’s the thought that counts.”

Dialogue – 46 stories

Stories

“Forward Motion” by Pari Ghodsi

Submitted to Contest #193

My swollen cheeks carry my smile like a sack of fifty-pound potatoes dropping it with relief the second the door latch clicks into place behind him. After three failed cycles of IVF, a pregnancy complicated with placenta previa, and a cesarean delivery in which I was told I was “lucky it went as well as it did.” I knew my grin shouldn’t be such a load. Inside of the body that I no longer recognize as my own there are two places where I am happy; my head, the place that I logically know that this baby is everything I want, and deep inside of ...

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“From Breakdown to Breakthrough” by Abigail Selinger

Submitted to Contest #193

Lucy had been dreading this day for weeks. She was flying out to attend a family wedding in California and her husband, Adam, was unable to take her or attend due to his previous work commitments. In his place, her mother-in-law, Grace, had insisted she drive her to the airport, which was about an hour away. Lucy had accepted the offer reluctantly, not because she didn’t appreciate the help, but because she and Grace had a strained relationship.Lucy had always felt that Grace had overstepped boundaries. It was the constant way she tried to c...

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“White roses ” by Jennifer Cameron

Submitted to Contest #193

White roses lay twisted together on a blanket of dark mahogany, their thorns protruding and plucking dust mites from the air that gently circulated. Her face smiled at us from a gilded photo frame, all dark brown hair and sharp jawline and green eyes the colour of bell peppers. ‘Erin had loved a little too hard, a little too much and been just a bit too beautiful for this world.’ Callie’s voice broke over the shards of glass lodged in her throat. She swallowed, continued, ‘My Rin had to go somewhere that could match that beauty, that intens...

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“The Kittens and the Cardboard Box (or Why Cats Can't Have Nice Things)” by Philippa Hibberd

Submitted to Contest #193

Once there were two kittens, a sister and brother named Licorice and Allsort. They lived in a comfortable little house with their pet human James, who doted on them, lavishing them with cuddles and kitty treats when they were good, yet also being firm and telling them off when they caused trouble. Since they knew of their cuteness and its effect on him, with their fluffy black-and-white fur as well as their large innocent eyes, they'd frequently use this to their advantage. When they knocked down houseplants, scratched the furniture, or got ...

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“The Case of the Medgrove Murders” by Kennedi McCoy

Submitted to Contest #193

Contains the use of tobacco products, a description of a corpse, and explicit language. The small town of Medgrove in Oregon was full of mystery. The town was located as a rest stop along I-84. The population was barely passing 1,000 people, and everyone knew each other. It was peaceful, and everyone got along, except for minor land disputes. When the murders started happening, however, it was the most significant thing ever happening in the town. Bright police lights could be seen for miles, the light pollution being the bare mini...

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“Fish Food” by Amanda Aanestad

Submitted to Contest #193

Mom looks more tense than usual. Her forehead is sweating because she is carrying about six paper bags full of groceries, and although the boy never saw her do it, he was convinced she could open the door with just her toes. How else could she have her arms completely full and her keys tucked deep in her purse and still manage to open the door? She never calls for help. When he hears their front gate squeak, he always stands at attention by the door in case she calls, but she never calls. One of the bags slips from her arms as she’s squ...

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“The Drifter” by Mofope Olaleye

Submitted to Contest #193

THE DRIFTER By Nathan Olaleye February 2nd, 20—I’m not sure anymore. Blasting from the North, the flakes never cease in waltzing to the wind’s moans and biting rhythms. I can’t say no one dies in winter, but rates have dug long through the usual threshold. We’re down to 60 now. All I wish for is just not a 59. Never have I prayed for my daughter’s ruddy skin to return and be durable enough to withstand my nails as I hug her. Hysterical coughs have strangled almost all her speech; she looks like a melted ice-cream co...

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“Dislike and Delete” by Emanuel Diaz

Submitted to Contest #193

In the heart of the digital world, where the virtual meets reality, there was a Twitter user known as frightfullySon171. He was a man consumed by fanaticism, driven by the belief that the world could only become a better place if all those he disagreed with were made to suffer. He envisioned a world where only the righteous and pure of heart would be left, free from the tyranny of those he deemed unworthy. FrightfullySon171 would spend hours on end scrolling through his feed, gleefully retweeting any news of tragedy and misfortune that bef...

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“Housekeeper ” by Malik Coley

Submitted to Contest #193

Clarissa Parker, is a deceiving ex-con, thirsty for a taste of the fast life. Michael Jones is a successful lawyer who's done everything right his whole entire life, looking for that someone, to make him feel free. With money on Clarissa's mind, fire in her head, and ice in her soul, she's preying on her next victim. You'd be a fool to try and stop her, she's like a growing snowball rolling down from the peak of a Colorado mountain. Michael just ended a short relationship after realizing that he needs someone he's compatible with, and not...

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“Sweet Potato Delight?” by Laurie Yost

Submitted to Contest #193

There’s nothing quite like having your best friend, who lives out of town, come to your home for the weekend. I had just recently had surgery and she was coming to check on me to make sure that I was behaving myself and doing the things that I was supposed to be doing. She was also coming to just spend some good, quality time with me. The weather was going to be nice, the spring trees and plants were starting to bud, and we were going to have a wonderful time just being together. And eating….we love to eat together! In prepa...

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“A Little Push” by Hilary R. Glick

Submitted to Contest #193

Sebastian walks through the park with his dog every Friday after work. His path typically starts on the west end, closer to his house. He and Cookie will walk for about thirty minutes until they reach the field. If it didn’t rain yesterday, the grass should still be dry enough for him to throw the frisbee for about fifteen minutes. Around that time, Cookie will run out of steam and want to drink from the pond, not the one closest to the frisbee field in the sun, but the cooler one in the shade. If Cookie needs a longer break after ...

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“Route 173” by Cassandra Fan

Submitted to Contest #193

“You know? Maybe this is a sign from the universe. Nowadays we live life so fast we’d hardly even notice if it ‘poofed’ into thin air! Think about how much we’ve missed trying to rush to the end instead of trying to enjoy things as they come. Maybe we all need to just slow down, take the easy route, you know?”“Rael you crashed the goddamn car.”“And?”“You blew up the engine, destroyed the hood, there’s a cylindrical dent in the roof…”“And?”“Because you were going so fast you somehow crashed into a cactus.”“Exactly! We were going too fast, the...

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“High There” by Kevin Marlow

Submitted to Contest #193

“Dude, it's just a plant.”“I don't know Cain. What does it feel like?”“It's the best feeling in the world. Why do you think they call it a high?”“I've never used any drugs. Are you trying to help me or get me hooked?"“You've been in the dumps lately friend. Weed is not a drug. It's all-natural. It's a gift from Mother Nature. If you don't like it, remember it's the thought that counts. I'm turning you on to help you out.”“O.K. Give me the damn pipe.” I fondled the stem nervously, plucking the red bic lighter from Cain's outstretched hand. Fl...

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“A Beautiful Day” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #193

Mr. Peter Smith looked at the clock above the desk and smiled. After twenty-five years on the job, he was happy to look at the last moment of his working life ticking away. Insurance was an interesting world for him; not that his wife and friends would think so; not that certain colleagues in his office would believe it. Most of them thought that he was overjoyed at facing retirement, rest, and Mondays without a long commute. Mr. Peter Smith smiled at the clock as it ticked over into five p.m. The same white numbers in those same black squar...

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“The Extrazirconial” by Josephine Harris

Submitted to Contest #193

Henry Morrison was out doing whatever it is that farmers do in their fields when he heard a loud buzzing noise above his head coming closer. The sound increased in intensity until his hair was flailing and he could feel the barley flattening in a circle around him. He could have sworn there was a helicopter or some other large flying machine directly above him, but the sky was empty.But then it wasn’t. A large bullet shaped metal vessel shucked off its cloaking and gradually shimmered into view. Two representatives of the planet Zircon ...

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$250

Prize money

186

Contest entries

115

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 14, 2023 EST

Won by SCOTT GEORGE 🏆

Title: To Plant a Garden.

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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