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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#200: Heard it Through the Grapevine

It’s perhaps not our most virtuous impulse, but it’s a very human one. The desire to gossip, tell tales, and share stories we’ve heard about others doesn’t always win us friends, but it’s born from a real evolutionary need. Psychologists speculate that the original purpose of gossip was to keep us safe, helping our ancestors identify potential threats, build bonds, and learn what behavior was deemed acceptable or unacceptable by their peers. And, for better or worse, that habit has stuck.

Of course, gossip can (and often does) go too far. It’s up to you how it plays out in this week’s stories; will your characters face consequences for their loose lips, or will gossiping actually save the day?

This week's prompts

Write a story that includes the line “my lips are sealed.”

Adults – 96 stories

Write a story about a piece of gossip that becomes more and more distorted as it passes from person to person.

Adults – 33 stories

Your character is known as the town gossip. One day, it comes back to bite them.

Adults – 22 stories

Write a story about someone trying to track down the source of a rumor.

Adults – 35 stories

Your main character has a secret superpower; the gossip they spread always comes true.

Adults – 24 stories

Stories

“Mrs O'Shea” by Liz Johnson

Submitted to Contest #200

The first 5 minutes of every class are always my favourite, for the same reason that, for most teachers, they are like nails on a chalkboard. Chaos. The destructive flow of children storming in opposite directions. The deafening excitement of being free from the torture of education, if only till they reach the next room. It’s a sensory overload. One we don’t have the mental space for when attempting to prepare for the next lesson. While we all wait for the stragglers to finally arrive, that is when the class is completely unrestricted. ...

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“Your Secret is Safe with Me” by Peter Wyatt

Submitted to Contest #200

I’m sure you want me to start out by telling you about how I got kicked out of school and why I’m such a screwup so you can psychoanalyze me and make me bawl my eyes out like some worthless sap. That’s not happening. I’ll tell you what happened – hell, we’ve got an hour and there’s nothing else to do – but I’m warning you upfront, there were no lessons learned here. Just a lot of dumb shit that went down, nothing I’ll ever look back and say, wow, what a fascinating childhood, I should write a memoir all about it. I can give it to you straigh...

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“Anam Cara” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #200

“Another screw, Kevin.” Ralph held out a calloused hand without looking. The cool, light weight fell into his palm, and he held it up against his work-in-progress, fitting the drive bit into the head. With a whiz, the threads bit in and dug deep. The pine beam released its sharp scent. Ralph stopped the drill and brushed away the yellow curls of wood shavings. “That looks cool, Grampa! What is it?” Ralph smiled at his grandson’s expression: brown eyes wide with curiosity, and mouth open with wonder. “It’s a clothesline po...

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“WHAT'S IN A NAME?” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #200

WHAT’S IN A NAME? P.J. Flaherty, CEO of Dunphy, Murphy, Kilpatrick and Sons, the blue chip Irish American banking firm that occupied an entire block in the Financial District of Downtown Boston, slowly caressed his putter and watched as his golf ball rolled perfectly into the awaiting cup laid out on the expensive, Axminster carpet of his executive office. “Yes. Master shot!" His intercom buzzed. “P.J. I have Francis Mullins, Level 2, requesting a moment”. “Thank you, Bridget. Two minutes”. Leisurely, P.J. (short for Patric...

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“A Trail of Words” by Jack Gorzo

Submitted to Contest #200

This story contains themes of physical and substance abuse. Please only read if these themes will not trigger. “Kelly, slow down! I’m making Carly’s lunch; I can barely hear you. What happened? Did Chris get hurt? That’s good then. Did you call the police? You need to call the police, Kells. I don’t care if you don’t trust them, you can’t deal with this yourself. Because if they can kick the shit out of your six-foot-three son, what do you think they’re going to do with your tiny ass? What? Since when do you own a gun? Kelly. Kelly. Kelly! L...

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“The Package” by Chris Dell

Submitted to Contest #200

Willowbrook was your average small town. Almost too average. Nothing interesting seemed to happen there. One day, however, as Mildred was visiting the local bakery to pick up a fresh loaf of bread, squeezing the fresh loaves, making sure Sam the baker wasn’t trying to slip in some of yesterday's batch, her ears perked up. Sam was whispering excitedly in hushed tones to one of his customers. With all the noise of the ovens and fans she couldn't quite make out everything Sam was saying. Mildred slowly walked over to where Sam leaned over...

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“Action Figure” by Craig Miller

Submitted to Contest #200

2014 And the paramedics arrived too late to save him. The first person to find him—at least according to Mrs. Swanson who lives across from his house—was his girlfriend (or maybe it was just a friend). Later Mrs. Greer who lives next-door said it was in fact his sister, Mary—she was the middle child, he was the youngest, and he had an older brother, Scott—that found him: chair kicked, noose digging into the flesh around his neck, body dangling and lifeless. Everyone implied the boy, the youngest, now deceased, was "different." Neighbors—...

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“Special Treatment” by Sarah Duffey

Submitted to Contest #200

CW: mentions of sexual assault and derogatory language Fighting the sudden urge to pee, Elena stood at her English teacher’s desk and waited for her to look up from her gradebook. Like a starting pistol at a track meet, the final bell had set loose a stampede of teenagers; all of them except Elena in her modest, daisy sundress. “Oh, Elena.” Mrs. Henderson tossed her bangs. “What can I do for you?” Squeezing her thighs together, Elena said, “Well, about the reading we’re supposed to do this week…” “Yes?” Mrs. Henderson asked, her ey...

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“Runaway” by Hannah Leigh

Submitted to Contest #200

PART ONEThe night was clear and crisp as Rachel Leighton quietly finished packing her bags. The sun had set an hour ago, and the last faint pink glow of day had faded into the deep indigo of night. She worked quickly and quietly, almost frantic in the way that she threw different articles of clothing into a small bag. She was rifling through her clothes, picking out the ones that were the most plain and unassuming of her dresses and skirts. All the while she wondered, what did a woman wear on a farm? What kind of work did a woman do on a far...

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“Telephone” by Zoe Zarubin

Submitted to Contest #200

Telephone —2003— Dear Nailah, Do you remember that game Telephone? It was a game we played when we were the height of the kitchen counters we had to leap to look over, when we were children shouting to a world that remained deaf to us—do you remember? Telephone was a game played between you and I and the other four—do you remember? I suppose you might have blocked it out but that’s why I am here to remind you. We would play, whispering it from one ear to the next to the next until the story had been twisted and mi...

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“A House Divided” by Elijah Rose

Submitted to Contest #200

"How does this make me a suspect?" Old Sheriff Williams said nothing for a moment as he looked at the young man. "It doesn't, it might be relevant to the investigation. And I don't want to hear what you know through the grapevine, I want to hear it as you heard it and I want to know who said it." The young farm was visibly nervous and adjusted his bowler hat. "Well, I'm not the one for gossip, but when I was at the general store I asked Mr. Stamford if we knew anything new about the murder. He said people thought they knew the motive, th...

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“Ask for Y” by Denis Baldwin

Submitted to Contest #200

I’m here to track down a rumor. I’d heard there’s a man who grants wishes out in Las Vegas, the city of sin. Not just any wishes, mind, but one’s based on reality. You could no more ask to fly—unless you wanted him to grant you an airplane—than ask for immortality. This is a long shot, I knew, but at this point, I’m all out of options. It started in a bar in Chicago, like most fairy tales. Alcohol. Conversation. Gossip. The liquor flows, lips loosen. I was just trying to drown my sorrows by trying to literally drown myself with whisky. On t...

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“My Lips Are Sealed” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #200

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard! Of all the people for that to happen to - our close friends. I was a bit shocked to say the least. I had known John and Lily since we all met at anti natal classes, and my oldest child was now twenty nine, so nearly thirty years. My husband Tim and I had been laughing about something while I was puffing and panting on the carpet, pretending to give birth! The couple next to us started to laugh too and I heard him say to her “ease up on the puffing, or on the day you’ll have a heart attack befor...

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“Nicki's Hair” by Kiara Eaddy

Submitted to Contest #200

Nicki had always had long hair. Not always, of course. Not when she born. It’s not like that, not a mythical story of long hair. Nicki didn’t have an aversion to cutting her hair. In fact, she’d gotten it regularly trimmed. Every six months she’d go to the salon and go through the same charade. “Just a trim?” her stylist would say. “Actually…” Nicki would start twirling the ends of her hair, folding pieces in...

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“Drawing The Lie” by Walter Wright

Submitted to Contest #200

“So they call it adawda I believe?” “I think pronounced ayahuasca.” “Whatever, the point is I heard he’s gone off the deep end,” mimicking a sip. Her husband gasps, “Drinking?” “Pills too!” “How are you so sure?” “Nicole, left work early. On her desk, she left her calendar open. Guess what it said.” “What?” “Pick up Jasper’s medication.” A stupid silence fell, “That’s it?” “Just last week Jasper hurt his back,” she tosses her hands, “Hurt back. Medication. You know that’s some type of opium.” “Like chocolate syrup to a ...

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$250

Prize money

210

Contest entries

116

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 02, 2023 EST

Won by Katharine Widdows 🏆

Title: Three Questions

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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