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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

“Kankakee Mallow” by Iz M

Submitted to Contest #200

Everyone knows everyone in Linden, Illinois. You’re relatively new to town, but almost a year of working in the circulation department at the public library affords you that same familiarity with your neighbors. You’ve seen every face make its way through the library at some point or another. It’s hard to pass up the Monday Movie Matinee or the free WiFi. Yours is not a difficult job. While hardly life-affirming—essentially just customer service given a different shape than you’re used to—you enjoy being surrounded by stories, most...

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“The Man of My Dreams” by Kat Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #200

I had dreamt about him before I’d met him. In my dreams I’d see him doing mundane things. Shopping in the produce aisle, plucking his eyebrows over the sink, biting his nails and spitting them into coffee cups. Domestic scenes that ranged from typical male to moderately intimate. Not the kind of thing you’d fall head over heels for, but the more he appeared in my dreams the more I found comfort in his uncomplicated truths. Since moving to the city, I’d lost myself, I felt unhuman, unreal. Disgusting even because of how little I’d accomplishe...

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“We Hate Dried Apple Slices” by Bill Cass

Submitted to Contest #200

Carlos fed the dollar into the vending machine and weighed his options. He could never pass up an opportunity to get something from the boxes of joy. It had been ingrained in him since he was a kid and would tag along with his mother on business trips. He would pack a bag full of toys, handheld games, and a book or two. The books were a lie, of course. He enjoyed reading, but day trips were full of unregulated play time so he could goof off all he wanted without his mom worrying that he was rotting his brain. If Carlos was good and beh...

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“The Wolf Who Cried Wolf” by Eunice Armitage

Submitted to Contest #200

I first heard this story from my grandmother, who heard it from her grandmother. At some point, if we go back far enough, a witch makes an appearance, but whether the story really started with her or before her, I’m not sure. Regardless of its origins, it took place a long, long time ago; at a time when magic was commonplace and bears and wolves roamed the dark woods, eating porridge and little girls in red cloaks.Lycidas was the alpha wolf of a small pack that patrolled the outskirts of the village of Randel. Lycidas and his ances...

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“Rumor Has It” by Aleta Nolan

Submitted to Contest #200

Rumor Has It. Rumor has it. Rumor has what? It has the power to ruin a reputation. It has the power to make people who would never think bad things about you think bad things about you. A rumor in the mouth of somebody who looks wonderful, magnificent, truthful, and trust worthy is absolutely awful. You wonder why I am on this rant about rumors? Here’s the deal. A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend and she said something about someone else (not me) and I’m like oh my gosh how could that be! I can’t believe it! My friend looked at ...

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“The Old Lady” by Sadie Lewis Cragen

Submitted to Contest #200

It was a dream move for Libby. A three bed semi in the suburbs, very low crime rates and a great catchment area for the kids when the time came for them to go to school. Not that they were ready for that yet. Her little twins were only two so they had a while yet before she had to give them up to the system and decide what she wanted to do next. On the day they moved in, I guess you could say she was feeling pretty smug with herself. life was as close to perfection as she had always imagined. The neighbours to the left, were nice...

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“Through the Jungle Vine” by Liliana Horne

Submitted to Contest #200

I go to lunch every day at the same table in the same outdoor area. When you think about it, being a doctor is not that different from being a middle-schooler. Same weird injuries, same crummy food, and same noisy lunchroom. And in general, same rumors and gossip. Just, you know, more mature than our math teacher's dating life. Sometimes a lot more mature. And a lot more messed up. Like yesterday, my friend, Molly, told me that one of the nurses was sleeping with a college professor to help her boyfriend get into his class. And then, a few...

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“Stoplights” by Kathleen Hair

Submitted to Contest #200

Even with the windows down, the air in the car was so thick it felt like I was trying to swallow a spoonful of peanut butter. I couldn’t, or I had forgotten how to swallow... well, anything, much less air. My chest felt too heavy to expand for a breath and I noticed my heartbeat slamming around my ribcage before I looked at Jennifer who was sitting quietly in the driver seat.The bright red light of the stop light changed the tone of her light brown skin to something almost scary. Though I was sure she was breathing, she had grown so still I ...

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“You Reap What You Sow” by Kara Reed

Submitted to Contest #200

She had never intended for things to go this far. She never intended to be sitting in a New York luxury apartment, drinking vintage wine, and soaking in her gold adjourned hot tub. She never intended to become a best-selling author, and yet, here she was.“Ms. Locke, what would you say your biggest step to success was?” reporters often asked. She would always give them the same forced smile. “Well, as I say in my book, it's all about hard work.”But that isn't true at all, is it? No, there’s nothing hard about spreading a rumor or two. Sh...

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“Gossip is Often True, Savannah” by Olivia Channon

Submitted to Contest #200

Savannah moved the mouse across the screen and tapped on the “Delivered On Time” button. It was an easy five points to Mr. Sandwon’s credit balance, but it was an important fulfillment for the small grocery store. Her shop was one of a few around town, but the only one with an advantageous partnership with the local businessman, who always came through with the freshest produce, and always on time, just like he said. Granted, that wasn’t all that surprising. Her town was one of the oldest around, and was foundational in the currency ...

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“Do you see what I see?” by Brigette Kozlowski

Submitted to Contest #200

The first Friday of the month brought a dedicated crowd to Haley’s Park Preserve. The night was filled with waggling tails of eager pups. The sweet smell of apple cider and kettle corn wafted in the air. "Three of Wands, with the Nine of Swords, and Six of Wands. Release the worry. What you’ve been waiting for is on its way. You’ve done your part. Pack up and get ready. It’s about to get good," Star said to a dreamy-eyed Tanya. "I just got an interview for my dream internship in Hawaii. You think I’m gonna get it?" "Tarot doesn’t ...

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“Up in the Air ” by Sonya Duval

Submitted to Contest #200

I’ve begun again so many times it’s lost its catharsis. The first time I died I really did feel free. It had been a long time since I’d last pulled a stunt, sometime in high school to save myself from whatever embarrassing moment I had suffered. Now, my life has become a mesh of isolated moments interrupted with brief respites between acquaintances and work. In my quietest moments I begged for intimacy, but could not stand it in actuality. It wasn’t a violent fight, but a quiet shaping that forced me into such a pit. It was a slow death of e...

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“rumor of a witch” by Tiffany Snyder

Submitted to Contest #200

Rumor of a witch Tawny was eccentric with a wild imagination. She told lies and caused chaos everywhere she went. Her stories were unbelievable and tense. She got a kick out of preying on others insecurities and turned them around into rumors. She did a lot to get her name out there. People loved to hate her. She never met a stranger and could carry on a conversation with anyone for hours. A very generous woman but befriending her would usually cost that person humiliation and pain. Tawny worked at a local small-town diner as a waitress and...

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“Did You Hear” by Nancy Hibbert

Submitted to Contest #200

Though she’d never spoken to Sondra’s husband, Ida recognized Neil Donnelly when he came into her shop. It was after three on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. Normally she greeted customers. Asked what she could get or how she could help. In her plain brown uniform, hairnet holding tight her hair, her plump face and serene smile put people at ease. But her customers didn’t usually look demented. “So, this is the world-famous Berry Mills Market.” Neil threw glances down the aisles – like making sure they were alone – and he stalked to where she...

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“The Price of Gossip” by Aimée Thomas

Submitted to Contest #200

“And that’s a wrap for today, folks. Tune in to my next podcast to find out which desperate woman Alessandro takes out next. If we’re lucky, maybe it’ll even end in a catfight. Oh, we can only hope. Fly-on-the-Wall over and out.” Libby stops the recording and takes off her headphones. “Ah, another good day’s work.” She stands and heads to her front door. As her long black hair gets caught in the zipper of her leather jacket, she curses. After tugging viciously, she manages to close her jacket, but not without ripping a few strands of hair...

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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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