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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#209: Road Trippin'

The open road is a beacon of possibility. Who knows what you’ll discover as you navigate across boundaries, familiar and unfamiliar: maybe it’s the world’s biggest ball of twine, a hidden gem of a diner, or a new truth about yourself. Whatever it may be, a road trip provides the opportunity to indulge your curiosity, going wherever the wind may blow you. There’s no limits or obstacles, only what you’re willing to do.

After all, road trips are hardly ever about the destination. The journey is what matters most, and what you discover along the way, whether you're taking a vacation or setting out into the unknown. This week, we want to explore those unique feelings that only a good, long road trip can conjure.

🥇 Winner

“The Driving Snow” by Kyle Sager

🏆 Winner of Contest #209

I tied and untied my Converse in the passenger seat, knees tucked close to my chest and sitting very still in the empty Southwest High School parking lot. One by one, snowflakes fell from a gray and motionless sky, only to land and melt instantly on the windshield, transforming into nothing but a dot of clear liquid, almost as if it were raining. It was New Year's Eve, my last year of school, and I was miserable. Suddenly the driver’s side door flew open and a burly man holding a clipboard leaned down. The driving instructor. “Co...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Some Kind of Goldilocks” by Aeris Walker

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

“Twenty on pump two and a pack of Newports.”Simpson Leary pulled a tangled wad of bills and receipts from his wallet, accidentally dropping an Olive Garden gift card on the counter. He glanced at the cashier, a bleary-eyed 30-something-year-old in a faded band t-shirt. “You got a girlfriend?” Simpson asked. The man squinted, “What?”“A girlfriend?” Simpson repeated, sliding the gift card over to him. “If not, go get you one, and take her out sometime.” He tapped the corner of the card where the number ‘$50’ was printed. “It’s still ...

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“Goldilocks Returns” by Story Time

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

I need a second.I really had no intention of, you know, returning to this house. So many bad memories here. So much trauma. Is it okay if I just sit for a second? If I remember correctly, they only had the two chairs. Well, technically, they had three chairs. And I, an innocent little girl of fifteen, sat in one of the three chairs, and immediately felt as though I was being set upon by the fabric. Certain people recounting my story have said that it was too soft, that first chair, but it wasn’t just that it was soft, it was that I have...

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“A Stop on the Road to Nowhere” by Treva Sabin-White

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

Never buy a junk car. I guess that was my mistake buying a damn Pinto. Thing’s a piece of crap and can’t keep itself together for one damn road trip. I wanna go to California. It’s a whole business, my old man’s been a real piece of work and I’ll leave it at that. Real piece of work. So here I am in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, heading into some ma and pa gas station. Place says 24/7 but I ain’t seeing no lights on. Place says full service but I’m in this damn Pinto for ages, runnin’ outta smokes and no attendant in sig...

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“SUPPER FOR TWO” by Charles Corkery

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

SUPPER FOR TWOThe young man, hot and sweaty, walked back into the gas station; his denim shirt, jeans and cowboy boots speckled with the desert dust.“Hell, how long’s this fella gonna be?”Gerry, the elderly gas station attendant, sat on a stool behind the shop counter, thumbing through an auto trader magazine and looked up witheringly at the young upstart who’d asked him the same question several times already in the less than one hour since he’d pulled in to the forecourt.“Jed’ll be here when he gets here”, the old timer replied, with all t...

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“Voluntary Hostage” by Kay Smith

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

**Warning: Possible Triggers! Explicit Language, Mental Health, and Some Violence** “I HOPE WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU GET DRUNK AS FUCK AND YOU BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF WITH A SHOTGUN, FUCKING BITCH!” The voice; screaming , spittle flying, from the backseat through plumes of thick cigarette smoke belongs to my fourteen year old son. I am eighty-four days sober and am about to drive without a valid license to take him, for all practical purposes, to a ‘mental institution’ roughly seventy miles away. Smoke continues to roll toward the fro...

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“Directions to the Motel” by Shiva Jay

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

There are two kinds of story: “person goes on journey” and “a stranger comes to town.” Not, thought Marley as he did inventory on the shelves, that the gas station where he worked counted as a town. Redirection point, more like. Nine out of ten strangers who came in during his night shift were looking for directions to the motel advertised on the freeway. “I’m just so terrible with directions,” they’d say, laughing, or sometimes, “These Midwest towns have such shitty roads.” And Marley would invariably smile and respond, “It’s three miles ba...

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This week's prompts

Set your entire story in a car.

Dramatic – 96 stories

Write about two strangers who are both heading to the same destination and agree to do a long distance drive together.

Character – 32 stories

Write a story about someone going on a life-changing journey.

Adventure – 56 stories

Write a story about someone getting lost, but discovering something they didn’t expect along the way.

Dramatic – 34 stories

Start your story with someone walking into a gas station.

Dialogue – 53 stories

Stories

“The Driving Snow” by Kyle Sager

🏆 Winner of Contest #209

I tied and untied my Converse in the passenger seat, knees tucked close to my chest and sitting very still in the empty Southwest High School parking lot. One by one, snowflakes fell from a gray and motionless sky, only to land and melt instantly on the windshield, transforming into nothing but a dot of clear liquid, almost as if it were raining. It was New Year's Eve, my last year of school, and I was miserable. Suddenly the driver’s side door flew open and a burly man holding a clipboard leaned down. The driving instructor. “Co...

Read story

“Some Kind of Goldilocks” by Aeris Walker

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

“Twenty on pump two and a pack of Newports.”Simpson Leary pulled a tangled wad of bills and receipts from his wallet, accidentally dropping an Olive Garden gift card on the counter. He glanced at the cashier, a bleary-eyed 30-something-year-old in a faded band t-shirt. “You got a girlfriend?” Simpson asked. The man squinted, “What?”“A girlfriend?” Simpson repeated, sliding the gift card over to him. “If not, go get you one, and take her out sometime.” He tapped the corner of the card where the number ‘$50’ was printed. “It’s still ...

Read story

“Stars, Shooting Across The Bow” by Herman W Clarke

Submitted to Contest #209

The cashier of the Tex-Am gas station slammed the side of the crackling television set. The signal, which seldom reached this far into the deserts of New Mexico, began to fade again, before buzzing momentarily back into life. “40 days on, and theories on where June’s comet landed are still abound. We’re here in Artesia New Mexico to ask local people their thoughts on the phenomenon.” The news reporter announced, approaching an elderly woman in the street. “You - miss - any theories on June’s comet? A sign of good things to come, perhaps...

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“Perfect ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #209

I successfully flag down a taxi, which is no mean feat in this day of Uber this and Uber that. I hadn’t planned on catching a taxi. In fact, I hadn’t caught a taxi in years and I’m a little unsure of the correct taxi protocol. So, I suppose the first thing is to tell the driver where I want to go. I open my mouth to do so, when the other passenger door is wrenched open and a froth of tulle and lace tumbles in breathlessly.“Follow that limo!” an urgent voice from amid the silky concoction demands.“Um, miss, this is my taxi...

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“Goldilocks Returns” by Story Time

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #209

I need a second.I really had no intention of, you know, returning to this house. So many bad memories here. So much trauma. Is it okay if I just sit for a second? If I remember correctly, they only had the two chairs. Well, technically, they had three chairs. And I, an innocent little girl of fifteen, sat in one of the three chairs, and immediately felt as though I was being set upon by the fabric. Certain people recounting my story have said that it was too soft, that first chair, but it wasn’t just that it was soft, it was that I have...

Read story

“The Nexus of Nowhere” by Kevin Logue

Submitted to Contest #209

Ardle Henbrook tugged the sleeves of his faded blue ceremonial robe, hoping to entice the aged fabric to cover his wrists. Decades had passed since he last donned the damned thing and too many pies, ale, and ale pies were making it impossible to tie. Grunting, he slumped into the jostling carriage's padded seats and wrapped his arms about himself. Little good it did against the chill, but if there was one thing Ardle hated more than carriage rides to Nowhere, it was the cold. “You ok sir? You haven't sat still since we left Somewhere, a...

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“Magnifico” by Derrick M Domican

Submitted to Contest #209

Commute 5280 was going badly. Apart from the usual Monday morning traffic, bad weather, poor visibility and an announcement on the radio of an incident ahead causing delays, I’d had a run-in with an obnoxious driver, one that rattled me so much I’d been forced to pull over to catch my breath, at a badly maintained service station that nevertheless offered an oasis of calm. It was still pre 8-am when I pushed my way into the shop, leaving the rain for the brightly lit, muzak-droning interior, one I was far too familiar with after years a...

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“Three Drinks from Chaos” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #209

“So how do you create a zombie?” asked Pat. Or was it Pete? Something like that. The guy fiddled with his passenger seat again, scooching forward. And then, he fiddled with the AC. “So it’s a shot of rum, to start,” said Aaron, “and then half a shot of overproof rum.” “Rum and rum?” “Yup. It gets better. A shot of orange juice – fresh – and then half a shot of lime. Also fresh. And then, couple drops of bitters–” “–oh, nice!–” “–yeah, and then, just a dash of absinthe.” “You’re shitting me.” Pat – Pete? – even grabbed his ball cap and held i...

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“On the Road With a Toad” by Chelsey B

Submitted to Contest #209

The new couch arrived in a box that was taller than Winston, and twice as long. Winston watched as Dad dragged the box across the garage. He was heading for the recycling pile. “Wait!” Winston blurted, just as Dad was about to flatten the box. “Huh?” Dad paused. “Can I play with that?” Winston asked. Dad thought for a moment. “Sure. I’ll put it in the backyard. There’s plenty of space out there,” he finally answered. Dad pulled the box to the other side of the garage, and coaxed it through the door. He was careful not to sm...

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“Golden Dust” by Charlea Jefts

Submitted to Contest #209

The heart monitor beeped rhythmically. Trish did not hear it. She did not know her parents stood crying, holding her hand. She did not sense the needles and tubes in her. She did not know the car accident had left her in a coma. She was simply a plain-looking, seventeen-year-old girl who lay dreaming in a hospital bed whilst the Waking World turned around her. …. Prom night was supposed to have been fun. It was supposed to have been a time of discovery. For Trish, though, it had been the nightmare. Its glittering lights and beautiful gowns...

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“Freedom” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #209

CW: Strong Language, Mental Illness, Alcohol, Guns, Racism, Religion, Transphobia, Homophobia, Fascism, White Nationalism, and Basically Hate of Every Kind. Phoenix. 87 miles. Nearing dusk, a lime-green 1974 Cadillac Coupe DeVille barrelled down Interstate 93, plowing through the desert heat like a yacht cutting across the surface of an ocean. In the distance, an arid, desolate landscape. The air shimmered. Absent its soft top, the Cadillac’s driver and passenger were exposed to the unforgiving sun and a hellishly-hot breeze coming off the b...

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“Childhoods of Confinement” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #209

“We’re locked in,” said Karen, sullenly. “What’s new?” asked Phil, picking at the bobbles on the fabric of the seat. It'd had a speckled texture to it when it was new, but it hadn’t aged well. “Something exciting might happen, you never know.” “Does anything exciting ever happen?” Karen peered out the window. There was no one around them, except a few vacant cars with no other passengers locked in the back seats. Driving to the pub wasn’t unusual then, neither was driving home. “What do they do in there for so long?” Karen asked. “Drink t...

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“Are We There Yet?” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #209

Are We There Yet?Caution: Not intended as a horror story though circumstances may be horrible.Circa: 1963Conveyance: Puke-green V-8 Oldsmobile sized more like yacht rather that roller coaster; built before seat belts were ever discovered or children's safety devices were devised. Still questionable whether it would hold all the proposed cargo.Occupants: 6 children ages 5-15 including two 'big girls',Thelma 'n Bette; Bruce, aka 'Bruiser', 'the little ones' Robert, aka 'Chopper' (something cute he said when he was two) and Debbie; plus one ext...

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“Into The White” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #209

⚠️ Reference to domestic abuse (as well as suicide/self-harm) ⚠️ “Alexandra Tamara Whitehall. You stand charged upon this indictment with unnecessary suicide upon the 18th of August last. Are you guilty or not guilty?” Sandra Whitehall raised her head in bewilderment. Where was she? The last thing she remembered – a cliff – high, so high up – looking down at the clear, still water – thinking how ironic it was -then a single step – close your eyes, don't look down – bubbles swarming like angry bees, a sudden stinging – and then – And the...

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“So help me, I'm Yours” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #209

-1-Merryl Schenosi has a paper bag because she cares for the Earth. She’s on my porch in heels, a blue skirt that matches the blouse coat, a realtor’s badge near the place reserved for handkerchiefs. “It’s time to evacuate, Mr. Goround.” My realtor has come at 10:02 pm on a Sunday before the Dance of Cyclones, opening storm, 2023 because she cares. Someone gave her a copy of my car keys, or she must have broken into the dealership? Or we were lovers and I forgot.“Everything you ever needed is in the bag.” Alright. She can guid...

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$250

Prize money

271

Contest entries

154

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 04, 2023 EST

Won by Kyle Sager 🏆

Title: The Driving Snow

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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