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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.

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 – 57 stories

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

Dramatic – 35 stories

Start your story with someone walking into a gas station.

Dialogue – 53 stories

Stories

“Always Singing ” by Amy Rogers

Submitted to Contest #209

The song played for what would be the third time. Something about the lyrics spoke to her current thought process or maybe it was where she felt she was in this part of her life. Whatever it was, she kept playing it and singing along with it. Switching lanes to get around the eighteen wheeler that had suddenly slowed down in front of her, she paused in her singing. Wasn’t it John Mellencamp who had said something in one of his songs about living on the inbetweens of song lyrics? What song was it? She couldn’t remember. John Mellencamp...

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“Leaving it all Behind” by Diane Hawkes

Submitted to Contest #209

Today is court day. Another day in the nightmare I can’t seem to wake up from. My son and I decided it would be pointless to try to fight it. She would have falsified her docs and she is familiar with that particular judge. Still, that societal conditioning ached at me, telling me, to fight any way. At exactly 8:30 A M, court time, I took my dogs out for their morning walk. Of course, her husband was outside watching. We will have 5 days to appeal before she can file a force to vacate. We are still w...

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“Whitney” by Jereld Yaussi

Submitted to Contest #209

The California sun had only made the odor of the homeless man in Kayvan’s Chevy Impala reek more. He opened the car door and assaulted his elderly passenger with the air freshener he’d bought in the gas station. “Hey, hey, hey!” Kayvan found the linen smell that filled the vehicle reminiscent of his parents’ living room. “Ah, that’s so much better,” he said, then slid into the driver’s seat. &n...

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“Homecoming” by J. S.

Submitted to Contest #209

I found out that my mother died in the middle of my grocery run. Surrounded by canned fruit and juices and little packets of drink mix, the soothing voice of the nurse on the other side of the phone did nothing to ease the feeling of the floor being ripped out from underneath me. One of the employees found me a few minutes later, crumpled on the floor against the shelves and two breaths away from dipping into a panic attack. It’s funny how the most world-shattering moments can occur at the most ordinary of times. I had known ...

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“The Graduation Trip” by Emily Kaltenberg

Submitted to Contest #209

Ainsely parks her car on the side of the road near the entrance of the wrought iron gates and turns off her car. Hands still on her steering wheel and eyes closed, she takes a deep breath. It’s Monday June 7th. She reaches for the carnations on the passenger seat and her cane. She climbs out of the car the best she can with her bad left leg. She walks through the gates for the tenth time. The pain hasn’t left her. The memories have not faded and the hole in her heart is still there. Everyone told her that with time, the pain ...

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“Westerberg Ghost Town” by Guiton Blackburn

Submitted to Contest #209

Westerberg This is the story of Westerberg, an abandoned small mining town close to the banks of the Orange River, situated between the towns of Prisca and Groblershoop in South Africa. we happened unexpectedly upon Westerberg during the Lion Lager Orange River Challenge. The first inflatable boat river race held in our country. An interesting event that attracted a sizable entry of about eighteen different teams, each team consisting of three or four people as boat crew in their own inflatable boat with an outboard motor. A back-up c...

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“Lost in the Forbidden Graveyard” by Zach Martz

Submitted to Contest #209

Ricky Smart was a young explorer and had never visited the Cackaricko Catacombs before. But he knew of the legends surrounding the mysterious burial grounds and all that they supposedly contained. So, despite his wariness of the undead, he was quite eager to accompany the elders of the Castle of Smart when they elected to take him with them to the Catacombs to visit the tomb of the Smart ancestor who had recently passed away. The two Elders, the matriarch named Street and the patriarch known as Book, marched in front of Ricky up the paved ...

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“The Challenge” by A Inge

Submitted to Contest #209

Mariapusa stroked the gold locket and took a deep breath of frigid air. It curled over her frozen cheeks like fingers, icing them into porcelain. Chestnut curls swirled, obscuring her view of the blue and white forest. She took a step. Mathias had dared her to go. And she was not a coward. Especially not when her brother were watching. “Snow, shadows, and fading sun make the weary traveler run and run. Though he travels deep and across, he remains lost.” She took the first step. Alive and watching, the wind howled. Hesitating, her single f...

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“My Viva In Vermont” by Donald Wilson

Submitted to Contest #209

“Dammit, Gene, you gave me the wrong socket head, I need a 13mm, c'mon, man, I've got oil dripping on me.” So you're leaving tomorrow? Gene said, handing me the 13mm. “Yep … there, got it ... finito, mi amigo!” I slid out from under my re-built '57 Buick Special. “Our auditing job for State is done … I'll just owe you more poker and gin rummy money if I stick around.” “You're going to miss the last four days at the track ...” he said. “Yeah. Right. I bet the favorite to show and I still lose money.” We stood there looking at the car that was...

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“The View” by Sarah Guy

Submitted to Contest #209

The View Nothing. That was the view for miles. Of course, there were yellowing fields beating in the winds of the brutal heat, but besides that, a stray decaying fence or a tree defying the heat by living; there was nothing. Markus was driving, his dark hair clung to his forehead. Jonesy had rolled her window down in a desperate attempt to feel any sort of breeze, but all she gained was a warm breeze. “Roll the window up, Jonesy. If anything, you’re just giving us false hope,” I said. Markus laughed. “...

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“Black Paw” by Scott White

Submitted to Contest #209

Some crisp evening air, an open bedroom window, and a comfortable bed can rejuvenate anyone’s tired old sole come morning. Many moons have passed since I woke up so refreshed and man does it feel good. Rolling right outta bed I head towards the window to catch more of the morning air. “SQUEAK!” I jump as something scurries across the windowsill, probably just a chipmunk. Looking through the screen to scope out the yard as a gentle breeze rustle leaves on the trees and stirs up fresh lilac through the window. Giving a quick scratch here and t...

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“Fuel, Fate, and the Fabric of Time ” by J.C. Zed

Submitted to Contest #209

Under a blanket of an indigo sky pricked with stars, Joe trudged toward the dimly lit gas station, his '72 Mustang thirsty for fuel. As the rusty door creaked open, a gust of warm air smelling of stale coffee and old tires greeted him. Inside, vintage posters of pin-up models and fading motor oil ads adorned the walls, an old jukebox hummed a forgotten tune, and the whole place seemed eerily out of time. Behind the counter stood a striking figure, an old woman with iron-grey hair pulled back into a tight bun, her eyes bright and sharp as a...

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“The Adventures of Enlightened Wisdom:” by Ronnie Smith

Submitted to Contest #209

The crisp morning air of Lauterbrunnen carried the scent of dew-kissed grass, as Maya LeClair, a spirited 20-year-old woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes, stepped outside her wooden cottage. The picturesque village, nestled within the embrace of the Swiss Alps, was her home – a place of comfort and familiarity, yet every fiber of her yearned for adventure and enlightenment beyond the rolling hills and towering peaks. “Maya, don’t forget to feed the chickens!” Elena LeClair called out, her gentle green eyes mirroring those of h...

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“Finding balance in a grilled cheese” by Michael Joslin

Submitted to Contest #209

The bumps in the road were getting worse and he was feeling every hit through the shoddy seat suspension of his truck. How could he be so lost? He looked up the directions online and followed them precisely, as far as he could tell. The end of summer food truck festival was tomorrow, and he needed to be there and checked in by 10 tonight to be able to compete. He poured all his time and resources into this venture and neglected too many other responsibilities to miss this now. After his short engineering career, 3 years before he burned out,...

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“WALKING ON TWO WHEELS” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #209

WALKING ON TWO WHEELS He heard a crash and he tumbled down the ground full of stones. Damnation, not only the front wheel suspension had come off but the chassis had broken. Good heaven, he should have known that his mountain bike was not enough stout to deal with that climb. However Alex stood up, even if rather bruised and aching, and he decided to continue his journey on foot. He had to join his friends in the mountain cabin ( cottage) to celebrate his birthday. The road he had to do was still quite long and bumpy but he set out confide...

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$250

Prize money

273

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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