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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

“Road to Serendipity” by Seyma Tuyluoglu

Submitted to Contest #209

“Jocelyn, ENOUGH!" I yelled, my frustration boiling over as I slammed the door shut behind me. Freshly broken up with my boyfriend, my stepmom just couldn't give me a moment to breathe. Memories of my late biological mother lingered in my mind, but they were blurred by the severe brain damage I suffered in the car crash that took her life when I was ten.After her passing, my dad changed, becoming work-obsessed, remarrying, and barely acknowledging my existence. I couldn't forgive him for neglecting me during my darkest times. It wasn't just ...

2 comments 2
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“Hubris and Red Portals” by Cecilia Englishby

Submitted to Contest #209

Two days hiking into the Cro Mountains, Harriette found herself standing before her very own little cave of seclusion. She’d crossed streams, traversed steep terrain and waded through forests and undergrowth, scraping her hands and face bloody in the attempt.As always, it had all been worth it; especially as she was sure she was the only one who knew about the place; not even the animals had disturbed her protective-wards as she took them down one at a time.Once inside, Harriette didn’t waste time. She knelt, setting down her supplies; withi...

6 comments 6
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“Invasion of the Tongue Bugs” by Jeff Paolino

Submitted to Contest #209

“It was some kind of explosion," said Ollie Park while scanning the jerky wrapper. “Nothing to worry about," said Sheriff Portilla with the jerky hanging out of his mouth. “Must have been a gas bubble or something." The bell rang above the door. Ollie and the sheriff looked to the entrance of the gas station and saw a man wearing a fishing vest and waders. He had vacant eyes and he was soaking wet. “Water?” he said. They both pointed at the coolers in the back. The sheriff peered around the corner of the aisle and watched the man fall ...

2 comments 2
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“The Gas Station” by John-Paul Cote

Submitted to Contest #209

      Grace entered the gas station. Broken windows and the door swung back and forth in the wind greeted her. A light covering of radioactive dust coated everything in the store. The dust had long ago bleached her hair blonde. She pulled down the handkerchief that had been covering her face and lifted her sunglasses. The leather jacket she wore was covered in patches. She had taken it off the body of some preppie biker wannabe. The denim overalls she had on were rugged and well-worn. Leather cowboy boots tha...

4 comments 4
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“Beyond the End of the Road” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #209

   Jonathan entered the Texaco gas station and took a place in line at the cash register while Rico pumped gas into their white Chevy Equinox at a Shell station two blocks away.    "No one will give you a second look," Rico told him. "You're an old white man of average height with the same half-bald shiny head as the man behind you. You all look alike to the rest of us."    Rico had laughed at his own joke. He was a wild spirit, at least half-Latino, with a full head of thick black hair....

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“A Different Kind of Trip” by David Knickmeyer

Submitted to Contest #209

It had been a slow day at the register. The break in the heat meant fewer customers coming in to grab a drink after filling up. As usual there'd been no need to use the grill. Few travelers would stop to order something hot from a gas station and the locals knew better. The bell on the front door jingled. Joe came back to earth with a start. "Can I help you?" he asked, as the man walked up to the counter. The stranger stared at Joe for a moment, then his eyes nervously looked around the store. "Uh, I guess I...

1 comment 1
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“Forty” by J. W.

Submitted to Contest #209

Forty. Forty miles and he had arrived here. It was the number that he set in his mind. Drive forty miles, come out the other side of this hell hole we call a living. Didn't pan out it would seem.The station door screeched open, a lone strip of the rubber duster caught underneath the door itself. It was being crushed. Something out of Dante, he thought to himself. Set to be trampled by that which he was a part of. He laughed, backed up. The door screamed close. He laughed again. He went forward. Open. Laughed. After five minutes of opening an...

3 comments 3
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“Release the Karen!” by Randy Lewis

Submitted to Contest #209

Release the Karen! Julie Bandy sits nervously in the driver’s seat drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel. She scans the parking lot of the gas station as her brother Carliss, 9mm Beretta in hand, opens the car door. “Watch your ass Carliss, remember last time.” Julie says with a smug smile. “Just be ready to get the hell outta’ here.” He answers. “And oh yeah, kiss my ass.” He pushes open the door, steps out, shoves the Beretta in his back waistband beneath his shirttail and looks back into the car. “Now if anything goes wrong…” She...

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“Trapped” by Ed Friedman

Submitted to Contest #209

TRAPPED We had barely moved in thirty minutes. I realized, of course, that I would be in the same frustrating circumstance if I did not have a passenger, but there she was. Like me, Barbara was on the board of the Community Center which met once a month. Barbara was a single (divorced) woman about my age, with two grown daughters away at college. She worked as an administrative assistant in a real estate company.  I approached these meetings like I do my teeth cleanings, necessary but kind of a drag and a time suck. But being ...

3 comments 3
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“Driving Hildy to School” by Robert Ford

Submitted to Contest #209

Driving Hildy to School By Bob Ford           “You better hurry or you’ll be late for school,” I called as I got into the car. Though I would never admit it to anyone, Hildy is my favorite daughter. The older one, Julie, seemed to take an instant dislike to me the moment she emerged from the womb. Hildy, on the other hand, as a child had been my little furry caterpillar who would climb into my lap before bedtime and ask me to read her a story. Then, at ten, she had spun herself into a reclu...

1 comment 1
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“Cage Rider” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #209

There’s something about being inside a car that speaks of what it is to be. He thinks this to himself as the ribbon of tarmac unfurls before him. He wonders why this has never struck him before now. Encased in the car, he sees the world outside in a way that it cannot see him. From the outside he is sleek, shiny and smooth. Inside he is so very different. Inside he knows different. Inside the car, he is no longer naked, nor is he weak. The car makes him dare to believe that he could be forever. He’s always loved cars. Not liked. Lov...

5 comments 5
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“Occasional Signs” by J.J. Erwin

Submitted to Contest #209

CASSODAY 40 MILES EL DORADO 60 MILES WICHITA 90 MILES They had been in the car for over an hour already and, besides Jeff asking Adrian if he was ready to go after they stopped for gas on their way out of town, they hadn’t spoken the whole ride. With each passing mile marker, with each destination sign, taunting him with how close they were nearing home, Jeff felt his heartbeat increasing, his palms growing sweaty, his stomach churning. Even his neck was hurting for all the times he had turned to glance at Adrian, waiting for either Adri...

1 comment 1
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“The Division” by Sarah Cox

Submitted to Contest #209

As I soar above the New York metropolitan area, the sprawling cityscape unfolds. I feel a flutter in my stomach. I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation for what lies ahead as I embark on this road trip to the South. Alone. Although there’s no better way to break in my “new” 3000 Celestial Cruiser. It was a tough journey to not only track down this collector’s item, as it's now over 60 years old, but it was even harder to find one that works. Most of the beginning models of flying cars have an extensive list of mechanical p...

4 comments 4
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“Last Ride” by Vincent Paiement Désilets

Submitted to Contest #209

           The road got bumpier as they sank deeper into the countryside and asphalt gave way to dirt. Enough to stir things up in George’s mind. The Jack Daniels had kept him quiet for a while. His hands and pants were sticky with it. He opened his mouth and turned toward Alan. A couple of seconds passed before the words came out.            “You think I did the right thing?”          &...

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“The Rainstorm ” by Misti Silvers

Submitted to Contest #209

Kevin was on his way to pick up his wife from work. She hated driving when it was storming. It made her nervous to think about it. If she needed to drive through a storm, she would get physically sick. As he pulled in front of the building he called her on his car phone to alert her that he had arrived. Not receiving an answer he knew that she was already on the way down. He exited the car to open her door. Waiting in the rain, he contemplated in solace. He had always enjoyed the rain. A figure moving in his direction grabbed his attention....

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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