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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#22: Auld Lang Syne

From the Times Square Ball drop to the old Spanish tradition of trying to fit 12 grapes into your mouth at midnight — New Year's Eve comes with a host of different rituals and traditions.

Maybe a new one of yours will be submitting a New Year's-themed story to the Reedsy Prompts contest? 😊 In which case, we don't want to keep you any longer! So...

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... write! And have yourself a Happy New Year.

🥇 Winner

“Pagliacci on the Q Train” by Emily Hemmings

🏆 Winner of Contest #22

It is 4:06 PM on December 31st, and my mother is sobbing at the kitchen table. She is wearing a peculiar type of party hat, one with a hidden button underneath the brim. When this button is activated, a string of lights declares the year, 1993, above her head in a semi-circle. While my mother cries, the sprigs of tinsel on the hat bob comically. I do not laugh, although I want to, just a little bit. Instead, I watch her, studying her ruddy cheeks with a detached fascination and chewing on my cuticles. I am not even sure if she is completely ...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“ DOOMSDAY CLOCK” by Scott Blanke

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

Harold Spitzer was thrilled to be celebrating New Year’s Eve, 2030 in Times Square. Tonight, he and his family would be in the midst of the crowds at midnight, but none of them minded. They’d watch the ball drop, then take in other New York City sights over the next few days, about as far from Pasadena as they could get.A nuclear physicist at Cal Tech, Harold had two years ago joined the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists as a junior member of the Science and Security Board. His knowledge of foreign countries’ nuclear arms meant he was an imp...

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“The old year and the new” by Marte Van Der Linden

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

The annual handover party was already in full swing when Twenty-Twenty’s cab pulled up in front of the city hall. He paid the cabby and gave him a generous tip.“Thanks, guv. Have a good New Year’s eve party, and happy new year.”“And to you.”Happy. Yes, Twenty-Twenty supposed he could be happy.The doors of the hall were open and a jumble of laughter and twinkling lights spilt out onto the pavement. He stepped into the hall and let the sounds and smells of the party envelop him. At least four different songs were playing simultaneously over th...

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“New Era” by Lauren Ford

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

“Run.” Ira was struck for a moment at the bluntness of the way the word was communicated silently with just a quick movement of hands. Unnoticed or ignored by those in the crowd, but so plainly visible to her. The hands had raised from the old man’s sides and the fingers had pulled back like he was pulling the trigger on two pistols aimed at her head. Ira swallowed hard. Her father’s cold, blue eyes met briefly with her own as his hands returned to his sides. In those wizened eyes were worry. The little wrinkles around them creased togeth...

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“Winter Gardening” by Christine Johnson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

We gather with Mr. Schultz in the wrought-iron fenced front courtyard of our building seven minutes after midnight. With little grass, but edged garden beds, there are plenty of spots for Mr. Schultz’s new year’s dig. I do not bring my midnight-sipped champagne out of respect for this man I have come to care for deeply over the last thirty-six hours. Others do. Cocktails, mocktails, wine. Even though I know several are drunk, the group tempers its celebrating out loud. Marina debuts her faux white fur jacket, a ...

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“Crossing” by Claire Spina

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

So it’s like this: this is the year I die.I have always known this. I have been waiting. Outside, the crowds are gathering already in anticipation of the new year. Through the walls of my apartment, I can hear them talking and laughing, giddy off new beginnings and champagne. I want to join them, but it doesn’t quite seem appropriate. I’m not sure what the etiquette is for dying at a party, but I have to assume it’s frowned upon. I say I’ve always known. I suppose I’ve only really known since I was sixteen, but most days that feels...

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“Zelda” by Grace Cooper

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

Cassie could feel her legs sticking to the seat’s plasticy cover. She drummed her fingers against the keyboard and exhaled, “hmmmm”. Stupid research papers. Stupid her for choosing something on a whim. Stupid her for waiting until the last minute. She stretched back against her chair and yawned. Books and papers were scattered around the glowing white screen of her laptop, spilling off of her desk onto her bed and the floor. She unstuck her legs one at a time from the bottom of the chair and got up. She wandered over to her bed and lif...

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“Mount Marmalade” by Ashley Fernandes

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

Have you ever been up high on a mountain when the clock strikes midnight on the night that the year begins anew, so close to the stars that it seems as if you can almost reach out and put one in your pocket? If you haven’t, my dear, I daresay you have not lived. Perhaps I shall take you up there one day - to Mount Marmalade, that is - but I think that telling you a story will do just fine for now.Where on earth do I begin? Let’s see here . . . Oh, don’t mind me . . . My memories seem to have gotten a bit foggy with age, but it’ll come to me ...

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This week's prompts

Write a short story about a person who goes to bed on Valentine's Day and wakes up in 1920.

Holiday – 41 stories

Write a short story about someone with unconventional New Year's traditions.

Holiday – 44 stories

Two strangers meet at a New Year's Eve party. They spend the party together, and then never see each other again.

Winter – 79 stories

Write a short story in which the last line is the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve.

Winter – 97 stories

Write a short story about someone who does not spend December 31st celebrating New Year's Eve.

Winter – 77 stories

Stories

“Pagliacci on the Q Train” by Emily Hemmings

🏆 Winner of Contest #22

It is 4:06 PM on December 31st, and my mother is sobbing at the kitchen table. She is wearing a peculiar type of party hat, one with a hidden button underneath the brim. When this button is activated, a string of lights declares the year, 1993, above her head in a semi-circle. While my mother cries, the sprigs of tinsel on the hat bob comically. I do not laugh, although I want to, just a little bit. Instead, I watch her, studying her ruddy cheeks with a detached fascination and chewing on my cuticles. I am not even sure if she is completely ...

Read story

“A FEAST TO REMEMBER” by Pragya Rathore

Submitted to Contest #22

In the far-away land of Arbainia, where the animals could talk like humans and the birds could perpetually be seen flying in the clear, remote firmament, their wings glimmering like kaleidoscopes, something inexplicably bizarre was happening. An obscure murkiness had recently engulfed the island with its freezing touch and foggy winds, the reason for it beyond all comprehension. The king, frail-hearted as he was, had apparently been killed while investigating the elusive mist, or the Jwelalur, as the locals began to call it. He had been enve...

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“A NEW 'MENTALITY'” by Pragya Rathore

Submitted to Contest #22

When Adriel announced that he wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon, I asked him if he'd be okay with patients wanting never to see him again; he blinked and said," That's okay, Mum, as long as they're alive to wish it."Being a single mom was hard both financially and emotionally, with a recently started psychiatric practice and just a few guilty calls by my ex to ask after Addy and checks sent 'with remorse' for child support. Who will support the mom? I wanted to scream sometimes. I was desperate for better credentials to get employed in a...

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“Edge” by Miles Gatling

Submitted to Contest #22

"It's teflon-coated, not stainless steel.""Are you sure about that?""Yes, I used to shave daily with Voskhod.""Why did you switch?""I tried the Wilkinson and since then it's my main blade.""I didn't like it in my Merkur; it bends it at a weird angle.""I'll lend you my DE89, great for Russian brand blades too. ""Oh, that's ok, I know you can't go a day without shaving.""I have many razors, Frank. I'm currently using -""That's our guy."Eric turned his head and locked eyes on the pizza boy."Let's get him."Just as the kid was buzzed in, Eric gri...

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“Beth” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted to Contest #22

My school, many years ago when I was in the high school, was a massive old building of Greek scholars, stone pillars, and confused Latin mottos, named Calving Conservative Preparatory School. It sprawled on several hundred acres, a well-to-do private school where many students and all of the teachers boarded.Hidden in the recesses of the school, bricked up and guarded by her sharp tongue and evil dreams and fiery spirit, a girl named Beth lived and hated.Beth was tall and thick, blue-streaked black hair in a pixie cut, with olive skin and a ...

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“Once The Misfit” by Yoomi Ari

Submitted to Contest #22

Furious, you throw the bottle which overflowed with a cheap, filthy substance. Your eyes spark with anger as you hear the mocking, brutal noises the passerby’s howl at you. You remember, ‘Don’t let life slip away, one day you’ll leave this world behind, so live a life you’ll remember.’ That is what she said? That? A joke! To live a life you’ll remember you’d need a continuous journey to travel without setbacks. What did she know anyway?You heave, as you lean onto the brick wall on for support, lifting yourself up, you stagger up and wobble o...

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“The Star Gazer’s Night” by Yoomi Ari

Submitted to Contest #22

We’d stand under the miniature woodland of holly trees and native shrubs, each of them trimmed as if they were green flames. To move about them is a sort of music, a poetry that cannot be spoken in words, yet is heard and calms everything that I am. Well was.I giggle as I see the children run around the trees, how they have grown together, year on year each getting taller. The children create their games around these gentle giants, babies though they are, whispering the magic that comes from such new souls. Sheer joy.Now the derelict garden,...

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“Ana and Sam” by Mitra S

Submitted to Contest #22

AnaI love beginnings. I go to bookstores and spend hours reading the first page of the new books. I think about the author, sitting at her desk, staring at the blank page, typing those first words. Like a spark to the flame. Like a first bite of the most delicious dessert. I savor those first words. I want to stay on that first page forever. I love the feeling of anticipation. When I watch a movie, I love the casual touching of hands more than the kiss. I love the feeling that comes before happiness. I love the smell of rain. I love the quit...

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“ DOOMSDAY CLOCK” by Scott Blanke

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

Harold Spitzer was thrilled to be celebrating New Year’s Eve, 2030 in Times Square. Tonight, he and his family would be in the midst of the crowds at midnight, but none of them minded. They’d watch the ball drop, then take in other New York City sights over the next few days, about as far from Pasadena as they could get.A nuclear physicist at Cal Tech, Harold had two years ago joined the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists as a junior member of the Science and Security Board. His knowledge of foreign countries’ nuclear arms meant he was an imp...

Read story

“Returning the Favour” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #22

1“Don’t panic,” said the man with my face, “I’m not here to hurt you.”The words caught in my throat for a moment. My eyes traced his features – the shape of his head, the crook of his nose, the thickness of his lips, the colour of his eyes, the slightly uneven eyebrows, the partially off-centre teeth. He was me. He was me, he was me, he was me. But I was me. I was sure of it. Mostly. “I—” I stuttered, looking over him once more. The words caught in my throat. The man struck more than a passing resemblance to me. This...

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“Emma's Wish” by Constance Ruth Clark

Submitted to Contest #22

Her nose was cold. Frowning, Emma snuggled further under her bed covers and tried to recapture the fleeting remnants of her dream. Who was the man she had been with? Why did the bed feel empty? Not like there should have been anyone in bed with her. Her worthless ex had run off with his co-worker 6 months ago. Spineless dick that he was, he had left her to cover the rent and all their bills. She hadn’t been laid since, so of course the bed would be empty. Still, the dream had seemed so real. A sharp knock startled her and her eye...

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“A normal day ” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #22

On the thirty-first of December, Emily locked the door, closed the curtains and played classical music to drown out all noise from outside. She started with Chopin. Outside the sun was shining. Beams of sunlight crept through gaps in the curtains and she had to keep tugging them shut. She dusted the bookshelves and cleaned the bathroom, all the while pretending it was evening, a Tuesday, somewhere in January.Around noon someone in the street set of a couple of firecrackers, and Emily twisted the volume knob on her stereo. Even at maximum vol...

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“Last Call” by Chien Noir

Submitted to Contest #22

At the end of a long winding road, there’s a bar. It sits at the top of a hill and should be known for its spectacular view of the bay — but it's winter in San Francisco, and tonight all you can see is fog. Still, it’s a pretty nice place. The fire in the fireplace is real, the drinks are generous, and the bartender is always ready to listen. I should know. My name is Pete, and I’ve been tending bar here forever. Like all little neighborhood dives we have our regulars, but I won’t be seeing any of them tonight. It...

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“2020 Foresight” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #22

Hal saw Alice enter the hotel bar. She was alone and didn’t pause on her way to the bar.The place had been filling up for a while. And with only two hours left in the decade, it would soon be SRO. She approached the well-stocked bar with a predatory expression on her face. When she reached the bar Hal caught her eye and indicated the empty stool next to him. “You’re in time for the show. May I buy you a drink? I’m Hal.” He offered his hand.Alice scanned the room. “I’m Alice. Why don’t I buy you one? Since you held a seat.”Hal smiled and gest...

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“The old year and the new” by Marte Van Der Linden

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #22

The annual handover party was already in full swing when Twenty-Twenty’s cab pulled up in front of the city hall. He paid the cabby and gave him a generous tip.“Thanks, guv. Have a good New Year’s eve party, and happy new year.”“And to you.”Happy. Yes, Twenty-Twenty supposed he could be happy.The doors of the hall were open and a jumble of laughter and twinkling lights spilt out onto the pavement. He stepped into the hall and let the sounds and smells of the party envelop him. At least four different songs were playing simultaneously over th...

Read story

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$50

Prize money

338

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 03, 2020 EST

Won by Emily Hemmings 🏆

Title: Pagliacci on the Q Train

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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