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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#231: A New Leaf

The year is almost over, and a new one begins in just a few days. With that comes the traditional time of reflection, and of projection. As well as looking back over the year that's just passed, we're looking ahead to a next — and even the most cynical among us have to admit there's something pretty exciting about that.

A new year is an opportunity for self-improvement, exploration, and even complete reinvention. This week's prompts are all in that vein; characters who are all looking for a fresh start, in one way or another.

This week's prompts

Write a story in the form of a list of New Year's resolutions.

Adults – 54 stories

Write about a character who has reinvented themselves, but realizes it's not always easy to outrun your past.

Character – 62 stories

Write a story about hope.

Short Story – 78 stories

Write about someone trying something completely new.

Character – 34 stories

Set your story on New Year's Day.

Holiday – 50 stories

Stories

“Hope” by Robert Lee

Submitted to Contest #231

My family tree has always included branches just for dogs. It started with my dad’s granddad more than 100 years ago and is true to this day. My great-grandfather grew up in rural Tennessee when times were tough and money was tight. As a boy, he would relentlessly ask for a dog, but each time the response was the same: there wasn’t money to feed an extra mouth—especially if that mouth was on a dog. It might have been his dad’s new job or just the persistence of a ten-year-old boy, but his mom finally relented. The new fa...

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“The Hardware Fairy!” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #231

"Dave!" Dave heard his rather chunky wife, Janice, on his phone, just as his day of being a geek solution expert was heading to knock off time. "Yes dear?" he asked quite meekly, "What is wrong?" Dave and Janice had been married so long now, they never wasted small talk on niceties. Like, "How are you? How is your day going?" No, straight to the nitty gritty here. Janice did not take any prisoners. "Flossy and Bossy have broken the toilet seat. You'll have to mend it, or get a new one. This is urgent, they're on their rags again." "Right, I'...

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“The girl from yesterday” by Dao Huy Kien

Submitted to Contest #231

Every year, in the third month of the Lunar year, Vietnamese flock to cemeteries in the occasion called “Thanh minh” period. Seldom do they leave modern life for traditional values like this occasion or Tet holidays. It is the day for people to remember their relatives living in the world of the dead. Everybody of every age visits graves. You can see old men with snow-white hair and bent back. You can also see naive kids who know nothing about the meaning of this day. The only thing they know is that they are visiting a surreal world which s...

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“Greed” by Marion Baars

Submitted to Contest #231

"It's unbelievable how wealthy one person can be," Rob muttered, his eyes fixed on Richard Manson and his family through the lenses of his binoculars. He was strategically positioned several kilometers away, perfectly placed to monitor the family's every move. "Right? It's totally unfair. But soon, we'll have a piece of that fortune, right?" Steele replied, his voice filled with determination. "Absolutely. They owe us that much, after everything," Rob said, refocusing on the family they had been meticulously surveilling for weeks. Richard Ma...

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“THE PHOENIX ARISES” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #231

THE PHOENIX ARISES This story is true; compiled of facts from personal knowledge and conjecture derived from newspaper reports and there are three main actors.The first was a gangster from Chicago, name o’ Murray Humphreys, an associate of Al Capone and the brains of The Outfit, who, once Capone was imprisoned for tax evasion, left the windy city and settled in Norman, Oklahoma. Humphreys, a main player in Capone’s rise to the top, though he was not Italian, was revered for his money making ability.The second, another gangster, from New York...

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“A Modest Tale of Hope” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #231

Hope is not big, momentous, grand; it is not a plumed picture hat, not a coat, not a bag. It is as modest as the boring, old underwear beneath all that glamour, the underwear we somehow manage to change (almost) every day, despite being glued to our beds, losing lovers and friends, and despite unemployment. Margaret rolled over and turned off her alarm, picking out a painful wedgie. She was wearing Tuesday’s pair of underwear for the second consecutive day, one of the six pairs her ex-mother-in-law had sent her for Christmas (Monday was miss...

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“Longing to Exhale” by Skylar Page

Submitted to Contest #231

With tears streaming, I hesitantly packed everything I had in the nearest bag. All the worries and anxieties, the doubts, and unbeliefs, the joy and pain, the love and grief, and traumas and fears, the depression and wonder and hope. I tossed them all in and prayed for the best. With my heart in a sack slung over my shoulder I begrudgingly made my journey. I hoped someone had been listening as I called out, begging and pleading, that I wouldn’t be turned away but welcomed with anything other than pity. I’d rather be rejected and turned away ...

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“Coffee, Tea or Me” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #231

“This Christmas I bought everything already! There’s nothing left to buy!” complained Avery Dulles, the II.“Truth be told! Yes! I think you hit the nail right on the head! That is your problem,” the wizard on vacation affirmed as he sipped from a hot mint tea served with a too small saucer. His eyes were downcast, staring at it. If I laugh or cry, this tea will not burn just my nether regions! He thought.“Problem? I never said I had a problem,” sniffed Avery. “What are you hitting on here?”“Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! I’m on vacation, mind!...

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“My Time In Hell” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #231

Why do I write? What do I write?I was asked these questions recently. The answers are simple.There are times in life when the world purely sucks. We can either wallow in self-pity or do what we must to push through the bad times. The more this story is told, the better off this world will be. Don't believe me, read on."Nurse Tatum, I know I need to go to rehab. As soon as I get home, I will make the necessary arrangements.She glanced at my charts, shaking her head, before handing the paperwork to the hospital therapist. "You should stay here...

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“Dust Covers and Other Lovers” by Nicki Nance

Submitted to Contest #231

“Welcome to Between the Lines. I’ll be right with you.” Rina Roche slipped a book in place on the shelf, backed off the step stool and wiped her hands on her jeans. At the front of the used bookstore, a dark haired thirty-something man in a black hoodie stood at the counter. “I need a mountain of magic, Cher. Can you help me out?” She put her hands on her hips. “I know you, you Cajun devil man. You were a phantom antagonist in Nooni’s first flash story.” He scowled. “I was, but no one, including me, knows me. I don’t even have a name.”...

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“Just Visiting” by Joe Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #231

Tauhm stopped on the sidewalk. He looked one way, and then back again. He scratched his chin. A young woman passing by saw his confusion and stopped. "Hi!" she said. "Are you lost?" "Yes," Tauhm said. "Maybe I can help. What are you looking for?" "I’m trying to find the Unity Church." "Oh, well, I’m heading there myself." She held out her hand. "I’m Kate, by the way." He stared at her hand for a moment. "Oh! Right. You shake hands here." He stuck out his hand. She shook it and asked, "What’s your name?" "It’s Tauhm." "Nic...

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“A Glimmer” by Rose Winters

Submitted to Contest #231

A GlimmerDr. Vee set down a pair of ruby pumps and lay women's undergarments on a bench. "Good morning, G-11. You have a new outfit today. You're going out of our compound."G-11 stepped out of her charging unit, pulling off her smock, her shapely pale latex legs stepping into the red heels. “How do I look?”Dr. Vee held back his amusement, averting his eyes. “Underdressed.” He handed her the bra and panties.She cocked her head. “I believe I will still be underdressed. Minimum modesty protocol states that I cover myself from armpit to six inch...

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“Detective Dog” by Janet Severn

Submitted to Contest #231

Detective Dog was reading his new case. Another dead sheep. This one in Canton, about 100 miles north. Canton, a town where no sheep lives. No doubt, it was the work of the Mutton gang. They'd been killing members of the Bellwether gang all month. Finding them alone walking down the road, shoving them in their van, beating them to death, then driving to some far away town and dumping the body in the middle of the road. So of course Detective Dog knew who was doing the killing, but what could he do about it? If he went to interrogate them, th...

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“Many Unfortunate Returns” by Megan Pierce

Submitted to Contest #231

Three years ago, William Barara Stud moved into his quaint little house in Edinburgh, Scotland, but he had not been into the backyard for exactly a year. In fact, while all of the windows facing the east side of his house had shades thrown wide open, on the west side they were pulled down tight. The window above the kitchen sink, which provided a lovely view of the garden, was even duct taped closed, as it had once been possible to swing the window panes open like doors. You see, other than having an unfortunate name and a developing ...

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“Echoes Of Time” by M B

Submitted to Contest #231

The brown-furred Jackal opened his eyes. The dim light of dawn cast light on the interior of his small quaint cabin. His new modest abode consisted of a stove, bed, table, wash basin, and a chest. It was much smaller than the rooms he used to sleep in. The jackal's ear twitched as he could hear the steady thunder off the coastline. He pulled back the covers, revealing his toned physique. As he eased himself out of his cot, the gray patches in his fur were revealed - gray patches from scars beneath. The young male then staggered to th...

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$250

Prize money

278

Contest entries

109

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 05, 2024 EST

Won by Mary Lynne Schuster 🏆

Title: No Junior League

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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