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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#237: Sugar Rush

As a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and it has been ever since I was young. I can still remember how excited I would get whenever I gave and received candy hearts in class: those heart-shaped chunks of sugar said so much in just a few letters, from cute little confessions to grand decorations of love.

As romance is in the air this month, let’s write some stories inspired by the following candy heart messages: “1 4 3,” “MARRY ME,” “DATE NIGHT,” “LET’S KISS,” and “EMAIL ME.” Whether you write something heart-wrenching and contemplative, or sappy and sweet, is up to you!

This week's prompts

Write a love story without using the word “love.”

Valentine's Day – 102 stories

Write about a successful marriage proposal, or one that goes horribly wrong.

Valentine's Day – 44 stories

Write about a cynical character who somehow ends up on a blind date.

Valentine's Day – 39 stories

Write a story about a first or last kiss.

Valentine's Day – 108 stories

Write a story about two people falling in love via email.

Valentine's Day – 32 stories

Stories

“ Waiting” by Paige Vest

Submitted to Contest #237

Lillis busily cleared dirty dishes and arranged chairs that had been left crooked as customers had gotten up to leave. She wiped the dark wood surface of the tables and then pushed a broom around the stone tiles. Customers had filled tables as soon as they were vacated all afternoon, but the patio was finally empty. Except for the woman with the perfectly-styled dark blonde hair, shot through with white, who sat facing the steps down to the sidewalk, a glass of wine on the table at her elbow. Lillis knew how lonely it could be to go out for ...

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“Words Left Unsaid” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #237

“Boss, we got a shipment of gowns!” The orderly approached me holding a box. “Gowns? That can’t be right. Let me see.” The young man handed me the box clearly labeled, but I knew the contents were not the rare surgical gowns as we hadn’t even attempted to order them in a while. Our small supply was washed and rewashed to the point of becoming tattered. The usable ones the patients wore, the others ripped into strips for bandages.Must be the personal order from my transport guy, I realized. What a dumba...

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“Love Will Tear Chad Apart” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #237

The blue ocean shimmered and sloshed against the underwater hotel room’s window.Brooke Goodmane’s heart trilled hard and fast. Chad had been gone for a few minutes now, giving her time to think. The holiday, the fancy hotel, it was all too much. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She needed time to find herself and discover what she wanted from life. But she didn’t want to hurt the man who loved her. If only she felt the same way about him. And now this? Whatever ‘this’ was? Brooke paced back and forth, her hand rubbing a red spot against h...

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“Short Line” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #237

Maggie made sure to go to the fancy grocery store since a storm was coming. The weather had been unusually warm for a few days, and that’s how you knew you were going to get a blizzard. Everything in New England came with a cost. You paid for sun with snow the same way you paid for decent radishes with half a paycheck. She wasn’t going to be one of those people who complained about the price of this or that, but she still cringed when the final item was rung out. The cashier had a note of apology in her sixteen-year-old voice when she quot...

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“We won” by Yuliya Borodina

Submitted to Contest #237

Sir? Sir!” Plete’s voice, “Please, sir, wake up! Please!”Even half-asleep, Warrian could tell that the boy sounded panicked. All but weeping.“Wake up, sir! Please, get up! We are under attack.” Plete was shaking him now.Go, said another voice, this one steady and calm, a remnant of the quickly disintegrating dream, Stay on the left side of the lake. We’ll push through.The voice cut off, a memory that shimmered, whirled, and vanished, as Plete’s words finally sank in. Warrian bolted upright.“How many?” He was already moving, pulling on his bo...

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“Hopeless Romantics ” by Angela M

Submitted to Contest #237

Before she met Sam, Anna never understood why anyone would want to commit murder. She never thought of herself as the crazy type either. But here she was on a Friday afternoon, stalking her ex-boyfriend’s Venmo account and fantasizing about stabbing him to death. It had been a whole year since he dumped her and blocked her on everything (except Venmo) but the mere thought of him made Anna’s blood boil. She scrolled through his most recent interactions on the app and zoomed in on his new profile picture. This was part of her daily ritual...

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“Season of The Ring” by Mack Crotwell

Submitted to Contest #237

I sat idly as Iritha, our handmaiden, braided my hair back. I’d become fairly excellent at twiddling my thumbs and looking as though not a single thought pierced my brain. It is what is expected of me, of course. I am the eldest of my sisters, merely eighteen and unwed. What an unglamorous picture to be seen. I cannot and will not listen to my sister's chatter in my ear for a second more about the list of unsuspecting, eligible bachelors, who would sooner marry in their own cousins than to someone with such high opinions. No, opinions...

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“Three Little Words” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #237

All it took. Set the scene. Sky so empty. Not a bird. Not a plane. Riverbank our seat. Padded with grass. I smile upwards. Sky blesses us. No rain today. That is rare. We are Irish. We are neighbours. Always have been. She is favoured. She is exceptional. A beautiful rarity. We are serene. Swans alongside us. Glide on water. Ripples barely noticeable. What a day. Memorable for eternity. Plain to some. Not to me. Significant as birth. Amy my equal. Seated like bookends. Watching shared view. We are lucky. We are free. Unburdened by age. Every...

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“Mud!” by Konstantina Cheiladaki

Submitted to Contest #237

From: ahoc@bananabandana.comTo: robwarren@gmail.comSubject: No size selectedFriday 12 May 2023 12:24Good morning, Robert!Just checking in, I saw that you ordered a bandana from our store this morning, but didn’t specify the size. No worries though, your payment is secured, and your order will go through once you reply to this e-mail with your preferred size. If you need any help, please refer to our sizing guide attached below.Kind regards,Alexandra HockenyCustomer Support1 file attached: banana_bandana_sizing_chart.....From: robwarren@gmail...

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“My Voice of Comfort” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #237

Warm. So very warm. Thump, thump, thump plays the background rhythm, my only stimulation.I am suspended, floating in my new world, almost completely unaware.***Drifting around in the darkness I feel free. My arms and legs move randomly, herky jerky, before I slowly discover how to set myself in motion. One good kick spirals me around then tires me quickly. I have to stop and rest.Sudden noises and movements startle me. My arms and legs flail out, my own thump, thump, thump quickens until I can relax again, letti...

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“First, Last, With Nothing in Between” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #237

First, Last, With Nothing in Between Rita, Linda, Gail, Annie, Judy, Mardi… Annie.. Annie… Annie.I thought I buried the moment, got my mind out of Neutral, thought I could someday see the sunrise as the beginning of a new day. The moment, that wonderful, horrible moment, paid me another unwelcome visit last night, so today will be lost. The best of times, the worst of times. I understand it now. Bring it back, remember it all, cherish it, and then struggle to banish it forever from my memory. Few will recall the best moment of the...

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“Cat” by C. Charles

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #237

Sleep hadn't come. Tom brushed up against it—touched it, but it hadn't wrapped itself around him and taken him in. He'd kept his eyes closed, wishing he could slip away but one o'clock gave way to two, to three, and so on. Tom opened his eyes again to check the time. It was a little after seven. He couldn't lay there anymore. He had to get up. He groaned as he creaked out of the recliner (He hadn't slept in his bed in four days; he just couldn't stand to) careful not to wake Maggie, who had started in her room but was now asleep on the couch...

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“Domiciliary Valentine” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #237

To whom it may concern,I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to inform you that I won’t be able to work this Wednesday, the 14th. I understand that this is short notice, but I have had a killer – Blank. The computer screen turns off as the power in the house shuts down again. “Are you kidding me?” Addison growls at her dim reflection in the blank computer monitor. The slick black surface reflected back her disheveled dark hair and her dumbstruck eyes glaring through their wide-rimmed glasses....

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“A thing for you” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #237

2000I first heard about Chris from my then boyfriend Luke. Luke and his college friends enjoyed affectionally berating each other and so I heard plenty of stories about Chris and his awkward loss of virginity with a girl who subsequently followed him around college as well as lots of other unsuccessful attempts with the ladies.After graduating with a 1st and commendations for his biology degree from Christ Church college, Oxford, Chris had ‘fucked off to Africa’. I think Luke was incredibly envious that Chris had escaped the ‘real world’ and...

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“The most magical place on Earth” by Taylor Reed

Submitted to Contest #237

Disclaimer: This is a work of creative Non-fiction/fan-fiction, based on a dream proposal since I was a little girl. It’s inspired by my last trip to DisneyWorld, using the brands setting and merchandise in this story. I wish I could explain to her how nervous I’m feeling right now, but that would ruin the surprise. Normally she takes over everything, planning every last detail. It’s been incredibly difficult to coordinate this without her either finding out or letting her know how much stress it’s causing me. What if she says no?...

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$250

Prize money

324

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 16, 2024 EST

Won by Eliza Levin 🏆

Title: Love.edu: Courtship and Coincidence in Modern Academia

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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