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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#238: Aposiopesis

An ancient figure of speech, literally meaning “becoming silent,” aposiopesisis a very fancy word for a very common predicament. Aposiopesis occurs when a sentence breaks off and is left unfinished, suggesting the speaker is too overwhelmed to go on. Think “I’m so angry, I could —”, “You don’t think they…?”, or “I just thought…”

This week’s prompts are inspired by unfinished utterances, communication catastrophes, and those times when you just can’t quite...

This week's prompts

Start or finish your story with a speaker unable to finish their sentence, perhaps overcome by emotion.

Angst – 92 stories

Write a story in which a conversation takes place where the true subject is only implied.

Dialogue – 40 stories

Write a story including the line “I can’t say it.”

Dialogue – 58 stories

Write a story in which an important message is cut off, leaving characters to wonder or puzzle out what was left unsaid.

Mystery – 48 stories

Set your story at a silent retreat.

Angst – 44 stories

Stories

“Blue is your colour” by Lakshmy Bhaskar

Submitted to Contest #238

“It’s been three years.”He raises his eye-brows.“We started work on the same day - 3rd January 2021.”He nods.“Hey, thanks for the coffee, man,” I toss him an off-hand gratitude.Another nod. And a grunt.It has been this way for three years. Verbal versus non-verbal. I have not seen a young man in his mid-twenties look so ‘old’; if you know what I mean. His demeanour accentuates his overall looks. His baggy, crumpled shirt falls over his loose pants. I don’t think his pants have seen soap ever. I itch to tell him off. If I were his father I wo...

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“The Migration Pattern of Chinchillas” by Melanie Yorke

Submitted to Contest #238

Contains mild swearing. “Well, it’s the chinchilla I feel sorry for.” Marti said to Sal as they pulled the tables and chairs onto the pavement outside the cafe. It was a lovely sunny day and Marti knew they’d soon be too busy with customers to chat much. They’d worked together for years and could set up for the day blindfolded without bumping into each other. Quickly and efficiently they set out the ashtrays and menus, the cruets and the coasters.“Nevermind the bloody chinchilla” said Sal, “What about the kids? What do your George and Lacey...

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“Between the Water and the Sand” by Maya Fremon

Submitted to Contest #238

The first thing I noticed about him was his name. Our first names started the same way. Our last names went off into two different directions as if they never even met. I never wanted his name like I wanted his haircut, but I wanted his approval as much as I wanted to dance with him. We were on a beach somewhere, he wouldn’t tell me what part of the country we were in, even though I didn’t like the sand. “Just take your shoes off,” he told me.“That doesn’t help”.He often had advice that sounded simpler than it was, as if my pr...

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“Sex in a Cup” by Rebecca Pearson

Submitted to Contest #238

Rosie and I agreed John Gray was so wrong. That’s because the best-selling author of ‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus’ had never met Ron. “Wait, he does your laundry for you?” Rosie squealed with wide-eyed disbelief while I whipped a cup of heavy cream with the confectioner’s sugar into stiff peaks. “He hates the way I fold clothes. Says I just wad them up.” Rosie had an incredulous look on her face, and, really, who could blame her? “I know, sounds cringey, like I ought to be ashamed of myself for no...

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“Lay Down The Highway” by Giulietta Villalobos

Submitted to Contest #238

“Lori, I don’t…,” Andrew trails off, sighing heavily. This is miserable. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to say no to her in this moment– if he ever did.He had called her from a motel room outside of San Antonio, accepting the charges without even asking how much they’d be. He just wanted to hear her voice. “Where in the world is Andrew Brown?” she’d asked as soon as she picked up the line. For a moment, he’d considered lying to her. He could be vague, distract her with stories from the road until she’d forgo...

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“Just a Thought” by D'Spencer Luyao

Submitted to Contest #238

I’d had “moving day” written on the calendar for months, but it turned out that moving was not a day but a weeks-long project. During the first few days, I took hardly a single phone call, and for good reason. After those initial days of chaos and sleep, when things slowed down and I would’ve killed for a phone call over all the unpacking, you still did not call. I think the reason was good enough then, too. To ...

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“Georgia's Lies” by Charlie Waters

Submitted to Contest #238

Georgia was in the middle of her homeroom when the text came in... "Don't bother coming home, your stuff is on the curb."-Dad.Georgia already knew this was coming. Her father saw the story she submitted to her high school’s online newspaper and the feedback it got. She had written about an instance between them that didn’t exactly paint him in the best light. “Lanie’s FatherBy: Georgia WaltersLanie’s father had been pressuring her to move out and in with her high school boyfriend. Her stepmother’s sist...

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“The Last Word” by Paul Littler

Submitted to Contest #238

This story contains themes that may be upsetting to some readers, please be advised. The ‘water cooler’ moment is long dead, with the rise of social media and on demand news, yet Piers Kavanagh’s last words on his live show ‘Exposed’ were on everyone’s lips, everywhere, the following day. “I can see…” During the staged seance with Molly Burke, the latest spiritualist medium he planned to debunk on his popular show, he’d begun to look odd. ...

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“Silent torture” by Judith Green

Submitted to Contest #238

I find myself standing outside the airport, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a car that is supposed to transport me to the resort recommended by my therapist. As I observe my surroundings, I am struck by the hustle and bustle of the outside world and taken aback by the noise pollution. Arizona is definitely not a place I could envision calling home, and I am grateful that my stay here will be limited to just a few weeks - three weeks, to be more precise. I don’t think I could stand this heat long enough to consider this place home. My therapi...

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“Commitment” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #238

Oscar is in his fishing boat on his favorite lake, watching his bobber bob up and down in the sun’s glare. Light dapples across his face as a soft breeze tosses the few strands of his balding head. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in his side. He is snapped awake. Dolores’s bony elbow has hit him hard in the ribs. She hisses, “Oscar, wake up! You’re in church!”Oscar grumbles back, “I’m not sleeping. I’m listening.”“Yeah? Well, your eyes were closed!” Oscar lifts his chin defiantly, “...

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“Void Of Stars (Part 2) - [Collab with Annie Persson]” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #238

I closed my eyes, and jumped into the wormhole. Slowly, I lifted my eyelids and looked around to see where I was. A mountain, the four golden towers of the palace with its responsibilities and burdens nowhere in sight. Oak trees filled the mountain-base, dipping into flatlands and not rising again until the range of hills in the distance. My mind floated, aware that I was somewhere at last where I didn't have to hide myself. There was something odd about the setting, but I let it go, not wanting to ruin the moment. I twisted, and searched th...

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“The Golden Apple.......” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #238

In his nostalgic moments, as his life passed by, Marty often looked back on some of his life-changing moments. One golden memory was when Marty first told anyone he was gay. Directed by their mother, who had said, "You're reading too many books, go for a walk," Marty and his older sister had walked for a sunny afternoon of fresh air. Taking their library books under their arms, Marty and Louisa had sauntered into a neighboring orchard. There were no fences, the fruit trees overladen with ripened apples had all been earmarked for a housing de...

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“Last Words” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #238

Trigger Warning: Miscarriage. CHLOEBefore we fell in love, Evan and I spent two months talking to each other over text and phone calls. After we fell in love we spent three more months talking over text, and all night phone calls. We spent three years talking to each other through morning breath, evening whispers, late night confessions, ordinary daytime passing remarks. Our vows took almost fifteen minutes to say a piece. If someone attempted to calculate the sheer number of minutes we have spent talking, I’m sure that it would equal years ...

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“The Thief” by CC Watson

Submitted to Contest #238

She gazes for a moment at her bedroom door and then says, not loudly, but enough for whoever she thinks is behind the door to hear: "Not again, you’ve already taken from me, so go to --." This wintry night, when neither a murmur nor hum is heard within the walls of the Thompson residence, Elzebeth anticipates a thief. The probability was created six months ago while living alone in her apartment. Bandits harassed and forced her out of the very home she had lived in for twenty years, and she knew they would return. She was one of the f...

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“What’s In The Box?” by Peyton Fleek

Submitted to Contest #238

I can count the number of times I’ve had a gun pointed to my head. This is my eighth occurrence since I started this trade five months ago. It’s not necessarily a fatal business, but people are desperate and you know that old saying about desperate times and desperate measures. I remember the first time it happened, it was a sweaty, hot August night up in the Bronx. I just finished my first delivery. When I got back to my truck a cold piece of metal met my temple. My brother, being the man who got me the job, felt it his responsibili...

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$250

Prize money

282

Contest entries

98

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 23, 2024 EST

Won by Weronika L 🏆

Title: Five Turns of the Hourglass

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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