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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

“The Lot” by Savannah Edwards

Submitted to Contest #238

I hated the way he looked at me. He looked at me like he was carrying a secret and forcing every passer-by to play a guessing game. “What’s he thinking?” They would wonder. “What’s he got planned for her when they get home?” It was a cold, immovable stare that gave me chills because it wasn’t love in his eyes, but a warning. I better not move. I better not look at the entrance like it’s an exit. And with that stare was a smirk in his smile, a lie creeping in the right corner, that only I could see. He was playing it cool so as not to set off...

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“What a David Does” by 𝔊𝔲𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔩𝔲𝔭𝔢 𝔗𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔯

Submitted to Contest #238

Alarms blared and an amber warning light flashed beside the airlock of the spacecraft Grace. Joshua David stood steady and still beside it. “Daddy!”Joshua spun to face the cry, and saw a girl running towards him, brown hair flying behind her. An older boy was chasing after her. “Lindsey!” Joshua opened his arms wide, and the girl ran into them. “Daddy, what’s going on?” His daughter’s voice was muffled against his chest. He hugged her hard for a moment, then let go and pulled back. He knelt in front of her and took her ha...

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“It Burns From Within” by Edd Baker

Submitted to Contest #238

CW: Strong violence and gore, as well as some sexual themesThe rain had lessened somewhat, the heavy battering akin to the beating of war drums now but a gentle chatter. This was a blessing for First lieutenant Wright, not because his clothes would not get further soaked, his unform already drenched as if recently baptized, but because his line of vision was now clearer, and the less muddy the already dewy ground became, the better for travel. He looked up at the full moon, the light peeking through the thick canopy through whatever cracks a...

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“The Ghost of Austin” by JP G

Submitted to Contest #238

It is my first time journaling what happened. A year has passed yet the incident still haunts my thoughts. Not knowing is the hardest part. I write this message primarily in hopes of finding clarity and peace so that I may let go and move on. Let me offer a brief introduction. My name is Jacob. I’m 32 years old and retired‒thanks to a fortunate business venture early in my life. Soon after retiring I crossed paths with my girlfriend Myra, who was starting her own business as an influencer and blogger. We hit it off instantly as her b...

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“The Father” by Alaina Wainwright

Submitted to Contest #238

**Trigger Warning**Contains acts of abuse, violence, religious themes, and language... “I’ll just have a glass of water please.”“Is that all you’re having Erin? We’re supposed to be having lunch. They have an amazing-““She’s fasting for our day of prayer tomorrow.”Darius grabbed the menu from Erin and tossed it on the end of the table. “You’re so wonderful. Your guidance has helped me so much.” She looked up at him sheepishly.I was dumbfounded but chose to contain it. “It’s so nice to see you, honey. I don’t think we’ve g...

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“The man in the window ” by Taya Baguley

Submitted to Contest #238

The suffocating grip of fear had become a constant companion. My face curls downwards so much that I can feel my upside-down smile tugging at my facial muscles. My body feels hard to control, my arms dangle at my sides like I'm holding heavy rocks and I find my legs hard to lift when I walk. Every day, I feel different to everyone else. It is a hard feeling to describe, I don’t feel sad, I just feel completely and utterly hollow. As I walk through the streets I wonder if people can see it, see that I don’t look like everyone else, look like ...

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“Joint Guard Duty” by Robert Battin

Submitted to Contest #238

Two soldiers smoking pot while on guard duty in VietnamJoint Guard Dutyby R. A. BattinAuthor View The author has placed a warning on this post for violence. The author has placed a warning on this post for language. The author has placed a warning on this post for sexual content."Guess whut I's gots in my pocket, n' you can….."Crawhorn didn't give a rat's ass what the man had in his pocket. What mattered to him was the four hours of guard duty in a stinking, hot, 8' X 8' wooden tower, some thirty feet above the concertina...

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“The Happening ” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #238

It happened again your too taken by surprize and shock to say anything at the time. About the rudeness of others. Well she walked right in front of me towards the checkout in the supermarket. Some would have said "This lady or gentle man was first." She look around slowly opening her purse checking her club cards, before handing the assistant a fifty pound note. Not enough change in the till. Hence having to wait for the till to be checked. All because rather than argue, or kick up a scene, I did the decent thing or so I thought. By letting ...

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“Go Get Dressed” by Season C

Submitted to Contest #238

“It’s not only because he’s there, it’s just….” My chest tightened and the words just stopped. Tears poured down slowly onto my chin and then silently dropped into my lap. My hands were folded tightly and the back of my hand felt wet from it—the loss coming out in salty release. Marlene just stared at me sympathetically, her icy blue eyes examining mine.“Listen, remember how I told you what he did to me as child? The whole pond story? Ya know, almost drowning?” She nodded...

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“You are my sunshine” by Aryana Scheiern

Submitted to Contest #238

The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light over the room, illuminating the delicate features of the elderly woman lying down on the hospital bed. Her breathing was shallow, a rhythmic reminder of the fragility of life. Her daughter sat beside her in a chair close enough to stroke her thumb along her mother's palm. Only a few days ago they had been laughing together, sharing memories of joy with each other. The hard truth slipped beneath the cracks as she savored the small amount of time she had left with her mother. The realization ...

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“Jimmy and the Dogman ” by Tamar Katz

Submitted to Contest #238

WeeeeeooooooootThe sound came again, like the trill of a beached whale drying up amongst creosote and sagebrush.“What the hell is that?”“No doubt some kind of flying insect or other,” Jimmy tried to reassure his wife, Deborah, who was half-covered by a quilt, hair threaded through pink plastic curlers.“It’s driving me up the wall. Can you make it shut up?”Jimmy pivoted off the bed. He pulled his legs through a pair of Levi's, securing the buckle of the belt he’d left inside its loops. Given the nature of mountain lions and dope fiends – he o...

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“Return to Shore” by Barbara Magic

Submitted to Contest #238

Content Disclaimer: This work features the narrator living with suicidal ideation and depression. Return To Shore We rode your motorcycle along the coast as the wind whipped salt into our cheeks. My hair stung where it struck which only made the taste of the ocean sweeter. I would have asked where we were going if I didn’t know the answer. We weren’t. Do you remember how tight I held you through your jacket? Even now I’m gripping the pillow like I’ll fall off the bed without it. If I opened my mouth, the damp patch ...

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“A Pack of Lies” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #238

He walked in wearing a backpack full of rocks. It was easy to tell the weight had taken its toll. Sweat stained his underarms and neckline, and his face flushed from overexertion. He moaned and groaned as waves of pain attacked his body while he walked to the nearest seat. Before he sat, he made a series of small stretches: rolling his shoulders, straightening his back, and moving his head from side to side. Every movement made him wince.“Let me take your pack?” A kind, middle-aged man stood to help.“No, thank you,” the hiker said, “It’s min...

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“Spring Broke” by JoEtta McCluskey

Submitted to Contest #238

“Come here,” Gran Gran had directed. “Let me see if I can fix those coveralls before your momma gets here.” I would quickly run to the bathroom, step out of my pants and slip on the robe that used to hang on the bathroom door.“Eden, how many times have I fixed this very same pair of coveralls?” Gran Gran used to ask, peering over her glasses.“This summer or all of them?” “This summer, last summer, the summer before that,” Gran Gran would chuckle. “Doesn’t matter. Pick one.”Tapping my finger on my chin, I would attempt to recall the...

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“The Long Walk Back” by TC Cook

Submitted to Contest #238

The sweet scent of summer wafted through the tree line, showering the mountain with the fragrance of pine, and clearing out any remnants of the morning dew. The sun had fully risen but was still a few hours from its highest point. Warm enough to not need a heavy coat, but cold enough that the crisp chill of the wind rushing down the hillside would nip at any exposed skin. We got out of the car and Walker took a big inhale of the fresh air and said, “Perfect weather!” We got out of my humble sedan and laced up our boots, strapped on our...

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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.

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