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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

“A Familiar Face” by Terry Hyland

Submitted to Contest #238

“Oh for f…” Mel said into the phone, unable to finish the thought. She breathed. Gathered herself. It was Brittney, head caretaker at Brightside. Fred was refusing to get out of bed again.“Actually,” Brittney continued, “it looks like he never got into bed; just laid on top of it. Now he won’t get up. He already missed breakfast.”“Mmmm hmmm,” Mel sighed, staring up at the ceiling from her very comfortable bed. “Thanks, Brittney. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”She hung up, rolled back onto her side, and let go of the phone. It slid to t...

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“Family ” by Anastasia Mellovich

Submitted to Contest #238

trigger warning: abandonment. FamilyBy: Anastasia Mellovich It is 3 AM on July 30th, and tomorrow is the tenth worst day of my life, but who’s counting? The first worst day of my life was March 2nd, 1993, which just so happened to be my third birthday. It was the day my dad left my mother and I to move to Illinois. I have been up for the past three hours, making myself physically ill, thinking about the possible outcomes of tomorrow’s events. You might be asking yourself, where did the other nine horrible days come from? Those were the past...

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“The Quest for the Quetzal” by Elaine Elliott

Submitted to Contest #238

THE QUEST FOR THE QUETZAL Silvia loved painting birds of paradise. And peacocks. And toucans. And quetzals. Her architectural watercolors of Antigua had often found a buyer. As did her acrylics of multicolored Guatemalan huipils, the woven Mayan blouses used by indigenous women. But mostly birds. The new English teacher, Cara, shared an office with her at the school where she taught art and had exclaimed over some of her paintings, immediately buying some t...

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“Three Little Words” by Kellie Krevosky

Submitted to Contest #238

Anne rubbed her eyes aggressively before she remembered the mascara she was wearing. “Crap,” she muttered, glancing at the smears and flecks of black that coated her fingers. Oh well, it didn’t really matter what she looked like. There was no other soul in the office with her. The clock at the bottom corner of her screen indicated it was close to eight in the evening. She needed to close down her computer for the night but there were a few extra details she wanted to include in this proposal. It was the culmination of six months of work and ...

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“Untied Shoelaces” by Suhani Patel

Submitted to Contest #238

“Lockdown. Locks, lights, out of sight.” That was the third one. By then, the class had stopped celebrating the interruption to class and was settling into our usual spot by the door. We had these drills every month, but my heart still picked up a bit every time. What if this time, it’s real? But of course it never was. Why would it be? We were a random school in a random town in a random state. I mean, what the fuck ever happens in North Dakota. But still, this was America, the land of the free and the home of lunatics who go on mass...

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“Are You Going to Eat That?” by John Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #238

"Are you going to eat that?" said dad, pointing at Fran's belly. "That's not funny, dad," said Fran."Humor an old man."It had been weeks since Fran had dropped out of high school. Then came the battle of a lifetime. Her parents fought over what they should do with her. Should she join a home economics course? Should she join Job Corps? Peace Corps? The military? Such things were rolling through their minds. Fran hadn't been the best student to begin with. She was a solid middle classwoman. After years of study and progress, th...

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“The Perpetual Ball” by Rowan Damisch

Submitted to Contest #238

"Marquis Leto. I was worried you would be unable to grace us with your presence this evening. It is truly a relief that you could make it." She curtsied, the ends of her golden dress swishing across the floor as she bent forward. "Likewise Countess Elizabeth," Leto replied, bowing in turn, "I hope it isn't a disappointment I haven't been able to see you in a few years. Of course, your truly beautiful appearance has yet to change, my lady. " He then lightly grabbed her hand and kissed the top right of her ring finger. "Of course, Marquis." sh...

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“Dearly Beloved” by Sally Wirth

Submitted to Contest #238

“Is this seat open?” Sam asked the solitary woman sitting at the table. The Commerce Council meeting had moved out of the lecture hall into the bar for the mixer phase. Everyone here knew this was where business really took place. Have a drink (or drinks), mingle and make connections – hopefully business related. Being a single woman, Sam had learned to keep her guard up and stick to a two drink limit. “Hi....

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“Merciful Ziah” by Gio P.

Submitted to Contest #238

You stand before a crowd. You stand before them something mighty; an agent of calamity or calm you’ve yet to divulge to your onlookers. You flex your fingers and the air around you stills; not because of magic, but because every living thing holds its breath for just the increment of time it takes you to pop your index finger. The snap of your joint is met with a gust of wind, released as relived gasps in fluctuating notes from the stargazers below. You feel power. You feel it in every inch of you—a flame, a burden—as it thrums recklessly th...

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“A Late Night” by Aeryn Goodspeed

Submitted to Contest #238

Guavato sat at the edge of their bed, staring into their pajama-clad lap.They still saw it sometimes. Felt the metaphysical claws piercing into their eyes, tasting and smelling the viscous, green, almost glue-like ooze that had leaked into their mouth and nose. The rage from back then bubbled up once more in their gut, but they shook their head and squeezed their eyes closed.The thought crossed their mind to call Daybreak, but they’d just called him yesterday. For the same night terror, no less. No, their sibling deserved his rest. They coul...

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“Daughter of Lilith” by Natalia Cosnett

Submitted to Contest #238

Drumming his broad fingers on the pine wood of his vast desk, Thomas felt torn in half. He had a big decision to make. In front of him was sat his newly promoted chief midwife, Lila D’Lores. Kind hearted and full of knowledge beyond her twenty two years, Lila was by far the best trainee nurse he had ever had in his tiny hospital wing. In fact, just sixteen weeks ago, he had been thrilled to learn of Lila’s arrival, when he was informed that there would be a new young nurse coming to offer aid to the cramped and outdated h...

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“Hank, The Cat Contingency” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #238

My name is Cynthia. I am the Personal Manager at my work. I hire, fire, and pay the staff's wages at the Salvador Hotel. It is of average size with 200 bedrooms, varying in size and quality. We need an extensive variety of staff to care for the guests, especially at peak times. Right now, is a relatively quiet time. Some staff have left, and we haven’t needed to replace them.I have a husband, Kevin, and two sons. My husband is a highly qualified electrician. Harry is in his first year at High School, while Jeremy is only ten and still at Pri...

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“A Demon Whispers” by Laura Ethington

Submitted to Contest #238

The early morning light was blinding as she stumbled out of the forest, confused and cold. Her dress was ripped and covered in mud. Isabella walked into the early morning sun, scared and off-kilter, but not knowing why. Early morning was her favorite time to forage, but for some reason, she could only think about getting home as quickly as possible and sitting In the warm safety of her hearth. While returning to the path she usually walked, she looked down and realized her basket was gone. The familiar weight of it missing in her arms. But s...

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“Aposiopesis in Aberystwyth ” by Jennifer Molidor

Submitted to Contest #238

“I can’t say it,” I said, pointing to road signs, as Detective Chief Inspector David Wells drove us through the Welsh countryside. I had just crossed the Irish Sea on the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead. David had come to escort me south to the station in Aberystwyth where he worked for the Heddlu Dyfed–Powys, hethlee duhved pows, the central Wales police force. He had sent for me from across the seas, in hopes I could help him solve a tricky mystery. Aberystwyth. I could say that. Aburristwith. But I could not begin to imagine...

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“The Sun's Penumbra” by Kiren Lee

Submitted to Contest #238

[Physical violence, Gore, and Implied Abuse. Vauge Mental health Issues.]She loaded the barrel and twisted, counting down to her revenge. In exactly eight minutes and twenty seconds these bullets will tear into Arnie Lynn’s head. By Sunday tomorrow, Eva will be free, one way or another. Fifteen rounds is all she needed to kill the underground’s infamous bogeyman. From their basement to the top floor, every last criminal here will die— and surely, so will she. How fitting that the weapon they’ve created will be their undoing? They’d neve...

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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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