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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#241: Et Tu, Brute?

“Beware the Ides of March!” In Shakespeare’s play, these fateful words are thrown at Julius Caesar during a procession through Rome, warning him of the day his compatriots will betray him. In the play, and in reality, this warning came to fruition. On March 15, he was stabbed thirty times by his fellow Roman senators, including Brutus, someone he thought he could trust. As that date is just around the corner, I find myself thinking a lot about Caesar’s story, and about other stories of betrayal.

It’s the ultimate breaking of trust. You thought they were a friend, a mentor, a close confidant, a person you could trust through thick and thin — only to find yourself stabbed in the back at the most inopportune moment. What leads people to make such a drastic decision, and sever a once unshakeable bond? How do you move on when your faith in the people around you is shaken? These are just a few of the questions to consider as we look towards the fateful Ides this week.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who is convinced they’re going to be betrayed.

Dramatic – 55 stories

Write about someone who is stuck between two opposing sides and can’t decide which one to choose.

Fiction – 49 stories

Set your story at a tense event where everyone is unsure whose side they’re on.

Thriller and Suspense – 27 stories

Start your story with an unexpected betrayal.

Adventure – 81 stories

Write about a backstabbing (literal or metaphorical) gone wrong.

Horror – 43 stories

Stories

“A Fatherly Betrayal” by Sasha Emmaleth

Submitted to Contest #241

A fatherly betrayalThe angry skies cleared and the lightning stopped its angry whipping giving way to sunshine again. All but a few of the witnesses of the event stayed behind to handle the body. The rest cleared the scene and mundane life seemed to continue as if nothing of significance had just occurred. In the shadows he smiled and turned to his companion and boasted, “As I predicted for this long-term experiment, the test subject would not denounce what he believed was his purpose for being born. This credence would remain...

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“The Wrong Pick” by Mikah Ribble

Submitted to Contest #241

My hands twirled the pouch of coins in an experienced manner. I could feel the slick of the lock pick pressed up against my wrist, secured tight with a thief’s bracelet. I could always feel it, always aware of where it was and how to use it and when best to make my move. Strolling leisurely through the town’s narrow streets, I tucked the pouch away. I had a big score soon. There were things I needed to know. The pick slid down my wrist as I slipped in front of a door, shadowed by the cover of a falling structure nearby. I palmed it, unnotice...

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“Revenge” by Camille Clarke

Submitted to Contest #241

REVENGE Et Tu, Brute? By Camille Clarke Dusty's face was bruised, his mouth was swollen, and he sported a black eye and wounds to his body. He trembled with fear, stammering as he softly and a bit hesitantly answered. “Who did this to you?” Mark asked standing in front of his brother. What mess did he get into this time? “It was Gregg,” Dusty looked away, hanging his head in shame. Mark did not need to hear anymore. He already hated Gregg. He waited years for any excuse to pound him. He fel...

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“"Ouch, That Hurts"” by Marian Fleming

Submitted to Contest #241

As I reached our daily lunch table with my tray full of unappealing Italian day lunch special, one of my best friends was saying catishly, "Marie thinks I'm going to nominate her for 'Best Personality', but I'm voting for Tracy instead." The eyes that had been eagerly focused on my friend, now known as 'the backstabbing bitch' by me, raised to see me standing behind her as she declared to whom her loyalties belonged. When Jamie saw their looks of warning, she turned around and her expression quickly turned sheepish and her pink cheeks drain...

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“Unexpected Betrayal” by Keila Aartila

Submitted to Contest #241

I hopped off the school bus, hitting the ground at a dead run ahead of my two younger brothers; dropped my book bag at the house door and ran down to the barnyard. I couldn’t wait to touch the little horse who would be waiting to see me, after a full day of going through the motions of attending my Middle School classes. I wanted to get home to continue the training of my young horse. He was coming along sop well! The horse had been purchased for a small fee from a poor quality situation. He was of unknown breeding, and a non-extraordinary b...

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“It's all Swedish to me/Naked and Furious!” by Pip Stroud

Submitted to Contest #241

It was 1999 and Finn and I had been living and working in Sweden for a couple of years. Sweden is about as far away from our home country of New Zealand as you can get. Due to our experience working with Swedes in the company in New Zealand, we thought their culture wasn’t so different. How wrong we were! We were surprised and frustrated at how hard it was to make new friends and socialise with the locals. As world travelled Kiwis, I thought we understood about different cultures and our place in the world. We came to discover that Swe...

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“Shallow Cuts, Deep Wounds” by Anna Sauerbrei

Submitted to Contest #241

The stars are beautiful tonight, swirling in their millennia-old patterns. Orion, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. There are hundreds more, but those are the only ones Jake knows the name of and how to find them. Laying down on the ground, he can see the whole night sky. Outside of the city where the lights don’t wash out the brilliance of the stars. He can smell the grass nearby, freshly coated with dew, but he doesn’t feel it. No, he is laying on hard ground. Cement, with what seems like little rocks digging into his back. Bu...

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“One More chance for Lost Love” by Valentine Tarango Jr.

Submitted to Contest #241

"Eric? She's talking to you." "What would you like to drink, sir?" Eric snapped back to reality. He looked at his wife, Kathyrn, and then at the waitress waiting for him to tell her what he'd like to drink. "Um, I apologize; uh, water, no ice, with two lemon wedges, please." "Water, no ice, with two lemons, got it, and a Merlot for you, ma'am." "Thank you," Kathryn said. Once the waitress walked away, Kathryn looked at Eric, puzzled and studying. "Eric, what is going on?" Eric broke eye ...

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“Chop” by Finn Janik

Submitted to Contest #241

I see you… I see you. Why are you so oblivious? Useless is what you were and useless is what you are. I do not even have every sense, yet I can find you easily. I can kill you easily. I only have four senses; why is it so easy to find you? Come out from the hollow log full of maggots, centipedes… cockroaches. Come out from behind that tree. Your jacket gives you away. Heh. I do appreciate good sport, but this is pathetic. Crying is not going to help your cause. Sigh. Could you attempt to survive a little better? Please. Show me why humans ar...

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“Et Tu, Lanna?” by Laurel Quinn

Submitted to Contest #241

She was my best friend. The woman I chose to share most of my deepest, darkest secrets with. The woman I cried with, rejoiced with, and laughed with. And then she stole my husband from right under my nose. Joke’s on her, though. She made her bed with a professional gaslighter, a classically trained covert-narcissist, and master of manipulation, and now she’s gotta lie in it. Our story starts back in 2021, where I met Lanna…at church. A safe place, you’d think. I knew her husband, I helped teach him in Sunday School when I was a teenager, he ...

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“The Hacker, Pixel, and Glitch” by Addie Cox

Submitted to Contest #241

Niko woke up to the sound of a gunshot. Luckily for Niko his life did not end with that sound, as would be expected. “Sugar snaps!” That was another thing you would probably need to know about Niko (the first being he was not already dead), he had an obsession with food that blended into his language, that and he was, to put it plainly, pretty weird.Niko tore through his living room where he had fallen asleep doing history homework, his books and papers flying everywhere, and raced to his bedroom. The gunshot sound had been loud (as gun...

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“Nauseous Niceties” by David Newcombe

Submitted to Contest #241

Life now had a direction, a purpose. The plan was foolproof. There would be no consequences. In fact, he could see nothing ahead but a life of opulence, once he’d taken the necessary steps. He was going to kill his wife. Malcolm Roberts had been born in a squalid area of New York some thirty years earlier. The fates had given him a quick mind and an athletic body, and he soon realized these were his ticket to a better life. Adopting a new name and a fabricated past, Malcolm Rob...

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“Walking With Larceny ” by Eddie Collins

Submitted to Contest #241

The second hand raced around the clock, as one crisp page turned after the other. Able intertwined his fingers as his thumbs chased after the other, his eyes frolicked around the room, and his leg bounced on the opposite side of the desk. Caine glanced up from the papers. “S-sorry.” Able said. Caine reclined in the roller chair and let out a deep caffeinated sigh before plopping the papers on his desk. “Well, sir?” Able asked. Caine removed his glasses and rested his hand on his temple. “You...

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“The Sting of the Scorpion” by Zavier M. Ames

Submitted to Contest #241

After days of overcoming violent desert winds of epic proportions, Tarek finds himself in a remote fortress on his way to deliver a parchment that he's guarded as the eyes in his skull. The flag of the caliphate waves with strong winds towards the East. He must deliver the parchment to his allies within the fortress if he has any chance of clearing his name. The secret Order of Assassins are surely looking for him as they speak, but he must enter the lion's den if there's ever a chance to succeed in his revolt. He camouflages himself wit...

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“Bright Side” by Mary Asgari

Submitted to Contest #241

I never knew red was my favorite color until then. The way the moonlight shone on my shaking hands contrasted the maroon drops of blood in such a beautifully striking way. My mother always did teach me to look on the bright side of things, I guess. A small stream of blood was flowing down the short tip of the protruding knife, creating a now pool of blood on my hands and feet. Although the pain was searing, all I could think was how hard it was going to be to clean up this damn rug. I thudded to my knees and succumbed to the all too familiar...

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$250

Prize money

255

Contest entries

116

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 15, 2024 EST

Won by Liz Grosul 🏆

Title: When I Read Beckett

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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