Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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

“Tug of War: A State of Limbo” by E.L. Lallak

Submitted to Contest #241

Downtown, a squawking crow perched on a third-story windowsill emits its harsh, guttural cry, piercing the stillness of the muted neighborhood like a rough-edged note: CAW. CAW. CAW. Its presence adds a touch of wildness to the concrete jungle below, evoking a sense of foreboding, turning joggers’ heads, and making dogs bark.God, Damn’t! Sandy moaned, hurling her alarm clock across the room like a quarterback. She didn’t have time to shower, let alone brush her bedhead. No toothpaste? Or brush her teeth.She cursed under her breath, strugglin...

Read story

“Gloria” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #241

They liked to share these idyllic quiet moments, in front of the mirrored dressing table, George combing Georgina’s hair. It was something soothing, calming, and therapeutic, a necessary and intimate ritual, an important part of their relationship, which they had been doing together since they couldn’t remember, certainly since childhood. In complete silence - never a word spoken, Georgina in a catatonic state of mind, completely immobile, a trance-like state. George slowly, softly, gently glides the brush through her long tresses of hair. T...

Read story

“Cupid's Arrow and the Blind Archers” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #241

Cupid’s Arrow and the Blind ArchersHenry was smitten in mere moments. He likely would have secured a prominent position on the pages of the Guinness Book had records been kept on such matters.“She’s a friend of your sister’s, Cal. Katie must have her phone number.”“What? You think I’m Match-dot-com?”“Just get the number. ”“Ok, ok. What’s her name?”“Margie, Marvelous Margie. I’m telling you, Cal, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”----------“Hey, sis, Henry is all googly-eyed over the girl you introduced him to last night at the ‘Y...

Read story

“Daisy” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #241

“It is better to create than to learn! Creating is the essence of life.”– Julius CaesarThe day I graduated, I was told I would save the planet.“Daisy, you are the future of Mankind,” Father said.“Humanity,” I corrected. Everyone in the room1 laughed, Father loudest of all.“The student has become the teacher and woke to boot,” Father announced gravely, to even greater if selective applause.In retrospect, I learned most people enjoyed laughing at Father2, laughing at Father being publicly contradicted, and laughing at Father being publicly con...

Read story

“The Long Way Home” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #241

Depictions of sex, violence, drug use, and mental health“I was a freshman at St. John’s Academy, a catholic school for girls, just fourteen years old, when I met Bobby at the mall. He was so cute with his big blue eyes, that curly mop of hair, and those dimples when he smiled. He was sixteen, could drive, and said he was a junior at a prestigious private school in the city, St. Louis University High School. He had a way about him that was very different from other boys. He seemed more focused on having fun with me rather than doing stupid th...

Read story

“You See,” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #241

You see, betrayal never comes from your enemy.An enemy is honest about their antipathy. An enemy will never pretend to be on your side.You see, betrayal comes from me.I'm the one who sits across from you, my elbows propped on the table, my hands clasped together, my chin resting on my fists. My eyes will be warm, full of understanding, my mouth pursed into a empathetic moue, the occasional tut-tut and tsk-tsk, a slight twitch of an eye, a narrowly missed frown, a barely perceptible nod or shake of my head.I will make the odd comment, using y...

Read story

“Dark Paranoia” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #241

In a small studio apartment on the fourth floor, a cynical young man scratches indifferently at an early birthday present. The man’s name is Aaron Newman, a man whom life treats without deference, honor, or success; waiters bring him cold burgers, and gas station clerks shut doors in his face. On this day before his birthday, he is given a lottery scratch-off that will change not only the way he views the world but everyone in it. Aaron scrat...

Read story

“Archangel” by Jessie Laverton

Submitted to Contest #241

Leah lay next to Raph, her back pressed against his naked belly. His arm sprawled on top of the quilt. She pulled it underneath and guided his hand, holding it with her own so that it cupped her breast. But when she let her hand fall, so did his, limp, uninterested. Her breathing quickened then, and a tightness took hold of her chest and throat.Her thoughts began to dart back and forth between the past and the future. She thought of the not-so-distant past, when his hands used to travel over her skin as if they had hundreds of little eyes al...

Read story

“Paradise” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #241

I'm floating naked in an infinity pool overlooking the Indian Ocean. Having just admired the sunset, I'm mesmerized by billions of stars blinking on overhead. A soft sea breeze moves the warm humid air. The wine is cold and crisp."What a lovely view." His voice is rich, soft and has a hint of a smile.I'm busted!But let me start at the beginning.Eight months ago, Alex took me out for lunch at a coffee shop near his office. We both had to be back at work, so lunch was going to be quick. He said since it was my birthday, he didn't want to wait ...

Read story

“The Shot” by Joseph Keener

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #241

He didn't need to do anything. He could just sit down at his desk and wait. The waiting would be the hardest part. The shame would come, and perhaps it would never stop. The thousands of employees under his company would be blameless, they wouldn't put it together until it was too late. The blame would fall squarely on the men in this room. For the last one hundred and fifty years, the painstaking process of terraforming the exoplanet Gupta-2125 had fallen on his company: James Adelade Space Innovations. The process had been beyond revoluti...

Read story

“Back in Balance” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #241

Patrick O’shea had a knack for finding lost things, people, jewels, even stolen money, but when he got lost, that was a problem. He couldn’t find himself. Out of jail for almost a week, and he still didn’t feel right. O’shea moved the newspaper draped in front of him to catch the morning light coming through the open windows and door. The shaft of sun warmed only his right side, adding to his unbalance. O’shea felt untethered, let loose in a place where he no longer fit. He had no job or purpose anymore. How would he find...

Read story

“The Brazilian Carnival Celebrities ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #241

My Mystical Creature, Coos Bay Bear, the hybrid dog-bear-mystery, looked sideways at me, dark eyes twinkling.He loved time traveling to the past. "Good boy," I said, petting his dark fur."Could we use our creativity and time travel to knit together the wounded threads of the past and find our way to a sense of wonder, peace and joy?" "Could visiting the past help transform the painful things into something else?""Could the outer journeys of time travel heal inner wounds that still stung? Betrayals, rejections, a loss of wonder and joy?"The w...

Read story

“March of Time” by Tammy Green

Submitted to Contest #241

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 1987 Dear Diary, I stepped off the plane in my light wash jeans, white cotton peasant blouse, matching Levi jacket, and a pair of Cherokee wedges. I was just 21 and was wearing what I thought was the height of fashion. I had left Seattle on a typically cold, wet March morning, having no idea of the weather difference this far south. I realized I was overdressed. My linen skirt and a silk chemise would probably be the only appropriate clothing I brought. I had never been away from home on my own before. My frien...

Read story

“Splitting on the Fence” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #241

The battle cries erupted from both ends of the town square, ripping the still of the night into tatters.Oscar Ware jumped. He still hadn’t chosen. The decision’s weight crushed him until he froze, unable to act. How could you decide on something of this size? There were advantages and disadvantages for both teams. What if he picked it, and it was the wrong choice? What if he experienced buyer’s remorse? He needed to weigh every possible pro and con underneath a magnifying glass. Only then could he decide, and after much deliberation. He’d al...

Read story

“BOUND BY THE JERSEY” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #241

She opened her eyes suddenly, feeling a sense of disorientation wash over her, making her head pulsate. The gleaming white ceiling with two latticed openings above her made her feel uneasy, while the coldness of the floor she lay on gave her chills. Her body shivered unconsciously at the mere thought of lying on the cold concrete floor. A little unsteadily, she managed to get up into a sitting position, thankful that the coldness of the concrete floor had disappeared, and started surveying the dimly lit room in which she was. She was not alo...

Read story

Load more stories

$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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢