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

“Today, Tomorrow ” by Smriti Sudhakar

Submitted to Contest #241

It’s just one day. One inconsequential day among a sea of other inconsequential days. However, if by some miracle today had any meaning, then it would be Valentine’s Day. It would also be my birthday. Varun walks in with roses. He should know by now I’m allergic. “Thanks, Varun,” I say, reaching out to accept the flowers. I don’t even bother to correct him anymore. He shoots me a look, pointing to his ear to show the concealed earbud. After shoving the flowers in my hand and planting a dry kiss on my forehead, he walks away...

Read story

“The Hitchhiker” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #241

This is a story about the day that I learned that the human soul is unexpectedly wonderful, that God is real but entirely made up, and that I am not anyone but who I am right now. The story doesn’t start at the final epiphany of course, they never do.Imagine how easy that would be, and how boring to read. There is no great joy without the contrast of grief. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. Nothing is set in stone, if the hitchhiker taught me anything, it was that.Oh yes, this is a story about a hitchhiker, and me, a twenty- six yea...

Read story

“Choice Cut” by Andrew Fruchtman

Submitted to Contest #241

”So you’re leaving it to me to decide?” “Yes, yes we are,” both Pro and Con said, turning towards each to affirm the others acceptance. “We believe that when you weigh the data presented you will arrive at the proper decision. It’s never been tried before but given your sometimes exemplary and sometimes, lets be honest,non exemplary behavior it’s a toss up anyway, and with our labor shortages and diminishing assets, a fast track from limbo needed to be introduced,”Pro said. “Aha,” Saul exhaled quietly. “And just when exactly did you guy...

Read story

“choosing sides.” by Lara Deppe

Submitted to Contest #241

“That’s what you are bringing?” I was staring dumbfounded at my severely misguided, newlywedded husband who was standing in our kitchen showing me what he had decided to cook for Thursday’s festivities. “To my best friend’s first attempt at Friendsgiving? The meal she has been texting me about for weeks?” I looked at his phone one more time and shook my head. “The one event she insists is going to be “by-the-book” traditional? And by the book, I mean her mom’s cover-falling-off copy of the Joy of Cooking, that she left her in her will, trad...

Read story

“By The Third Rooster's Crow” by Ricky Madden

Submitted to Contest #241

Blank was small once, although she always felt so big. Pulsing at the beginning of the world, expecting the end of it. Infinity was never an option for her, as it seemed to be for some people, so she sang and screamed until the windows shook and she took every shush as an act of war. Blank was committed to understanding the world, something no one else seemed all too bothered with. Her parents were content to let her wander, answering every question from her as vaguely as possible. She learned soon that her answers would not come from them. ...

Read story

“November Sixth” by Natalie Wood

Submitted to Contest #241

November SixthNatalie HannahThe screech of a car with an explosion caught my eye on the news; it was raining on November 6th. “People are looting all the stores downtown, Mom!” I cried. “The reporter is trying her best to stay out of the way of all the chaos. It looks really scary, Mom.” Downtown is crazy. People are rushing through freezing rain, causing countless accidents on all the highways. It is out of control. Would you come to see this? Mom, The lady says it is like an exodus to the suburbs and surrounding outskirts. Do y...

Read story

“Boys will be Boys ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #241

The birds that had been beating in the trees suddenly launched themselves in the air en masse after a shot was fired."What did you do?!?Breathless, Keith slowed his pace as he caught up to his older brother Tom, who stood stock still.Charlie followed Keith up the hill and the youngest brother, Rick, brought up the rear."Uh...."Tom couldn't seem to get the words out or any words out. He just stood there at the edge of the ravine."What do we….?”, Charlie began catching his breath. He was about to ask again but, when he turned to face Tom, his ...

Read story

“Ill-Fated Hour” by Sirref Pen Name

Submitted to Contest #241

It roared like the word of God. The gunfire just north of Manassas, Virginia on the 21st day of July in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixty-one echoed across the country and the collection of muzzle flash lit the night magnificently the same as a parade of stars falling out of the sky and the smoke spread as a great American plague. Even the clouds appeared as nightmares sketched by a band of angels cast out of them. Morning chimed out the ring of church bells and parade bands. And revealed a small percentage of folks in horrid s...

Read story

“Bridge Ices Before Road” by Lisa Tankersley

Submitted to Contest #241

Moving westward Selma, I needed to find that wooden bridge again. The one I crossed over the creek feeding the Alabama River. Though a bit unsure, I felt it was the back way that would head me in the right direction toward Birmingham. Wetumpka, a little speck on the map just outside of Montgomery, was not particularly familiar to me. I recall passing the exits for Wetumpka on I 65 on numerous occasions, never taking. My lack of familiarity with this town created an uneasy, borderline panic. A behavior I developed as a toddler when I was sep...

Read story

“To Be A Pilgrim” by Paul Littler

Submitted to Contest #241

Anthony rounded the headland, his breath snatched away by the gusty south westerly, ignoring Lol’s ghost looming on the path ahead. He trudged the coastal path, grateful for the tug of the mud at his boots and the salty slap of the gauzelike mist; a reminder to stay in the moment and not let the past drag him back.He pushed determinedly through Lol’s spectre. Anthony’s impulsive decision to get away to walk and think had been met with scepticism by their friends; the sam...

Read story

“My Dead Fiancé” by Eve Y

Submitted to Contest #241

Restraining the tremble in my hand, I pressed the barrel of the gun against his temple. A vein in his forehead popped, and his jaw tensed like it always did when he was uncomfortable. Good. I hope you’re fucking uncomfortable. Holding my breath, I cocked the gun and tightened my grip around the stock—the cold metal smooth against my skin. I wanted him to talk—to beg for mercy, for forgiveness—to tell me that he was sorry, that he was wrong. But no amount of willing through my gaze could pry his lips open. We both knew it. T...

Read story

“Suburban Apocalypse” by Julia Rajagopal

Submitted to Contest #241

“You told them,” Hannah Gregor said to the woman at her front door. “I can’t believe you told everyone about our extra supplies.” The cool night air blew in through the open door. Light from the flashlights and cellphones shone at her like a spotlight in the dark. “Hannah, they don’t want any trouble, but you have to share,” Rachel Andrews said. “You’re hoarding food, and it’s not right.” Shouts and grumbles came from the people behind her. The group had started as a few random individuals, but more neighbors had filtered out of their houses...

Read story

“"Beneath The Cloak Of Loyalty Lies A Dagger of Deceit"” by Elina Feliu

Submitted to Contest #241

"Beneath The Cloak Of Loyalty Lies A Dagger of Deceit" The Senate, a grand theater of political intrigue and power! It is a place where ambition and loyalty collide. It's also a place where crimson drapes rise on betrayal. The echoes of ancient Rome reverberate through the marble corridors of power, and mahogany walls witness the rise and fall of empires. The Lady Senator's office, a sanctuary filled with secrets, offered a view of the ...

Read story

“Narced” by Susan Lamphier

Submitted to Contest #241

I don't know what I was thinking, after breakfast with my friend. Although, to hear her tell of it, she was not so much. I met my neighbor Judy on the porch, and sat down in my chair. "How was your breakfast?" Judy asked. I told her my friend wanted to go to a place in New Hampshire for breakfast, and I was to drive. "Not good," I told her. "We were sitting down and had just ordered, and she looked me square in the face and told me we were not friends. I mean, who do...

Read story

“Over My Shoulder” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #241

To whom it may concern,I don’t know whether I should be writing this letter. I’m not sure that I can. I think I’m writing it to see if I have it left in me to do this one last thing. Perhaps I’m writing it as a final defiant act. To prove that I was right all along. If you’re reading this then it has not only happened, it is done. That which should not have happened has occurred. I’d hoped with all my heart that it would not be so, but the flame of my hope has grown weaker with every passing hour and now, as I look upon it I’m not so sure I ...

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 ⭢