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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#248: From the Top

Often, one of the most difficult parts of writing a story is giving it a name. I've been known to agonize for days over finding the "perfect" title — because, like it or not, we do judge a story by its title. Those few words at the top of the page set the tone for what follows, and picking the right ones matters.

This week, I'm asking you to approach titles in a different way. Rather than writing your story and then choosing your title, we want you to start "from the top" with a just title and see where it takes you. I've selected some evocative titles from literature to inspire you — but don't worry, you don't need to have read the original works to respond to them.

This week's prompts

Write a story titled 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

Adventure – 25 stories

Write a story titled 'Paradise Lost'.

Angst – 39 stories

Write a story titled 'Desperate Remedies'.

Dark – 44 stories

Write a story titled 'The Wind in the Willows'.

Spring – 32 stories

Write a story titled 'Persuasion'.

Funny – 22 stories

Stories

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #248

May 12, 1984To the Parent-Teacher Association Moms of Alamo Elementary School:Yes, you may pick your jaws off the squeaky, dusty basketball court hardwood now. Oh, don’t think I didn’t see it all: the eyes flying over to me like a seagull when I opened my mouth to cheer for my lovely daughter singing onstage, the tide of confusion crashing upon your made-up faces, the gulp you had to stifle to paint an expression saltier than San Francisco Bay. Nevertheless, yes, you heard correctly indeed: contrary to what you had pre-conceived of a petite,...

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“Paradise Lost” by Mohamed Sarfan

Submitted to Contest #248

Paradise LostThe emergency room buzzed with urgent activity as Amina lay on the sterile hospital bed, her face contorted with pain. Surrounding her were dedicated medical professionals—Dr. Adam Khan, Dr. Maya Ahmed, Nurse Omar Ali, and the team of nurses—Layla, Sarah, Fathima, Ayah, and Leila. Each of them focused intently on ensuring a safe delivery for Amina and her unborn child. Amina, a survivor of war and unspeakable violence, had carried her unborn child despite the trauma inflicted upon her. The memories of that fateful day on the bat...

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“Desperate Remedies” by Melissa Van Rensburg

Submitted to Contest #248

Was she taunting me? I was jolted awake by a strange sound — pee-pee-paw, pee-pee-pee-paw. It drilled into my skull, causing shockwaves, though that might also have been the alcohol. I forced my eyelids open a fraction, afraid to face the light. It having been New Year’s Eve, I at least had an excuse for a change. For the first time in five years, I greeted the new year alone. What kind of new bird could this be? I went outside to look for the source of my annoyance. A female tui. I could tell because of the size and plumage. Stran...

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“Desperate Remedies” by Bruce Carrington

Submitted to Contest #248

Marlon Brando got it. He understood the craft. He was disliked by his costars. They called him ‘frustrating’, ‘unpredictable’, ‘difficult’. Short-sightedness was the common feature among the people working with him. They couldn’t see beyond his intricacies. But their worst sin was that they couldn’t comprehend that art requires sacrifice. I got it. I understood it perfectly. I, like Brando, was an artist in the truest sense. I, like Brando, would be misunderstood at first but it would not matter in the end. The thing is, Brando never even th...

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“Paradise Lost ” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #248

Paradise Lost(Paradise Found?)I almost let the phone go to voicemail since I didn’t recognize the number and suspected I would have to be rude to yet another salesperson.Yes?Mr. Samuel Makarov?Yes?I have a story for you.Those are magic words. I’m a freelance reporter. I’ll take whatever news I can get. Excluding who is sleeping with whom, who had a face lift or tummy tuck or who got who pregnant.Talk to me.Not over the phone.The man gave me the address of a coffee shop just out of town. We agreed to meet in thirty minutes.Mr. Ahmed Sharuff a...

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“The Wind in the Willow” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #248

The Wind in the WillowThere is a tree, a willow tree in the middle of a field near a small pond. The branches hang low, the slightest breeze will caress them, urge them to dance. When she was a child, the tree was Leena’s refuge. She could hide under the veil of branches. Here she’d read fairy tales, dream of ever after and wish for magic and her very own prince. But like everyone else, when she grew older, she had to come out from under her tree and leave her dreams and wishes behind.At the edge of the field, near the street, is a...

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“Desperate Remedies” by Ty Warmbrodt

Submitted to Contest #248

Trigger Warning: Violence and the mention of substance abuse. Ryan stands across the street from the Manchester Inn, taking a moment to compose himself as the rain plays a symphony on the objects that line the street like an orchestra of percussion instruments. The Inn has a more welcoming look to it than a hotel, once being the Mayor’s Victorian style mansion. Fifty years ago, it was sold and remodeled into what it is today, an inn containing ten suites and five-star restaurant. Ryan crosses the street to the expansive covered porch where h...

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“Paradise Lost” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #248

The familiar green outside the Pathfinder gives way and we’re in the fire zone, struggling to get our bearings in an alien landscape. I catch my breath and slow down to a crawl, staring wide-eyed at the devastation. Blackened tree trunks stand rigid, stripped of their outer appendages. They’re like limbless sentries in a macabre guard of honour along the side of the road. Landmarks and road signs have disappeared, and the ones that remain are off-kilter and charred; their paint has bubbled and flaked. A fine white ash has collected in drifts...

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“PARADISE LOST” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #248

Of all the apples on the tree, she had to pick mine.From the start, I want everyone to know that I do not understand why I got punished.I want to know why.This is all a load of nonsense.Someone must help the brother worm.My very existence is in complete accordance with God's commandments.Why was then my apple torn from the tree and brutally damaged by those two idiots, Adam and Eve?Here I am in the apple, cooling off, enjoying resting after a hearty lunch.Lying on my back, listening to the sounds of pleasure that my body emits before it almo...

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“Persuasion” by Jim LaFleur

Submitted to Contest #248

In the gritty underbelly of a city where moral compasses spun like dervishes, Karl “the Klepto” Kleptowski carved out a nefarious existence. A career criminal with a rap sheet lengthier than a Shakespearean soliloquy, his battered heart thumped a staccato rhythm of desperation. This vital organ had endured more abuse than a crash test dummy, thanks to Karl’s penchant for high-stakes heists and an unholy love affair with deep-fried, bacon-wrapped butter sticks. Yet, amid the squalor of his misdeeds, an unlikely beacon of hope flickered in the...

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“DESPERATE REMEDIES (AGAINST ALL ODDS)” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #248

The pain hit me with a ferocity that stole the air from my lungs, a sudden onslaught that shattered the fragile veil of sleep. It was as if the night had turned against me, unleashing its wrath in searing agony. With a guttural cry, I was torn from the embrace of dreams and hurled into the harsh reality of my torment. Clutching my abdomen, I doubled over in agony, the weight of my own body crashing down upon me like a ton of bricks. It was a visceral assault, a symphony of agony that reverberated through every fiber of my being. Each wave of...

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“A Tale of Two Cities” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #248

The children swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the train as it went through the countryside, suddenly slowed, and finally came to a halt with a screech.Laura pushed through the crowd to stick her head through the window looking around at the vast emptiness of the land. Beyond the small station there was nothing to see in any direction.“Do not get placed here, Johnny Miller. Ya hear me?” She turned to look into the eyes of the boy traveling with her, the boy she had known her whole life in the city.“It ain’t my choice.&nbs...

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“Desperate Remedies” by LeeAnn Hively

Submitted to Contest #248

The Golden God was beginning the languid descent towards his home beyond the horizon, casting a brilliant tinge across the embankment sheltering the trees. The river, a smooth glass of serpentine fluidity, reflected the blazing orb as it neared the jagged peaks that devoured it every night. On the shore, a man as stout and squat as the rocky escarpments surrounding the valley advanced with unwavering resolve, his broad brow furrowed with worry as he pushed onward into the formidable landscape.In the dimming radiance of a setting sun, Druk, w...

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“Paradise Lost” by E.L. Lallak

Submitted to Contest #248

On a leisurely Sunday excursion through the verdant French countryside of Bellefleur, where emerald fields roll velvety to the touch and unfurl their plush sprawl beneath the azure sky, lies a grand rustic farmhouse that appears plucked from the pages of a whimsical fairytale. Newlyweds Aurelie and Lucas Dubois are desperately looking for their first home, hoping it will be the last. With a mistaken turn down a winding, dusty dirt road, their haphazard path unwinds to a hidden gem where their dreams are destined to take root on fertile land....

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“Southern Persuasion” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #248

( An excerpt from 'A Brilliantly Scathing Life' unpublished award winning manuscript by author)Black smoke belched from the smokestack of the Chicago Alton St. Louis Rail Road engine steaming southwest. The passenger car lurched and swayed sending one gentleman trying to negotiate the aisle sprawling into the laps of Kendra and her traveling companions.“Oh, Ladies, kindly forgive me. Did I hurt anyone? Terribly clumsy of me.” He apologized as he reclaimed his footing, bowed and tipped his bowler hat toward them.“No harm done and we can not p...

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$250

Prize money

283

Contest entries

101

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 03, 2024 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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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