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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#250: All Ears

Every now and then, you overhear something you really weren’t supposed to. Whether it’s deliberate eavesdropping or an innocent accident, you must now decide what to do with your ill-gotten information.

This week’s prompts are themed around stolen snippets of conversation. Will your characters understand the gravity of what they’ve heard? What will they do next? It's all up to you.

This week's prompts

Write a story in which someone is afraid of being overheard.

Dialogue – 64 stories

Write a story about a child overhearing something they don’t understand.

Kids – 62 stories

Write a story in which someone can only hear one side of a conversation and must piece together the meaning of what they’ve heard.

Dialogue – 38 stories

A character overhears something at a black-tie event that puts the night in jeopardy.

Mystery – 45 stories

Your teacher tasks you with writing a story based on an eavesdropped conversation. When the story is published, your subject isn’t happy.

Funny – 15 stories

Stories

“Pier 33” by Daniel Dundin

Submitted to Contest #250

Hannah hated to admit how good she felt in the dress. The fabric, the cut, the draping, it all exuded richness. And the way people looked at her, with some mix of envy or longing. There was an allure to it.However, someone with a keen eye could see the fit was ever so slightly off. It was the littlest bit loose at the shoulder and just a tad long at the hem. A perfectly tailored couture gown, just not for her. For her roommate, Claire.The pochette was even more enviable to some. It was beaded and glistening with garish hardware meant to be r...

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“They Came from Outer Space” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #250

Bill’s eyes were fixed on the flickering lights of his ham radio set in the softly lit living room corner, where a labyrinth of wires snaked across the floor. The room was filled with an eerie symphony of static crackles and a faint pattern of blips and beeps.“Bill, what happened to the TV? Is the satellite dish broken again?” The cacophony of signals and static was momentarily interrupted by the apparent concern in his wife’s voice.He barely registered her words, his attention tethered to the enigmatic patterns emanating from the radio. “Wh...

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“THE STAR OF ALEXANDRIA: A GALA OF SECRETS” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #250

The intricate patterns of the marble seemed to dance beneath her feet as she tiptoed through the sea of elegantly attired guests. Her eyes, trained to detect the slightest anomaly, swept over the crowd with a precision honed by years of experience. Every shimmer of silk, every glint of diamond caught her attention. Still, she remained vigilant, searching for subtle hints of trouble amidst the opulence. Tonight, she was not just Sarah Monroe, the detective, but Sarah Monroe, the chameleon. Dressed in a gown that mirrored the sophistication o...

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“What a Shame...” by Miriam Rhodes

Submitted to Contest #250

“It’s a shame isn’t it?” “What is?” “That the groom is a whore.” “What?” “You didn’t know?” The pair lowered their voices then to a more appropriate volume, but I’d already heard more than enough. More than I should’ve. More than I was supposed to. It’s none of my business, I reminded myself, gritting my teeth and trying to actually focus on the program that I’d only been pretending to read before. I tried. I really did. But little words kept slipping through. Words like “all the time” and “at their engage...

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“The Gassing of Hampshire Manor” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #250

A polite nausea rose up in Emmett's abdomen as he plunged back into the swarm of hungry entrepreneurs, investors, and politicians on the main floor of Hampshire Manor. His palms and armpits were swampy. He grimaced eloquently and nodded subtly at people who may have been making eye contact with him as he slipped through the crowd. Soon, he thought, you will all be dead. He tugged at his shirt collar, wishing he could loosen the tight bowtie that was ruthlessly strangling him.Moments earlier, wandering aimlessly through the halls of the mansi...

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“Lunchtime at The Justice Cafe” by Kenneth Goldman

Submitted to Contest #250

Roger McAllister glanced at the name tag of the waitress behind the counter, and after taking another look at the patrons seated in the diner he knew he had to ask. His two minutes inside the roadside grease-pit had shown him there was something mighty strange about this place. “So how’d this town ever get a name like ‘Justice,’ Maureen?” he began, knowing that any salesman worth his spit always started with the familiarities and small talk, then built from there. The waitress set his coffee and chili before him without the customary ...

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“Business As Usual” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #250

“Come on in. Shut the door behind you, man. Thanks for coming by.”A bright and sunny day, the first one in a while, the glass and steel skyscrapers of downtown Chicago gleaming outside the windows of the corner office.“You see him yet?”Short pause.“Not today. If that’s what you’re asking.”Brow furrows.“You talk to him yet?”Longer pause.“What are you asking me, Ryan? I’m pretty busy just now. Last night I got home from the office around 1:30 in the morning. I’d like to make it home by midnight tonight.”Dead stare. People walking down on the s...

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“The Invincible Clementine Finch” by Milly Orie

Submitted to Contest #250

This story mentions violence and death. May 1, 1902In retrospect, it would have been safer for me not to investigate the case.I was bold–perhaps too bold. Years of being nicknamed the Invincible Clementine Finch had softened my reserve, probably. Or perhaps I wasn’t born with any. The name didn’t come without reason–not that I’m one to boast. I fell off a train as a girl with hardly so much as a scratched knee. I chased down an armed robber once with nothing but a hat-pin as a weapon. No need to fret, of course; he was just fine.&n...

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“New House” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #250

Samuel Stills closed the door to his daughter’s bedroom then walked toward the kitchen when his phone vibrated. He reached into his pocket. Give me some good news. But his heart and sinew told him there would be no good news. He raised his phone to his ear. The cold plastic a reminder that nothing in this world is ever easy. He’d spent the last hour at the foot of his daughters bed reading ...

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“The One and Only ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #250

One and onlyI sat down in the chair facing the reception area, grabbed a magazine and waited for the nurse to call me back to the examination room. I wasn't too concerned. I had been here countless times before due to my asthma, but this was just a 6 month checkup so I had made sure to take off the entire day. My supervisor seemed vaguely annoyed but understood.The waiting room was pretty well packed, with people , crying children and older adults who looked like they really should be in an emergency room rather than a clinic,...

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“Drink Your Milk” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #250

B.J. Workman’s hammer bangs loudly against the Town Hall steps. Brady Tasker goes back to the truck for more wood and a cigarette. B.J. is known throughout the town of Dorset as a lanky, perpetually tanned, reliable, and likable craftsman with a loving wife and an average I.Q. He and his stocky, bearded drinking buddy Brady have been the town’s go-to builders for decades and are familiar faces throughout town. Standing in the hallway a few feet from the steps, Chief Colt Kennedy whispers to Mayor Grayson Levant. “Everything’s going according...

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“Waiting for Noah” by Chandler Wilson

Submitted to Contest #250

The faint sound of footsteps shuffled through the brush as an undercover SWAT team approached the abandoned mortuary. An orange sky signaled the impending sunset and arrival of twilight across the Scottish landscape.Clad in black tactical gear, they moved with calculated precision, their movements silent and synchronized. Each member was a seasoned professional, honed by years of training and experience.The leader signaled for a halt as they neared the mansion converted into a mortuary. With a hand gesture and silent communication, they coor...

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“Hive” by Natalie Portera-Sickler

Submitted to Contest #250

“Don’t let them hear you!” Clamping a hand over my mouth, I stared fearfully at Sydney while she glanced around frantically for any sign that someone picked up on what I had said. Sydney and I had ducked behind one of the school’s dumpsters to avoid the penetrating gaze of the security cameras – but that did not mean protection from the ears of the Watchers. Thankfully the hall continued to bustle with the monotone murmur of students adorned with monochrome uniforms. Those beige drones didn’t even give us a passing glance; they were all deep...

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“Formal Wear and ESP” by Kristin Johnson

Submitted to Contest #250

Inside the glittering museum gala, Lila Tinker fidgeted with her floor-length blue ballgown. Thanks to her work as a receptionist at an art gallery, she’d snagged an invite to the social event of the year, and she hoped it would add some excitement to her life. No date, but she had a killer dress from one of those rent-a-gown places.The dress covered up the scars from the accident, for which she was grateful. Snagging a cocktail that smelled like the tropics, she wandered out into the well-dressed crowd, ready to mingle—and to find some face...

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“The Silence Between Us” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #250

“Don’t close the blinds all the way, Sarah; they'll know we're hiding something. Just leave them, okay?”“Are you sure you’re not being just a tad bit paranoid, Nathan? I mean, this is our house. Naturally, we’d open and close the blinds throughout the day. I always do when the sun hits the front side in the afternoon. It makes the room unbearably hot otherwise. If I don’t close them, I think that will draw more attention, especially if they have been watching us for—what did you say? Five days now? What are you not telling me?”“Trust me. It'...

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$250

Prize money

224

Contest entries

105

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 17, 2024 EST

Won by VJ Hamilton 🏆

Title: Rhymes with Pepsi

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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