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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 – 46 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

“The Heaviness of Empty” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #250

Potentially upsetting content, subject of child loss ***Every month has its colour, and August is red. Not the lively, April, cork-popping red which flecks itself gold come Christmas, but the deep ebon rose of hoop-heavy taffeta, the port-wine stain of airless Sundays, the disquiet of a silent emphysema, blood thickened, slow-moving.He brought me flowers again. A gothic bouquet. How quickly it withered. Fallen petals on the sill, curled up like ensanguined scabs. Sun at its highest, blazing through the window. Car lacquered black, a-glare, o...

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“IT ALL STARTED AT THE COFFEE HOUSE” by Liane Fazio

Submitted to Contest #250

IT ALL STARTED AT THE COFFEE HOUSEThe morning rush ended at the coffee house and the only patrons left were two stay at home moms sitting together, complete with strollers in the aisles, a middle-aged woman typing away on her laptop at a single bench seat near the restrooms, and Ethan, working remote and starting his day with an overpriced salted caramel with an espresso shot.Ethan sat at the corner table next to the window tapping away at his keyboard while listening to his earbuds when his table was bumped by one of the strollers and his c...

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“Can You See Something Right Now?” by Daryl Kulak

Submitted to Contest #250

Hannah took off her headphones and looked straight at me. “This is going to be the greatest holiday ever!” she squealed. I had to agree. Jasper was the most epic place I could imagine and I was going there with my family, but, more importantly, my best friend in the world, Hannah. She was usually busy with her equestrian training but this summer her training schedule changed and she was able to join us. I couldn’t believe our luck. Hannah pointed into the distance ahead of us. “The mountains!” “Yes,” my dad warned, “But it will still be at l...

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“Hiding ” by Beverly Goldberg

Submitted to Contest #250

She hated these events, but her parents insisted that she attend. At sixteen, plump and uncomfortable in the fancy, hideous dress her mother had bought her, she was miserable. It was pink, ruffled, sleeveless and belted at the waist with bow at the back--a true horror for someone built like her—so she went around the large ballroom looking for a place to hide.She saw a large floral arrangement and walked over to it. It wasn't tall enough, but she saw a chair against the wall a few feet away, and slowly pulled it behind the arrangement. Slidi...

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“Chrissy Lynn and the Chicken Pops” by Zack Herman

Submitted to Contest #250

When Ron and Rhoda Hatfield moved into Commonwealth Subdivision with their little daughter, Chrissy Lynn, they were by far the youngest people there. Most of their neighbors were elderly. Krissy Lynn was the only child in the neighborhood. They were glad when the Riggins family moved next door. There were Luke and Hannah Riggins and their three sons: Matthew, Mark, and John. Ron and Rhoda agreed that it was good for Chrissy Lynn to have other kids around.The three Riggins boys were all older than little Chrissy Lynn, but Chrissy loved ...

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“Turkey in the Straw” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #250

Elliot D'Blanca was a career diplomat in the United State Department. Like his father and his father before him, serving his country in a diplomatic capacity was what he was born to do. Educated in the terms and meanings of the diplomaticese language, Elliot moved in the elite inner social circles reserved for ambassadors and heads of state. Involved with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the Hague in Brussels, Elliot was hosting a gala for some of the top brass who occupied offices at the NATO Headquarters, strict...

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“Fly By” by Kyla Crist

Submitted to Contest #250

"Nothing interesting ever happens to me. Ever. Trust me."He thought on it for a moment, dull expression briefly lighting up. “Oh wait, my cousin Dane got stuck between a window and a screen the other day. Yeah.” A furry leg scratches the back of his head with returned boredom. “They’re looking into if it was attempted trapping or not. So…”Michael’s teacher stills for a moment, tries to act like he’s pondering a story out of that information, then extends his feathered wing forward and grabs the framed picture on his desk, situated next to a ...

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“Two sides of the same coin ” by Inalem Green

Submitted to Contest #250

If you asked Riley Griffin what she would like to be doing on a Friday night, she would immediately answer that she would challenge her brother to a duel, because she adored pirates. He wouldn't agree, though, Simon Griffin never agrees, no matter how much he wants to. Their parents had caught them once, Riley standing on the desk and Simon on the ground with his sword pointing forward, their whole room was upside down; a broken lamp, scratches on the dark blue walls, books knocked off the shelves, sand with shells spilled on the carpe...

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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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“Payback” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #250

I stole up to the back door like a drug dealer, searching for his stash. The porch was rotten, its railing swaying in the breeze. I steady it, thinking there is so much worth saving here. The wooden support beams are shot, I reckon. Nothing I built so long ago was ever done right.On this mousy night, the backlight plays to vehicular wreckage—dim nineties carcasses of everyone's pride and joy heaped together.“I’ll fix that one soon!” Johnny said six years ago. I'm still waiting on that! Could he rustle up more stolen garage queens to pay for ...

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“Chemical Reaction” by William Riling

Submitted to Contest #250

“911 What is your emergency?” The stoic female voice crackled from a cellphone speaker. With trembling hands, Thirty-nine-year-old Megan Lowry’s finger fought to lower the sound on her Android. She had dialed 911 after clearing her head, trying to absorb her current situation. Holding the phone close to her mouth she whispered in high pitched staccato breaths. “Hello? You have to Help me! I’ve been car jacked!” Lit solely by her phone, Megan lay balled up in the dark confines of the trunk of a car, her own car. A bag of groceries she had jus...

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“Upstairs” by L.B. Goldman

Submitted to Contest #250

In the shadows, that’s where they hide. At least in the daytime, that is. When the sun’s out, they cower under the shade of elm trees, under beds, and in closets—and they stay there. When the sun goes down, however, they come out of the shadows.No, that isn’t right. They come out at night, that is true, but they don’t come out of the shadows. Rather, the shadows spread. At night, everything is immersed in shadow. At night the world belongs to them. A shark won't attack if you’re on land, but one foot in the ocean and you’re fair game. B...

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“The Rainbow Bridge” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #250

“My dad said that Blue is going to cross the rainbow bridge tomorrow. They’re taking him to the vet for the procedure. ” Jack heard his dad say.Jack knew that when his Dad talked about his dad, he meant Grandpa. Grandpa was his dad’s dad. Blue was Grandpa’s dog. He wondered why his Dad was talking to his mom about Blue. And what was the Rainbow Bridge? Was the bridge at the vet’s office?“Oh no,” his mom sighed. “That’s so hard. So very sad. How are we going to tell Jack?”Jack's face grew warm as he heard his name. He didn’t want his parents ...

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“What did I just Hear?” by Maylissa Noel

Submitted to Contest #250

Vanessa, “you are expected to be in Toronto Saturday evening. Don’t be late. You are booked on the Maple Leaf Train on Amtrak from Newark International Airport at 6:30am to arrive on Saturday May 4th at 6:30pm. Please take the time to enjoy “Cinco de Mayo” on Sunday and be bright eyed and bushy tail for Monday morning.” Vanessa’s personal assistant facetiously reminded her. “You have a 10am meeting with potential investors. Vanessa, the next departure on the Maple Leaf will be Monday morning, which is not an option... There is no w...

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“THE JUNE JAMBOREE” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #250

"Miss Kayla Swanson, you are cordially invited to this years June Jamboree on the 2nd of June 2024. Dress code as required. Men in suits and a black tie. Women in black and white dresses. We hope to see you there." I can't believe I'm invited to this year's June Jamboree, the social event of the year. This is unbelievable. I wonder why I'm invited but I don't care. Keep the dramatics down Kayla. I'm calm. I have to find a dress, a black and white dress. I leave my home and go to the mall. I spend hours at the mall trying to find the right dr...

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$250

Prize money

225

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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