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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#255: The Five Stages

It's a commonly held belief that, when we grieve a loss, we go through five emotional phases: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Science tends to disagree; there's no actual evidence that we go through these stages, or at least not in a neat, linear fashion. But despite this, the model remains a part of our popular consciousness, and is frequently referenced in art, literature, and day-to-day conversation — perhaps because the idea of having a map to our grief, a way to organize and compartmentalize our most complicated feelings, is so alluring.

This week's contest is inspired by the model, and by the feelings described within it. Your characters don't have to be grieving a loss of some kind; they may simply be navigating the challenges of life in general. Whichever route you choose, begin with one of the five stages.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a someone who's in denial.

Character – 68 stories

Write a story about anger.

Angst – 64 stories

Center your story around a character bargaining for something that's important to them.

Dramatic – 43 stories

Start your story with a character in despair.

Dark – 91 stories

Write a story about someone finding acceptance.

Character – 99 stories

Stories

“Mother” by S.J. Frey

Submitted to Contest #255

The Jack Daniel's bottle nearly slipped from Althea's numb fingers as her heels dug deep into the sodden ground. "I'm not sure which is worse. The fact that you are gone, or the fact that I didn't get to tell you to your face how you ruined me." Today was supposed to be a day of celebration. It was a day that Althea had been waiting for since she was old enough to leave her broken home and live thousands of miles away from the toxic cloud that was her mother. She waited for the day she got her brother's call that the wicked witch was finall...

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“Acceptance of Rage” by Steven Creel

Submitted to Contest #255

Rage. An intense feeling of anger. It's unique to every person and for me it burned. Filled my veins, deafened my senses, clouded my mind. It tires to consume… everything. Everything. Some think anger is darkness invading. That it poisons the mind, blackens the heart, and turns even the kindest of men wicked. It is my belief that it isn't darkness invading but an extension of ourselves. It does not blacken your heart, it is your heart and just like your heart It can not be removed, only taken care of. My father was a patient man. He ra...

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“Internal Struggle” by Samantha Kabiling

Submitted to Contest #255

“Christine I’ll be better please, you have to trust me on this.” This is all I hear on the phone like a broken record player. I don’t want to hear Zack anymore. I don’t want to hear this stupid excuse anymore. I know I’m stronger than that. Staring at the voice message he sent me and replaying it over and over like it’s an addiction. He cheated on me and that’s it. It’s been five years and he’s messed up everything. I want him back, but I can’t. It hurts too much.*** I woke up to another voice message from Zack. I wish I had the strength to ...

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“Fearful Liaisons” by Summer Maynard

Submitted to Contest #255

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" I felt a kick in my side. I looked up into the eyes of Diablo, mastermind of the streets."Ohh," I started to whine. "Please you must leave me be. Pick on someone your own size, like a whale!" then I kicked and hit back. "Diablo winced in pain for a minute. Then he spat. "You're lucky I'm on my way somewhere or you be a meal in the dumpster for a rat!" he retorted."So then be on your way! Vite! Vite!" I tried to get up but couldn't. My fall I think had broke some bones."Eh." I rolled over and propped ...

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“A Plea Bargain” by Miller George

Submitted to Contest #255

I wake up to a tap on my shoulder. It is my father. My neck screams in pain as I attempt to wake up. I wince, but I open my eyes. It takes me a second to realize where I am. The insistent rhythmic beeping quickens my realization. As I shift in my chair, a book falls off of me. I must have fallen asleep while studying. I looked at my father, but he had already walked away. From the doorway, he tells me I'm going to be late. I look at my watch. It is 4:57 am. I take a long breath to prepare for the day. ...

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“A Bargain for Redemption” by Douglas Render

Submitted to Contest #255

Lyle lived in a quiet fishing village surrounded by beautiful waterways. He had the largest, most opulent home in the village. The grounds were perfectly manicured by migrants hustling from the border to work for pennies. Known for his shrewdness in business and his silver tongue, he had built a prosperous life for himself but also made many enemies and committed countless sins in his relentless pursuit of wealth and power. As Lyle aged, fearing for his soul, Europa, his guardian angel, began to infuse images of eternal damnation into his d...

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“It's Just A Piece of Paper” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #255

Prompt: Center your story around a character bargaining for something that is important to them.IT IS JUST A PIECE OF PAPERIt was a blustery cold day when a group of us passed through the entrance gate with the words “Arbeit macht frie”. I was a young lad of 12 years so I was ready to do what the sign said. I will work hard to secure my freedom. My head was still hurting from the impact of a soldier’s gun during Kristallnacht. Others were not so lucky as they bled from their wounds caused by the shattering of windows that were Jewi...

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“Don’t Let Go” by Anat Kalinski

Submitted to Contest #255

“Please, Rachel, please! Let’s just go home.” Oli begged relentlessly while Rachel was weeping in front of him. “I’m so sorry, I can’t.” She cried. He knew deep down what was about to happen, even though it was so difficult for him to comprehend. “I know if we just go home, we can fix this. We can be happy together. Forever! As long as we’re together. I don’t need anything else, can’t you see that?” And she did. She understood him better than anyone ever did, and he her, but she also knew that ending things was the only way to stop the pain....

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“Crossroads” by Michael Balliew

Submitted to Contest #255

TW: Death and disappearances Mia parked her car off the edge of a dirt road. She was nervous, having spent the whole drive here desperately trying to convince herself to just turn around and head back home, but her desire..no her need was greater than her fear. "I'm here now anyways," she said, shaking the thoughts from her head. Turning off the vehicle, Mia gathered a bag from the passenger seat and stepped out into the cool November night. She had a bit of a walk ahead of her. This wasn't someplace she was supposed to be perse, and while t...

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“The Consumable Rebel” by Alexa LoSchiavo

Submitted to Contest #255

He was taking his test this morning…The single most important test for any young person at the age of 18. It was May 25th, otherwise known as the Choosing Ceremony. This ceremony had become a tradition ever since the Earth became a place that could no longer be abundant, that could no longer carry all these people. Every adult who chose to have a kid since the year 2300 signed a paper stating that their child would be admitted into the Choosing Ceremony on their 18th birthday. Earth had become depleted, and its resources were spewing into th...

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“The Stranger” by Amber Medina

Submitted to Contest #255

Presley gripped the railing of the bridge, trying to calm the firestorm roiling in her head. 5-4-3-2-1. It was a grounding technique her therapist had taught her. Five things she could see. She closed her eyes and saw Kelly's face, eyes wide with surprise, her lips forming a little O. Then Tommy's, his eyebrows low and angry, his normally handsome features contorted in rage. She snapped her eyes open, emerald green irises sparkling with tears, fingers squeezing the railing even more tightly. &nb...

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“I Can't Sleep” by Megan Spencer

Submitted to Contest #255

I can’t sleep. I heard once somewhere that if you can’t sleep it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be terrifying or romantic. I don’t really believe in that stuff anyway, but being awake at three in the morning, staring at the moon, makes me think about it. My life…there’s little joy in it. There’s nothing but pain, terror, and death. I couldn’t save my mother from my father. Couldn’t save my father from himself. The responsibility of caring for my little brother bared a heavy weight across my...

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“Ironwood” by J.B. Redel

Submitted to Contest #255

The crunching of gravel beneath a single pair of boots broke the haunting silence enveloping Ironwood. Dazed, Emily walked the empty streets of her hometown. Abandoned houses stood quiet, like frozen sentinels over their yards and driveways. Cars dotted the roads, their drivers absent. Yards of weeds crowded the spaces between houses where once-manicured lawns had graced their homes and neighbors. Though numb to the sight around her, one that she had slowly become accustomed to over the past few months, a cold pit of despair settled deep wit...

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“The End” by V Lyons

Submitted to Contest #255

Sarah looked at her cell phone as if it were going to spit out her answers. Her stomach was churning, and the anxiety was hitting in waves. "Breath Sarah, just breath!" She whispered to herself. She forced herself to slowly inhale and exhale. It was 11:00 a.m. and she was not prepared for this to happen today.The call confirmed what she knew for months. Chucks body was shutting down. The ALS sabotaging his muscles for years was going to have its final victory and soon. The nursing home administrator where Chuck lived for the last few years c...

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“Trigger Warning” by Ashley Kendall

Submitted to Contest #255

NOTE: Trigger Warning seemed an apt title for this piece, particularly because it's written with a first-person perspective. The main character is suffering from mental illness, depression, and turns to self-harm as a means of respite. Though the descriptions are at times graphic, this piece contains no severe injury or death.--There are days whose only purpose is to remind me of how alone I really am. I feel myself withdraw from the world; my senses disconnecting one by one until I disappear into near silence, though my mind hums its unche...

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$250

Prize money

365

Contest entries

142

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 21, 2024 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: Some Peace and Quiet

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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