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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

“The Puzzle Builder” by Nancy De Beer

Submitted to Contest #255

For the most part, I used to love building puzzles, but now that it’s my job, I have lost the joy in doing them. I sit at my large white desk. The room is dark, almost black, with a bright light above me like the rest of the puzzle builders. They keep us separate from each other so that there are no distractions from building the puzzles. Some days I will build 5 a day depending on how many pieces there are and the difficulty.Staring at the box in front of me, I let out a sigh. The picture is of the scene from Pocahontas where she is standin...

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“The Pup” by Andy Ortega

Submitted to Contest #255

The bandaged wound on my wrist itched terribly but I did not remove the wrappings. I was afraid of what I might see. I hugged my knees closer to my body as the cold air encroached around me. It was a basement, with a concrete floor and metal door. No chairs, no bed, no blankets. Just a plate of raw meat on the floor next to the door. I turned away in disgust. The door opened with a loud creak as a large burly man walked into the room, closely followed by a young woman. The man brought my food every day, and by food I mean the plate of raw me...

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“Macy’s Unravelling” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #255

Macy inherited her aunt’s farm. She and Daniel talked about making a go of it on the farm and leaving their city lives behind. Neither was sure what to do with a farm, but they wanted to learn and were excited to have the opportunity. The best part for Macy was that her sister, Nerva, lived just down the lane at the next house. Macy had been a famous midwife in the city and was willing to continue practicing in this rural community. Macy was the midwife who delivered lots of babies in town and was on call. Daniel was a physicist who ne...

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“A Cozy Mystery: A Tale of Deceit and Acceptance.” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #255

In the tranquil, picturesque town of AppleWood, the chirping of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves filled the air, creating a serene atmosphere. It was where whispers flowed freely, secrets were traded like precious gems, and the air was thick with intrigue.Samantha, a woman who had grown up in this close-knit hamlet, found solace in the quiet solitude that her introverted nature afforded her.Despite being raised in the township, she had always felt like an outsider, and even her adoptive parents became distant once she left for college...

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“Smashing Down the Barriers to Greatness” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #255

The young man opens the microwave door and, once again, spills the hot drink, barely avoiding scalding himself. He realizes that, far too often, he has accepted incidents such as this as a normal part of daily life. They have left him stuck in first gear and too readily accepting the derision and mockery of those who either don’t understand his life or consider themselves exempt from human failure. Those not condemned to suffer with the disorder with the relatively ...

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“Gwen” by G S Martin

Submitted to Contest #255

GWEN WHITE SCREEN Heavy Snow falls. Crystal feathers drifting. A soft light pushes from the apartment window with Burning Joan's urgent cry following close behind. 'Doors are all locked, shades are pulled down. Cold outside. Nobody's home.' Moving through the windless, wet snow, pulled to the light. 'Grass is not green there's no rain in the air. Peer through the window. Nothing's in there.'A sparsely furnished room. A futon with lots of ...

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“Apostasy” by Felicia Dobson

Submitted to Contest #255

The glimmer of light bounced across the surface of the water. Our beacon of hope so close yet so far away. Lost at sea? No, we knew exactly where we were. Not lost, abandoned. Waves clashed the sides of the ship threatening to spill aboard. Maybe that would be best, cleanse the ship, rid us of all the horror. In the beginning … A symphony of creaks echo the mist filled night with every pair of boots worn by a hundred men climbing the wooden plank, myself included. Once we reach the bridge between land and vessel, we’re met with an old ...

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“The Second Coming of Cody” by Bill Richter

Submitted to Contest #255

Holly, I’m over here! Thank you for coming on such short notice, I know you’ve been really busy. And I know I’ve been hard to reach. I’ve been having a really hard time getting out of my head for a while now. It’s been for more than three years now, ever since March 2020. Just when things mostly felt normal again I heard there’s another new variant. That’s really messed me up, and I’d just started feeling optimistic again. Sorry I haven’t been answering your calls or texts. It’s been hard, especially since Matt dumped me. I needed some ...

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“We’ll Be Okay - A short story” by Marialexa Gamero

Submitted to Contest #255

The tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked up at him. A small smile grew on his face as he noticed that she was finally willing to look at him. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were also red, clearly he had also been crying. She flinched as he raised his hand closer to her face and he immediately stopped moving as he noticed. He cupped the side of her face and looked into her eyes. There was a small sparkle in those eyes, it was very faint but, after all this time, it was still there. “I miss him too.” He managed to say before ...

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“Kiss Me, I'm Pretty” by Sophia Csulak

Submitted to Contest #255

“Just look at him, Patty. Have you ever seen someone so perfect? Look at his face!” I nearly screamed in the cafeteria. “Shh,” Patty held a finger to her lips. “Do you want him to hear you?” “No, of course not. But look at the way he slouches in his chair. The way his sweater hangs on his shoulders. You know that’s a really good color on him.” “What color are his eyes?” She asks. “This perfect pale blue. They rival Jackson’s, but his eyes don’t bug out of his head like Jackson’s.” “Jackson is so creepy, he looks like a bug with t...

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“A Meeting at Akko Bridge” by Sam DeFranco

Submitted to Contest #255

For the first time in years, my leg didn’t hurt. You see, I have a slight kink in my lower spine that causes a constant low-level pain. I have mostly learned to live with the pain but on that day, I was especially grateful for a reprieve. It was on a Friday in September 1970 when I walked along a narrow, little-used trail that wound through a dense forest in northwest Pennsylvania. I was on a quest to find something, anything that would help me understand what happened to my father during the war.As a child, our relationship was wo...

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“TORNADO” by Natalie Haslam-Conroy

Submitted to Contest #255

I’d always heard that when people were angry, they saw red, like a bull in a ring, like that monkey from the zombie movie I watched. But for me, when the time came, it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t a cascade of emotions, nor was it like a missile ready to go off. It was a tornado, a whirlwind of thoughts, ideas, assumptions, and feelings wrapping itself around me, sucking the air from my lungs and the sense from my head. I was in the middle, in the eye, with no way to get out, no way to breathe, and no way to think clearly. Once you’re in the ...

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“Transitions in Silence” by Martin Maynard

Submitted to Contest #255

Transitions in SilenceI’m sitting on my bed, holding a broken piece of wood from the neck of my acoustic guitar, contemplating a lot of different thoughts. Nothing is going as planned in my life. After this last week, especially Thursday night, my whole life seems very different.As I rub my palm against the smooth, six-inch piece of wood, I think about what happened this last week. I’ve been in Burnith, Kansas for almost six months. I came here for work, and my time is almost up. In one week, I will be leaving to go back home. My father, Nat...

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“Another Day in Love” by Isabella Sparks

Submitted to Contest #255

***DISCLAIMER: THIS STORY CONTAINS DRAMATIC, SENSUAL AND TRAGIC ELEMENTS*** Emma stirred to the sound of her alarm at dawn, the sunrise casting a golden glow on the curtains. With a lazy slap of her hand, she hit the off button before rolling over. “Morning, love,” she said, as she reached out. “Morning,” Ian replied as he draped her hand over his chest. Emma hugged him tight and let out a groan. “Can’t we just stay in bed all day?” she mumbled in the darkness, wiggling her toes and touching his feet under the sheets. “I’...

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“Anna's Angsty Attempt” by W. H. Goodwater

Submitted to Contest #255

The moon was already high in the night sky, an all-seeing eye that casually watched as everything I cared about spun out of control. My fingers tightened on the steering wheel as I drove down the old dirt road. I was so tired of everything slipping through my fingers—my friends, my life, everything. Tonight had to work. It was my last chance to hold us all together, to keep them from drifting away, leaving me behind. I pulled up in front of Emily’s house first. She climbed into the backseat, clutching a small bag tightly, eyes darting nervou...

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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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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