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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#259: The Elephant in the Room

Once in a while, we all have to calculate what is and isn't worth saying. Whether it's admitting our feelings to a crush, acknowledging the brewing tension in a friendship, or speaking up in the face of injustice, we sometimes have to carefully decide what to speak up about, and what is better left unsaid.

This week's prompts are about moments just like these, when the metaphorical "elephant in the room" becomes unbearably large, and we must choose whether to speak our minds, or to leave well enough alone...

This week's prompts

Write a story about two people who aren't admitting their true feelings for one another, despite it being obvious to outsiders.

Romance – 57 stories

Place your characters in a tough situation, where nobody wants to acknowledge the reality of what's happening.

Angst – 83 stories

Write a story that includes the line, "Is nobody going to say it?".

Dialogue – 83 stories

In a small town, a powerful family have a dark secret that nobody wants to discuss. One day, an outsider arrives, who's not happy to simply drop it.

Mystery – 47 stories

Set your story in a world where conversation about one particular topic is banned — but there are ways to get around the rule.

Dystopian – 25 stories

Stories

“The Obvious Betrayal ” by Elise Marquez

Submitted to Contest #259

I remember the day I met you. I met you through my best friend. You guys were roommates in a study abroad scholarship program, but went to different colleges. She told me so much about you. How you all would cook fun little meals, fancy sandwiches together, how you met the sweetest little cat that you both named Luna, and you had to lean on each other since a lot of the people in the program were homophobic. Thousands of miles away and it’s still something you can’t escape. She also told me you were really smart and could draw anything...

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“The Maple Street Cafe” by Milissa Story

Submitted to Contest #259

The Maple Street Cafe The bell above the door jingled as Emma Thomas maneuvered her wheelchair into the café, a sanctuary filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the sweet scent of pastries. Sofia, the ever-cheerful owner, greeted her with a welcoming smile. “Good morning, Emma! The usual?” Sofia asked, already preparing the caramel latte and blueberry muffin. Emma nodded, her fingers brushing the leather strap of her satchel, which was draped across her lap filled with sketchbooks and pencils. “Yes, please.” She w...

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“Refuge” by Tempest Phoenix Smith

Submitted to Contest #259

The gray and white seagull ignored the buffeting rain and how much every muscle ached from the long flight. The storm wind under his wings was carrying him in the right direction at last. And, as twilight descended, he could see what looked like from this distance a straight white branch sticking up from the ocean.Light emanated from the vertical pole, ceased, then shone again.Although thunder cracked and lightning flickered between clouds and ocean, he felt his heart ease. Where there was light, there must be a keeper. In these changing tim...

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“Hidden Truths” by Gina Schmidt

Submitted to Contest #259

Chapter One: The Encounter I stand at the edge of the ballroom, my heart pounding in my chest as my eyes scan the crowd for a familiar face. The Midnight Mirage Gala is in full swing, the most prestigious event of the year, filled with New York's elite. Glittering chandeliers cast a warm glow over the room, and the air is filled with the soft murmur of conversation and the clinking of champagne glasses. I'm here to cover the event for my investigative journalism blog, but I can only hope I don’t run into Luca Mancini. Luca, the enigmatic CE...

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“Challenges of Love” by Del V

Submitted to Contest #259

14 February 2022 I sat again in my bedroom, holding a bouquet of red roses and his note. “Happy Valentine. Do you want to be my valentine this year?I hope so. I’ve been in volunteering progam last semester, but I didn’t miss your graduation.I saw you with your family. I hope that you will introduce me to them, one day. I realize what I miss these day. In my time in Africa, voluntering, every kindness remind me of you. Every difficultness remind me of your smile. And I realize, I lost it and I miss it. The same question, I’ve been a...

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“Sheathed Feelings” by Armando Hubble

Submitted to Contest #259

In the shadows of the forest, they creeped. Shambling figures slowly marched forward. Their rotting flesh hanging off their marred humanoid torsos. Rusted weapons grasped in their cold dead hands. The cursed undead sentinels that haunted the forest. Cursed to undying hunger for flesh, they roamed. Elowin lined her bow arm against the length of an oakwood. Pressing her weight against the weight of the mossy bark, she felt connected to the forest. It calmed her. Kept her nerves in check. It was a trick her late father had taught him, to ...

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“The bridge” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #259

In the four years I'd worked in that company, many things had changed in my life. Still, I had always stayed faithful to the rule I had defined on the very first day: I would never date someone from work. At first, it was easy because I was madly (or idiotically, I'm not sure) in love with my boyfriend, but when he left me after more than three years together, the day after my birthday, I struggled a bit. It is difficult to meet people outside work when you spend all your time there. It's pure statistics. My grandma used to say that good thi...

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“The House Next Door” by WD Rose

Submitted to Contest #259

Sarah pulled into her driveway, killing the engine with a sigh. Another long day at the law firm, another evening of microwaved dinner and helping Tommy with his homework. At 42, this wasn't exactly where she'd pictured herself – divorced, single mom, and perpetually exhausted.As she stepped out of the car, a moving truck caught her eye. It was parked in front of the Johnson's old place next door. Right, the house had finally sold. Sarah made a mental note to bake some welcome cookies – once she found the time. Fumbling for her house keys, s...

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“Kevin and I” by Branko Harp

Submitted to Contest #259

‘I had the strangest dream about you last night, bro.’Kevin observes me with a smirk as I hand a freshly printed train timetable to an elderly passenger. After the man leaves my counter and shuffles out of the Information Centre, Kevin, Lucinda, and I remain alone behind the long desk. Swivelling our chairs to face each other, we ease into more casual postures. Kevin leans back with his hands behind his head while Lucinda retrieves her latte from under her seat.‘Since when am I your bro, Kev?’ Lucinda sasses, inspecting her acrylic nails. ‘I...

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“Culinary Chemistry” by Veronica Quinn

Submitted to Contest #259

The clattering of pans and the hum of activity filled the Michelin star kitchen. Sophia deftly sliced truffles, her movements precise and practiced; Liam flambéed peaches, his usual flair for the dramatic on full display. "Have you considered spending less time on theatrics and maybe some more on technique?" Sophia quipped. Liam smirked, not missing a beat, "and maybe if you relaxed a bit, you'd find cooking can be fun too." Their witticisms were a familiar soundtrack to the kitchen, but tonight, Head Chef André had had enough...

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“Sunny Side Up” by Corinna Schiebel

Submitted to Contest #259

(This story contains mild expletives and one instance of physical abuse.) “Hey, Ryder, how you doing?” Anna called out cheerily as the chimes jingled above the door he’d just entered. “Morning, Anna. Doing fine. Just the usual, please,” he replied. “Coming right up.” Ryder nodded to a few other regulars who patronized the only diner in town as he made his way to his booth in the back corner next to the window. He slid into the seat that seemed barely sufficient for his large frame, took off his cowboy hat, laying it on the seat beside him an...

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“Waiting On It.” by Loala Lovley

Submitted to Contest #259

It was Tuesday. It was one of those Tuesdays when you wake up thinking it’s Thursday and that the week is almost over, but in fact, it has just begun and yet it is already so long and agonizing. Southern summer, sun soaring high in the sky. Days like this were meant to be spent lounging by the pool enjoying all that Texas summer had to offer. Penelope sat in her car outside the diner where she worked, eyeing the building, working up the will to go in. After a few deep breaths, she braced for the day ahead of her. Pulling open the door in ha...

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“As Far As I Can See” by K.C. Gaudet

Submitted to Contest #259

— Monday: Her eyes wandered along the series of doors looking for the right number. The sterile hospital lighting gleamed off every surface. The piercing light was almost enough to spark an instant headache. ‘115B or maybe it was 151B,’ she thought. She pulled the phone from her pocket and opened up the email again. “…room 115B…” ‘So it was 115B.’ She could swear she was at least a bit dyslexic at times. 113, 114, and there it was 115B. The door appeared to be standard hospital office room issue. Cheap looking wood with a rectangle of ...

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“Stone Amnesty” by AppleJuicePunch Adam Jason Pierce

Submitted to Contest #259

Issaquah, a forced hobbling of the native word Squak after the sound that many birds living in the area made on the shoreline of the Sammamish lake. For years real growth and prosperity chose other paths when it came to the sleepy unincorporated town of Issaquah. The First Nation people who had lived there gradually moved away more by displacement than actual force. The mountainsides grew steadily more diluted over the coming years. Tiger mountain’s stripes faded as coal was removed. Cougar Mountain’s mass of fir be...

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“Return to Champagne Falls” by Rachel Robidoux

Submitted to Contest #259

(Story contains/curse words) Fiona tried her best not to think as she drove her rickety rental car towards Champagne Falls at a speed that was all together inadvisable. She cursed the familiar roads, the pouring rain, and most of all the unsettling quiet that followed her no matter how quickly she drove. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel until her knuckles shone white and she let out a frustrated sigh. No matter how hard she tried she could not escape the worry that plagued her. The town of Champagne Falls was and always had b...

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$250

Prize money

295

Contest entries

143

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 19, 2024 EST

Won by Christine Foy Jackson 🏆

Title: Getting Better

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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