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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 Boy with the Lighthouse Smile” by Adekemi Adeniyan

Submitted to Contest #259

With his heart racing like a drum, Olumide stood at the door of his new school. After twelve years in a peaceful village, he found himself in the noisy metropolis of Lagos. He felt insignificant and alone amidst the deafening roar of automobile horns, the chitchat of numerous students, and the towering concrete structures. With his lips closed, he felt the prominence of his front teeth as he stroked his tongue over them. His teeth had earned him the nickname "Bamidele" (meaning "the one who came with me") in his village. He couldn't help but...

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“Speech” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #259

Edward and I grew up on the same street. We both had brown hair and loved to ride our bikes in the road, so naturally we had to be best friends. My parents never had another boy but I can confidently say I have always had a true brother in Ed. As those young years flew by and our interests matured beyond cartoons and playgrounds to include the opposite sex, we would consistently share our juvenile thoughts on girls with each other. It was thanks to this bond that I was privileged enough to be present, when he first noticed June.I remember fe...

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“Thodek's Song” by McKade Kerr

Submitted to Contest #259

“Hurry up, Eldrin! We’ve got to get there before all the good seats are gone!” My best friend Amber was pulling me through the streets towards the local tavern. We lived in a small town called Rigaforth, and there usually wasn’t too much excitement in the day to day. Amber was a human from a farming family, and I was an elf from an artisan family. We grew up together, and we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. Now that we were both in our older teen years though, my feelings for her had started to change. All I wanted to do w...

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“The Speed of Light” by Thane Sweet

Submitted to Contest #259

The flames from the fire in front of us danced in the summer moonlight and cast shadow puppets across the silky smooth canvas of our tents. They were filled with the soft snores of our friends who had finally succumbed to the days tiring events of hiking and setting up camp. Grace and I were the only two remaining. While the warm cocoon of my sleeping bag sounded pleasant, I wasn’t going to be the first to leave. There were things I needed to say. We sat next to each other, but not close enough to touch; both of us perched on the fallen tree...

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“El Centro” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #259

The restaurant El Centro was now in a new neighborhood. It was no longer, as its name implied, centrally located. The events of the past horrific year had forced it to relocate to a new building on the far southwest side of town. It was now in a cramped storefront that had previously housed a Hungry Head sandwich shop. Business, at first, had been slow, but was now slowly picking up. Every Tuesday morning around ten o’clock, a large group of elderly women took over two large tables, pushed together. There were usually about ten people i...

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“Kisses” by Sarah Jo

Submitted to Contest #259

Monday, September 17thDear Diary, I made a new friend today—an actual real-life friend. Her name is Agatha, and she just moved here from Chicago. 17 is such a sucky age to move to a small town in Pennsylvania. I feel really bad for her, but that's not why I decided to befriend her. I'll tell you the story. We had first period together. Calculus. Gag. And while all the other smarty pants in the class were working away at the assignment, Agatha whipped out her bottle of O.P.I. black shimmery nail polish and started painting away. I actually la...

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“Everything Unfiltered” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #259

He wanted to force me off the road because I was driving at the speed limit. But the worst part was that I could feel and hear his rage, even his thoughts.“Damn tourist! Where did he learn how to drive?He sped by me, giving me the finger.Then, I heard everyone's thoughts when I got on the elevator at work. “That tie is so out of date…stop crowding me, idiot…I sure hope it's his cologne I smell and not his deodorant…See you! Baggy pants!The boss was full of questions, but it was what he was thinking that I couldn’t get out of my head.&nb...

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“Blind Love” by Okuhle Nwelende

Submitted to Contest #259

His eyes, like a serene lagoon, a deep green swirling through the waves to reach the calm blue coast, held Lucy captivated for hours. The slight movement of his pupil would send a rush of thoughts to her mind. Is he okay? Is he anxious? Should I say something? To anyone else, this would seem weird, but to Ryan, it was completely normal because he was doing it too. From Lucy's dark hair with tight coils to her heavily freckled cheeks, or how she always ended her laughs with a chuckle then a look to the side clearly anticipating another joke b...

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“Trunk or Tail?” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #259

Ten years on, and there I was, looking down on him again. At least I would have been had my gaze possessed the power of the scorn it contained, and had it been intent enough to bore through the various layers of dirt. Not that there would be much of the man left to see beyond the macabre, but the six-foot distance between us, for all it was indisputably vertical now, brought his rodent-like, bespectacled features so clearly to mind, I might as well have been back there in that flat we'd once shared, staring across the floor to where he’d slu...

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“Elephant” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #259

Excitement was in the air. The Little Theatre was mounting its biggest production ever. The crew was erecting the stage for the show called Heaven on Earth. A two-week run, for starters. Sketches in hand, I walked onto the stage amid the whine of a buzzsaw and the scent of freshly sawed pine.Stuart, the set designer, and Bob, head carpenter, were deep in discussion and didn’t notice me at first. As I approached, Stuart moved away from Bob. When I stopped, Stuart flashed an irritated glance at me. “Looking for Wardrobe?” I paid no mind to his...

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“Mandated Vacation” by Sarah Martyn

Submitted to Contest #259

Consent. Cooperation. Compliance. Coercion. Force. The F word. It’s the odd one out, the hard line (and you can’t talk about it).They say, “we’re here for you” but they really mean “you’ll lose your livelihood if you don’t obey.”It’s the heaviness we carry lately with fake smiles and dwindling bank accounts as we go to work, dreading a conversation that isn’t supposed to happen but still might. Over a year ago, many were sick and even dying from this new disease. Now, less are dying but it’s more viral. It’s how diseases typically work: over...

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“"A Boys Tale, A Ghost Tale"” by Stephvon Dames

Submitted to Contest #259

A sense of unease lurked beneath the surface in the picturesque town of Whispering Oaks, Rhode Island, tucked away among the rolling hills and charming streets. The city was once a place where retirees and young families escaped city life to spend time together. Despite the town's tranquility, rumors of a vengeful spirit, Mark Tomson, cast a shadow over it.Tomson is a 10-year-old boy who has never seemed scared at home or school. Several people suspected he was hiding something, but no one dared ask. Rumors divided the town, with some believ...

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“The Monsters We Become” by Jeremy Stevens

Submitted to Contest #259

This amazing story of heartbreaking genius contains profanity. Desire is our new administrative assistant. She pronounces her name De-zur-ay. While contemporary names have run amok with the apostrophe, I do think one belongs at the end of her name. I don’t tell her this, though. Since moving to the South, I’ve evolved in my open condemnation of idiocy and the human condition. My face says it all. And, my tone, over-emphasizing the third syllable. “Good morning, De-zur-AY.” She thinks I am flirting with her, but really, I am not, and I won’t ...

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“Love Pop” by Cameron Navarre

Submitted to Contest #259

Eric pretends to look at the pre-fix menu. He’s discreetly glancing at Sasha, who is silently mouthing the words as she reads hers. While her eyes dart back and forth, she brushes back the dark, curly hair that has fallen around her face. Lately, Erik’s found himself stealing glances like this, wondering to himself how he could ever doubt the strength of his feelings for her. “This place is sooo…” Sasha pauses, searching for word. “Bougie?” Eric says, laughing. Sasha smiles and nods in agreement. After five months of dating, all the key piec...

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“A Book at the Dinner Table” by Eccles Garstang

Submitted to Contest #259

Getting ready to come home wrapped me with sweet anticipation. I was dropping the pressures of final exams in favor of returning to the best place on earth. The airplane trip was over in a blink and I was already rushing down the airport escalators, eager to catch the first glimpse of my parents waiting for me at the bottom of the arrivals corridor.I excitedly scanned around and then I saw them. Two beautiful people, side by side, gently smiling with their arms crisscrossed behind each other’s back. They didn’t both have to come but they did...

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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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