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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#260: A Twist in the Tale

Has a friend ever recommended a book or a movie with the line, "The twist is amazing"? I usually hate when they do that. Even if they don't spill the beans on what the plot twist is, just knowing there is one can spoil the fun. I won't be able to resist trying to pre-empt the plot, and guess what that it might be — but a truly great twist is always rewarding, whether you expect it or not.

Here's a twist I'm sure you saw coming: this week's contest is all about them. Your readers will know there's one on the horizon. Can you still manage to surprise us?

This week's prompts

Write a story with a big twist.

Dramatic – 188 stories

Write a story in which a character learns something unexpected about someone they thought they knew well.

Mystery – 63 stories

Write a story about someone who realises the story of their life has been pre-determined — until they decide to divert from the expected path.

Character – 31 stories

Write a story that includes the line, "I didn't see that one coming."

Dialogue – 41 stories

Write a story using the most clichéd twist of all; it was all a dream.

Narrative – 105 stories

Stories

“Almost There” by Cheyenne Burgess

Submitted to Contest #260

Macy rested her chin on her left hand as her left forearm was perched in the sill of the fully open passenger's side window. Loose strands of fire red hair whipped around her face as she hung her head out in the passing wind. She held her right arm out into the balmy air, letting it flow swiftly in between her fingers as they sped down the open highway. She let out a sigh of content as she closed her eyes and allowed the bright white of a blinding Florida sun to diminish the blackness that lingers behind shut eyelids. She always loved suns...

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“A Dance with Desire” by Rose D

Submitted to Contest #260

From the moment I first saw him, I knew he was different. The role of a succubus is to visit men and women in their dreams and give them all that they need to feel entirely satisfied before sucking their life force out of their throat. Before him, I thought all that was needed to fully satisfy a human was indulging in a night of animalistic, soul-breaking sex. But something about this one was different. His eyes never loitered down to my d-cups. His hairs didn’t stand on end when I whispered sweet nothings in his ear. His words didn’t begin ...

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“Don't Wake Up” by Shellie Kinard

Submitted to Contest #260

Sonia woke with a start, heart racing, bed sheets damp with sweat and clinging to her skin. Her body was frozen in a state of sleep paralysis, but she was able to wriggle her fingers. Little by little, she worked feeling back into her limbs until she could roll onto her side. The harsh red light from the alarm clock on her nightstand temporarily blinded her, and she blinked to clear her vision. 3:47 a.m. Another restless night. She rolled back over with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling. This time, the nightmare had started in the ...

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“I Stand Amid the Roar” by Holly Wild

Submitted to Contest #260

First, I was electric. The motorcycle roars beneath me, a living, breathing force that thrums through my entire body. It’s as if I’m not just riding but merging with its raw mechanical energy. Trees blur past in a fiery cascade of reds, oranges, and yellows. The wind fights against me, my helmet shielding my face, while my black curls whip around in the breeze. This is the peak of exhilaration, I think, grinning wildly. If only I could bottle this euphoria and share it with the world. Maybe I’d give the first few bottles away for free, just ...

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“Boiling Point” by Sumayah Y.

Submitted to Contest #260

He gazed absently at the black kettle, his reflection looking back at him like a stranger. Nice cup of tea. That’s what we need. A faint humming of a song and the sound of light footsteps on the floorboards above him made him smile. He noticed the whistle of the kettle, as it screeched louder and louder, vapours fading away in the sunlight. Realisation struck; she must have put the kettle on. Of course, she did. Of course, she did. How kind. How thoughtful. The dawn broke in a pool on the window, seeping in through the cracks and ...

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“Into the Waves” by David Kaloyanides

Submitted to Contest #260

The moonlight glistened on her skin, a band of white tracing the arc of her arm as she reached out and plunged her hand into the rising swell. She pulled hard and kicked. The cold stabbed through her chest. She kicked again. And again, harder this time. The sail bag pulled against her left arm, dragging it below her body and back toward her legs. She reached over the water careful to time her breath with the swell. She didn’t need a mouthful of icy saltwater choking her this far from shore. She was well past the strike zone where the w...

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“The Will” by Wendy Rappeport

Submitted to Contest #260

The Will The street lights shone on the treetops. The trees swayed in the wind, settled to still, then shook and shivered, and then the treetops trembled when the breeze blew softly and the wind wound up again to a wild, lashing power. Darkness hid the rest of the trees, and the light lit only the treetops and the power lines, the round shape of the light fractured by the shapes of the windblown leaves and smaller branches.Ebony sat in her car, in the dark, waiting for the wind and rain to abate. She had an appointment with her lawyer at 6....

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“Lilly’s Folly” by Ora Lawrence

Submitted to Contest #260

The birds cannot hide. Their feathers are remarkably individual, and solely available to each species. Their beaks tell more than their distinctive cries, some of which can be heard especially by the blind. Their nests and burrows remain long after their departure. No matter how they might try, birds cannot erase their own existence. Not even when they pick apart eachother’s nests. I ease my finger off the camera’s trigger and wait. A falcon tilts her head slightly. One second. Two se...

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“Upwardly Mobile” by Sue Leather

Submitted to Contest #260

Bettina sighed as she finally took her seat on the 5.15 pm Number Fourteen bus from Brixton to Mayfair. She popped a Xanax into her mouth, just to calm her nerves. She’d had to run for the bus and was out of breath. It wasn’t easy to run in Jimmy Choo shoes. Still, they were the perfect accessory to her outfit, and Bettina was meticulous about her appearance. She took a peep at her three-year-old Bichon Frisé, Chan-Chan, who was nestled in her large red Gucci handbag. Chan-Chan looked up at her and whimpered. Bettina adjusted his l...

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“Solving an Unsolved Mystery” by Brian Bywater

Submitted to Contest #260

. The Twist in the TaleSolving an unsolved mystery. November 24th 1971 was just like any other Wednesday at the Portland Oregon Airport. Not particularly busy on domestic flights, so Dan Cooper had little wait time in buying his one way ticket to Seattle Washington. Dan Cooper was never planning to return. His identity documents would later prove to be fakes. Security was a tad lighter in 1971 than today. In 1971 he did not have to concern himself with CCTV cameras. Even so he had timed hi...

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“The Interrogation ” by Jonathan Quinci Taylor

Submitted to Contest #260

The only thing Detective Jon Kross hated more than the scent of cigarette smoke was a liar who believed they’d gotten away. Kross rested his cane against the table when he entered the room. The walls seemed to sponge the tobacco odor, letting it seep out slowly into the air. He removed his black fedora, leaned back, then groaned as he sat across from the cuffed suspect. Retrieving a stick of wintergreen lip balm from his slacks, he rubbed it under his nose and began to study the shifty brown eyes of Tobias Turner. Kross glanced dow...

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“LETHAL COUNTDOWN” by Caroline I.Night

Submitted to Contest #260

I’ve been watching you and now I know. You’re doomed. In three days you will intentionally destroy yourself. DAY 1“What the hell?!” I grabbed the note left on my bedside cabinet. Who wrote that? I sprang out of my bed and pointed my gun at the invisible target—there was no one there. I lunged at the bed and looked under it. Nothing. The window! With one silent leap, I got to the only open window in my house and leaned out. A dense fog shrouded the surrounding. Weird. It was 9:00 o’clock in the morning; the fog shouldn’t be there. I sprinted ...

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“Earth 2.0” by David Dean

Submitted to Contest #260

EARTH 2.0Doctor Robert Bryant was over six feet tall and had a background in engineering. Initially, he worked in Toronto but later moved to Rio de Janeiro to continue his research in the laboratory adjoining the physics building. He dressed in grey from head to foot which he had taken to wearing in his college days. His weathered features creased into shadowy lines, and he was a scientist who believed that the key to research was dedication and focus. Bryant put a lot of stock in sensorimotor skills, and could fly planes well enough to enro...

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“Accidental Encounter” by M.r.k Huff

Submitted to Contest #260

Kate is crouched, her back to the door, doing the most dignifying part of her job- cleaning dog pee. Working at the Bork Day Play and Boarding was supposed to have been a temporary job; However, when her boyfriend of 5 years decided she “had zero personality,” she was left homeless, humiliated, and broke. All her coworkers despised her as if her life couldn’t get any worse. She’d never been good with other women but was never hated. Truth be told, in high school, she was semi-popular. Girls would fawn over her natural copper hair, green eyes...

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“A Summer With the Rockwell's ” by Adelaide Metcalfe

Submitted to Contest #260

“There’s a monster in the house Mamma,” Daisy rubbed her bleary eyes as she shuffled into the living room, where her Mother sat with a cup of tea. The Mother opened her arms as the little girl crawled into her lap. The radio hummed quietly in the background and a soft glow from a lamp warmed the room.“Don’t be silly darling,” the Mother soothed, smoothing Daisy’s long, brown braided hair. “Daddy wouldn’t let any monsters inside, would he?” Daisy frowned.“But Daddy’s been sick for an awfully long time. How can he fight the monsters if he’s si...

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$250

Prize money

428

Contest entries

131

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 26, 2024 EST

Won by Elizabeth Hoban 🏆

Title: You

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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