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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

“Of Castles and Cages” by Andrea Krist

Submitted to Contest #260

Richard adjusted himself in the saddle and stared across the English countryside. The rolling hills calmed his spirits whenever things did not feel right, but today they were as ill-at-ease as he. A cool wind blew the grass and ruffled his cloak. He pulled his chaperon lower upon his head and glanced at his companion. Penelope was a few years older than him--although she had never confided her true age. She was mature in her mannerisms, suitable to be a bride, yet remained unwed. Though he assumed she was no more than sixteen many in court ...

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“The Cards We Draw, The Ones We Play” by Monique Lewis

Submitted to Contest #260

Fire embers dance towards the midnight sky as the orange glow of the fire flickers shadow and light across his face. The face I had grown to love over the years. The face that will continue to be etched with memories and smile lines that stretch from the corners of his eyes, begging for more moments of shared laughter. I wonder if the lines in my face would give away the gnawing guilt and pain that ached my bones and the nausea that swelled in the pit of my stomach. “Marshmallow?” Felix asks, drawing his half-burnt marshmallow from the fire,...

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“Danni” by William Siebold

Submitted to Contest #260

This hardwood forest has the fragrance of safety and peace. Silent, except for the early spring breeze wishing through the leaves, the curious rustling in the underbrush and the enormous gentle sound of the birds in the trees. I’m sitting on a bench in a woodland clearing, with a panoramic view of greening hills and hollows rolling into the deep distance, as far as the eye can see or the mind can imagine. A lifetime. The boundaries of mortality are thinner, less durable. This body has contained me for so long and so well. Soon it will be ti...

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“Refocusing” by S.G. Williams

Submitted to Contest #260

Nothing prepared Jim for the revelation that his whole life up until his thirtieth birthday had been a hazy of choices not really made by himself. The illusion that he had been the driving factor in the course of his day to day life faded away when Dr. Steinburg gave him the news. “Thank you for coming in Jim, we got the test results back,” Dr. Steinburg said as he looked back over Jim’s charts. The synthetic leather chair of the plater white walled room squeaked slightly against Jim’s faded jeans as he shifted in it. An uncomfortably long s...

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“The Wheel of Dùghall” by Even Andrews

Submitted to Contest #260

Dùghall strummed his mandolin as the rain pelted the bridge above. He played to a small band of travelers seeking freedom from the raging storm above. Dùghall sang “Thunder clashed, the heavens wept, As sword and claw in battle swept, The dragon's roar shook earth and sky, But the knight stood firm, with battle cry, Beast and man intertwined, Bloodstained ledge,…”. The sodden travelers appreciated a free show and a chance to be liberated from the ensuing storm. Dùghall found the entertainment of the lesser folk first-rate advertisement for t...

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“Unpredicatable, irresistable, you” by Pearly D'Souza

Submitted to Contest #260

“I quit.” Teresa strode through the open door of the luxurious corner office, attempting to rein in her anger. “And you can’t force me to take a business trip I've already refused two weeks ago. Others can easily take my place, and I don’t see any of them being pressured.” She tried to maintain a dignified and confident stride on the new 4-inch heels she’d started wearing a few months ago.Though she loathed ditching her comfortable Converse collection for such unsensible shoes, it was the only way that she, at barely five-foot-five, could ha...

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“Either Way” by Nick Physick

Submitted to Contest #260

Robert Etheridge spent the split-second it took to slip the Focus into reverse surveying the crunchy, rust-coloured carpet of decaying sycamore leaves that lined the gutters of Carmichael Avenue. He took a moment to appreciate the unexpected dose of urban beauty; the vivid hues of their slow demise combining to banish the grayscale aesthetic of the cul-de-sac, temporarily bringing a certain picturesque charm to the neighbourhood.The time was a minute after half past one in the afternoon. The lady over the road - currently peering from behind...

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“The Birthday of Joy” by Rudransh Sharma

Submitted to Contest #260

It was a hard walk to the Mt. Vernon, it almost took him an hour to reach the destination. After working the entire shift John didn’t have any mood for going to the party but still it was needed of him, his sister would be turning eight tonight. She'd want me there, John had believed. A four story apartment building stood in front of him, high as hell as he was. When John walked inside and began his climb, something felt strange. I’ve been to these steps before…… But surely he never was, he had to ask for the directions. Déjà vu is what they...

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“ToyzNStuff” by Emily Grace

Submitted to Contest #260

“…Listen, there’s something weird going down in Neighborhood City, New Jersey. My buddy Jeff went missing a few weeks ago and the cops still haven’t been able to find him. And he’s like the 15th person to have gone missing here in a month. And yeah, he visited ToyzNStuff.” Leo adjusted his mouse and scrolled through the forum. “Oh god. My aunt went missing five months ago and the last time we saw her, she was heading out on some errands. A friend of the family said that she was on her way to ToyzNStuff to pick up some baby clothes for my nep...

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“Orion's Time” by Jeanine Rogers

Submitted to Contest #260

Orion stumbled out of the club with her friend Darla. They had too many tequila shots. Orion didn't know if she was holding if Darla was holding her up. " We did. We graduated from College!" Darla screamed. "Whoop whoop," Orion screamed joyously. "Thank God our apartment is near because I have to pee." Darla laughed. They started half walking towards their apartment. Darla leaned against a wall of a shop. "I feel sick," Darla said before vomiting. Some of it got into her long blue-black hair. Orion felt strange. She heard footsteps beh...

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“Vampire, Esquire” by Jamila M.

Submitted to Contest #260

VAMPIRE, ESQUIRE The jurors file into the jury box, heads down and avoiding all eye contact. Under normal circumstances, I might take it as a good sign that there will be a guilty verdict. Given who I’m up against, these are not normal circumstances. I adjust my skirt as an excuse to fidget while all twelve of the main jurors and the alternate take their seats and pointedly look anywhere but at the lawyers who tried the case. The tension in my body ratchets up when the judge asks if they’ve reached a unanimous verdict. ...

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“Got You! ” by WM .

Submitted to Contest #260

***Disclaimer: Contains cussing... but some funny cussing.*** I can’t sleep, where’s my phone? Hmm, that’s weird, I could have sworn it was next to me. I continue to search for it, making more noise. There’s a flash. “It is four in the morning, go to sleep!” “Sorry babe.” “Babe?” She looks at me stunned. Sighing, turning off the flash. “Look, don’t be nervous, you’ll do great!” “Yeah,” I say confidently. The past few weeks I’ve been meeting with an acting class. They announced they were holding auditions for an upcoming pl...

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“The Wedding” by Grace McKibbin

Submitted to Contest #260

The WeddingCape Town, South Africa – November 2007“Stupid, stupid map,” I muttered in frustration, flapping the large unruly paper against the steering wheel. “Why did I think using a map would be a good idea? Come on, Amy, you can do this!” I had pulled over to the shoulder to study and digest this cartographic wonder.I folded and unfolded the confusing paper once more, but still couldn’t make any sense of it. Not to mention that I had a time constraint. I ran my fingers through my blonde curls in frustration.I couldn’t miss this wedd...

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“TSA Restraint at Puerto Rico on Vacation” by Myra Cook

Submitted to Contest #260

Going through the airport TSA in Puerto Rico, I was checking out with any problems. As I was putting my shoes back on an getting my purse, jacket and my carr-yon, I noticed that I didn’t see my pink carry-on. “Where’s my pink carry-on?” I asked the girl who was wheeling me around the airport in the wheelchair I was in. “They’re keeping it for inspection,” she said. “Why, I don’t have anything illegal in it. You asked me before I put my bag to be scanned and I told you I didn’t...

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“Car Guys” by Aleah McCallum

Submitted to Contest #260

Jarred sits at the kitchen bar, distractedly eating his buttered toast and scrambled eggs as he stares out the window. His roommate, Derick, walks in and grabs a plate of eggs and four pieces of toast. He grabs a napkin for himself, and one for Jarred. “What are you doing?” Derick asks as he leaves the napkin beside Jarred’s plate.Jarred realizes he hadn’t even noticed Derick walk in. “What?” He picked up the napkin and wiped the drool off of his chin.“You’re staring out the window like a teenage girl staring at the boyband p...

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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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