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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

“Why settle for some make believe prince?” by Morgan Futch

Submitted to Contest #260

Shirley couldn't believe the excess of it all. Opulence in every way, from the conceptual to the unimaginable. Servers walked with trays of champagne to pass out with every guest they passed, the liquid of the glasses glistening from the chandeliers above. The room carried the laughter and jovial attitude of its guests and she could feel herself wanting to laugh along, to join in the conversations although she’d have nothing to relate with. Though she may be dressed as well as any well-to-do-girl from a well-to-do-family would be she knows h...

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“Eleanor” by Cameron Addams

Submitted to Contest #260

It was January when Bridgette passed. We knew the time was coming, the cancer had come back with a vengeance, but the hole in my heart has yet to heal. She was my everything. We met in middle school, became high school sweethearts, and got married right out of college. We struggled with infertility so we never had kids, but our lives were full. The night before she passed, she asked me to help her put her wedding gown on one last time. She was already pretty thin when we got married, but now the dress hung off her body, like a little girl pl...

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“Corruption in the Creek” by Amanda Sloan

Submitted to Contest #260

Twinkle lights illuminate the bridge leading to the event center decorated with balloons and streamers. It was Prom, and I had spent the entire afternoon helping my students transform the drab event center into a "Night Among the Stars." Looking at how everything came together, I was filled with a sense of pride. Our school was an online high school, so this event was extremely important as it was 1 of 4 times we held in-person events. With our limited resources and manpower, we still managed to turn the plain cinderblock building into a dre...

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“A LOST FRIEND” by David D'EttoreUser

Submitted to Contest #260

A LOST FRIEND The last time I saw Marise was in Paris during the spring of 1971. Something happened then that is still not clear in my mind, or at least what I have left of my mind. Something that, to this day, I cannot forget. Winter stayed long that year, reaching well into May, leaving mounds of dirty snow in shaded areas of the city. A chill even pervaded sunny day...

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“Life Could Be a Dream” by Kat Rosania

Submitted to Contest #260

"Sweetie, it’s time to get up!” My mother calls. I roll over lazily, covering my head with the duvet. The sun cuts sharp and bright through the blinds. The inviting smell of coffee and bacon wafts from the kitchen. It’s Saturday and I cannot imagine why I need to wake up, but I obey, squinting in the light, and pad down the hall. My mother is scrubbing eggs off a pan in the sink, already cleaning before breakfast has been touched. No one is looking, no one asks her to do this, but she always wants things to be perfect. She doesn’t want...

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“In Dreams” by Cassin Villa-Lobos

Submitted to Contest #260

(Content Warning: Violence, Crude Language) Henry always chides me when I make a crude joke. He seems to forget that crude jokes are what drew him to me. Of course, he’s not really mad, it’s true, sometimes they are too much for the company we keep. “Sophie!” He says through laughter. “You-you can’t” Henry covers his eyes, losing himself in the double entendre. I know I’ve really got him when he lets out just one, long “AAAAHHH” It’s like he’s screaming, but there’s no trouble to be found. The rest of the dinner table lets out low cho...

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“TINY ” by Aletha Montgomery

Submitted to Contest #260

"Tiny”Ok, so telling Mama that lie that Thellie hit me in my stomach, when all she did was hit me on the arm might have been a bit much! You do not understand, I can’t beat that girl! She is b-i-g. Boys in our neighborhood even afraid to mess with her. Shoot, she is strong too, for a girl; but then again, I did mention that she was big! She is like that girl on Charlie Brown that’s always beating everybody up. Our big-headed big brother don’t even mess with her. He is scared of Thellie. He be trying to get on her side when we play WWF wrestl...

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“Good Morning” by Moshe Davidovici

Submitted to Contest #260

“Gotta say, I wouldn’t have thought we would end up in the same bunk. ‘Tis most fortuitous.” Brett put extra emphasis on the ‘fortuitous’. “‘Tis a turn of fate found to be most timely and effervescently pleasing.” Lindsay agreed and smiled. Her high-waisted jeans stretched as she walked down the length of the bunk building. “I mean, it’s not even bunks, though. I know both of us have pretty wealthy parents, but they could have sent us to a camp that wasn’t so nice that everyone has their own neat little bed in a gigantic ‘b...

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“Put it Down to Experience” by Teddy Kwan

Submitted to Contest #260

Sean could feel the snow underfoot and hear the crunching noise he made as he walked towards the front door of the grand looking house in front of him.As he approached the door, he could hear a lively party was going on inside the house involving lots of teenagers, based on the conversations and occasional shouts emanating from the people inside. “Sounds like the party’s kind of wild,” Sean said to himself as he stood a few meters from the front porch in the snow, although as the thought went through his mind, he felt it was odd that he...

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“Moving Day” by Jessica Denna

Submitted to Contest #260

MOVING DAYbyJessica Mishan DennaIt was move in day for the dorms at San Francisco State University. A day that any college bound student looked forward to, it marked the first day of their newfound adulthood and independence. For most they were leaving the safety of the only home they knew and were setting off into the world for the first time.And with Nina, she was no exception.Nina had been a homebody all throughout her academic career. It wasn't like she didn't have any friends; she had some, but she was more comfortable at home with fami...

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“The Best Sunday Brunch.” by Kendra Calhoun

Submitted to Contest #260

Red and blue flashing lights are first to assault my eyes. I only open them halfway because my head is too fuzzy to open them any farther. Pressure surrounds my skull and I somehow know that if I open my eyes anymore, I will feel pain everywhere, so I squint allowing the red and blue lights to twirl around me. The sirens are what overload my senses next. All kinds of whistles, horns and noises invade my ears. The sounds get louder and louder as I try to make out what is happening around me. In between the sirens I hear screams and cries, bu...

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“Reflection on Oneself” by Zachary Seda

Submitted to Contest #260

The white painted door opened inward while the screen door slammed outward. Daniel stepped out of the house into a crisp autumn night, feeling the chill of winter brush his face. He zipped up his thin jacket, which did little to combat the cold, then turned back to address his new friend. “Thanks for having me over,” Daniel said, clasping his hand with his friend’s and then fist bumping. “Anytime man,” Terry replied. “Come over tomorrow after school. My mom’s cooking pasta.” Daniel exaggerated his surprise at the dinner choice. “You’ve convi...

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“On An Upswing” by Caelie Domzalski

Submitted to Contest #260

Emma remembered reading the headlines: “Housing Crisis Solved, Roofs for All” “The World Hungers No Longer: Global Food Distribution Achieved” “Diplomacy and Disarmament Leave World Peace in Their Wake” “Climate Change Slowing, Heading for Reversal, After Unprecedented Global Summit”After a lifetime of “once in a generation” events, between wars and pandemics and extreme weather phenomenon, record unemployment and record homelessness and record corporate profits with record cost of living increases and record gaps between the wealthy and the...

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“Ignite” by Alyssa Mamuszka

Submitted to Contest #260

I woke up and the world was on fire. Orange light and incomprehensible sound roared in my ears on the other side of the tent fabric. My camping partners were already up and yelling, shadows flitting across my vision in a frenzy of movement. The tent flap zipped open and Patrick’s head appeared, framed by a world unbeknownst to me - trees ablaze and sparks flying, smoke and heat like a wall of death blasted me in the face. He grabbed my sleeping bag and tried to get me unzipped, frantically screaming something that I couldn’t hear...

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“To Wake Beyond the Trees” by T.A. Burt

Submitted to Contest #260

Nothing could keep me from my bed that night. Not the hunger pains in my stomach, nor the sweat that soaked my clothes, reeking like a bad day. I needed to sleep more than anything else, even if dinner and a shower would, without doubt, make it more restful. I couldn’t say the reasons why I was so hungry or sweat-drenched or sleep-deprived. To tell the truth, I don’t really remember why I was in such a state. There are flashes of memory—glimpses surrounded by a pervasive fog—but nothing substantial, nothing with which to draw any conclusions...

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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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