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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 – 189 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

“Happy Valentines Day, Ed” by Maria Wickens

Submitted to Contest #260

Waking in a cramped wooden box in a shallow grave, I have to admit this is one of the worst first dates ever. It is not the absolute worst date - so that should tip you off my dating history is somewhat dark and hopeless. Still one has to believe in something and for me it’s que sera sera, what will be, will be, somewhere some time, I will meet that special someone.But clearly, not this time around.The signs started to mount up early into the date. When Mr Mystery Date opened the door it was apparent his profile photo was not so mu...

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“Feelings of Self Abandonment Throughout” by Christine Foy Jackson

Submitted to Contest #260

Dawn scooted into her place at the table in the prayer room, careful not to smoosh her two year-old’s legs. She liked attending prayer circle, but having two young children made it a challenge. The three women surrounding her at the small, round table were all older, their thinning hair trimmed to their ears. Sweet though they were, they didn’t abide disorder, reserving their disapproval with tight smiles. “As you know,” Shirley said, “We’ve been asked to host the Proverbs 31 Woman Benefit Dinner this year. I’d like it to be particular...

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“THE EXPRESS TRAIN” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #260

Jack stood on the subway platform awaiting his express train. It had been a long, arduous day at work, as usual, and he could think of nothing else but getting home to his loving family, having a warm supper and a good night’s sleep. His wife, Jill, despite being loud and shrill, was always there to greet him with a hug and kiss. And his three daughters, eleven, thirteen and fifteen, despite often sounding like a gaggle of honking geese, were always happy to see him. Leaning against a subway post, he allowed himself to drift into ...

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“Candlestick Kingdom ” by Liv Chocolate

Submitted to Contest #260

cw: greif, loss, deathI see my face in my mother’s. Her head, an oval-shaped mirror on a frail torso, shimmers in the moonlight and reflects my image back at me. I can see that I look just as despondent as I feel when I see my reflection in her. My eyes are swollen and my nose wet. I have been in denial for the last several years that my mother is reaching her end.When she first started showing signs of expiration, my father, the emperor of Candlestick Kingdom, took her to the appraiser, who examined her carefully under the light o...

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“What if all the You’s were Different You’s?” by Cynthia Porter

Submitted to Contest #260

Chapter ? The Middle.“When you are married your happiness is doubled and your sadness is cut in half.” It was the most heartfelt message I received in my wedding cards. The rest were platitudes and generic well wishes. It was so simple yet moving. I wish that it had been true. ——Instead, days turned into years turned into resentment and hurtful words, and pain that wouldn’t resolve on its own. You were lost in a world that no one can reach, not even yourself, it seems. And I, unable to reach you, and no longer in touch with myself ...

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“The Bench” by Tom D

Submitted to Contest #260

It was late summer when you came to the bench. I was sat reading a book - I don’t know which - while listening to the lazy hum of the bees dipping in and out of the scented wildflowers, a gentle breeze playing on my skin. I didn’t hear you coming; I looked up, and there you were. “Hello, Alice,” I said. “Jacob.” You smiled back at me, settled down beside me. “I’ve missed you.”“I’ve missed you too,” I said, returning the smile. There was a pause. My smile gave way to a slight frown. “It’s been too long. I thought…I thought you may n...

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“The Walk Home” by Maryanne Carey

Submitted to Contest #260

The Walk Home “Greetings and salutations, faithful reader, allow me to introduce myself. I will begin by saying that most people, and I’m sure you’re one of them, know the story of the very curious earth-goddess Pandora, and how she unleashed all the evils and miseries of the world by opening a forbidden box. I’m part of the story as well. My name is Elpis, which means hope and, at the very least, expectations. I did not escape from the chest, and so I can still speak softly to those who wish to hear. I try to be there as a beam of optimism ...

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“On the Power of a Name” by ♡ Tana ♡

Submitted to Contest #260

Katarina Ysabella Lynch had too many letters to herself. It just wasn’t fair to the Jon’s and the Meg’s and the Ruth’s that she should own twenty-one letters and seven vowels when most people could barely claim half that. She blamed her parents for this selfish part of her character, and she felt the need to share with people who learned her name that if she could have, she would not have picked something so grandiose. Katarina learned how to spell her name when she was four years old, a whole year before she went to kindergarten and wo...

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“Just A Few More Things” by Lindsay Flo

Submitted to Contest #260

My father has been talking to me a lot lately. Of course, he is a quintessential conversationalist—no mundane chats for him. He isn’t one to participate in the banal back-and-forth about the weather, or the economy, unless there’s something exciting to discuss. A tornado coming, perhaps. A stock market drop. Not that all his talking points are intense either, although lately they have been. Lately, his words come in written form, as if he can’t bear to wait until we are together to say what’s on his mind. His thoughts pour into emails and te...

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“Searching for the Moon” by Chandra Trochesset

Submitted to Contest #260

Searching for the Moon Ratna wiped some dust off the photo album. The faux leather was graying in certain areas because of its age and chipped along the edges. She remembered the day her grandmother brought it over. “I got two of these, red one for me, and this wood color for you, Rina.” Her grandma put the photo album on the dining table as she talked to her daughter. “Wow, how did you make this fit in your bag, Ma? I mean, this is not just big, but it is also heavy.” Ratna remembered the way her mom held the photo album, feeling its wei...

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“Casanova's Fling....” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #260

Ashley checked her makeup and stunning blonde hair, smiling at her reflection in anticipation of the summer days and nights ahead. Her teen sweetheart was coming home for his holidays from that final year at college. Ashley had her expectations of Calhan, the tall blond sporting hero.Ashley and Calhan had been titled "The Twins." At the time, they dressed in similar clothes, laughed at the same jokes, kissed together, had explored their earlier fumbles together. They were expected to marry when Calhan graduated as an architect, when he retur...

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“The Last Turnover” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #260

After spending my high school gridiron career on the bench watching spoiled rich kids get all the glory I made up my mind to burst across the goal line of life and even the score with those who had blocked me for so long I didn’t realize that running in for that touchdown would run out the clock on my journey. My teen y...

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“Taken In One Minute” by Linda Lovendahl

Submitted to Contest #260

Anita stopped at the red light a couple feet ahead of the white line that separated the drive and walk space. Behind her right ear she heard what sounded like a car door opening and closing. She waited until the vehicle came up to the line and looked curiously over her shoulder at the driver.It was a white compact with open windows. Smiling at her with perfect white teeth was a man wearing a low crowned cowboy hat above penetrating blue eyes. There were tuning pegs on the guitar neck that sat on the floor of the passenger seat. His radio pla...

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“Sortie” by Michael Parker

Submitted to Contest #260

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“Twice Fractured Fairy Tale” by Joseph Ellis

Submitted to Contest #260

Once upon a time, in a kingdom most absurd, lived a Princess named Unrelia who possessed the power of the fourth wall. So whenever her parents, the King and Queen Narrat, tried to betrothe her to some goodly prince, she would turn to an oblique angle and say something like “Can you believe this folks? My parents are positively medieval!” as if there was an audience just out of sight, invisible to everyone else. Such was her confidence in these pronunciations that no one ever challenged or interrupted her. And those good princes, and their fa...

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$250

Prize money

429

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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