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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#261: Gratitude

Unfortunately, it's true what they say — all good things must come to an end! Today marks my last Friday at Reedsy, and my last week as the host of Prompts.

Before I get into this week's contest, I'd like to take a moment to thank this wonderful community, for sharing your creativity and enthusiasm with me over the past few years. I have been truly moved and inspired by your entries, and am consistently amazed by the talented, prolific writers who make up Prompts. It doesn't escape me how lucky I am to have read and enjoyed thousands of your stories, and to have been given a glimpse into the worlds of so many authors. It's been a great privilege.

With that in mind, this week's contest is all about gratitude. Whether your characters are thankful for a gift, a person, or a change in circumstance, I hope they find a way to express it.

You'll meet your wonderful new Prompts host Isabella next Friday; but for now, all that's left to say is — thank you!

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character trying to find a way to express their gratitude to someone.

Character – 62 stories

Write a creative nonfiction piece about something you're grateful for.

Nonfiction – 69 stories

Write a story about a cynic who has been told to start a "gratitude journal," and does so — begrudgingly.

Funny – 55 stories

Write a story about an unsung hero.

Character – 53 stories

Write a story in the form of a series of thank you cards.

Narrative – 64 stories

Stories

“Little Miss Moby......” by Julie Grenness

Submitted to Contest #261

Let's all sing a song of the sea, a tale that can echo through the generations of humanity. Our human cognition is a work in progress, just like our mankind's pondering in abstract thoughts.Humans have always wondered about their fascination with the whales of the seven seas, swimming around the globe, singing to their own songs. Whales have the largest mammalian brains. As humans, we shall probably always gaze and wonder about the sheer size of any whale, marveling at what a whale is really thinking, what they perceive through their eyes, a...

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“Snail Mail Sets Sail ” by Tessa Terrill

Submitted to Contest #261

The door to 3500 Business Drive Suite E chimed as the mail carrier came striding in, sweating from the record-breaking summer heat and humming “Woke Up This Morning” by A3. “Hot one today, Mary,” he said, setting a small stack of mail on the office manager’s desk. “Would you like a bottle of water?” Mary asked. He sighed, getting temporary relief from his fatigue and weariness. “You’re a lifesaver.” She reached into the mini fridge under her desk and pulled out a frosted plastic water bottle then she reached into her ...

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“JOYce.” by Ryan Rhoban15@yahoo.com

Submitted to Contest #261

I was doing the same thing I did every day; absentmindedly, driving home for lunch after my morning work routine was finished. I was fortunate to work just a few miles from my home, when ahead of me on the shoulder, I noticed a small, African American woman, in a white dress, a tattered crocheted shawl covered her shoulders in an attempt to escape the unpredictable chill of the late October mountain winds in the lake communities. She wore a raggedy blue backpack secured across...

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“Me, Myself, and My Wasted Time: Juvenile Rehabilitation Edition ” by Brianna Lucas

Submitted to Contest #261

July 6, 2023Dear Diary, Journal? This stupid thing I’m being forced to do? Whatever I’m supposed to call it. I am to write the things I am grateful for, like writing about my feelings will somehow make me see that my life is full and happy. Blah, blah, blah. I make fun of people who do things like this, not partake in it myself. It’s fine though, a few stupid entries and I can have my freedom back, talk about something to be grateful for. I’m definitely not grateful for the juvenile center that thinks a little bit of therapy and crafts wil...

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“All My Best” by Samantha Zaboski

Submitted to Contest #261

JUNEDear Miss Simmons,It has been a pleasure to have Lilian in your classroom. Her 2nd grade experience has been wonderful thanks to you and Mrs. Hill. We hope you like this small gift. Hint—it is not an apple! Ha! In full sincerity, thank you for everything, and have a great summer.Our best,The ThompsonsPS: In case you wait to open the gift, please do refrigerate it! (It is homemade!)*Dear Mrs. Hill,Thank you for being a wonderful paraprofessional. With your help, Lilian has had an amazing school year. We hope you have just as great of a su...

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“The Puppeteer” by Malcolm Twigg

Submitted to Contest #261

The time: around 1955, I would have been ten years old. The place: Woodville Church of England Junior School. The day: irrelevant, but probably Thursday of a balmy Spring afternoon. It always seemed to be Thursday and balmy in those days, with the smell of chalk dust in the air and lazy motes of it drifting in the shafted sunlight through the windows. It’s a wonder we didn’t all come down with silicosis. It always seemed to be springtime then as well, and if it wasn’t there always seemed to be snow on the ground with cream bursting...

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“The sum of 1 plus 1 is 11” by Stefania Katz

Submitted to Contest #261

Life can be a tricky process. Appreciate the positive aspects and stay in your magic.Tailed Flower, a girl, she moved to London with a scholarship to study. There, she developed the power of listening and observing the world. She came from a homogenous country. People were a little bit racist and with an absence of activism. There, she also evolved and changed."You need to understand the British jokes", her classmate said, and she giggled at her friend.The city was radiating below grey clouds and rain showers that she loved. She loves to dan...

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“Uncle Joe” by Jean Maiorino

Submitted to Contest #261

Uncle JoeBrooklyn, New York 1963:Uncle Joe was the only English-speaking adult in my family. His Italian vocabulary consisted of spaghetti, mozzarella, spumoni, and a few other words which were mostly curses and names of other Italian foods. As he proudly pronounced an Italian word he’d just learned, he would put his arm around the surliest adult in the room until that person cracked a smile. Uncle Joe was a bus driver for the Greenline bus which ran from Brooklyn to Far Rockaway in New York City. He was married to my mother’s sister. They l...

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“The Pacemaker Blues” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #261

I would rather die than have a pacemaker! That was my reaction when it became a possibility. Forty years as a marathoner and triathlete and I could possibly have a heart issue? No way! I had no family history, ate well and exercised more than most people on earth. The possibility just did not compute. It all started during my Sunday mile swim when I couldn’t catch my breath after two laps and almost passed out on the fourth. It had to be a fluke. Maybe I was overtraining. In any case, I slowed my pace and finished the mile. ...

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“Finding the End of the Rainbow ” by Isabella Mensik

Submitted to Contest #261

My little cousin's hand slips into my own as we walk along the lake by her home. Her small fingers intertwine with my mine and I look out with love in my eyes at the glistening water against an azul sky. We had just got done walking along a “secret path” and I find myself breathing a bit more steady than I had in a long time. I am truly grateful to be an “older sister”, mentor, and a best friend towards my younger cousins. I have always wanted to have younger siblings. I love to teach and to pass down to the younger generation what I ha...

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“The Heart Wants What It Wants” by Sam Butterworth

Submitted to Contest #261

The Heart Wants What It Wants ‘So, how long did you work with Ben for?’I try to avoid eye-contact as the man questions me. His obnoxiously sweet cologne pervades my nostrils. I step back slightly.‘A few years or so,’ I reply. I look to the left of his face, scanning the crowd. I can’t see her anywhere. The man smiles at me, sadly. ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’I knew that sneaking into a funeral wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t expect to feel this level of discomfort. When I saw the date and time in the local newspaper, it seemed achievable. And ...

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“The Stained Dagger of Gratitude” by Nora Gabriella Molnar

Submitted to Contest #261

[Content warning: this short story includes symptoms of physchosis and other mental disorders, mention of domestic abuse & violence, mild graphic descriptions of violence, gore. Reading is not advised for readers who might be sensitive to any of the mentioned.]I have arrived.The weight in my chest dragged my entire being down, and my legs sank weakly into the ground; I anchored myself like an ancient tree. My roots spread through the earth, weaving beneath the foundation of the house, entwining it completely—twisting, branching, and endl...

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“The Gratitude Journal” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #261

“It’s like this doc. I have lost all my former friends, and my family has pretty much abandoned me, and nobody talks to me at work unless it is strictly necessary for business. They call me lacking in gratitude, saying that they cannot remember a time when I said ‘thank you’ to any one of them. I know that I have to change my ways, but I do not have a clue as to how I can do that. I need your help doc. Things have to change drastically in my life, or I will spend the rest of my days alone, very alone.” &nb...

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“Moms” by Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #261

You wouldn't know it to look at her, hair unbrushed, pulled up in a messy bun. Her clothes are several years old and covered in baby spit up and other unknown stains. Her eyes are fierce with love and heavy with fatigue. She wears no cape, isn't called by a light in the sky but by a baby’s middle of the night cry or a teenager ‘s phone call. No, you wouldn't know it to look at her, but she is a hero. To the newborn on her chest, looking at her with eyes full of love and wonder, she is everything. To the toddler, curled on her lap, exha...

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“Retaliate!” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #261

“It’s getting tense here. All trade with Argon has been cut off, and we have curfews now,” Willa Wisely says, her ordinarily placid features reflecting her concern. “How are the girls holding up?” Ryan asks his wife. Willa brushes her hair back. She always does that when she’s nervous. “They’re scared. They want their father to come home safe.” “My tour of duty is almost over. Tell them I’ll be home soon,” Ryan replies, adjusting the clarity of the video screen. “But what if...” “Soon, Willa.” Willa squints. “By the way, I’m not too fond o...

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$250

Prize money

303

Contest entries

97

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 02, 2024 EST

Won by Sandrine Hu 🏆

Title: Dear Aunt Beth

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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