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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#265: Bon Voyage with Aja Pollock

This week's contest is a takeover in collaboration with Reedsy freelancer Aja Pollock. Stay tuned for more exciting takeovers with other freelancers and online writing communities, publishers, and magazines in the future!

Hello, writers! My name is Aja Pollock, and I’m a developmental editor and copy editor. If you’ve ever wondered what Bob Dylan, Joyce Carol Oates, Jesmyn Ward, and Ron Burgundy have in common, the answer is: me!

You can check out my Reedsy profile here.

My contest theme for this week is something lots of us have been doing this summer: traveling. I find that being in an unfamiliar environment, or in the liminal space between home and a destination, helps me connect with the present moment, inspires me to reflect on the past, and gets me thinking about new possibilities for the future. I also find that it can intensify human relationships and heighten the good and not-so-good qualities of travel companions. I hope these prompts will help you explore the interior and exterior journeys of discovery that go along with travel.

Special Update: The Results

Aja's top three picks for this takeover were: 1) "Eleven Years of Hope" 2) "Bubbles" and 3) "The Casket Girl's Guide to Ghosts"

Here's what she had to say about the winning story, "Eleven Years of Hope": "I like the author’s interpretation of the prompt, and I love all the unexpected turns of phrase and how well they evoke Alexander’s way of perceiving the world. I also appreciate the economical writing; instead of fighting the short form and trying to cram in a lot of information and detail, the author does a deep dive into a particular moment of Alexander’s life and uses carefully chosen, specific, high-impact details that still manage to convey a lot."

🥇 Winner

“Eleven Years of Hope” by Victor David

🏆 Winner of Contest #265

When the doctors asked him if he wanted to hop into a frying pan, Alexander of Severe Level III, long acquainted with doctor tongue, knew they meant they wanted to trial a new drug or a new treatment. Alexander said okay because he was tired of being shut up all day in the institution, and wanted to travel to the testing lab. More importantly, he had lost a central piece of himself to shrapnel when he stepped on a landmine eleven years earlier, and continued to perplex what was left of his cerebral cortex with the hope of its recovery.The do...

124 comments 124

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Bubbles” by Helen A Howard

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #265

Bubbles.Sometimes try. To. Catch bubbles … tiny ones, they float above me. A soft pink ceiling seals me in. A kind of membrane. But where does it go? Where do I go?Very tired. I open my mouth. Yawn it all out. Bend my neck. It needs rest. Eyes heavy under lids. Closing them… so soothing. With them tight shut dark, I go to vanish. Back again on dream journey. Traveling, to where? Memories unfurl. I’m in the unknown. What? Is it?Fragments of life. Memories forming. Past is present. Present is past. I don’t know. Uncoiling. 🫧 🫧Sudden...

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“The Casket Girl's Guide to Ghosts” by Megan McNeill

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #265

I float into Jackson Square on one of those late October nights in New Orleans that hasn’t yet shaken off the summer heat. Halloween is in the air, with the French Quarter shops lit up in orange and purple, and pumpkins and polyester cobwebs adorning doorsteps. On nights that I exist, I like to wander and watch the mix of locals and tourists going about their business, working and laughing and hustling and arguing and drinking. I’ll admit that this time of year is my favorite, as it’s finally about me. Any New Orleans medium will tell you th...

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This week's prompts

Write about someone who’s traveling to a place they’ve never been to meet someone they’ve never met.

Adventure – 90 stories

Set your story in an airport where all flights have been canceled and all the passengers and crew members are stranded.

Dramatic – 40 stories

Write about someone’s journey to retrieve an important object that’s been out of their possession for a long time.

Adventure – 47 stories

Write about someone who’s traveling away from their hometown for the first time.

Character – 54 stories

Follow a group of strangers touring a city on some kind of vehicle — a bus, a duck tour boat, a party bike… anything that transports passengers!

Adventure – 24 stories

Stories

“Eleven Years of Hope” by Victor David

🏆 Winner of Contest #265

When the doctors asked him if he wanted to hop into a frying pan, Alexander of Severe Level III, long acquainted with doctor tongue, knew they meant they wanted to trial a new drug or a new treatment. Alexander said okay because he was tired of being shut up all day in the institution, and wanted to travel to the testing lab. More importantly, he had lost a central piece of himself to shrapnel when he stepped on a landmine eleven years earlier, and continued to perplex what was left of his cerebral cortex with the hope of its recovery.The do...

124 comments 124

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“The Old Man at Elephant Rock State Park” by Daniel Rogers

Submitted to Contest #265

2020 was an epidemic year. It was the year the biggest argument of our twenty-five-year marriage erupted. Like a volcano, my wife's frustrated and angry scream sent shock waves that knocked me off my feet. At that moment, I knew something had broken. We buried the issue by pretending it was an ordinary argument and focused on the viral threat plaguing our world. We had essential jobs, so we weren't trapped inside the house together. Life continued through COVID-19, and so did our anger. We slept on the bed seams, talked very little, and wond...

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“A Ticket to Me” by Alexis Araneta

Submitted to Contest #265

“Number 76, please proceed to the counter now,” a lilting voice, warm like clay, croons out of the loudspeakers. A tiny smile as thin as a twig forms on my face. With that velvety announcement, adrenaline pumps from the base of my spine upwards, like a tree emerging from the smallest mustard seed. A slip of paper with the number 77 is trembling in my hand like an autumn leaf helplessly shaking in a gust.Perhaps, yes, in queue at the services counter of the only shopping centre in the small town of Lumangkahoy, three hours away fro...

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“Bubbles” by Helen A Howard

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #265

Bubbles.Sometimes try. To. Catch bubbles … tiny ones, they float above me. A soft pink ceiling seals me in. A kind of membrane. But where does it go? Where do I go?Very tired. I open my mouth. Yawn it all out. Bend my neck. It needs rest. Eyes heavy under lids. Closing them… so soothing. With them tight shut dark, I go to vanish. Back again on dream journey. Traveling, to where? Memories unfurl. I’m in the unknown. What? Is it?Fragments of life. Memories forming. Past is present. Present is past. I don’t know. Uncoiling. 🫧 🫧Sudden...

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“Kaala” by Derrick M Domican

Submitted to Contest #265

The De Havilland Twin Otter charter plane shuddered through grey clouds as its mouthy pilot wrestled with the controls, navigating toward the barely visible landing strip ahead. Like the plane’s humming engines, the bearded Inuit’s mouth hadn’t stopped buzzing since we’d taken off from Iqaluit three hours before, and my tolerance for both noises had grown slim. Happily, the end of this ordeal was in sight, the small hamlet Mittimatalik–known as Pond Inlet–which we were rocking and tilting down towards. From this vantage point and in this daw...

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“Phoenix” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #265

Blindly I ran. Fuming, indignant and yes, scared, I ignored the gasps of protest behind me. Without thought I rejected the life sentence I had just been given and followed the arrows to the building's exit. Furious, I rushed through the old city covering winding narrow streets, crossing numerous bridges over stinking canals, ignored historical sites, did not pay attention to the fabulous architecture, a testament to man’s success. I sneered at the beauty of the futuristic new buildings.Instead, I railed against the unfair twists of fate and ...

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“The Casket Girl's Guide to Ghosts” by Megan McNeill

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #265

I float into Jackson Square on one of those late October nights in New Orleans that hasn’t yet shaken off the summer heat. Halloween is in the air, with the French Quarter shops lit up in orange and purple, and pumpkins and polyester cobwebs adorning doorsteps. On nights that I exist, I like to wander and watch the mix of locals and tourists going about their business, working and laughing and hustling and arguing and drinking. I’ll admit that this time of year is my favorite, as it’s finally about me. Any New Orleans medium will tell you th...

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“Chana and Rafa” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #265

Flipping over the tape, I clicked the play button and smiled when “Modern Love” came through my headphones. David Bowie was the best flying music, I decided. After finding the pack of gum in my overstuffed bag, I offered a stick to my mother and then unwrapped one for myself. Chewing obnoxiously and exuberantly loud, I waited for my ears to snap, crackle and pop as we started our descent. Reluctantly, I clicked the stop button as the Sony Walkman couldn’t compete with the noise of the plane. “China Girl” would have t...

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“Hello, sweetheart!” by Karen Hope

Submitted to Contest #265

I stuffed an extra sweatshirt into my backpack, flattening it down so I could close the zipper top. Scanning my to-do list, I saw ‘turn off oven’ was still not crossed off. I hadn’t used the oven in days, but the thought of travelling across the country made me want to hit the off button three or four more times. As if that would ensure everything would turn out okay. At 7:10 AM, I dealt with the last two items, ‘turn off lights’ and ‘lock the door,’ before I lugged my oversized suitcase onto my small front porch and waited for th...

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“The House of Blues: A Tale of the Arts Department” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #265

June 17, 2015Thea noted it straight away, even as Earl continued to greedily explore the depths of his second bowl of she-crab soup.Earl Mason was a down-home Central Illinois downstater whose marine appetite generally had ended at Long John Silver’s. But roughly 45 years after falling hard for the University Arts Department’s Chicago firebrand, the college bean-counter plummeted headlong into Lowcountry cuisine. The Charleston trolley guide had insisted on what had persisted as a working neighborhood soul kitchen even after Southern Living ...

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“TERMINAL DREAD” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #265

1: The Announcement The loudspeakers crackled to life, sending a sharp hiss of static through the cavernous, dimly lit terminal. The noise was jarring, a sudden intrusion in the uneasy silence that had settled over the travelers, who were slumped in their seats, fatigue etched deeply into their faces. The endless delays had worn them down, and now they were too exhausted to glance up. The air was thick with the stale scent of burnt coffee and damp, worn-out carpets, a suffocating blend that only added to the growing sense of unease. Then, th...

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“Direct Flight to Vinden-Franklin” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #265

When we get to Vinden-Franklin, we will go to the seafood restaurant near Terminal 8 and see if Sharon is working. Sharon is the best waitress at the seafood restaurant, which we can never remember the name of. We could look it up, but we don’t need to, because we know exactly where it is, and we know that Sharon works six days a week, because she’s always picking up overtime shifts, because her daughter is in her last year at Temple, and she’s helping her with tuition. Our biggest fear is not that Sharon will not be working, because Will is...

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“The Legendary Dancer of the Ship Destiny's Dreams ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #265

Under the blue summer sky, the sails of the clipper ship called the Destiny's Dreams glowed against the ocean like white clouds. The sleek design of the ship moved swiftly through the gentle waves of the sea.The sound of people singing on the ship floated over the waves."The sun shining on the ocean...The ship rolls with the motion..."The salt air carried the sounds of seagulls cawing, and also of music from a violin, a flute, and a guitar, along with the voices singing."Step and spin, twirl and sway..."Above the singers rose the squawk and ...

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“My Journey Home” by Linda Kenah

Submitted to Contest #265

This story references a kidnapping (of a sort).I was happy. Really. Life was good. In the age of innocence, I never had to worry about my next meal, or a roof over my head. I was carefree, spending my days enjoying what life had to offer, educating myself about the world around me, and having fun playing with my brothers and sisters.As I recall, my house was warm and cozy back then. I thought it was a safe place, never imagining any danger could infiltrate my sanctuary. Fear didn’t exist within those four walls. My siblin...

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“THE MOST IMPORTANT JOURNEY OF LIFE” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #265

Prologue: A Devil's Bargain Fifteen years ago, Bob McFadden sat slumped over a chipped bar counter, the fifth whiskey in his hand barely warming the cold, empty space inside him. The bar, a dingy dive where Hope went to die, was lit by flickering neon signs that cast ghostly green and red shadows on the stained walls. Bob, a failed musician who had peaked before he ever truly began, stared into his glass, lost in the swirl of his shattered dreams. A man appeared at his side as he contemplated the relentless tide of failures that had swept hi...

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$250

Prize money

255

Contest entries

110

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 30, 2024 EST

Won by Victor David 🏆

Title: Eleven Years of Hope

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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