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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#268: Reap What You Sow

It’s that time of year again — days are getting shorter, leaves are beginning to change their colors, and birds are starting to head south. While farmers across the world look to reap the rewards of their hard work, destiny too has its own harvest in mind…

The winds of fate are blowing over our short story contest this week, with prompts centered on getting what you deserve. What goes around comes around, as many like to say — so, whether your story is about someone reckoning with the skeletons in their closet or finally getting their just desserts, embrace the season of change and spin a tale where actions have consequences.

This week's prompts

Your character gets everything they ever wanted — only to realize the true cost.

Short Story – 73 stories

Write a story about someone seeking forgiveness for their past actions.

Short Story – 93 stories

A character’s life of deceit unravels as their past catches up with their present. What are the consequences?

Short Story – 40 stories

Start a story with someone receiving a message from their past self, warning them of the consequences of their actions.

Short Story – 33 stories

Center your story around a character’s attempt to escape a bad situation that inadvertently leads them back to the source of their problems.

Short Story – 47 stories

Stories

“Captured by the Past” by Chris Sage

Submitted to Contest #268

It was the priest, Padre García, who met the newcomer first. A thin man, wearing a heavy coat in the dry heat of midday that hung off him like he was a frame filled with air. “You look like a man who has made a long and desperate journey,” he pronounced solemnly. The Padre had a habit of making all his conversations sound like sermons, which tended to make many villagers avoid casual conversations with him. “May I offer you some help?” The man smiled, a weak smile, like sun on a frosty day. “You could say that, yes,” he said in faintly accen...

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“THE ANCHOR” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #268

I spilled coffee again.Of course, it had to happen while Rachel walked with legs on full display in that short skirt. The kind of skirt that makes your brain stop working. Not that my brain ever worked properly when she was around, but today was something else entirely.I stood by the coffee machine, staring at the dark liquid filling my mug, not really seeing it. My thoughts were elsewhere, specifically on how Rachel had walked past me earlier. I let my eyes drift over her for longer than I should have. My brain was short-circuiting, imagini...

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“The Echoes Of Magic” by Elizabeth King

Submitted to Contest #268

The candle flickered in Ithika’s study, casting elongated shadows across the stone walls. She pulled her woolen cloak tighter around her shoulders, her fingers tracing the edge of the ancient tome spread across her desk. Outside, the wind howled against the stone tower, a distant storm brewing in the mountains. The warm, familiar scent of parchment and dried herbs filled the air, but even that comforting smell couldn’t calm the unease that had settled in her chest. Tonight, she would finalize the spell. The one that could change the future o...

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“The cost of silence” by Irina Rus

Submitted to Contest #268

Warning, this story contains depictions of sexual violence, mental health, and substance abuse. This story was inspired by the experiences of a friend.They say every seven years, the cells in your body completely regenerate. Maya, our protagonist, sits in her apartment, screaming to the heavens and praying she can hold on for that long. The walls of her apartment close in around her, their suffocating silence leaving her with the nightmare she wishes she could forget. A week and a half ago, life had been full of promises, but now those dream...

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“Days of Past's Future” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #268

Roland sat on a chair inside the door of his brother-in-law’s home, his legs straight out and arms folded. He didn’t have to wait long. Tatenai burst in. Roland had never seen him so furious. “This outrage is unforgivable! Rosheen is devastated. You’ve left your poor sister, a widow.” He trembled, his face red and twisted.Roland glared at him like a lord to a wayward villein. “Yes, she’s a widow. Her child’s father is dead. But if you thought I couldn’t avenge my sister and protect her from being manacled to such a monster, you know not...

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“Sponsored Silence” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #268

For all she'd insisted on a quiet companion, she was far from docile herself. Even when his eyes were closed, her words flew towards him like arrows; pink, shocking, feathery tales with no end. A boa to be sneezed at or...‘He tried to strangle me, you know. And he tried to drown me in a bucket…’Wait… Who was she jabbering on about now…? The bully-boy brother or her teenage crush from fifty odd years back who’d had a fancy for her really… Like they all did, apparently… He guessed she must have had money then too…Whoosh… How long the journey n...

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“The Dissidents” by Ricardo Abreu Blaya

Submitted to Contest #268

THE DISSIDENTS It is better to fail in originality than to succeed &n...

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“Birthday Wish” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #268

“Happy Birthday!” Meredith greeted me as if it were just another day in the park. “I’m sixty,” I answered bluntly. “I know.” “I’m old.” “I know,” she answered me playfully. “Hey! You aren’t supposed to agree with me!” “I’m just teasing. You look great.” She laughed that old familiar laugh. “I look great? That’s something you say to an old person. ‘Wow, you’re ninety, you look fantastic.’ That just means you look fantastic considering the massive wrinkles and age spots.” “Stop. You look great for real. You ...

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“The Dentist of Zagreb” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #268

I’ve found my peace.No patients, no traffic jams, no pills—just daily mindfulness and meditation. I’m living proof that doctors can change. You can choose a different path if you take control of your life.The 11 AM church bell rings, marking the start of my day. I live under the shadow of a medieval cathedral in a beautiful, walkable European city.I finish my Asanas and prepare to step outside for a leisurely day of total freedom.Mobile in hand, I stroll Ben Jelacic Square, searching for a new lunch spot. The streets are covered with graffit...

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“Trial by Egotism” by Joseph Ellis

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #268

The Honorable Judge Harold Bribar strode to the bench bearing a coy smile. The court knew that smile well, as did millions watching on viewscreens all over Mars. As did tens of millions back on Earth who wouldn’t get the feed for another hour or so. They also knew the arch of his thick gray eyebrows, the well-trimmed salt-and-pepper hair he’d gracefully let recede, the petite spectacles he wore when reading, and the mild way he cleared his throat to bring the whole courtroom to attention. In offense to all known theories of jurisprudence, Ju...

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“Lions In The Woods” by Kami Zim

Submitted to Contest #268

“I think there’s lions in these woods,” Ko said. “Lions, Ko?” Robinson nervously scanned the line of trees. He was sitting on the left tire of their overturned vehicle; desolated in a meadow of tall grass. “What do you mean lions?” The sun was beginning to set, darkening Ko’s face. It was impossible to read his eyes, only Ko’s silhouette stood out against the melting sky. A shotgun was strewn around his shoulders, the barrel pointing towards the horizon. Robinson could barely see the glint of Ko’s blade, he was sharpening a...

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“Signing off” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #268

It’s kinda ironic really. When I was a kid, my grandpa played me this record. Honestly. He had a turn table and records. He’d inherited them from his grandpa. Nobody now knows what that looks like, but I remember. I think the guys’ name who sang the song was David somebody. The song was about a major Tom, who ended up lost in space. “Floating in a tin can.” I remember that line.No, don’t worry. I won’t sing it for you, whoever you are.Throat clearingThis is Argot 3442. Approximate mission date 2231.Yesterday, the cargo ship Argot 3442 was hi...

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“Mis-Staken” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #268

The castle doors groaned inward, breathing in the dry leaves like a man eating spaghetti.Benjamin Daniel’s heartbeat quickened. This building had to be the place.A pile of dead villagers lay to the side, drained of blood like discarded ketchup packets. Twin puncture marks adorned all their necks.Others might’ve missed such a clue, but he’d been hunting the vampire for decades. Benjamin had learned to detect his quarry in even the faintest of traces. He unsheathed a stake and pulled out his wooden mallet.Behind him, the setting sun knocked it...

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“Alone at the End of the World” by Matthew Henry

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #268

John Montague lived alone. While he had lovers in his younger years, he had never settled down with any of them and as middle age set in, he found that he was quite content with his lot. A successful software engineer, he had purchased a private home tucked away in a quiet corner of a popular neighborhood on the edge of town. Some nights, he lay awake thinking of the nightlife downtown and considered getting a Lyft or Uber to a trendy bar to recapture the exploits of his youth, but he always decided he would rather just stay home and watch T...

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“The Interpretation of Dreams” by Rebecca Hurst

Submitted to Contest #268

Dr Selznick asked the lady opposite whether she would prefer to kick off her shoes and lie on the couch. The lady opposite knows she has holes in her socks so declines. The walls are painted a sumptuous shade of eau-de-nil and she notices that all the leaves on his cheese plant are serrated, unlike hers. She approves of his style. It is old-school and unpretentious, and he writes with a fountain pen. This object, once so commonplace, fills her head with a plangent nostalgia. ‘So, Emily Davison. Why is that name ...

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$250

Prize money

286

Contest entries

128

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 20, 2024 EST

Won by D Gorman 🏆

Title: An Apology to Mankind, Two Days After First Contact

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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