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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

“The Passing of Miss Hilda Button” by Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #268

A week after Hilda Button passed away, a notice was placed in the window of the village post office, it read: The funeral of Miss Hilda Button,loved and cherished member of this parish, will be held at 2:00pm on Friday 27th June at St Michael’s parish church.  All are welcome. “Oh, thank goodness for that,” Betty Draper commented to her friend Edith Mahon as they joined the small group of people gathered around the notice, “I was so worried that her daughter wouldn’t bother with a proper service, you know how people are ...

4 comments 4
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“Witch's Regret ” by Megan Kullman

Submitted to Contest #268

Halloween night. Both the best and worst time of the year for Leona Van Yodel. Being a witch had its downsides, and it's perks. For starters, Leona hadn't always been a witch. It all began one fateful night two hundred years ago to this very night. Leona was an only child, raised by her mother and father in a small village in what we now know to be Massachusetts. In those days, it was something else entirely. A storm was brewing on the horizon this night, and the village priest had warned the villagers not to leave their homes this night. ...

3 comments 3
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“The Unraveling Hour” by Sean Benoit

Submitted to Contest #268

Sensitive Themes: Suicide, Physical Violence, Mental Health Themes, Substance Abuse, Embezzlement and Financial Crimes, Infidelity, BlackmailThese themes are integral to the plot and character development, contributing to the story's psychological depth and moral complexity. However, they could be potentially triggering or disturbing for some readers.Marcus Everly stood on his penthouse balcony, the chill of autumn seeping into his bones. His gaze swept over Asheville’s twinkling lights, the Blue Ridge Mountains looming in the distance, shro...

2 comments 2
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“Richer Than Musk, Bezos and Gates” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #268

Tiffany, wife number four, was eye-candy, every inch the All-American cheerleader, but – frankly – I was relieved when she’d left the room. Yes, I’d miss that smooth youthful skin and the sinuous curves, but I’d see her again in a year or two, maybe a little bit longer.  All she had to do was live within her allowance, sign some paperwork, and stay out of trouble… out of other men’s beds. Simple enough. Anyhow, she’d gone now, part of Larry’s big scheme. It was nearly the end of the long goodbye. “Not goodb...

6 comments 6
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“Evil in Retreat” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #268

              Jordan Smith had worked his way up in the aeronautics industry, becoming CEO of Wingcraft Innovations at only 47 years old in only seven years.     The climb up the corporate ladder from line mechanic to the top spot had brought him more success than a kid from the ghettos of Newark, NJ would ever have expected a few decades before.  He loved the social connections, the perks of his office and, of course, the many previously-clos...

0 comments 0
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“A Life Not Lived” by Vera N

Submitted to Contest #268

Talia Meyers stood in her corner office, gazing out at the city skyline as if it were a masterpiece she had painted herself. She had risen to the top, one calculated move after another, each step designed to ensure no one would ever know how much of her life was a lie. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the buildings, but it was the paper in her hand that darkened her mood. *I know what you did. It's time to come clean, or I will.* The words felt like a punch to the gut. She re-read them, hoping they'd change on the second pass,...

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“It's Mine, but Everything has its Price” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #268

Prompt: Your character gets everything they ever wanted-only to realize the true cost.It’s Mine, but Everything has its Price Have you ever wanted somethings so badly that you would do anything to get it? How far would you go? How would this compulsion change you? Would it fan the flames of moral decrepitude?  Would there be any way to come back from these overwhelming urges? Listen to my words as I share my story. There was nothing startling about my childhood. I blended in with the kids on our block.&nbsp...

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“Chasing Cassidy: Love Undercover (Shortened Version)” by Gracie Hutton

Submitted to Contest #268

To anyone who has ever wanted more for their life, be it happiness, friendship, excitement, or love Cassidy It was a beautiful night. The stars were emitting their glittery glow, the wind was cold, and the chorus of frogs cut through the solitary silence like lightning. As Cassidy Black stood in her Queensland hotel room, she watched her reflection and sighed. She was a spy. She worked to uncover crimes, and tonight could be her big break. There were reports of a theft being committed at the Lumi Gala in the Outback, and if she could st...

4 comments 4
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“The Taming of the Duke” by Eliza Levin

Submitted to Contest #268

“Tonight?” Rosina breathed. “Shouldn’t we wait until we’re married?” “We could. That would be the proper thing, of course.” “Shall we go back inside before we’re spotted out here alone, then?” I clasped her delicate hands in mine. “But if you really loved me, wouldn’t you want to give yourself to me, society and all its antiquated rules be damned?” “Of course I want to. More than anything. I just worry—” “And those worries are greater than your love for me? Nothing could be greater than my love for you. You’re all I think about, as soon as I...

6 comments 6
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“Message in a Bottle” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #268

John gazed out of the kitchen window in a fantastical trance. The world outside this window was a carefully crafted fantasy. The garden was overgrown now, but still it described a form of order that he could not exert on the aspects of his life that really counted. Life was wayward and chaotic. It presented a pretence of order for a while, and then it would unravel however a person reacted to the undoing of all their efforts. This John knew, was a death of sorts. A harsh end that handed him an opportunity to begin again. The assault course t...

12 comments 12
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“The Unpleasant Necessity of Making a Choice” by Laura Craig

Submitted to Contest #268

The mailbox had a distinct shimmer to it that evening. A look that Peggy decided was due to the sun lowering itself towards the horizon. She collected the various letters and one magazine. Back in the house she set the stack down, went into the living room, and sat down on the couch next to her husband who was mindlessly watching CNN. She picked up her wine glass, still half full, and took a small sip. Her husband reached for his own glass and drank down most of the red fruity alcohol in one swallow. Peggy stifled a sigh. She knew they would...

1 comment 1
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“A Note to Self” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #268

It was Note to Self, as he called it, from deep in his past. His first look at it was a shocker.Jason Talks to Himself Two Weeks Earlier “I wish that people were not so quick to tell me what I should do with my life, especially concerning my writing. Way too often I hear words such as ‘You should write a novel. You should write short stories. You have the imagination for both. You should not waste your talent by confining it to commercials.   I am making a good living writing for television and radio commercials...

3 comments 3
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“BETWEEN THE LINES” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #268

You open me, expecting something. A story, a spark, an escape. Your fingers rest on my spine, pausing just long enough to feel the weight of me in your hands. I can sense the anticipation in your grip, that subtle quickening of your breath as your eyes trace the title on my cover. Adventure? Mystery? Or perhaps something deeper. Whatever it is, you’re ready to dive into my pages and find what lies hidden. And then, with a quiet crack, I begin to unfold.Words spill across the page, unfurling like a ribbon of ink, swirling before your eyes. T...

6 comments 6
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“A Hard Lesson” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #268

Due to wildfires our house burned up, my husband got laid off, and my asthma began acting up with all the smoke and residue. The doctor said I needed to stay indoors, with an air filtration unit, at least until the baby is born—two months from now—and ideally for the next six months, until the baby’s lungs were robust.  Mom lived in Stittsville, a two-hour drive away. Although Dad died twelve years ago, she’s still rattling around in the family house. “I’d love some company,” she said, “and the air here is clean.”Can skylark and night o...

3 comments 3
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“She Calls You Back” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #268

CONTENT WARNING: this story includes substance abuse, a character who commits suicide, and characters who have experienced parental neglect.People never truly change. Not really. You are cursed to be the same person throughout your life.At least, this is what my mother told me. That people never change. That who we are is who we have always been.And I refuse to believe this. Because if I believe it, then it means I’m a monster.I never wanted to look back. It’s easier not to and I think most people would agree with me on that.For ten years I ...

6 comments 6
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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