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#287: Tea-rrific

During this time of the year, there’s nothing I love more than curling up somewhere cozy with a soothing cup of tea. This everyday beverage can easily be found in supermarkets and cafés, but it also plays an important cultural role around the world, serving as the focal point of traditional tea ceremonies, social gatherings, and more.

This week, let’s create some stories with prompts inspired by tea and how it makes us feel. Pour out those feelings in a brew-tiful tale, or perhaps steep some drama into your narrative. Go back in time, or try centering your events around a present-day moment. No matter which prompt you choose, you’re bound to write a rich, flavorful story that lingers long after the last sip…

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with a character making a cup of tea for themself or someone else.

Short Story – 187 stories

Set your story in a café, garden, or restaurant.

Short Story – 71 stories

Center your story around someone who’s boiling over with anger, frustration, or jealousy.

Angst – 56 stories

Write a story with a character pouring out their emotions.

Dramatic – 45 stories

Start or end your story with someone being soothed by a hug or words of comfort.

Short Story – 47 stories

Stories

“Well Beyond The Fence” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #287

"I'm gonna take a freight trainDown at the station, LordI don't care where it goesGonna climb a mountainThe highest mountainI'll jump off, nobody gonna know”- The Marshall Tucker BandI'm so angry. I did my best. I really did.That road from the army base where we live now, running out west towards that looted Costo outlet near Corvallis, is littered with abandoned cars and trucks, all rusting out, tires flat, gas tank lids and caps open. I know all the places where you have to go off-road to get around them, but there are always things you ju...

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“Jobsworth” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #287

Ding dong.Ding dong the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch! I sing to myself. Who needs sleep? Sleep is for losers. I initially said that as a joke to my mum friends who also had a sleep depriving monster at home but it’s not funny now. I used to think I was quite smart but now I can’t string a sentence together and opt for singing. I can’t even remember the last time I picked up a book.Ding dong.Oh yes, back in the room… It’s my doorbell.Deep breath. At least this is the last time I will have to put up with her. That is unless...

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“The Last Week of August” by Audrey Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #287

The summer everyone left, I stayed.Julie—also known as juliebearxo416@aol.com—sent emails from a cramped internet café in Rome.“Italian boys are sooo hot. And gelato is better than any ice cream at home. Wish you were here. Hugs and kisses.”I was so not there.And Danny was off the grid in Asia, riding elephants and hiking ancient temples. Achieving full spiritual enlightenment before high school even started. Promising postcards that never came.And I was at Alonzo’s Cafe, proving my work ethic to my dad, also known as The Grand Dictator of T...

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“A CUP OF CHAOS” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #287

Alice's fingers tightened around the teapot's handle, her knuckles going white. With a grunt of frustration, she slammed the porcelain down on the table, the sound so sharp it made her teeth ache. It ricocheted off the walls, a shrill reminder of how lovely her life had become. Tea sloshed over the rim and splattered onto the tablecloth, leaving behind an amber trail that bled out like some tragic story of her morning. The stain spread slowly, mocking her, a perfect match for the furious fire crackling behind her eyes. If she could hurl the ...

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“Steeped Tea and Broken Knives” by Elizabeta Zargi

Submitted to Contest #287

I don’t like tea. I never have. But my father did, and when I made him a cup that afternoon, I could almost pretend everything was normal. He’d asked me to make it, as he often did when he was at home. So, I filled the kettle, added the tea bags, and waited for it to boil, listening to the quiet hum of the house. The smell of the tea, warm and comforting, filled the kitchen as I poured it into his mug. It wasn’t much. But it was one of those simple things that kept us both grounded. “I’ll pick you up from rehearsal later, yeah?” he...

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“The Dilemma” by Kirstie Baker-Slater

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #287

Tea or coffee?Such a simple decision, yet it presses inside Jane, snatching her breath with the crush of its breadth. She watches the early morning sunlight creep weakly to the kitchen window, pale and watery, just enough of it slithered under the blinds to illuminate the vastness of Matthew’s absence.At least he went quickly. She has lost count of the number of people that have said this to her in the last two weeks, well-worn but well-meant words of comfort. A sorrowful smile teases Jane’s mouthcorners for the briefest of moments and then ...

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“Friday Night Lights” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #287

Friday night lights,Small town,High school football game,The place to be.All the big fishSwimming in a tiny pondAre there.A raven haired girl on the dance teamShakes her shiny pom poms,Flashes a killer smile,It’s her sweet sixteen birthday.She is pretty and popular.Life is good.She prances in front ofAn adoring crowd withHer select pack of friends.Fellow mean girls.Everyone thinks it’s coolTo be a pom pom girl,Not everyone makes the cut.Another boy,A lowly freshman,Sits on hard, cold bleachers,With his newly made, Wallflower friendsExci...

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“Help Wanted” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #287

Craigslist>Ann Arbor>Jobs>Household HelpHelp wanted with household chores. Retired widow living in a large home in need of help with cleaning, gardening, cooking, etc. Great part-time job for a young woman in college or otherwise. Please email if you are interested in scheduling an interview. References required.It is not okay for recruiters to contact this job poster.Oh hi, sweetheart. You must be Amber. Look at you! The boys must be tripping over themselves to stand next to you. Come on in. I have a kettle on the stove. Let’s sit ...

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“Keep Her Safe” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #287

(TW - Sensitive Content) The cornflower blue eyes looking at me could have been my own reflection many years ago. Or they could have been the eyes of someone I once held dear. They were neither. “Can I bring Annabelle to the tea party, Mommy?” Sophie’s voice interrupted my thoughts before they traveled further down the unpleasant path. I smiled. “Of course, baby. Let’s set another place at the table.” I watched my daughter carefully arrange a porcelain tea cup and saucer on the miniature table. I held back...

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“Before the Last Light Fades” by DionTre Speller

Submitted to Contest #287

The sky hung heavy with smoke, the distant cries of the oppressed swallowed by the towering buildings of a city once free. A mother and daughter weaved through the shadows, their breath shallow, their hands concealed beneath tattered gloves. Vale gripped Iris’s tiny hand as they maneuvered through the ruins of their former home, each step a calculated whisper in the night. The Iron Thorn’s brand was the mark of submission or death. And they would take neither. The air carried the scent of decay, a putrid reminder of the regime’s cruelty. Peo...

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“The Lipton's List of Runners” by Rebecca Hurst

Submitted to Contest #287

Every nation has a class system whether they admit it or not. Most allow for the concept of meritocracy, but honestly? The lines are pretty firmly drawn. Unless you’re a savant, follow the money.The upper classes, everywhere, have earned the right to be penniless if that’s the way it goes. They can live in shabby villas with elbow patches on their jackets and tortoises roaming wild in their walled gardens, and no one judges them. This class are often referred to, in fond terms, as eccentric. The most colourful 'blue collars' are less fondly ...

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“The Unfriending” by Kristy Schnabel

Submitted to Contest #287

"I can't be your friend anymore." I stood next to Helen's red front door as her facial muscles migrated from a forced smile to shock. She didn't like surprise visits, even from her best friend."What's wrong?" said she."It's cold. May I come in?""Of course. I have the kettle on. Would you like a cup of tea? You see, I'm being gracious despite what you said.""No tea." I stared at my feet."Well, would you like to sit down?""No. I need to stay standing." We faced each other in her foyer."What do you think I've done?"I thrust the one-page governm...

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“What Grows Beneath” by Alex Berechet

Submitted to Contest #287

‘I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea’ - Fyodor DostoevskySummer 1992, 7th cupThe tea still works, even though it shifts and alters more than it should. My skin is tighter, I feel it around my chin and my collarbones, but it takes curious forms here and there, either too smooth or too sharp. The first time it happened, I barely noticed – I was blinded by relief, youth. I don’t recognize my own reflection anymore. Now my patience wears thin where it once stretched long, my thoughts move too quickly and my moods shif...

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“The demise of Camellia Sinensis” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #287

He was daydreaming, gazing out the window looking down at the old habour area of Colombo. With imagination one could easily visualize in a bygone day, the busy habour in the 19th century full of ocean-going wooden vessels loading and unloading their precious cargo – loading of the heavy wooden tea chests – full of cuttings from the bushy shrub named camellia sinensis. Destined for a teapot and the additional pouring of steaming hot water to make the delicious and refreshing golden nectar - tea. Destined for the white linen tables and fine ch...

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“Gloves Off In The Poison Garden” by Kay Northbridge

Submitted to Contest #287

“Henry! Henry? Where are you? Coo-ee.”Henry ducked behind the potting bench, steadying the rakes on their wall hooks so they wouldn’t give him away. The door of the enormous shed swung open. Lady Gerrit’s shapely jodhpur-encased legs came into view as he stared across from under the planting table.“You can’t keep hiding behind there, this is important.”Henry extracted himself from between the table and the tools and stood up in his yellow high-vis jacket. Perhaps it had been foolish to expect she wouldn’t see him. Tapping his right forefinge...

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$250

Prize money

406

Contest entries

171

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 31, 2025 EST

Won by Miranda Scotti 🏆

Title: Slow Burn

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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