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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#33: Bad Hair Day

The best stories are the ones that make us feel something; the ones that tap into some kind of universal emotion or experience. And there is one feeling that stands out as being particularly universal. More than joy, sadness, fear, or love. More than the excited nerves of a first day at school, or the sweet relief of a spring breeze after a long winter. Something that connects us all is the feeling of... a bad haircut.

This week, your challenge is to write a story that evokes the feelings of a bad hair cut. (Whether or not your story involves this actual plot is up to you!)

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character who can't make up their mind about something.

Character – 64 stories

Write a story about a character who's too polite to tell someone they don't like a gift given to them.

Funny – 49 stories

Write a story about a character making a big change.

Teens – 65 stories

Write a story set in a salon or barbershop.

Fiction – 70 stories

Write a story about miscommunication.

Fiction – 48 stories

Stories

“A Gift From Grandma” by Katie Monti

Submitted to Contest #33

Grandma has always talked about family heirlooms like they were handcrafted by god himself. I never really understood why. All of the old family jewelry is unseemly ugly. The old pots and pans are crumbling away. The old dresses are falling apart at the seams. None of her old things are anything to look at. They aren't anything special but still they amaze her. She has been talking about how excited she is to give me one of those old necklaces for years. Every time i go to see her she says “ now just you wait Addison. You j...

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“Eccentric's Heir” by Amanda Mitchum

Submitted to Contest #33

My aunt Ann was one of those odd people you might call ‘eccentric.’ Her quirkiness ran the gamut of weird religious practices, natural home remedies, analyzing the purpose of life, and nonconformity to most norms. She wasn’t the best in social situations, and her place at the table for Christmas dinner was usually between my mom and her youngest sister so that they could shush her if her ideas got too strange for company. She never had a family of her own so she doted on me most of the time.As a kid, I couldn’t get enough o...

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“Elena's 28th Birthday Surprise” by Frank Turner

Submitted to Contest #33

Elena lied in bed, eyes open staring at James, who was still asleep. It was early, a little past 6:30 am but it was Elena’s birthday, her 28th, so she was awake with nerves. Soon she would get calls from her mother in Argentina and from her sister in Spain wishing her happy birthday. Elena didn’t want James to hear those calls. She wanted to see if he would remember on his own. The first years of James and Elena’s relationship her friends made sure her birthday was well celebrated and that James took the credit. Like producers of a reality T...

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“A gift you can’t give away” by Sarah Horn

Submitted to Contest #33

Everything in my life was perfect, I just got engaged to the man of my dreams. He is 10 years younger than me, it was love at first sight for us both. I got my promotion at work, finally I’ll have my own office with a door. I was on cloud nine, I felt like nothing could pop my magical bubble of happiness. I was wrong. Monday morning, I floated out of bed into my work uniform and got into my car. Put in my favorite CD, track number 3, turned up the volume and backed out of the driveway. I seemed to get green lights all the way...

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“The Short Drive” by Taylor P

Submitted to Contest #33

If it weren’t for the jostling of the truck’s tires on the rough gravel drive, there wouldn’t be any movement in the silent vehicle at all. In the passenger seat, Stephanie was holding herself perfectly upright, hands folded in her lap, one hand clenched into a fist so tight that a faint scar shone white across her knuckles. Beside her, her mother was equally motionless, if more casually posed, a Barbie doll mimicking nonchalance in an easy slump against her seat. But her hand flung easily over the steering wheel was clasped firmly, and her ...

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“INVADERS” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #33

Indrajit and his family were visiting his friend at Bangalore for a short stay with them. The two families were meeting after a long gap of time. Of course, they were in contact with each other on mobile, video chats and so on. But face to face and in person, was happening now. His friend, Sethuraman, his wife, Sumitra and their only son, Ranjan were very fond of Indrajit’s family. Bindulata, wife of Indrajit’s wife was a teacher in a local school at Nagpur and was often writing articles on Indian culture and arts of ancient era. She was als...

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“Death's New Friend” by Sue Donym

Submitted to Contest #33

I should’ve known better than to befriend Death. When I saw the cloaked figure, I should’ve just let it take me. That would’ve been the sensible thing to do. But no, being the reckless person I am, I decided not to cower in fear.I chose to be “brave”. And that’s how this whole mess started.I was in a hospital bed, where the bright lights had seemingly declared war on my innocent eyes, an irritating beep vibrating through the otherwise silent room. Splotchy memories floated to the surface of my shattered consciousness, piercing through the fa...

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“The Gift of Life” by Ally Rivers

Submitted to Contest #33

The phone was ringing in the other room, frantic calls from worried people, probably only starting to wonder now where I was- but I wasn’t listening. My eyes fixing intensely the box. I tried figuring out who could’ve sent it, but the more I tried making out of it, the less sense it made. If my parents were here, they complain I’m paranoid, well- they might be right, but I still found the box ominously at my door, the sun setting behind; with no one in sight. Worse- with no name tags. My eyes inspected corner and parcel of the box, but there...

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“Love In 36 Inches” by Stevie Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #33

“Do you need a minute?” Lara took a deep breath and consulted her inner voice. She needed a minute, but her decision was final. With her eyes closed and her head down, she pictured herself transforming. It was painful but necessary. Evan, her stylist, was shocked to hear the news, but he had always been supportive of Lara, in all things, not just her hair choices. She was about to make an irreversible move, but he didn’t try to talk her out of it. He told her about his own experiences, personally and professionally, which put her at ease a...

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“The Big News” by Jasmine Sidhu

Submitted to Contest #33

I enter my room crying as my mom tells me the news she has been trying to tell me for a long time. I know my mom can hear me crying in our small house. Our house isn't big: two small bedrooms, a kitchen, and our living room. I stop crying when I hear my phone ring. I pick it up and it is Anna. I have known Anna since we were in matching dippers. She is like a sister to me and there is not one thing we do not do together. I pick up the phone sobbing. "Hey, Anna, what's up?" Before she even says anything, I can't hold back my tears. " Emma, w...

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“We aren't in high school anymore” by Shaina Silliman

Submitted to Contest #33

What am I doing with my life? Am I actually about to go to my dream college or am I wasting my life with some dream that might never come true. I have played softball since I was 5 years old. Being accepted into a D1-College with a full scholarship while playing the game I love. This might be the biggest change I have ever made in my life. I am moving away from home, playing softball with girls I have never played a single season with in my life, I mean how much of a change can that really be. My parents being so proud of how far I have come...

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“Seeking Validation” by Angela Weeks

Submitted to Contest #33

When I was a kid, we were too poor to afford a haircut. I was 13 and had never had one. No one in my house had. I grew up in section 8 housing and my mom was on welfare. Even though we grew up in a poor neighborhood, my mom was the only adult I knew who didn’t work. Even among poor people, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. I always felt like I had to fight to be like everyone else, whatever that meant. A couple of kids in my neighborhood had recently gotten haircuts. They were nothing special, but their new looks still added some pep to thei...

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“WHOA, MY IGLOO'S A TIME MACHINE!” by Ricky Alvis

Submitted to Contest #33

Perhaps you can't travel back to the ice age, but maybe you can bring the ice age to you — or at least some of its legendary creatures. That's exactly what Jamie "Toddle Turtle" does in this heartwarming and fun family centered story. For those of us who are still a kid and love the ice age:“Ice age legend has it, if you finish building an igloo after dark, with the entrance facing north . . . a yeti will appear.” said my dad in a serious voice, while we were sitting on the stairs of the back porch stargazing. “Fortunately, there are no...

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“Sleep can make a change” by Faarid Farooq

Submitted to Contest #33

Mark groaned. As much as he was hoping it wasn’t going to be true, another Monday had come. The worst day of the week had come too soon again, and he knew he couldn’t afford to be absent for the third Monday because he knew his pay was going to be cut if he were absent again. When he had sat up, the amount of effort it took to get up just made him fall back on his bed.He blinked his eyes open and looked around. Eren had already pulled the curtains next to his bed, and the sunlight poured right into his eyes. He looked to his right. “Oi,...

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“A Boy's Haircut” by Chantel Chamonix

Submitted to Contest #33

I remember the day it all began in vivid clarity. My mother had attempted to cut my hair. I wish she were still alive so that I could thank her, for without such a massive blunder, the course of my life may have been very different. Some mothers are better at this task than others but mine was a superior novice. It had started out alright, she’d begun by washing my matted rusty curls. The mud caked into my hair matched the mud stains on my skirts and stockings. My mother called me a tomboy and smiled. After the washing, my hair w...

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$50

Prize money

296

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 20, 2020 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: Pennies and Years

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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