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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

“That Choice” by Chizoba Ebunilo

Submitted to Contest #33

This is it. What you have been afraid of is here, glaring you in the face and there is no escaping it. What will you do? What choice will you make now? Will you run away and pretend you were merely a passer-by; blend into the background; become a wallflower like you turn to in all those other situations?You remember the first time you tried being anything other than a chameleon. It was in the class group chat. Many had taken ill in your class at that point and your classmates—some of them—blamed God for it. Some others said it was payment fo...

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“Parting Ways” by Andrej Spasovski

Submitted to Contest #33

Dennis Hamilton is your regular Maine kid. He lives in the Portland suburbs with his parents and sisters. He loves his family and all, but he spends most of his time with his friend Luke Johnson. They had been friends since they met in kindergarten. Together, they love to play basketball, a lot of basketball. One morning, Dennis woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Mornings are not his thing. It was a sunny Thursday morning. Dennis' alarm read 8:05 A.M., 40 minutes before school starts. He usually wakes up around 15 minutes before school ...

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“Soul Mates” by Gloria Salazar

Submitted to Contest #33

Boom, boom, boom! Mort had no idea where his heart was.The last thing that clearly came to mind when Mort tried to conjure up some idea of where he was or what he was doing was sitting in his recliner, drinking his iced tea, and watching one of those blasted women TV movies with Martha.“Mort?” She had called his name from her cozy crochet spot on the couch. He had turned smiling at the happiness he heard when she spoke his name.Then nothing. The world was a foggy cloud of jumbled half-images and sounds that made no sense. He was younger than...

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“Life's Trial” by Naomi Lee

Submitted to Contest #33

"I can't believe this is happening to me..." she said in a broken voice. "I've become nothing but useless." She couldn't find the words to express the thoughts racing through her mind. Thoughts and emotions blended into one. Uncertain and confused, she didn't know how she would live the rest of her life.Elissa slumped back on her bed. The joints on her arms and legs reduced the free-flowing movements she used to have. She felt like a puppet manipulated by the strings of a puppeteer. Pain invaded her arms and legs as it travelled from her joi...

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“Judgment” by Ellory Reiling

Submitted to Contest #33

“Mom, can we go yet?” I groan, hanging my head back.“I told you, dear. We can’t for a few more hours. You do want me to have money for food, right?” She gives me the sarcastic look, the one that says she knows I’m gonna say yes.“At least let me do something other than sweeping hair?” I sit up and look at her.“No. No. Never. Not until you’re at least sixteen.” She puts her elbows on the front desk.“But, Mom! I’m fourteen, isn’t that close enough?”“No, Sam. It’s not-” She stops when she hears the doorbell ring as it’s opened and says with the ...

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“Shades of Me” by Apasara Maxwell Miller

Submitted to Contest #33

What can make a person smile? I say, it’s colors. I see all sorts of colors daily and it’s such a brilliant way to live. I can describe the many shades, with these words; bold, bright, bleached, brash, clean, colorful, cool, dark, festive, flat, rich and shiny. Hello, my name is Lian and I work in the nail salon. Our salon is quite colorful now, but a few years ago, it was dull and colorless. Everyone who walks in this shop is surprised that it's bright bold but elegant. My parents own the shop and I help out once a while. Most of the t...

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“New Hair, New Me ” by Kaloyan Tsvetkov

Submitted to Contest #33

I am a different person. Today I am no longer the James I was yesterday. I repeat this over and over as I walk into the barbershop ready to change things up. Life has always been hard and sometimes precautions need to be taken to ensure my safety and the safety of my loved ones, even if that means killing them and making it all seem like a suicide, then hosting the funeral and crying my eyes out not because I’m sad, but because I finally saved them from this God forsaken world. I love my fam...

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“Not My Hair” by Jerry Hines

Submitted to Contest #33

Sometimes, you really don’t want to hear someone else’s story, but then, sometimes you don’t have a choice… We’ll talk about this later. All my life I have hated—maybe even despised—two reoccurring events that would happen to me on a regular basis; happen to most people on a regular basis—getting a haircut and going to the dentist. Not going to the dentist wasn’t an option since I had no desire to be toothless at a young age. At least that’s what my mother told me would happen if I didn’t go. But the haircut thing, now that was different. I ...

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“The Haircut ” by May B

Submitted to Contest #33

“Aliyah!’ Mom screeches, as I cover my embarrassingly large ears. I shift in my chair. A rather large, cream colored chair that had been planted in the middle of our already crowded living room. “ALIYAH! How many times do I have to call you?” Mom’s voice pierces my ears yet again. “WHAT?” my sister’s equally loud voice booms. The neighbors would surely come knocking at our door any minute now.I look up as Aliyah stomps into the living room. Her dark curls are stuck to the side of her tainted pink cheeks. She was probably working out in her r...

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“Hair We Go” by Xion Gordon

Submitted to Contest #33

When I asked the stylist to give me a trim, I didn’t expect them to cut off a good two inches of my hair! Now my hair just barely reaches my ears! This is the story of my bad hair day. It all started when I booked an appointment at Sara’s Beauty Salon where I'm a regular. Everyone there knows me. The day I was scheduled to come in, the salon called me and told me that instead of having my usual stylist, Kristy, give me a trim, a new employee was going to give me a trim. I didn't mind because I know, from experience, that anyone they hire is...

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“But Not to Panic” by Courtney Harler

Submitted to Contest #33

I went to the salon to get my nails done, selfishly, because I knew the quarantine would become mandatory soon, that all the salons would close and all the bars and all the libraries. I left the teenager at home, didn’t worry about him, because, for all I knew, he was probably a carrier. The schools had already closed—we’d been nowhere but the grocery in days. Well, maybe a drive-thru to get a coffee or a sandwich, but the thought of someone else making my food was starting to...

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“Self-Betting-Meant ” by Walter Wright

Submitted to Contest #33

The distinct scent of perfume, shampoo, and shaving cream slapped my nose as I entered through the glass doors logoed in bright golded font, “Santio’s Palor Est. 1955.” The buzz of electronic clippers and razors mimicked a swarm of bees in which their sounds engulfed my very ears. It was a barbershop, what would you expect. Along the floor littered the casual variances of hair. There was a long type of brown hair that never had the intention of meeting the red curly fur of hair partnered in its mix. Big, floor to ceiling, type windows h...

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“short hairs” by Bani Amin

Submitted to Contest #33

Shamanta was lying down in a chair and busy with her phone....Adiba: seems like no customer will come today!Shamanta: Yeah,who's gonna come in such a lovely day,rain drops are flourising like spring leaves outside..Adiba: yeah,it's really cool na shamanta!!? I wish i may could get wet in that rain also...Shamanta: yeah,i love to feel the rain much rather than getting wet,hahaAdiba...ahh i never realize you...Suddenly,Can i come in??(a lady voice)Yeah,sure..why not!! looks like you have got wet by the rain..said Shamanta!yeah,a bit....okk,no ...

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“What Could Go Wrong?” by Anitha Sankaran

Submitted to Contest #33

Scott is an old-fashioned short and stout professor in his early fifties. It was his routine to go to the salon four weeks once. The reason, his head is full of brain. The subatomic particles bombard inside his head. The result is a nuclear reaction: a chain reaction of excessive hair growth.He and his khaki trousers are inseparable. He has twelve pairs of identical pants. A fat purse for the shop owner because he prefers to buy those trousers in dozens. Be it to buy a carton of milk or to his classes, he carries himself in full hand shirt a...

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“Rick's Barbershop” by Jessalin Lee

Submitted to Contest #33

“Dude! Your hair is getting so long. You’re gonna have a man bun before you know it,” Julien said as he saw me. My shoelaces did their signature slap on the hardwood floors as I strolled over. “What do you mean? The girls dig it,” I said defensively. Running a hand through my hair, I winked at Stephanie who was by her locker with a gaggle of her friends. She scoffed and made a big show of sticking a finger down her throat. “Cut your greasy hair and maybe I’ll let you take me out to that new diner!” Stephanie’s friends laughed, an...

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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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