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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#42: End of Story

Reaching the end of a story is a bittersweet thing. Upon reading the final word of a particularly good piece, you’re often hit with a sort of story-hangover: the ache of wanting to stay in the world of the tale, yet knowing there’s no more story to be read.

A truly excellent ending can mitigate that pain — which is why, as a writer, it’s crucial to nail the end of your own stories! Of course, this can mean different things for different pieces. A great ending might underscore a story's theme, or it might pose more questions than it answers; it all depends on context and execution. For more info, check out our tips for crafting a memorable ending here, and then dive into our ending-themed prompts below!

p.s. — We're hosting a Live Copyediting Workshop! On May 20th, Editors Tracy Gold and Julie Artz will take to YouTube to copyedit passages submitted by writers like you! For a chance to have your writing featured, click this link to register for the event and you'll receive submission instructions by email.

This week's prompts

Write a story that ends with the narrator revealing a secret.

Mystery – 162 stories

Write a story that ends in the past.

Teens – 68 stories

Write a story that ends with a character asking a question.

Narrative – 260 stories

Write a story that ends by circling back to the beginning.

Short Story – 214 stories

Write a story that ends with one character waiting for the arrival of another.

Kids – 199 stories

Stories

“Unwanted Secrets” by Aubrey Maria ✌

Submitted to Contest #42

“Don’t go in there!” My heart beat faster. This was my secret. It was so hard to try hiding the panicked emotions I was feeling. Pinching my arm to distract myself from getting too emotional didn't seem to help much. My secret was something I wasn’t ready to share with anyone, at least not yet. “I haven’t cleaned my bedroom in forever, really. It would be a shame for you to try and sweep. Plus, don’t you have allergies to dust bunnies, mom?” Any excuse I could think was going through my mind as my heart beat at an unusually fast pace. S...

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“Miracle Man” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #42

No, sir, I can’t grant that wish. I don’t care if you did free me from this lamp. I have rules now and the one you asked for isn’t happening. If you’d like to send me back into the lamp so be it. Why won’t I do what you ask? It’s because I’ve been asked before and the ending still haunts me. I’m happy to tell it to you though. You might as well know what it is you’re asking. One day a man found my lamp in a thrift shop. I will call him Tim. Just an average guy, much like you. Took the lamp ho...

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“Broken But Brave!!” by Dhyani Patel

Submitted to Contest #42

Many times, life brings us to a situation where we have been before. All that is happening has already happened before, and the seeds of what will happen in the future are sown today.“Enough, Anamika!! Just leave me alone…”, a voice pierced the walls of the bedroom.“What happened, Rudra?”, a sobbing voice asked.“I’ve already told you a million times…I don’t want you. I hate you!”“What have I even done?”“Exactly!! You have not done anything for me…It was just me always who cared; who cared for ‘you and I’ to be damn ‘we’!! You know why? Becau...

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“come back to california” by Mollie A

Submitted to Contest #42

Jack sighed as he sat down at his desk with fresh new lined papers. His wooden chair creaked as he leaned forward to get in position. He took the cap off his pen and stared down at the blank sheets before writing. Dear Gregory, he wrote. Then he sat up and rubbed his face. Honestly, this was the hardest part. Knowing what to say. Jack didn’t know what to say, he never did, hence a million crumpled papers around his room with poorly written letters to Gregory that he’s never sent or even looked at again. It’s been about a year ...

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“The Letter” by Adam Wright

Submitted to Contest #42

Jim Targus held the envelope pinched between his thumb and forefingers. He held it as far away from his face as his arms would reach. Even at that distance it was still easy to read the bold block letter typescript on the front. THE BUREAU OF EXISTENTIAL AFFAIRS. He had waited most of his twenty one years of life to receive this letter. Days spent dreaming and imagining what the future would be. The paper felt rough on his fingers. He took a deep breath, folded it up into neat fourths and stuck it into the back ...

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“THE MYSTERIOUS CASTLE WITH THE IPAD” by Daphne Lin

Submitted to Contest #42

“Mom, dad, we’re going exploring, ‘kay?” Oliver asked, tugging on Olivia’s hand. The friends walked out of the house and then broke into a run, anticipating a wonderful afternoon.His grand mansion had a vast forest for a backyard, and Oliver led her down the winding path, deeper into the woods.“Where are we going?” Olivia asked, nervously tugging on her braids.“I don’t know, Vi” he replied, “maybe to that. Also, don't tug on your braids.” He pointed to a big looming shape ahead of them. As they drew closer they realized it was a castle, a bi...

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“A Dead Whale, or a Stove Boat” by Kevin DuPont

Submitted to Contest #42

“There is no such thing as a woman on the internet. Every woman on the internet is actually a man pretending to be a woman.” “So, you are saying she’s lying?” “I’m saying he is lying.” Lucie tossed her shiny blonde hair from one shoulder to the other to punctuate her point. From there,...

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“Who Is Ruth?” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #42

I knew a woman, or rather knew of a woman, because I really didn’t know her. She came to our house one time. By ours I mean the house where I lived with my mother and father. This woman came in, I heard her name, but don’t even know if we saw each other or talked. There’s no real reason why I should remember this one day, those few minutes, when she came to our house, but I do. The woman’s name was Ruth. Her last name was hard to pronounce, but I think it was Dutch. (To preserve her identity, I won’t mention it here.) Ruth’s arrival was...

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“Truth or...dare” by Samadhee Ismail

Submitted to Contest #42

Outside, the wind is howling, the blizzard seems to be getting worse minute by minute. But the small motel that is located in the middle of nowhere is brightly lit. In the lobby, there were five people, who are all stranded inside this motel because of this blizzard.Kate Jenkins is one of them. She looks around, taking in the detail of the surrounding. The painting in the walls are peeling off and there were cracks on the wall. The lobby is only sparsely furnished, with two faded green colored sofas, torn on the side. A damp carpet is in the...

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“It’s going to be a long wait” by Sofie Barnet E.K

Submitted to Contest #42

The sky turned into a deeper shade of black and all was quiet except Tasha’s heartbeat. She took several deep breathes before taking the decision. Was she ready for this? Could she do this? Was she confident, mentally strong and patient enough for all this? She did not have the answers to any of these questions. Took her first step and she knew it needed to be done, for herself, her love, her world and her future. She heaved the bag on her shoulder and walked out of her residence. She had been preparing for this for ages. Since her parents d...

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“The infinity rock live/love concert during my life.” by Claudia Gollini

Submitted to Contest #42

My first ever gig was seeing Marilyn Manson at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Tour for "“Heaven Upside Down”. Songkick informs me the show took place on Tuesday 19th June 2018.Marilyn Manson has been my favorite artist since 2001, and when he released his second album as a solo artist, I had to be there to see him in person. When he announced the 2018 tour in Europe.I'm just gonna presume all my colleagues, like me, assumed someone else would for sure choose this rock as their top summer-feeling song. They just didn't want to appear cli...

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“Shadow of the Maiden” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #42

It is 1789 and the French Reign of Terror is at the peak of its indifferent cruelty. A young and unworldly aristocrat is seized and she has only one brief dawn in THE SHADOW OF THE MAIDEN to wrestle with her conscience and discover why she must die. In fast-paced present tense, Kathryn Gabrielle rushes us through in little more than 1000 words from a sudden raid by revolutionary police to swift death by guillotine and the dawning of understanding in one victim's heart. It is 1789. The Reign of Terror. In France, a radical political group...

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“The End of the Tease” by Valerie Kaufman

Submitted to Contest #42

Inside the dance hall, a tall, unsmiling stranger took my hand inside his much larger one and gently pulled me through the couples waiting for the music to start. When the blast of Duke Ellington’s trumpets announced a swing dance, we swung to the left, then the right. Then he raised his left arm for me to pass beneath, and his double-breasted jac...

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“Scars” by Sarah Demary

Submitted to Contest #42

"Miss Rachel, you ready to get your stitches out?" The nurse walks in and asks. My mom runs her hands through my curls and turns to face the nurse and answers for me. "She most definitely is." I've been in the hospital for a week, because of what happened to me last Friday, after my volleyball practice. I learned a lot after last week, especially when it comes to trust.How to start? Oh, well for starters, let's talk about scars. Now they run deep and are a sign of incomplete healing, either physically or emotionally. I got three that day: on...

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“How come it's you?” by Madisson James

Submitted to Contest #42

I was a victim.I know it’s hard for most person’s in my position to admit it but it’s the truth.I was a victim, but today all that has changed. I just woke up one day and decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I wasn’t going to be their punching bag, their duffus, or the butt of their jokes anymore. I’ve had enough.But I couldn’t have done it by myself. I could not have stood up to those bullies on my own. Oh no! Someone helped me. But the mystery is, I don’t know who. Maybe you can help me figure it out. We’ll have to go back in time beca...

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$50

Prize money

903

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 22, 2020 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: The Firebird's Answer

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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