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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

“Goddess of the moon” by Lea Vida DEL MORO

Submitted to Contest #42

The man is sitting on his chair while doing his masterpiece that night. Soft, mellow, classical music drifts through his room. A woman sings passionately, pouring her soul into the song. “ Killing me softly with his song Killing me softly with his song Telling my whole life with his words Killing me softly with his song.” It’s breathtaking while he glances up and smiles as he finished the image of a beautiful maiden. The main attraction of the painting was made by Antonio Vergara, rich idealistic and passionate painter. ...

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“With love, Adina” by Sathvika Sitaraman

Submitted to Contest #42

Summer is my favorite. The brackish air, the warm nights, the sticky smell of melting ice cream. Everything about it is perfect. The dry wind caressed my hair, gently unravelling my carefully done bun which sat comfortably atop my head. My sundress wrapped around my sunburned legs, the lacy fabric giving me comfort. My toes wiggled in the hot sand, my hands digging into the soft earth. I was happy, peaceful, and so free. August 10th, my special day. The day I turn twelve. And the day that was celebrated perfectly. ----------------------...

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“The Earth Shook” by Janet Davies

Submitted to Contest #42

The Earth shook violently again. Mat clung to a rock, waiting for it to stop. He was beginning to wonder why he was bothering, to hold on to something during these quakes or whatever they were, or even to bother looking for any other survivors. He’d walked miles and miles, for so many days, it could be months even, how did he know? Crushed buildings, chopped up forests, great cracks in the earth, no other people, no animals. Everywhere was dark. He had got some food and bottled water he had picked up at the start of all this. Had he wa...

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“The Sky is Falling” by Ramyani Bhattacharya

Submitted to Contest #42

I I was walking down the street at noon and as I looked up, a deep, blood red sky greeted me. I was surprised that I wasn't surprised looking at an unconventional sky. I kept walking. I met a few of my friends. They were laughing. I started laughing too. "The green sky is so weird" One of them said. "Hey, it's violet!" Another protested, still laughing. I looked up again. It was black now, engulfing everything within its purview, slowly advancing towards where I was standing. I screamed. "Wake up! Claire! What happen...

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“Karma” by Maggie Willis

Submitted to Contest #42

John. He was my sister's boyfriend. I didn’t like him much. He seemed to be so evil, but Leiani really liked him, so I just let it be. One night after her date with him she came home crying. “Leiani! What happened? Are you okay?” I asked Leiani was hysterical. She couldn’t even talk, she was crying so much. I sat her down on the couch and turned on Stranger Things, then I went to the kitchen and got her favorite ice cream, vanilla, out of the freezer and gave it to her. Her blanket was already on the couch and when I came back sh...

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“Peter, Flopsy, and Hasenpfeffer” by Esther Andrews

Submitted to Contest #42

When I was a kid, my best friend Jane’s house was the 'awesomest' place to go. She had three bunnies, a dog, AND a cat. At our house? We had guppies. They died. We had a tiny turtle. It died. We needed better pets. I made this point abundantly clear to my parents, annoying them day in and day out with my proclamations:“I want SOFT pets.”“I want FLUFFY pets.”“I want CUDDLY pets.”Their response was always a resounding, “NO!”One Saturday afternoon; however, I discovered there was something that looked like a cage on raised wooden legs in t...

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“What is next?” by Arvi Krish

Submitted to Contest #42

“Born with a silver spoon. I believe this suit me best because I always get what I want when I was a kid. Happily running up and down without knowing what future has for me. Enjoying each second of my life as if there is no tomorrow. Wow! What a life? I wish I could live that life again. No worries at all. Full of fun and laughter.” These were the thoughts that keeps on coming in Violet’s mind now. Little did she knew that things will not be the same once she moves to adulthood. The crucial part of her life to decide what she should do next...

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“Have You Eaten? ” by Sze-Ning Chuah

Submitted to Contest #42

“Ama, let’s eat.” I made my way to the dining table, one hand feeling the wall while shuffling slowly in my rubber slippers. My granddaughter Ling Ling was already there, dishing out soup and rice for the both of us. Was her name Ling Ling, or Ning Ning? I thought to myself as I eased into my favourite seat. This is embarrassing. I can’t remember her name. I should just keep quiet and not address her by name. I know she’s recently returned home for holiday. She works overseas now, but where? Was it Australia? England? I b...

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“Lions Sleeping In The Hearts Of Lambs” by Rose Gaspard

Submitted to Contest #42

You don’t know his name yet. But you will. His name is Percival Patrice Piddle, and in a few minutes he will be on every television screen in the country. That’s right Pee Pee Piddle. Standing in the darkened space waiting for the lights to come on, Percy remembered the horrible moniker he carried from first to 5th grade. Pee Pee Piddle. Children were horrible little jerks sometimes. “Places everyone. Lights in five minutes”. The disembodied startled Percy out of his revery and brought him back to the moment. Who would have thought it, Percy...

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“Worthless” by Jenna Khorshed

Submitted to Contest #42

It took me years to finally comprehend the fact that, in the eyes of everyone else, I meant nothing. It took me years to build up the courage to stand up for myself and understand that I was worth something. To understand that I didn't need their approval. And years more to write this story about my life and share it with the world. My name is Jamila Malik, and this is my story. A story about all the struggles I had to go through because of my religion to get to where I am today. I wrote this story to share my struggles with the rest of the ...

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“The Only One” by Britt Michielsen

Submitted to Contest #42

Can you imagine your life falling apart in the blink of an eye? Waking up fine, but going back to sleep the same day and your whole entire life is shattered to pieces? Have you ever blamed yourself for something that happened that wasn't directly your fault, but you could have prevented it? Have you ever been happy and sad at the same time? Sounds weird right? But try to imagine it. Don't worry if you can't. I'll explain it.July second, you woke up and looked out of the window of the beautiful beach house your mother rented for you and your ...

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“Human Firefly” by Ludovica Ballou

Submitted to Contest #42

At night I watched the fireflies glow in the dark from my front porch. During the day I climbed trees keeping the same pace as the boys' speed. I was raised on football fields, playing madden, and shooting nerf guns. I did have my typical girly moments making tea for my Toys R Us stuffed animals but when the boys called “Aster” I knew it was game time! The most important lesson I learned in childhood was to be fearless. How was I supposed to be fearless if being afraid was the only thing I could think about? In middle school I didn’t want to...

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“To Swallow A Secret” by Danielle Burke

Submitted to Contest #42

Zander was deathly afraid of secrets and, when he was twelve years old, had sworn to never keep another one. He still remembered his older sister whispering to him in the hallway, “Shhh. Don’t tell mom and dad. I’m just going out with Gabe for a little bit. Can you keep just this one little secret for me?” He had agreed, and Lucy had tousled his hair before she slipped quietly out the door. Zander had rubbed his eyes as he moved to the window, Lucy had woken him in her quest to apply her favorite lip gloss in the bathroom, and watched his si...

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“Too Much Truth” by Ross Buckner

Submitted to Contest #42

Prudence Callison returned the wave Grandma Merritt gave from her chair on the wide, covered porch of the family’s old lakeside home. She stepped faster and took the steps two at a time, her thigh muscles threatening to surrender as she made her last lunge. Half her life ago, the high school soccer goalie and hurdler she once was could scale the six stairs in two bounds without even thinking about it. No matter. Grandma’s wave and smile meant it was going to be a good morning. After the family meeting Prudence had walked out on, she needed ...

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“Begin Again” by Amy DeMatt

Submitted to Contest #42

"Come, come on an adventure. Won't you see what you are made of? There is another mountain to climb. . . " I'd been watching those words crawl across the ceiling of the train car for at least the past three weeks. The accompanying picture was what had drawn me in, though. There was a path, and in the foreground, an athletic, handsome man, holding his arm out, as though beckoning. I couldn't place his nationality, his open shirt was too generic and features too exotic. Behind him was a path that started wide but narrowed as it climbed a...

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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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