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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

“Esteban” by Aashna Aggarwal

Submitted to Contest #42

He woke up with a jolt, his burning skin screaming so loudly within his head that he could barely hear his own words, “Maybe this time I’ll do it”. He quietly stepped outside the comfort of his village and started walking away into the dark chilly desert, intending to never look back. The subtle sound of the gently blowing wind agitated his senses. He felt haunted, but still at peace. Squeezing himself more and more into his body frame in an attempt to gather as much heat as he could, he walked on. His great search had begun. ***...

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“The Good Things” by Rhea G

Submitted to Contest #42

He was good at beginnings. He had enough courage to take the leap, enough stupidity not to question his impulses. It was easy — throwing yourself off the cliff, diving into the deep with your eyes closed. Because you never had to touch the ground anyway. Because you were the one to jump, not the one to land. That was scary.He was good at excuses: small ones and big ones. He could come up with anything convincing enough in a matter of seconds. His trickery made him look purer than a baby. He had little time, his brother was sick, he had no mo...

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“One for the Road” by Jessica Cushman

Submitted to Contest #42

“That’s your third scotch.”“Yeah? What of it?” The man loosened his black tie and downed half the drink. There’d be no ice in the next one. “Nothing, I guess. You just seemed bothered by something.”“What the hell do you know?” He stood and stripped off his stiff, black suit jacket, then shook his near empty glass at a harried looking waitress passing by. She thought she was having a rough day? She should try being stuffed in a wool cage on a one-hundred-degree day. Christ, the majority of Americans had become sniveling wimps. “It was a nice ...

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“Unforgivable ” by Shelby Ennis

Submitted to Contest #42

Elaine was pacing around the treehouse that her father had built for her when she was younger. “Nothing makes sense!” Elaine said as she slid down to the floor. “Sis nothing has to make sense. I get it. Your upset that-” Rome said before Elaine cuts him off, “Why did Mom keep our grandfather a secret from us?! I get that he did horrible things but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t see us! Right?”. Rome sighed. The twin teens were just thirteen years old and while they shared nearly everything they had moments where they had these little talks o...

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“The Magician” by Lillie Jayne Pilkington

Submitted to Contest #42

He was a magician. Not the kind of guy that could tell you what’s on your card, or make roses appear from his sleeves. No, his magic was truly special, and so malevolent that I can’t even begin to think about it without wanting to cry again, like the many times I did back then.His power wasn’t unique, but a really good one to have; he could bend and sculpture with his words until I almost believed that I was breathing just because he allowed me to do so. He could make every reality into a favorable situation for himself, making everyone else...

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“The Perfect Hiding Place” by Tedi Carey

Submitted to Contest #42

Today I buried it. It, I hope, will never be found. I buried it deep in a cave that even I found difficult to find. I carefully disguised the burial site. I think everything looks undisturbed. If word of this gets out, I will be ruined! I return to my truck in the parking lot and look around. There is no one around. I do see some people at the far end of the lot just getting out of their car and they are preparing for a hike somewhere. I watch them load up their gear and start off in the opposite direction that I came from. I heave a si...

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“Storm” by Dream Chaser

Submitted to Contest #42

Sometimes I think that the whole world is out to kill us. Well...most of it, anyway. You see, I am a meagle, which happens to be one of the most ignored species of the planet. I admit, it does have some upsides: having nothing in this Starlands forsaken land means that we have nothing to lose. Well, that’s most of the time. Then there is me. I’m what the meagles call a betrayer. Simply because I refused to go on migration for this year, I was abandoned by my own tribe. Heck, the only family that I have left—my brothers and my sister—ab...

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“Change.” by Lanie Bivins

Submitted to Contest #42

This story starts with a hurt 16-year-old. Not hurt in the typical way people usually think of. Hurt emotionally. But you couldn't tell by just looking at her. She has never been that straightforward and open. To know her, you have to gain her trust. Not many people have it. No one in her family or friends in her youth group. There is a group that she is a part of at school but the person that Meredith, Mere for short, trust most with her deepest and darkest secrets happens to be the five-month-old baby she watches on weekdays. She can...

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“Art of Deception” by Joel Samberg

Submitted to Contest #42

“Evelyn, it’s gonna be a hell of a night,” Art says as he plops into one of the big, old, faded-blue easy chairs in the den. “A hell of a night.” Art, just on the other side of sixty-five, has finally put on his pajamas, bathrobe and slippers after spending more than an hour in his basement workshop trying to patch an old picture frame that Evelyn asked him to fix weeks ago. He had been glad for the task, for he had needed time alone to think. To plan. To come up with an idea. After all, he had something very heavy on his mind which...

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“Never ending cycle ” by Melody Cat

Submitted to Contest #42

“Hi, I’m Josh.”She jumped back and looked at the man behind the voice. He stuck out his hand. She shook it. “Carrie.”“Well, Carrie, care to dance?” He asked. She smiled and began walking back to the dance floor. “Sorry, I’m actually looking for someone.” “Wait, can I have your number then?” He asked. Her eyes widened. “My number? We just met.”“Well, how are we supposed to meet again if I don’t have a way of contacting you?” “Smooth, I’ll give you that.” She recited her number to him. “I’m going to be expecting a call tomorrow.”&nbs...

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“An End to Endings” by Saoirse Kelley

Submitted to Contest #42

He woke up as he did every day. He stared disdainfully at his alarm clock and let it ring to spite his sanity. He took a lukewarm shower, he brushed his teeth, he ate breakfast and rushed to work, always a little too late. A little too late, because he drove slow and his hands shook when he approached the traffic lights. His work was comfortable, and slow and repetitive. His eyes flicked from his computer screen to the stray papers on his desk, to the picture frame he had hastily thrown a napkin over. He ...

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“Al Aaraaf's (Alas! Alas! Alas!)” by Alonso Arballo

Submitted to Contest #42

To: Aphrodite, My Empress Eye thine initiate inquiry of yon finest,with Hero proportions with astounding impressions.To Aphrodite, my Empress, the fairest of thee!Please, lower, Venus, Venus's Heavenly Palace to me.Above all pedestals, Divine lurks Her seraph balcony.Her throne doest shine, thee Highest, Esteem.Silky scarlet tresses of red-velvet dreams.Ven!, yay!, das!; profound Immortal Soul prophecies:elicit the reddest of the red, red, rose kisses.Impress Empress Heart: propound the Queen of Queens.Please-paint me, in thine bold redder s...

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“Participation, not Sympathy- the Freedom of the differently abled” by Triparna Chakraborty

Submitted to Contest #42

She opened her eyes, confused and exasperated. The darkness in the room seemed to crawl on the legs of the bed. She could feel sweat on her skin. Faint familiar beeps accompanied by the sound of her own breath, speared the silence. Horrified, she tried to sit up, but the excruciating pain in every part of her body, made her end up slamming helplessly against the bed, only her restraints jingled. For the next few minutes she delivered another round of screaming and sobbing, only to never have anyone respond back. Forty minutes later, there wa...

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“Ouroborus” by Joe Mansour

Submitted to Contest #42

iTevenson Hopkins took the head off his pint while he waited for the barman to return with his change. He was careful to count it before dropping into his pocket, satisfied he nodded his thanks and carried the drink back to his seat in the corner. Scowling at the youths sat in his usual spot just to the left of the inglenook fireplace (tucked away from general view but still close enough to feel the warmth) he placed his pint on a beermat then removed his raincoat, folded it up and put it on the stool next to the table. He undid the buttons ...

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“ Looking Back” by Tom Campbell

Submitted to Contest #42

They grimly dragged his inert body into the tall cornfield, not bothering to hide it. It was a young man. Too bad he had to die so young but looking at his scruffy clothing and eyes wild in desperation, even in death, they knew he wouldn't be missed anytime soon. By then they would be miles and miles away.It had been an exhausting day. The heat, for one. Tramping westward on narrow roads, occasionally getting a lift from a farmer. Perhaps at another farmhouse they might get a slice of homemade bread and cheese. They had ...

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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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