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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#44: Just the Beginning

Two weeks ago, our theme was story endings. This week, we're circling back to the starting line and focusing on story beginnings.

From Zora Neale Hurston's "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." To Jane Austen's "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." And George Orwell's "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." Memorable lines stick with us because they're what propel us into the world of the story in the first place.

For more inspiration, check out our tips for crafting intriguing opening lines, and then dive into our beginning-themed prompts below!

This week's prompts

Write a story that starts with two characters saying goodbye.

Character – 248 stories

Write a story that starts with a life-changing event.

Novel – 175 stories

Write a story that starts with someone returning from a trip.

Character – 111 stories

Write a story that starts with a character-revealing something unusual about themselves.

Character – 142 stories

Write a story that starts by establishing its setting in a different time period — without explicitly stating what that period is.

Historical Fiction – 114 stories

Stories

“the maze of secrets” by Random Person

Submitted to Contest #44

Prologue "look, guys, I'm the reason we're still stuck here. I... I lied." Claire said miserably. tom jerked away from her as he said"you mean, WE NEARLY DIED TWICE BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID SECRET???" "tom..." Claire said. her voice was quivering, and she sounded as if she was about to burst into tears. she turned to look at jake, sam, and Zoe, as she said"c'mon guys..." "sam, what happened to besties for life...?" sam hunched her shoulders as she said"I'm sorry Claire. but I can't back you up this time" "Zoe, please..." Zoe looked at her sadl...

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“It's never the end” by Ayra Rafiq

Submitted to Contest #44

The wind whipped through the air, a lingering chill as its only confirmation of existence. The scent of nature engulfing the inhabitants of the woods.A young woman walked along the cobblestone trail, her scarlet red hair dancing along with the breeze, tangling into an unruly knotted mass, her small and flushed red face set and determined, her back facing a little cottage, her home.She moved quickly and clutched her thin oversized sweater, shaking, moving fast to forget the cold penetrating her jeans. "I should have never have worn this ...

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“Marching Orders” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #44

Chris and Evelyn are going on the protest march tomorrow. I’ve done my best to persuade them that though I agree with the cause, of course I do, and they know it, I think it’s unwise. I would hate for anything to happen to them, and things do happen. Neither side has clean hands in this equal rights and universal suffrage issue. I agree, with Chris, even though it was put rather crudely and frankly shocked me (am I turning into a prude?) that what you have down below shouldn’t impinge in the slightest on your ri...

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“A Nation of Hate ” by Elaina Goodnough

Submitted to Contest #44

Jill looked at the television. She placed her head in her hands and tears fell onto her clothing. How could the world get to this? How could people stoop to this level? Just yesterday everything was calm, possibly even still, but in twenty-four hours life seemed to turn upside down-for the worse. Her first thought was to jump in the car and race to her husband-Ben-at his job, the local police station-or what was left of it. But sense got ahold of her and she knew she had to calm herself down. He wouldn't want her to get in the middle of...

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“Gone and Back” by ℤ ℍ☮️

Submitted to Contest #44

Her sweet embrace is like the last thing I'd ever see of her. It leaves this ghostly feeling, of a warm palm on my back as I jump into the cherry red train, and grip the handle on the side for my life. I feel my skin tingle as I leave the misty cloudy air.I'd walked into the coffee shop; gotten a latte like most people do. It was a bright day; the sun was shining with a September laziness. And then my brain just stopped going through its monotonous cycle. It was a break from reality. Her boots were worn, they were hatched on to tight, acid-w...

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“My Green Eyes See More Than First Impressions” by Rebecca DuMontelle

Submitted to Contest #44

When I look at the man sitting across from me on the phone in the coffee shop, my green eyes detect more than first impressions. I cannot smell the fancy and expensive espresso lingering above his top lip, clean shaven of course, but I can smell his thoroughly applied high quality cologne, thick and robust, a truly sexy scent. Through smiling white teeth, he speaks in a hushed tone, flicking a solid silver pen back and forth over a blank notepad with a consistent ba-dap ba-dap ba-dap as little ink dots appear on the page. He is respectably m...

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“Grief” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #44

“I'm sorry, Mrs. Pierce. We did everything we could, but your husband didn't make it,” the surgeon said gravely. He went into a more detailed explanation of what happened, but I didn’t hear anything else he said. All I understood was that Jim was gone. Yet I felt nothing. I didn’t feel sad, or angry, or shocked. I just felt nothing. Was that even possible? How could I feel nothing after just hearing that my husband died? It was at that point I realized the surgeon had actually asked me something. “I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked. “We’ll ...

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“The Orange Laverda” by K.C. Dunford

Submitted to Contest #44

There was an orange motorcycle parked in Nicole’s garage. She stared for a moment, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. She had never owned a motorcycle, and neither did any of her friends. At first she thought someone had broken in, but quickly realized the idea was silly. Burglars didn’t leave things behind. They stole things. Nicole got out of her car and approached the mysterious vehicle, utterly perplexed. She had only been in Arizona for two days, and she hadn’t told any of her friends that she was leaving. The only spare...

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“Rosa's Cantina” by Ioana Savu

Submitted to Contest #44

I dial my phone."Hello?... Hello?... Is that… For fuck’s sake, I can’t hear a thing… Hello?... Can you - can you hear me? Yes, I can! I can hear... That’s great. Hi! Hi, it’s… Hi. Is that you?..."I laugh."I thought so… Do ya… Do ya know who I am?... No? Well, that’s okay. I didn’t expect ya to. Here… Let me tell ya somethin’."I start to sing."Out in the West Texas town of El PasoI fell in love with a Mexican boy,Nighttime would find me in Rosa’s Cantina,Music would play and my sweet boy would whirl.Bluer than sky were the eyes of my sweet bo...

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“The boy who left his mother” by Tiana Gabel

Submitted to Contest #44

After hauling a suitcase up the metro steps, paying an overpriced taxi fee, and wandering around a neighborhood with no cellular connection, not that there was anyone in the country she could call for help, Lila found herself in front of a baby blue mailbox she only knew from online photos. She gave her hands a break from gripping an uncomfortable handle. A layer of grime cleared from the shiny tiles glued to the side of the wood post. Number 13. She smiled. Lila bounced on her way to the door, leaving her suitcase, “My own house...

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“You See Sir” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #44

“You See Sir” “You see sir, the truth is, I’m a leprechaun.” As Patrick looked at the small man, thin and short, sort of withered like an old leather belt, he could almost believe what he had just been told. The problem with that interpretation was that Patrick had just come out of the local Irish pub, and the small man was standing in the alleyway just beside it. He pretty much knew what was going to come next – an appeal for money, whatever he could spare, or words similar to that. “I was wondering, sir, if you had any loose chan...

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“Sunshine” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #44

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.” Charlie softly sang, his forehead rested against mine. My hand clenched his as a train whistle cut through our connection. I felt tears rush to my eyes as I finished the song we shared through childhood, “You make me happy when skies are gray.” Charlie pulled away, shouldering a duffle bag and stepping on the train. He turned to look at me and grinned, his trademark smile unable to cover the regret glowing in his eyes. Was it only yesterday that things were perfect?Yesterday I had watched the rippling...

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“A Place to Call Home” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #44

There’s always something odd about returning to the familiar, thought Pauline. Something that makes it look slightly out of focus, makes it feel a bit disjointed, makes the sounds echo a little more. She wondered how long you had to be away for that to apply. Obviously just a day trip wouldn’t have the effect, nor probably a weekend. But she had been away for three weeks now, and the truth was, the Tiverton Lodge Hotel had started to become the new familiar. She had become one of those who kindly told newcomers where...

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“Just a runaway witch. Chapter 1: the history of the Goodwills” by Daniela Aleman

Submitted to Contest #44

It was a Monday morning and that meant school.Sam’s alarm went off.It was five in the morning.She got out of bed and went to the bathroom,-Samantha Goodwill was a young 16 year old.Born on January 5,1998.Sam is an intelligent teenager, although her life is hard she still keeps going.She lives with her father,Tom Goodwill, her mother died from cancer when Sam was just a child.After her death Sam’s father was never the same, he drinks, smokes, and causes problems with the police.Sam on the other hand is very soft but she’s an emo, she wears ev...

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“March of 77” by C Alexis McGregor

Submitted to Contest #44

I wore a floral, green, long-sleeved dress sewed by my mother. My raven black hair lay straight down my back, reaching to my shoulder blades. The parking lot was overfilled with cars and milling with chattering people. As if on auto-pilot, I was seated between my Daddy to my right, and my Uncle Jasper, Mommy’s youngest brother, sat to my left. The hard wooden bench was cool under my thighs, and the bare-back felt bruising to my spine. At twelve years of age, I felt like a grown-up; however, as I look behind, from adult-hood, I recognize...

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$50

Prize money

790

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 05, 2020 EST

Won by D. Holmes 🏆

Title: A Gamble

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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