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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

“Goodbyes; New Beginnings” by Grace Lee

Submitted to Contest #44

"Goodbye, beautiful," he whispered gently, his hand resting lightly on my face as I stared into his mesmerizing electric blue eyes. His smile was as soft as his touch. "Don't leave," I found myself whispering back. "Who are you?" "Shh, don't say anything," he told me, my body relaxing and filing with a warmth that made me feel calm. "I'll see you again. But not now. Not yet." "Goodbye..." I trailed off as he vanished into thin air. I couldn't say anything else. My entire body relaxed and my eyes closed softly. When ...

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“Goodbye?” by Sandra Wheatley

Submitted to Contest #44

31st May 2020Sandra Wheatleysandrawheatley@live.co.uk1090 words ‘’How many lifetimes can we spend saying goodbye?’’Tears were flowing down her face like fairy’s pearls and when they reached her chin they hesitated, then plopped casually onto her Tshirt.She held his hand, it was warm, smooth and as comforting as a dummy and a square of silk, both of which she had sucked and stroked until she was three years old. Even after her mother had given her dummy to the fairies, she ...

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“The Summer of Loss” by Hannah Howard

Submitted to Contest #44

In the midst of all the chaos there was you, always you. You came in on a rainy June day with arms folded over your chest, resting in your lap. The gas station we pulled up to was empty, and the sky screamed from the heat wave that passed through the valley. We smoked, toked, and laughed at the unexplainable things surrounding us. The dirt roads no longer tearing up dust behind us, and the long mountain road went on forever, just to find a small place hidden amongst the trees. And I looked into your eyes, and they sparkled with the sun. The ...

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“By the Butt of a Cigarette ” by Esther Sheina Agishtein

Submitted to Contest #44

Jake had worn all black, the day it rained. He and his father stood beside the casket, lips and palms worn and chapped from all the thank yous and the handshakes of solidarity. Marry-Anne Frank lay in cushions of white-pearl surrounded by polished oak. She had picked the coffin herself, bargaining the funeral home down to the lowest price. Dying shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, she had told Jake as he tried to pry her off the salesman. She then spent the next half-hour crying from laughing at her own joke while Jake and the store owner ...

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“The lost violinist” by Diana Wilson

Submitted to Contest #44

Write a story that starts with two characters saying goodbye. The Lost Violinist I looked at him lying prostrate on the kitchen floor. His chin slightly bloodied from my punch. He turned his head to face me “Get out and goodbye – you will never amount to anything” he said through gritted teeth. “Goodbye you bastard, thanks for nothing!” I replied. The shit that hit the fan and resulted in our “Goodbye” routine happened on the day of my 7th eisteddfod. I had started competing when I was 10 years old and every year since I had ...

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“Strawberry Blood Bath” by Jillian Spaulding

Submitted to Contest #44

“I won’t miss the way she smacked her lips when she chewed gum,” I confessed with eyes cast down and a smirk pulling at the corner of my mouth. Brenda burst out in laughter, hunching over in her seat. Her dark curls bounced with each body shaking laugh. “God, you could hear her across the library!” A sharp giggle escaped my own lips, and suddenly it was like nothing had changed. Without realizing it, I looked to the lime beanbag Monique always sat in. Brenda must have done the same because a sullen silence fell over the tree hous...

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“GOODBYE TO LOVE” by Anne Sanga

Submitted to Contest #44

“Goodbye” Dary said holding me so tight against his chest. He looked at me and I could see a tear run down his chubby chicks, for a moment I couldn’t breathe. He was the love of my life and seeing him hurt tore me apart. He finally got the strength and told me he’ll be waiting for me on the other side. He suddenly fled to the bushes. I knew the men sent to take me were near, they had been commanded to kill Dary should he be seen anywhere near me. I had been trying to convince my dad for so long that I didn’t need to be circumcised but t...

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“Dead on Arrival” by Itxy Lopez

Submitted to Contest #44

Isabella was sitting on her gravestone. She was waving goodbye to papá and moving her mouth. I couldn’t hear what she was saying—mostly because my heart was a drum in my ears—but I could read her lips: “I’ll see you next year.”Papá turned and started walking toward mamá and me, his eyes both happy and melancholy. I knew he’d longed to hug Isabella and pepper her cheeks with kisses the way he used to. He wanted her to laugh that big laugh of hers, the one that made it feel like the sun was rising in the room.I longed to hear that laugh, too.M...

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“Let Go” by Julie DiDomenico

Submitted to Contest #44

“Let go.” “I can’t.” It was accompanied with a sniffle. Wet and full of phlegm. An almost silent whimper followed. “Please,” he said, begged, softly. “I want to know you won’t have any lingering regrets.” “I-I don’t want to let you go,” she said. Her voice high, filled with the salty tears trickling into the corners of her mouth. Her voice filled his ears. It turned into deep breath-inhaling sobs. Her face hung over his, her tears falling and mingling with his own. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. They were both supposed to survive...

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“THE HIDDEN ENEMY” by Vineet Bhave

Submitted to Contest #44

Their party had been going on for quite a while. The guests were mainly friends, some relatives and neighbors. Ajay and Shraddha were now getting sleepy and were waiting for Rahul’s story to finish.Rahul said, “So, in conclusion, Santosh visited the police station for the first time that day and is never ever going to touch my apple juice again. The beer really got to him.” Everybody gave out a hearty laugh.Vedant yawned and saw that it was late. He needed to head home.“Well, Ajay, I had a hell of a good time but I’m afraid I’ll have to leav...

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“The Fugitives Part” by Angela Wade

Submitted to Contest #44

Two squad cars grumbled in front of a trembling house, waiting to ferry two fugitives to their own separate hells. The house strained to shelter a forgotten grandmother and an orphaned dog from the cold tragedy happening outside, but the walls might as well have been made of straw. A host of SWAT personnel kept their weapons ready, surrounding the property. Two detectives watched two fugitives, who saw only each other, and everyone knew that their goodbye must endure. They didn’t uncuff the mother. She and her daughter would have died a litt...

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“Into Orbit” by Jessica Tomaselli

Submitted to Contest #44

Fire shot out beneath him propelling him to his future, which was something he had worked for for all of his life, but which I was trying to regard as no more than a minor detour on our shared future together. I didn’t want to say goodbye, but it was impossible to compete with the pull of space. Two weeks ago we had our last dinner before he entered quarantine in preparation for the launch. I hadn’t known what to cook or order. Part of me wanted to make the meal special, something we could both cling to during our separation. But I also didn...

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“The Hazel Diary” by Rutvi Dhruva

Submitted to Contest #44

"Finally I get to go away from you", she laughed. “Yeah,finally!” I said with as much fake enthusiasm I could build in my voice. “Bye”, she mumbled and started walking, probably hiding her tears like me. “Bye”, I almost yelled. I always yell when things don’t work like I want them to. I yelled at her the first day we met. I recognized her the moment I saw the hazel diary in her hand, similar to mine. I didn’t want anything from my past to ever show up. I had finally moved on. A new place, a new life and far away from people I could hurt...

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“The Squatter in the Broken Home” by Dallas Goodnight

Submitted to Contest #44

“Is this really goodbye? After everything, you’re just gonna leave?” Tim Lincoln stands between Gwen and the camp’s exit. Gwen has her things packed. Her long brown hair tied back. She answers Lincoln by adjusting her shoulder bag and diverting her green eyes from his brown. “Even after all the towns we’ve saved from specters, all the haunting spirits in churches we’ve caught, all the souls we’ve saved from wander this hell, you’re just gonna leave me behind?” Lincoln is responding to her silence, trying to get Gwen to look up at him from he...

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“So What's Your Favorite Flavor? ” by Emma Levin

Submitted to Contest #44

“I would hate to see what happens outside of class affect your behavior in class.”And I wonder what Ms. Miller would look like without a head. “I would really like it if we could be friends one day.”I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Ms. Miller peers down the hallway, “Well…it’s Tuesday, so your dad is picking you up, right?” “Right.” She looks at me again to see if I’ll say anything else, but I just stare at my feet, “Well, I’m sorry it’s turned out this way, Lucy. I'll see you in class tomorrow.” Good riddance.“Ms. Lewis?” The...

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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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