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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 ORPHAN MAN” by Aboki Tabena

Submitted to Contest #44

In the dream of the night, when he had returned to rest from his long journey of string playing, he saw the children in the Universe’s street, full of tears, having no food, and were without cloths. Then he suddenly saw that their tears rose as mist to the sky of the Lord-man, forming a dark cloud that descended as rain, making them smile, having hope to live again.He was born to raise the children of the Universe’s street, he lives in nature’s valley by a silver-like brook, where he often has and sees the vision of life.The Lord-man had giv...

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“The Evidence” by Elizabeth Donohue

Submitted to Contest #44

You know when you walk through an airport and no one is there to greet you but your eyes swivel about constantly looking because you just might run into someone you know…I grab my navy and grey backpack off the conveyor belt and heft it over my shoulder. Making a beeline for the exit and towards the taxi stand, at first, I don’t hear my name being called.“Maximus Clearwater, Maximus Clearwater, please make yourself known to the nearest security officer.”The voice becomes more insistent. I walk towards the parting automatic glass doors but tw...

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“Something's Different” by A.J. Brown

Submitted to Contest #44

The first thing he noticed when the front door opened was Rebecca looked extremely tan. He supposed it shouldn’t have surprised him since she had just been in Florida for the week but even when they had done things together outside and at the beach in the past she normally didn’t get noticeably tan. That was unless she had and he just hadn’t noticed because she was with him as opposed to going away with her friends for a week.The second thing he noticed immediately when she looked at him was that something seemed different about he...

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“I Continued to Wait” by Nghia Nguyen

Submitted to Contest #44

Normally, there would be the presence of one person and one person only, or should I say one entity only, who possess the possibility to liberate a 70 years old man from his aspiration of infinite prospect in the middle of the daylight’s twin of unfortunate. It is Mr. Reaper. However, I perceive another decade before I had the pleasure to be visited by him during my chain of redemption. The actual reason that woke me up during the midnight of September 21st was excitement. I was overly thrilled for standing in front of the brink of reunion. ...

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“Andreas the Mighty ” by Ethan Jarmush

Submitted to Contest #44

1It has been five days and there is still no sign of the Andreas. The only visibility in the blackness of night are the torches lit atop the castle walls. The lookouts in the tower strain their eyes hoping to see any movement in the shadows. “Commander,” The archer grunt said softly. “Is this all really necessary? How could any man survive for five days out there?”“If any man can do it,” The Commander says. “It’s Andreas.” The Commander’s near seven foot frame allows his voice to occupy all the space around him. Even spoken softly,...

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“The Night that Their Lives” by Rashmi Parashar

Submitted to Contest #44

THE TRIP“That was a horrible day and then that was………” blabbered Sainaman in the flight. I shut him up and said that don’t squeak so loud. “Well ok” replied Sai. Hope we would find Hardik there, I murmured. Aryan sitting before me, just pinched me and said “That was a horrible day but we would say it THE TRIP to forget everything about it.” “Nice name” I said. The flight landed and we came out with our small luggage. It was long journey from airport to our home. We sat down in the cab and waited for the driver to start it. I was peeking my h...

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“The phone book” by Daniele Frau

Submitted to Contest #44

FramesDoors seem to be just another part of walls, bricks of glass. You'd imagine bombs dropping over your head, leaving then only a door, protecting the air from the air. No, there wasn't a war, not anymore. Just bombs of records and shots of thoughts dropping down from the ground of memories. The phone book was finally open, the fingers desperately searching for the last three numbers still intact, the eyes tired jumping from one page to another. He thought he'd call the first number, written with a dark blue ink, the pen he used when he ...

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“Far Off” by Clarke Wainikka

Submitted to Contest #44

The years fly by. Piling up behind me and reminding me that home is always far off. For many of the years, I didn’t think I would ever return. I’m standing at the doorstep of the house that built me and the family that reworked me, but my eyes have run dry. All I had done for the last seven and a half years was cry. Now, I had nothing left.My mother comes to the door, standing beyond the screen with a cigarette in one hand and a half-eaten hamburger in the other. She smiles. Laughs. She can’t believe it. The daughter she had cast away, frank...

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“Honest Abe” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #44

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Budapest and as the 747 dropped like a brick through another blast of turbulence A.J. regretted ever leaving. He could see the bright lights of JFK Airport mocking him from the ground, the end was near, one way or another. The plane descended through the sky like an overfed seagull and the luggage compartment above him looked very untrustworthy. He clutched his backpack tight to his chest and stared into his knees, willing the pilot to at least make it quick. No messing around with hospital stays or life savi...

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“The Reunion” by Alana Lawlor

Submitted to Contest #44

I staggered after Lucy, even though she was the one wearing heels. She marched quickly and with purpose, her shoes click-clacking on the cold linoleum. In my defense, I was carrying some supplies for the caterers. I was too nervous to sit around, so I asked if I could help them. At this moment, I was struggling to maintain my grip on a large box filled with champagne glasses, craning my neck to the side to make sure I didn’t trip.“I spoke to Jeff, I told him to take Grandpa straight into the family area. He’ll get annoyed if he has to keep m...

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“Reborn” by Shawna Williams

Submitted to Contest #44

"You're just a late bloomer," they said."One day you'll be out somewhere and you'll feel it, a tingle down your spine, and you'll blink and you'll suddenly be in a different time for a moment." They reassured her."Track your dreams. Sometimes it starts there. Dreams so realistic they won't let go once you're awake." Her father told her."Maybe we will swing by your doctors office. Just to be on the safe side." Her mother said, finally feeling her concern.Sitting in the doctor's office was uncomfortable. They had drawn blood. Done scans. Made ...

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“Why the plants died” by Kierah Van Uden

Submitted to Contest #44

Halfway across the world from Asheville, in the city of Liverpool England, another life was being lived at the Notre Dame Catholic College for girls in the town of great Hamilton. The school was large and expensive, but Taylor’s parents were very rich. Taylor was tall and skinny and had creamy blonde hair halfway down her back, she had limbs like a ballerina’s and a smile like a models in a toothpaste ad. Taylor was what most people would call ‘good looking’ she had all of the boys drooling at her feet. Her life seemed perfect.&n...

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“Jaded” by Earvin Eugene

Submitted to Contest #44

JadedBy Earvin Phillip EugeneCommencement Jordan Williams attended Dartmouth college. He worked at Zimmerman Fitness Center. Jordan needed the money and it was his opportunity to meet colleagues. He was about 5’11, brown-skinned with short black curly hair. Jordan sported glasses as he was near-sighted and groomed himself with a goatee. He wore outlandish fashion with striking designs such as a red and black flannel sweatshirt alongside checkered pants. On some days he would dr...

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“The Man Who Sold Immortality” by OB Jato

Submitted to Contest #44

“I sell elixirs of immortality.”The officer surveyed the man who made this statement. His expression had remained the same throughout his two-hour detention - he wore a faint smile, exemplified by the long beard he possessed. The length of his detention was merely a logistical inconvenience.The officer had been scheduled to interrogate another arrested individual – a gang member - in the morning. The local goon would need to be released in a couple of hours because of the lack of evidence. After pursuing a final but fruitless line of questio...

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“My creation story” by Alissa Rodriguez

Submitted to Contest #44

In the beginning earth was nothing but land. On the land grew trees that could grow to be thousands of feet high and hundreds of feet in diameter. The trees had really pretty flowers that grew out of them. As the flowers grew older and began to wither away they transformed into all the animals that would soon roam around earth to this very day. Above this land was a place made of clouds, it later would be called heaven. All the Gods and Goddesses lived within this cloud land that they soon would call heaven. They looked down upon earth throu...

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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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