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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

“A Boys Dream” by Ella Jane

Submitted to Contest #44

The sun is beating down on me. I am sweating up a storm. Papa wont let me go with the other kids until the work is done. Keeping up with the land takes a lot of hands. Papa says I can’t go to school. Papa says that learning those words won’t keep a family fed. So hear I am chasing the cattle around. I don’t mind putting in the hard day work. After all it is how we eat. Sometimes I just lay in the prairie and close my eyes. I can still see the sun and the sky. I dream I am flying with the birds. “Boy what are you over there doing!” papa...

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“08:31 One Day in the Life of Arnold Clockmann ” by MARK TRIMBOLI

Submitted to Contest #44

In a large, sunny parlour room of a stately retirement home there stands an ornate antique Grandfather clock. Its dulled ivory face reads 08:29. At its base sits a wooden crate filled with old toys. Atop the pile is sprawled a small tin man; a burnished bob-watch fills its chest. Several aged residents in the room sit in over-stuffed armchairs or propped up in wheelchairs. Some stare at a muted tele-screen splashing grotesque images against the wall, others out into space. Slanted shafts of early sunlight filter into the room. The residents ...

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“The Masterpiece ” by Felicia Juliano

Submitted to Contest #44

It wasn’t even a real theater.The room belonged to my cousin Tom, who leased it for almost nothing on account of it supposedly being “haunted.” It was part of a four joint strip mall located in the middle of an old rundown neighborhood where it had sat empty for decades, still as brand new as the day it was built, back when Tom’s daddy was in grade school. The only blemish on the otherwise flawless exterior were the boarded up windows in Tom’s movie theater. Apparently, a runaway convict had been hiding out in that very room for weeks when t...

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“At the End of Empire” by Ariadne Isoton

Submitted to Contest #44

The screams meant the siege had ended, and the sacking had begun. Like a storm that had been waiting weeks to break, it fell upon us. When we heard the screams in the distance — whether of people or horses, I couldn’t tell — we rushed to tell the mistress. All of us, women and children, crowded into the cellar. It was mostly empty. There were no more cured meats, and only one sack of grain left. My boy was small and thin. He made noises, so I held my hand over his mouth until he was quiet. The master had grimly taken his sword out ...

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“A Doomed Dream ” by Eric Olson

Submitted to Contest #44

It was a rather horrible day. It was raining, but it wasn’t one of those nice rainy days, where the rain fell almost like a mist and made the plants and flowers happy. Where the clouds would eventually part to let the warm sun create a rainbow that reflected on the wet leaves and grass. No. It was a horrible rainy day, where the raindrops were large and heavy and battered the flowers, and hammered upon the old wooden rooftops to the point where one couldn’t even hear the rumbling thunder that was equally as loud. The water quickly overflowed...

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“The Run” by Elizabeth Sacks

Submitted to Contest #44

I ran through the streets with my head down. There was not another soul to be seen, but the sounds of guns and tanks said otherwise. My heart pounded, head spun, legs shook, hands dripped in sweat, and my long, red hair was only kept out my face by the wind of my speed. I had to get to the general store. I just had to. People would die if I didn’t… If I didn’t make it before 4 PM this day.Cars were scarce. Anything with a motor would get blasted in two seconds. Bikes were warped from the debris of toppled buildings. Even if I could find one,...

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“Death to Genesis” by Tolu Adeosun

Submitted to Contest #44

Thump thump thump. This foul beast, this Angel of death who was ready to take me to a place of no return had reached the second floor. My face grows pale. In a quiet, traumatic pool of darkness, I sit quietly- no silently, and await the horrid destiny that lays beyond my closet door. I never sought for this day to arrive so soon, I never sought for death to roam the halls of my own house looking for the victim it hath been sent to claim. My body is filled with alcohol, still, I think clearly. My heart is filled with panic. This January ...

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“Dead or Missing” by Book Worm

Submitted to Contest #44

This was the year when everyone huddled around family or community radio sets to listen to names of those who were dead or had gone missing in the riots. Like every evening, the special radio bulletin began with the names of those who had died in the riots. Labhayaram, 35, son of Gainda Ram, Lahore; Bhannaram, 45, son of Fakirchand; Pyarelal,40, son of Lainaram, Lyallpur; Jagga,25, son of Gurmail Singh, Rawalpindi; Veera,16, daughter of Madanlal, Mianwali; Meshi, 8, son of Lalchand, Montgomery; Hakim Tarachand, 80, son of Bhairamal, Jha...

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“The Lady of the Manor” by Jasmine Johnson

Submitted to Contest #44

I looked at the reflection in the mirror, but the face that stared back at me surely was not my own, nor had I seen my own in quite some time. This girl in the mirror, she was pale, almost sickly so, with rosy pink lips, seemingly fuller than my own. Her hair was neatly pulled back, and I lifted my fingers to trace the braids that wrapped to the back of her head. I looked at her petite frame and a waist so thin I wondered how she ate. My hands fell to my side, and I followed the outline of my own body. Though my waist curved inward, it was t...

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“Once upon a time” by M.Zubair Alam

Submitted to Contest #44

‘Sara where did you keep my coat? It’s been thirty minutes, I am unable to find it.’ Dan is becoming old as does his memory; he often forgets his own things after putting them up somewhere. ‘You are always slipping away from your mind the place of your own things after keeping them by yourself. You had probably put it in the suitcase under the bed after wearing when it was rained last time.’ Sara gets exasperated with such forgetful temperam...

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“The Eternal Battle” by Ray Bailey

Submitted to Contest #44

Julian had tracked his foe for what seemed like an eternity. The pursuit started at Hadrian's Wall, continuing to Dover. Then across the channel to the kingdom of the Franks. After being pressed into service for the noble Charlemagne, Julian found out his query had entered the conflict on the other side. Just another reason to continue the chase. While preparing for the battle Julian could not help but remember the last time he fought beside a Frankish king. Charlemagne's grandfather, Charles Martel, as they repelled...

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“the Shadows that Haunt Me” by Estelle Eves

Submitted to Contest #44

I am thirteen.Saved by Ivar as he throws himself in front of me.Time slows to a dawdling pace, and I see the arrow hit Ivar’s chest with a hollow thud. See him fall to his knees, then the gritty ground of Lypophrenia Forest. Black tendrils inch out of the wound, swallowing his limbs, his face. “Goodbye-” he chokes out before he is cut off.I turn and run.There is no hope for Ivar. The arrows are cursed and claim souls within a heartbeat. Goodbye Ivar. I mouth the words even as I gasp for breath.Behind me comes the sound of baleful howling- th...

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“Motherly Love” by Amber Griffith

Submitted to Contest #44

I maneuvered the old Prius into the too-tight airport parking space, thus ending the last ride I would give to Kanoa for a long time. I helped him unload the backseat, though he did most of the work. He was much stronger than me, and about a head taller. He was very handsome; sharp, smart eyes complemented his tan complexion, and his unruly poof of black hair had been cut short, as per my insistence. I surveyed him, wondering when he had become so grown-up. “Well, this is it,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Guess so,” he replied, w...

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“Riding the skipping stone.” by Dave Fulton

Submitted to Contest #44

Dr. Heinz and I sat in the staging room, he poured himself a glass of vodka and sipped it. He seemed even more nervous than me, and I was the one sealed into the space suit. The harsh white flood lights, made the doc seem even paler than usual."You really think that's a great idea doc? I don't need you getting hammered while you strap me into a quantum slingshot." I said.I reached for the bottle to pour myself a shot. Dr. Heinz slapped his hand over the rim of the glass. He shook his head. "No, Jeff. None for you. I've done my job, I built t...

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“Master of Words, Worlds and None” by OB Jato

Submitted to Contest #44

This writer was a master of words and worlds. The desk was his companion for most of the day, and coffee his sole inspiration as a deadline approached. A kerchief placed in his pocket would help him dab away the sweat before they fell on his notes. It was always a few degrees too hot where he worked, which was at the corner of his room. But the location had become as much of a routine in his life as the monotony of dabbing away at his keys, broken only by the ringing of the bell or the alarm of his clock at the end of the hour. Today, h...

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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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