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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

“Your Forever Friend” by Tvisha Yerra

Submitted to Contest #44

“No. No! You can’t leave me!” I shout, uselessy. I always hated the characters in movies and books that say no when something bad is happening. As if that makes a difference.I pet my pet’s wet cooling body, as it barks for the last time.“You have to let go,” My mom coaxes me away from the lifeless dog that rests in our backyard. A tear slips down my face, and I wipe it away. Dad must be cutting onions again, he just loves eating them. I open the door and step inside my house only to be greeted by Vivya.“It died, didn’t it?” My sister ra...

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“The Field in The Attic” by Katy S.

Submitted to Contest #44

The door is musty fusty rusty .It is made of wood, good, snood.Rhyming calms, balms, psalms me.yes it soothes me, moods me, smooths me. I can stop if I wish, fish, swish, dish. No matter what they say, lay, bay, fey. I wonder where the door leads, feeds, needs. I will not open it today, ray, may. I will now go , and sleep, deep, keep. They visited me, be, see. They brought food, good, mood.They forgot I dislike tomatoes, chose, close.They put tomato juice, tomato fruit, tomato sauce, tomato sandwich, which,...

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“honey, this will hurt for a while” by Natalie Strawbridge

Submitted to Contest #44

Oh honey, this one’s going to hurt for a while. I wish I could tell you it’s not going to, but it is. No, I’m not writing from the future; I just know that this is going to hurt for longer than you’re ready for it to, and I'm giving you a moment to wallow.I know it’s going to hurt because lesser things have hurt you for a long time. Sure, bigger things have hurt too. And you got past them, so you’ll get past this too. Getting past it won’t be painless.It’s going to hurt every time you see her or hear her voice. It’s going to hurt when you sp...

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“The Phoenix of the Sea” by Elle Clark

Submitted to Contest #44

The first step onto dry land was bittersweet: the sweet relief of home and the bitter ache of parting.Years had passed but the swaying green of the bluffs hadn’t changed at all. She stumbled her way forward, her legs unused to the steadiness underfoot. Behind her the waves lapped at the shore and she could hear the familiar creak of wood on the wind but she would not turn. She would not crack. She paused at the base of the cliff, eyes caught by the sparkle of a rock pool. Her reflection swam in and out of focus as tiny crabs rippled the...

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“I Am A Killer” by Deborah Angevin

Submitted to Contest #44

I am a killer.I definitely forget to feed this poor orange creature. I remember seeing the food ran out a couple of days ago, and I plan to purchase a new one, but my forgetful brain just chooses not to. And now I come home to this floating, lifeless goldfish in my aquarium.I bite my bottom lips as thoughts swirl inside my mind. What to do now? Do I bury this fish? Wait, is it weird for a 29-year-old man to bury a goldfish? On top of that, where should I bury this creature? The closest garden will be the community one downstai...

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“Lost but never forgotten” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #44

Who are the children that never get born? Who are the ones who are born but are gone before they ever get a chance to live, to learn, to grow up and have a life? How many of us have a story to tell of a little life unlived and eternally unknown?I am a father of three beautiful children, inquisitive, intelligent and each one their own character. I am also the father of two other children, children who for whatever reason never got the chance to be, to experience life and to share my life as their father or in the life of my wife as mother. Th...

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“Not Enough (Sequel to Goodbye) ” by Agnes Ajadi

Submitted to Contest #44

“I told him I love him and he said it wasn't enough. How am I suppose to live with that?” – Emilia Clarke. I went through the passport control, and as much as I prayed to be stuck in the queue, no, it went smooth...

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“Regret” by Anja Z

Submitted to Contest #44

“Get Out of the vehicle”A million thoughts go through Dennis's head. What would happen to Julia now all alone with his baby on the way? Would they charge him for life? Why was he so stupid?He decides to climb out of the vehicle, Mike doesn’t.“I said get out of the vehicle or I shoot.”The two traffic cops don’t look very pleased to continue to ask Mike to get out of the vehicle and they decide to shoot three warning shots.DoofThere goes his change of freedom. Now the officers would indeed think they did something wrong.DoofWhy would Mike cons...

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“The Man at My Father's Desk” by Zea Bowman

Submitted to Contest #44

The man sat at my father's desk, feet kicked up and a cigarette dangling dangling from his mouth. He wore a cowboy hat that flopped over half of his face, revealing only a long, crooked nose and what was left of a freshly shaved beard. The feet that were carelessly plopped onto the desk wore big, bulky cowboy boots, the kind that clinked when you walked.I dropped my suitcase onto the floor none too lightly, and the man sat up suddenly, blinking rapidly. His cowboy hat fell to the floor, and his cigarette landed on his lap, which he quickly s...

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“The hardest Goodbye” by Varsha R

Submitted to Contest #44

"Goodbye my dear," said a woman with tears filled in her eyes. She was the one who really cared about me. She was the one who loved me more than anyone else."Goodbye mom," I said standing at the entrance of my house. I completed my schooling at Porur, a small town in Tamil Nadu. And I wanted my graduation to be done in a city. I took up this decision because of two reasons. The first reason is that my town doesn't provide much facility for higher education. So I had to shift elsewhere. The other reason was that I had to relieve my mom from m...

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“Sound of his breath ” by Ifan Fin

Submitted to Contest #44

Our favourite stories are the ones which end tragically. The myth of Niobe. Prometheus and the Theft of Fire. Pandora's Box. Daedalus and Icarus. Orpheus and Eurydice. The characters that want more end with nothing. Or worse. He said, "can you imagine? Us in ten years, standing at the edge of this cliff, with our first-born son?" and smiled as if everything was going to happen just as he told. It was a hundredth or two-hundredth time he imagined this for the two of us since we first met. I loved his grin and his hair that bounced whenev...

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“Nightborn” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #44

She listened to the raindrops tapping gently on the fabric of her umbrella. She hated the rain. The water always managed to get into her shoes somehow and soak her socks. She hated the feeling of being cold and wet, hated the way her hair dampened, clinging together in misshapen clumps.But even more than the rain, Rachel hated silence. The absence of conversation or music playing in her ears, as she waited for the bus late at night. One other person was waiting there with her, standing some distance away and without an umbrella. All he ...

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“Bittersweet” by Akito Yu

Submitted to Contest #44

Everything about that day was bittersweet. But bittersweet can mean so many things. Jack grinned, the carefree fourteen-year-old, messed with his tousled brown hair as he waved to Jane from his window in the car. Jane tried hard to force a grin, but only managed a quick wave, before she turned around and faced the house that was once full of life. Full of memories. She remembered everything, the two of them chasing each other in the yard, sitting together in the swing on the strong tree, eating together in patches of grass, each of the momen...

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“Space Cadet” by Courtney Stuart

Submitted to Contest #44

The Earth is the only known planet that can support life, or at least, as far as humans know, and it is for that reason that the moon loves it so much. Things don't grow on the moon, after all. If only the humans were capable of loving the Earth just as much as the moon did. And yet, humans were still beautiful to the moon, despite all of their flaws and secrets, because of their capacity to grow. And when humans come to visit, well, the moon can’t help but take a special interest in them. 20:34"It probably looks di...

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“The Vacation Getaway” by Writers Block

Submitted to Contest #44

I step off the plane and descend down the stairway. The sun’s rays are beating down upon me. I set my foot upon land and shift my carry-on bag from shoulder to shoulder. A parade of airport staff and locals greet us with warm welcomes. I continue on through the sliding doors into the airport. I meander through the crowd to retrieve my luggage. I arrive at the revolving turn-about, and patiently await the arrival of my belongings. I locate a familiar bag with dozens of tags slip through the conveyor system, ...

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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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