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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

“Shadowless” by Elvis Savir

Submitted to Contest #44

If something had warned me that getting up would mean my death and that my body would be found in a history book two months later, perhaps I would not have gotten out of bed that Sunday morning.The sound of footsteps in the dark approaching my room woke me up in the middle of the night, and although they pretended to be stealthy, the incessant muted tapping caused a roar in my tranquility that ended up upsetting my nerves. Like a cat alert to a lurking intruder, I became uneasy, tore my face off the pillow, removed the warm blankets from my ...

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“Desperate Times” by Christen M

Submitted to Contest #44

The world was ending, but humanity did not want to die. It was the year 2072, and a group of twelve scientists were huddled together in a lab in Boston, debating. They’d run the calculations many times and had figured out how to save the world. They needed to send a team back to the year 2020 and save a carload full of teenagers. They could only save one, or else the changes to the timeline would be unprecedented. Their primary issue -and the topic of their current debate- was which one to save. ...

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“All Right” by Eva Gryder

Submitted to Contest #44

I never saw it coming. I was taking my kids home from school. "Noah, Amber! Quit fighting!" I had just commanded, trying to manage to keep control of my kids and my vehicle simultaneously. I glanced at the backseat for a second, and when I looked back at the highway, it was too late. My stomach lurched like I was on a rollercoaster as a massive 18-wheeler careened uncontrollably straight towards us. I reached for the steering wheel, but before my fingertips even touched it, I heard a deafening CRUNCH and the sickening screech of metal. Time ...

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“The Adventures of Tessa & Brandy” by Caleb Basquill

Submitted to Contest #44

The Adventures of Tessa & BrandyThe first day I moved into apartment 5b was the worst and best day of my life. Lounged on the couch lay a woman. She was tall with brown and silver hair falling to her hips. The woman wore a tight black dress going with her black eyeshadow. Her brown eyes and ruby red lips completed the look. An empty wine glass lay on a wooden table to the right of the couch. “More wine Mrs. Johnson,” she said tapping the glass with ruby red fingernails.“I’m not your maid I’m your roommate!” ‘she said. Well, wha...

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“BUM” by Earvin Eugene

Submitted to Contest #44

BUMBy Earvin EugeneClouded Judgement In a room full of smoke were Evan and Mia. They were in Evan’s bedroom. Mia never got high before. Evan prided himself as a connoisseur of bud. The weed was green with bright yellow hairs and had a pungent smell. In New York, it is common to possess sour diesel. They used a small glass bong, which Evan bought from a friend. He got it for a fair price, and it could even store ice for cool smoke. The two colored the device with rainbow hearts ...

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“Return to Sender” by Joseph Lombardi

Submitted to Contest #44

The geometric figures dissolve before me. They melt and fall like sap on a hot day. Yellows and reds and blues flow down and away from my consciousness. A horrific rrrRRRRRIPPING sound bores a hole through my head and at once I open my eyes. Oh my god, the crash! I look over to see if Cora is okay. Shock rips through me because I don’t see her. My vision is blurry though, maybe I just need more light. I know I’ve got to move fast because the crash looked bad. The semi flipped itself over the median right in front of us. It was a kneejer...

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“A Long Trip” by Zoe Steinberg

Submitted to Contest #44

It’s been a long time since Lily had last seen her hometown. These days, only the air moved there. The tiny town had lost its shine and replaced it with an eternal cover of dust. The streets were covered with mud and weeds sprang up in the cracks between the pavements. The driveway to her home was wrecked from the lack of maintenance and from an outsider’s look, the whole house seemed to sag with age. Inside was empty. The living room she remembered with ease would not be vibrant. The kitchen would not smell of her father’s pancakes. The hal...

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“Business as usual” by Chelsea Peseller

Submitted to Contest #44

I was awoken by a pretty flight attendant tapping my shoulder gently. I startle from the touch. I am taken back as her bright fake smile is inches away from my face. Her hand is resting on my shoulder. “Sir, we have landed at our destination. The plane is empty, it is time for you to exit the plane now so we can board the next set of people. Thank you.” She keeps smiling at me. I politely smile back and get myself situated. “My apologies ma’am! My trip was quite exhausting. There is no rest for the weary is there?” I make small chi...

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“Same Home, New Me” by Nolan Pieper

Submitted to Contest #44

“What’s up, you beautiful bushel of nerds!” I exclaimed or something of the sort as I barged through the door on my return to my home in El Cerrito, California. I had been away from my housemates and friends in the Bay Area for a month and a half--the end of March and the month of April of 2020. With the emergence of the Corona Virus pandemic and the ensuing shelter in place orders and quarantine restrictions, I was furloughed from my job as a climbing wall route setter. With no incentive to linger around the Bay Area anymore I v...

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“Jim and kathy - The Return” by Jay Botten

Submitted to Contest #44

Everything is entangled in consciousness, and the preservation of individual consciousness beyond the life of the body is the hope and dream of every living being. This is the sustaining vision of eternal life, of ascending to the heavens, which is the hope and promise that provides the basic organizing principle in the daily lives of trillions of people across a billion worlds. There is one place in the galaxy where the mystery was resolved, on the HomeWorld of the Ancient People whose colonies filled the galaxy with inhabited planets; the ...

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“Wither Without You” by Carly Nichols

Submitted to Contest #44

Every single plant in your window is dead. Not slightly wilted or gasping for air, but full on door nail.And not just one of them. It’s ten different plants, a tiny cactus, and a plastic potted plant that is somehow inexplicably tipped over on the floor.It’s not even a difficult task to pour a little water on the plants every now and then, hell a cat could probably knock a glass of water into your plants with a little work.That’s the last time you trust the little pimple faced Fortnite addict from the apartment below yours to water your plan...

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“A Midnight Deal” by • Iridesuetude •

Submitted to Contest #44

In a century, the cruise never stays in the same location twice.It arrives every midnight unannounced and stays open for the whole night, accommodating visitors with their entertaining acts and huge features almost too surreal to forget.The day is still far too earlyㅡ the cruise does not leave the port yet. Once the ship is filled with passengers, it leaves without warning, moving from one place to another during its allotted time for show.It makes an appearance and vanishes silently.The place in the port where it docked is nothing more but ...

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“The Getaway” by Gina Evans

Submitted to Contest #44

Crossing the horizon, I felt the warmth of the sun across my face from the airplane window. I opened my eyes to greet a new day back at home. This was my best getaway yet! This was a solo trip I had always wanted to take. Since my breakup it was exactly what I needed. No-one to consult or be concerned with, just my own adventure to do as I pleased. I think we all need one of these in our lives. About a month ago I had decided it was time to see Italy. It was a dream I had since I was 10 and flipped through a picture book on my moms table. Wh...

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“When No One Watches” by OB Jato

Submitted to Contest #44

The Sen family was the kind which spent many happy moments but seldom talked about them. Mrs Sen was a teacher, Mr Sen was actually Dr Sen, their son was in his final year of schooling, and their daughter was… the youngest. Even the nine-year-old girl of the family could recollect many memories which would make her smile. But the notion of being nostalgic had not been introduced to her by her family or friends. School still taught them about fairies and phonetics and numbers, which her father would help her out with....

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“Rescue: By Air Or By Sea Copyright 2020” by Shawn Jipp

Submitted to Contest #44

I had just returned from a business trip to Las Vegas where I had to attend the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) and I was anxious to settle back home and holo chat with my fiance, Maria. I had met Maria at a company workshop in Silicon Valley. She had worked at our Silicon Valley campus for three years and had just recently been promoted to a marketing product manager position. I was a Systems analyst with emphasis on cyber security working out of our headquarters near Seattle. We both had to do a fair amout of travel for work back in th...

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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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