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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#47: Second Person

Writers are often cautioned away from using second person point of view. And that's because it can be tricky to get right. But as writers like Junot Diaz, Lorrie Moore, and our contest's very own Hayley Igarashis proves, second person POV can also provide for an incredibly immersive reading experience.

This week, our prompts challenge you to write a story using second person POV. In other words, the story should address readers as "you," pulling them right into the narrative. You don't need to use the prompts verbatim in your stories — as always, they are meant to get your wheels of creative interpretation turning! (And for additional tips on this unique point of view, you can check out our guide to second person POV!)

This week's prompts

As you check your mail, you notice a letter that makes you stop in your tracks.

Thriller and Suspense – 213 stories

"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't.

Nonfiction – 217 stories

You looked out the window and, not for the first time, thought about how wrong the weather forecast had been.

Nonfiction – 146 stories

Suitcase in hand, you head to the station.

Adventure – 188 stories

You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late.

Funny – 115 stories

Stories

“Going home” by Marte Van Der Linden

Submitted to Contest #47

It’s one of those days.You check the weather forecast again. Not for the first time, you wonder how it’s possible that we can fly to the moon and split the atom but still somehow miss this. No matter how many times you force the website to reload, the little icon next to today still shows a cheerful yellow sun half hidden behind a white cloud. Outside, the rain that isn’t supposed to be here patters down on the roof of the bike shed. That roof leaks, so your bike seat is going to be wet. There’s no way it will clear up in time for you to go ...

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“For the Truth, Would You Let Me Go?” by 𝔞𝔰𝔥🤍 𝖔.

Submitted to Contest #47

You slide down the stone veneer walls and unto the shiny mahogany floors of Devin's bedroom as the harsh sting of dwelling tears crowd your vision, everything is suddenly flashing back and you hug your knees in search of closure, something you failed to receive and failed to give. That didn't mean you had any regrets though, it had to be said, it had to be done. Ross was her closest companion, her best friend, the man of her dreams, everything she ever wanted was with him, and you had stepped in and made it all a mess, albeit you had asked f...

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“Map that leads to You.” by Tempest Juvano

Submitted to Contest #47

Part One.You run, worried about what was behind you, and worried about what is in front of you.You scramble down the staircase, the suitcase bumping the railing and the stairs.The screech of tires, the hum of traffic is dull, over the thoughts going on in your head as you flag down a taxi, and get in mechanically. “___Station, Go fast,” you tell the driver, shoving the case beside you in the backseat. He nods and speeds up.The town you were so in love with, buzzes past as the car weaves through the lanes, trying to avoid the traffic from the...

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“Better Late Than Never - TW Cussing” by Jordan De La Garza

Submitted to Contest #47

Leisurely, you drive to the airport return terminal while singing loudly to whatever bubblegum pop song is on at the moment. You pull up to the pick-up point where you see a throng of travelers waiting for their rides. You easily spot the slouched silhouette of your rather irritated boyfriend sitting on a bench next to his suitcase. His leg bounces quickly as he chews his nails, a habit that you once found endearing, but now looks quite disgusting.You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late.Your boyfriend glance...

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“You” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #47

Just say it, you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn’t. Still, you said nothing and hated yourself for every second of your silence, that wall. Just go ahead and say it. Nothing will happen if you do, and a lot will happen if you don’t. “I don’t want to.” You said, out loud this time. There was nobody to hear it, nobody to hear your squeaky voice, nobody to care what you thought. You cried when you realized that. You cried really hard. Still, you said nothing. Your lips quivered, your shoulders ...

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“Times” by Mary Rogers

Submitted to Contest #47

You are feeling nervous. Seated in front of the computer, you feel your body stiff. Can't write. You stand up from your seat and walk along your room. It is getting smaller and smaller. You can't breath. Feel your legs tremble. A weight on your chest. Cough helps a bit, but not enough. You think you're having a heart attack and go back to your chair. You know there's no one at home; no one can help you now. You can’t reach your phone. Would you have time to call 911? Does anyone can fight death if she comes to get you? The screen is twinklin...

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“ Coming and Going” by Charles Stucker

Submitted to Contest #47

Your chauffeur opens the door and you climb out of your pristine thirty-eight Cadillac. The single piece roof, proof against Chicago weather, makes it your favorite among the small fleet you own. The concierge holds an umbrella to keep the rain off as you walk casually to the door. You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you've arrived fashionably late. The Lexington is not as impressive outside as in, but even at a mere ten stories, it has an elegance which reminds you it once housed the infamous Al Capone. The reception is in the Red Par...

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“ A DAY IN CROWD” by Sumit Tak

Submitted to Contest #47

Men, women fingered at you, you never turned back. You looked up, walked straight without blinking your eyes for a moment. It seemed you had indomitable vigor. You painted a camel on a paper and stuck it on your suitcase. And soon after, you headed to the station, you walked alone on your bare feet, holes in your pant, dirt on your shirt and the suitcase in your hand. Awaiting there under the fiery sun, you saw people had already occupied the benches. After waiting for an hour, you got a place to sit on a bench.The crowd somehow managed to a...

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“Nightborn 3” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #47

You smile to yourself, feeling proud. The master will be so pleased with you. He is bound to give you a place by his side in his new kingdom when the end comes if you continue to serve him in this way. And you intend to, with all your being you intend to.The new girl shows promise. She might be terrified and unwilling, but there is a fire in her. And now, a seed too. A new recruit, a new Nightborn, germinating in her womb. Your son. Or perhaps your daughter, you wonder. You’re not sure if you’d rather have a girl or a boy. But it doesn’t mat...

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“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” by Neha Dubhashi

Submitted to Contest #47

Swallow Falls is a quiet, serene little island smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. You’ve always thought the island is too small for you. Your ideas are too big, too dreamy, too magnificent. There must be some other place in the world with people like you. Somewhere, laboratories that span miles long are filled with acidic tinctures and sparking machines. Somewhere, your inventions are accepted. The spray-on shoes were thick, hard as diamonds, and incredibly difficult to tear off. That was the first invention. You remembe...

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“Love's Letter” by Tori Routsong

Submitted to Contest #47

The coffee has grown cold in the time since you started the Keurig and proceeded to forget about the coffee entirely. You look down in disgust—nothing worse than cold coffee. You take a sip anyway, grimacing as it pours down your throat. If Jules were still here, she’d tell you to put a little milk, ice and vanilla in there and give it a swirl and it’d be good as new.Jules isn’t here anymore though. You take another sip of bitter, cold coffee.The walk from the kitchen to your computer seems even longer now that you can hear your bare feet sl...

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“The Road to Kyoto is Paved With Hope” by Courtney Stuart

Submitted to Contest #47

You are sixteen years-old when the weather forecast for the day is wrong. Before, you’ve never cared about if the local meteorologists get it wrong - they can’t always be right all the time, can they? - but you’ve never noticed how much you have to lose, either. In the end, it’s not that much, but it’s everything to you and your older brother. You still have a few days before the weather forecast is wrong though, a few more days to hold onto everything. Today, the weather forecast hadn’t been wrong, far from it, in fact. It’s perfe...

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“No” by Adriana K. Maxwell

Submitted to Contest #47

"Just say it," you silently reminded yourself. You knew you'd regret it if you didn't. It would be one of those shower arguments with months-old, years-old regrets. And the hot water could never appreciate the comebacks that had simmered so long. Not again. Not this time. You could just walk away. Just walk away and keep your mouth shut. Be good. Be respectful. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. That was what you were always told. Be polite. Always so polite. You don’t like fighting, don’t lik...

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“Avoiding an Awkward Affair” by Praveen Jagwani

Submitted to Contest #47

“We shouldn’t,” you assert, perhaps more to yourself than to him. You squeeze his hand for a good measure, in the hope that he won’t take the rejection too gravely. He parks the car at the kerb outside your apartment building, and cuts the engine. The dashboard dials fade, and the car fills with a comfortable darkness. And an awkward stillness.You are secretly delighted that he is trying so hard, to convince you to sleep with him. You are dangerously close to giving in, but a part of you is resolute. He’s advanced all the usual corny argumen...

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“A Change of Heart” by Serine Achache

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #47

You know her.Carnations are her favorite flowers. Her favorite color is green. She hates coffee, and always sleeps on the left side of the bed.She reads Me Before You after every exam, eats Pasta every Thursday and hates cooking.You know this.There's a scar just above her left eyebrow, an accident from when she was ten, and a tattoo in her right wrist that reads Smeraldo.You know this as well.For someone who always claims to be so bad with details, you know hers by heart.You know because you were the one who cooked her every meal, whose hand...

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$50

Prize money

879

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 26, 2020 EST

Won by Miranda Carter 🏆

Title: My Mother's Sky

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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