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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#50: A Moment Like This

Throughout this contest, we’ve read wonderful entries that provide sweeping overviews of characters' lives (such as "The Tree"), as well as submissions that offer glimpses into distinct life-phases (like "Time Bomb"). We’ve also been captured by stories book-ended by the start and end of one particular moment in time: such as "The Price of a Nice Guy" (a woman gets a flat tire and parks on the side of the road), "Who Speaks to Death" (a story told through a single text conversation), and "To You" (a 50th birthday party).

In the spirit of those last three examples, this week's prompts challenge you to embrace the short story's ability to really dive into and explore one single scene.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a proposal.

Valentine's Day – 211 stories

Write a story about an argument that seems to be about one thing, but is actually about another.

Dialogue – 121 stories

Write a story about a person experiencing pre-performance jitters.

High School – 162 stories

Write a story told entirely through one chase scene.

Thriller and Suspense – 143 stories

Write a story about a summer afternoon spent in a treehouse.

Summer – 303 stories

Stories

“..because it's full moon night” by Chhaya Fulsunge

Submitted to Contest #50

Darkness was engulfing in and it was time for the moon to come up in the horizon to spread its light. It was a full moon night with a sky full of stars but rarely visible under the blanket of moonlight. Yet it looked scary around. I started walking up the hill slowly taking one step at a time, just being cautious of any wild animals or haunted spirits to cross my way. I heard a lot of stories of a full moon night and haunted spirits. Recalling those stories just gave me chills every time. My legs were getting numb as I walked up the hill in ...

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“About A Cactus” by Sabrina Howard

Submitted to Contest #50

When Flight JX 2593 reported engine failure, Anne Haddox, in her home on Sycamore Street, had her hand around a little clay pot. She liked to hold this pot and gaze at the plant within whenever she felt troubled. But right now, the plant itself was the trouble. While she was used to seeing a bright, vibrant green, the contents of the pot were different now. There was a brown, shriveled succulent inside it that had no spikes but cut her just the same. She glared down at it for several long moments, and then cursed loudly. Her husband spille...

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“The Camelot Proposal” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #50

The Camelot Proposal Suzanne Marsh The old man stared silently at the castle, it was his dream. His Cumberland Spaniel, walked freely over the grounds. The old man begins his story of how he made his dream come true, the happiness and the heart break of building his castle. He continued to stare at the stone castle as he began: “I began this project over sixty years ago. I purchased the land for four hundred and fifty dollars, I was fifteen at the time. It began with the idea of a cottage but it grew into a life long project. My dad and mo...

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“I Object” by Emily B.

Submitted to Contest #50

The altar was set with light cream draping and flowers. Sunlight gave the elegant room a sweet shine. The groom stood and waited to marry the love of his life. Family and loved ones sat in the pews for the bride. Music played and the crowd stood. First was the bridesmaids in long pretty gowns, gliding down the aisle with their handsomely sharp best men. Then when the aisle was clear the bride appeared. Her glow was blinding, her hair that laid flawlessly, the dress emphasized her stunning body. She was perfect.After the priest said his bless...

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“The Knotty Nest” by Parul Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #50

Ah! My place… I smiled with contentment as I stepped foot in The Nest.***The Nest was the tree house papa had gotten made for us when we stood not above 3.5 foot from the ground. It was our hideout where my sister and I pretended to be divas saving the world and strategized how to kill the monsters. And sometimes it became the venue for our birthday parties. But mostly it was where we spent most of our growing up years either reading or playing or working on school projects.The cosy tree house was adequately furnished with a large bed on the...

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“Forgotten Celery” by Ashley Beeby

Submitted to Contest #50

Annabelle had just turned on the light over the stove and activated the overhead vent when the front door could be heard closing. It was a normal event so Annabelle continued moving through the kitchen casually. She pulled out vegetables out from a mountain in the fridge to create a smaller mountain on the bench, but there was a sudden stiffness in her narrow shoulders. David kicked off his shoes in the front room, both hands carrying shopping bags. He barely lifted his feet as he walked, yet took great care to still move silently through th...

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“Moonlight Reflections” by Catherine MacKenzie

Submitted to Contest #50

Jaxsen stood on a dock that looked out upon a small lake. The party behind him raged on and it wasn’t until about half an hour ago that he was able to sneak away from the blaring music, alcohol and pot smoke and the abundance of college graduates in attendance. Jaxsen leaned against the wooden railing, the smoke from his blunt dissipating in the light spring breeze. He knew Basil was in the house, probably still tearing up the dance floor with Bailey. Jaxsen smiled at the tho...

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“Sapiosexual” by Blane Britt

Submitted to Contest #50

I basically had a temper tantrum because I accidently burned her grilled cheese sandwiches and she was trying to give me advice and be helpful. I slammed the spatula down and told her that she could do it explicitly herself and went to our bedroom with thoughts of mentally, spiritually and intellectually killing her.I tried in vain to explained to Mrs. Rolanda Outhouse that I have issues with me being sapiosexual. I’m someone who is sexually and mentally turned on by smart people.Yet she’s so physically beautiful that even dudes and chicks i...

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“The Answer is in the Sky” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #50

The Answer is in the Sky So I was back in the tree house again, Lord over all I surveyed. Well at least the backyard anyway, where I sat alone over an uncut lawn and a garden that had needed weeding for quite sometime So many happy times I’ve had here. So much looking up at the sky and letting my imagination run like a wild horse in a meadow as I watched the clouds and gave their shapes names. Named the birds too, and I learned to recognize pretty much each one by sight as it flew by. This treehouse was my retreat, ...

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“Don’t Call Me Stupid” by Samantha Salomon

Submitted to Contest #50

“Karen almost shot a man before. She told me that in the moment she could have pulled the trigger and felt nothing.”“She is such a weird lady.”“Not really. Let me finish the story. One day, after Karen had just got married, she was out checking on the cows, and a truck pulled up. It was a matte color grey like the paint had all been sanded off and it was left with just a base coat. You know what I’m talking about. The truck had a white stripe up the center of the hood. It’s something you would have recognized a mile off. There weren’t doors ...

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“Tertium” by Brammy Rajakumar

Submitted to Contest #50

Tertium “Hey, kid, get back here!” Clutching the newspaper to my chest, I ran through the neighbors’ well-kept yards, dashing towards the truck idling at the curb. My breath sawed in and out of my lungs, but my feet kept pace. “Kid!” His voice grew closer. “Kid, how many times are you going to try to get this paper? I forbid you to do so! Bring it back to me!” I knew I should save my breath for running, but the retort escaped my lips against my will. “Oh, wow, you forbid me. Nice one; you can’t forbid&nbsp...

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“Lost & Found” by Caroline Eddy

Submitted to Contest #50

“June bride always a bride,” Felix says cheerfully, holding up the umbrella a little higher, as Harry asked. He watched the young woman he was shading from sun glare adjust the flower girls, her bouquet, her new husband’s boutonnière, as Harry walked backwards into place. Harry laughs lightly, raising his camera again. “On the hottest day of the year no less. At least the flowers are still pretty fresh today, and nobody’s wilting yet.” “At least the little ones are well behaved,” Felix adds, “I would have run off by now if I were them. Had...

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“A Speech to Remember” by Shruti Thorat

Submitted to Contest #50

'Please welcome on stage Manish Shinde, from 10th B.'A scrawny looking kid pushed past me with the confidence I could only muster up in my imagination.I could hear the crowd cheering for him, as he started speaking. It was 14th August, a day before Independence day. Every year my school hosts an event on this day for students to celebrate India's freedom from British rules. Now, as much as I love to celebrate 15th August, with my friends. At that moment, I felt like puking, no scratch that, I wanted to puke or faint so my teacher w...

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“Golden” by Quill Porter

Submitted to Contest #50

Grey eyes looked longingly through the large stained glass. There stood a hand mannequin, elegantly posing and advertising a golden glittering ring. It was the late evening in December nineteen, Della stood in front of the jewelry store with freezing hands cupped to her face. Her tattered brown trench coat billowed as the cold breeze blew. Inside, she wore a simple green button-up shirt and blue jeans. Her brown boots dug into the snow piling up on the sidewalk. Della rubbed her bare hands as she continued to stare. Peop...

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“The Purple Bumper Pursuit” by Brittany Gillen

Submitted to Contest #50

The chase started because Milo was deaf. Teddy and Milo were listening to music in Teddy’s bedroom on his MP3 player, and they were in the middle of an argument over the volume level. Milo wanted to turn it up to eleven, and Teddy kept trying to convince him that if they didn’t turn it down his mom would come in and take it away. As predicted, Teddy’s mom opened his door and pointed to the player in Teddy’s hand. “Too loud boys,” she yelled. “You couldn’t even hear me knocking on the door!”...

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$50

Prize money

940

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 17, 2020 EST

Won by Emily Hemmings 🏆

Title: Life in the Trees

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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