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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

“Fourth Time Is a Charm?” by Lauren Pagano

Submitted to Contest #50

The first time had been the easiest. Sarah took in the moment in absolute shock- stunned into abject horror as she took in the scene before her.There he sat perched on one knee in all his gangly awkward high school glory, looking up at her with an apprehension only a senior in high school could have while faced with the daunting prospect of proposing. Yes, proposing proposing. The situation looked as absurd as it sounded. Sarah couldn’t understand how this moment arose. Seconds ago Damon had held her Calc 1 textbook in his hands going o...

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“SPRING'S TEEN” by Scott Smock

Submitted to Contest #50

Don't let the title mislead you. This story is my story. I am Zeze. And I am still friends with Mary and Julia. The title alludes to the fact that Mary was born in April, around Easter in fact, and Julia was born in May. And when they were in their early teens, Mary at 14 and Julia at 13, they were in a beauty pageant to find the most beautiful girl born in the USA, 'Spring's Teen'. They were co-winners, and now they were preparing for the final countdown, the final hurrah on Freedom Day. For Mary had been accepted by 'New Haven University' ...

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“The Other Side of the Proposal” by S Smith

Submitted to Contest #50

Theo was getting married. Beautiful wife, smart too, her name was Rebecca, and he loved her dearly. They’d been dating for two years, engaged for a month, not even. No one could believe how quickly they’d gotten married. Everyone was happy, though; they were such a cute couple. It was so obvious that they were in love and happy, most were honestly surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. Oliver was miserable. Oliver had loved Theo for years. Ever since they met, actually. It was in college, they were both majori...

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“THE SURGEON'S LIFE” by Audrey Mary Nyambura

Submitted to Contest #50

You’d think that after twelve years of intense medical school and seven years of practice, I’d be an expert at this already. But no, I’m still sitting here in my office chair staring at my empty cup of coffee, tapping my foot on the floor so hard I’m scared I might break the tiles, counting down the minutes till the nurse walks in and tells me “Doctor Audrey, the patient is prepped and they are waiting for you in the theatre”. The Nation Daily Magazine did a feature on me two weeks ago. What was it they said about me? That I may...

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“Pink Laces and Orange Stitches” by Rachel Esposito

Submitted to Contest #50

Jamie thanked God for the tennis shoes she’d impulse bought last weekend, the ones with the ugly pink laces and orange stitching that Tobias had told her not to get. Forty-five dollars and a significant loss in girlfriend points were the cost. Jamie was pretty sure her new runners might have given Tobias enough reason to finally cheat on her; that, or she was just being pessimistically paranoid again. And those ugly shoes had found their way onto Jamie’s feet earlier this evening, when she’d decided a two-am Sonic run was just the thing sh...

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“Long Past Dawn” by Advik Godbole

Submitted to Contest #50

It was a cold night, I was frantically rehearsing my lines for my play. It was William Shakespeare's "Othello". I played the role of Iago. He was the main antagonist of the play. I had really tried to get into his character in the last few days. I researched everything that people did in Shakespeare's era. I even took an online course in Elizabethan English. I sat by the lit fireplace in my house, basking in its warmth. The play was the very next day and I was very nervous. I kept getting stuck in the fifth act of the play. I would be ...

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“A Moment Like This” by Aisha Makama

Submitted to Contest #50

“Please, just tell me babe,” I plead with David as we come to a stop at a red light. But he only turns around and smirks at me then looks back onto the road. David had been my boyfriend since middle school. It all started as a joke. We were getting teased about liking each other in class because we always did things together. We were just friend at the time though, but nobody believed us. I started to develop feeling for him in the ninth grade, but we started to grow distant from each other at th...

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“Will You?” by Karin Morley

Submitted to Contest #50

You waited to ask her until you were sure. There were many before her who seemed perfect on paper, but were train wrecks in real life. Some people talk the talk very well but don’t walk the walk with any authority, letting life happen to them instead of being in the driver’s seat of their existence. You are not one of those people and neither is she. There is no time in the day when you are not aware of what is going on in your head, witnessing your own thoughts, focusing on ideas you want to grow. You planned for what you know is your desti...

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“The Ghost Between Us” by Sarah A

Submitted to Contest #50

He’s talking a mile a minute when he says, “I know you said no but I just wanted to explain why I proposed—.” Tyler hesitates and I cut him off before he can finish. “It’s okay, I understand.” My voice is sweet, gentle, and I’m trying to calm him down, but I know the only thing that will truly do that is giving him an answer that I’m unwilling to give. “So, can we talk about it?” He should win an award for persistence. He never gives up. “I’m sorry.” I spit out the words before I can change my mind.&nb...

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“Behind Monkey Bars” by Mackenzie Meetz

Submitted to Contest #50

“Somebody, stop him!” I glanced down at the loot I had just stolen and stuffed it in my shirt. After snatching it from the hands of an unsuspecting woman, I darted across the sidewalk away from Second Street. Pedestrians crowded the area, making a quick getaway difficult. I peered over my shoulder only to see a police guard right on my tail. “Stop, thief!” &n...

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“6 Points” by Taryn Holmes

Submitted to Contest #50

The chords of “Brown-Eyed Girl” filled the interior of the truck as I belted along to every lyric. My fingers twitched to the rhythm and I bobbed my head with each musical swell, ignoring the stolen glances from my boyfriend in the driver’s seat. The fifth time he turned his bright green eyes my way, I cracked a smile and exclaimed, “Nate! Keep those eyes on the road.” He returned my smile as I relapsed into the song, “I was just thinking how funny it is that every time we drive in MY car, we always end up listening to YOUR music.” I s...

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“GALWAN” by SHYAMALA BHUVANACHANDRAN

Submitted to Contest #50

Kuppusamy was shocked to read the newspaper. On opening the newspaper in the morning, the first thing that struck him, the very headline was maddening. As many as twenty Jawans were martyred. There was a hush-hush news about it yesterday night in his colony. He ignored it thinking it could be about someone testing positive on Corona. He refused to put on TV and have a first-hand ‘Breaking News’ on it. Daily he had been hearing about COVID-19. No wonder, he was deadly tired of listening to the menace called COVID-19 all the time. It was some ...

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“Running to Lia” by Lubna Alrasa

Submitted to Contest #50

Marie was caught. It was midnight, the full moon was illuminating the tiny village where Marie and her young sister, Lia, lived. She ran as fast as she always did: she was wearing a black tight dress, her long black untied hair covering her back and shoulders. That was Marie usual night routine: dressing to charm the rich men to get a living, or to be more accurate, thieving, for the sake of herself and her sister, Lia, to find anything to eat. Her victim today was a bald man, probably in his early 40s, wearing a grey suit, his suit ...

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“THE BIG DAY” by BATHABILE MTETWA

Submitted to Contest #50

‘Noma are you ready? Your set is up next. Remember, all eyes are on you. You cannot afford to mess this one up; they are all counting on you, let’s go chop! Chop!’ my manager said clapping her hands. ‘Wait!! I just need a minute. I'm not feeling good, I can’t breathe’ i replied clutching my chest. I need to... Before i could even get the words out, I vomited all over the floor, some of the vomit even spattered on my high heels. ‘No! No! No! This can’t be happening I thought to myself’ ‘I don’t feel so well’ i said now clutching...

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“The Nineteenth Day in May” by Tracey Carvill

Submitted to Contest #50

She stood behind the heavy wooden door, trembling. Even through the thickness of the wood she could hear the crowd outside, shouting, chanting, calling her name. Hundreds of people, it sounded like. All there to see her on the stage. She ran her shaking hands over her skirts again. She had chosen her dress carefully; it had to be just right. Bright crimson underskirts beneath a gently gleaming silver brocade, with soft fur trim to the wide neck and the long, draping sleeves. She had to look just right. She had to look like a queen. The l...

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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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