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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

“Different Moments of Our Lives” by Avery G.

Submitted to Contest #50

1. Hannah AbbotsonI was walking in my favorite park. It was close to sundown, and the beautiful sun was slowly drifting down towards the horizon. I was walking my dog, named Todo. He was a small, cute dog⎯easy to take care of. But, he pooped a lot. We had to walk him every day.I was leisurely walking, when there was a couple in front of me. They were the kissy kind, every second smooching. It was⎯interesting. Cool. I quickly looked away.I am 12. My parents think it’s good for kids to be independent, so they give me certain privileges that ot...

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“Killer Chase” by Authoring Studio

Submitted to Contest #50

August glanced nervously behind him. He was running out of time and energy. However, he could not give up running at such a crucial point of time.His black, silky, wavy hair bounced repeatedly, blocking his beautiful brown eyes. Sparkling beads of sweat flew from his tall, lanky body. His breath was coming out in wheezes now, but he didn't care. His survival mattered more.He looked behind him once more. There was a complete mob of people after him now.A familiar voice shouted out to him, "August! Come back here!"Yep. His mother was chasing h...

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“The Drama Production” by Niveeidha Palani

Submitted to Contest #50

I grab my files from the locker and slam it shut. I am getting late for History class and Mrs Santos is a nightmare if you come late to class.I wipe the sweat glistening on my forehead, and hasten up my pace."Cassandra! I was just looking for you. May I have a word?"I look up tensely, hoping it's not Mrs Santos. But it's not. It's my sixth-grade teacher from last year, Ms Malory. "Ms Malory!" I gasp.She smiles and pats my hand. "Would your teacher mind if I took you for a minute?""Um...sure?" I manage a fake smile as the teacher steers me aw...

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“Afra and Gervassi Get Lost” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #50

They arrived at the campsite around two in the afternoon the next day and set up their tents together, one beside the other. It was a nice view, Gervassi thought, and he was always up for a conversation. He thought he had a type, see. The short and soft blonde girls with crystal clear blue eyes and laughing, twinking voices that made him melt faster than butter in July, those were the ones he thought he’d end up with, but now… now there was Afra and any kind of notion was shattered. He had this pull to her. It was something over...

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“Supersonic” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #50

A rock hit the window. Callee rose from her bed and peered out between the curtains, but there was no one there. She sat back down and frowned. Who would dare to come to her house? It was almost twelve AM. Not to mention the fact that the whole world was undergoing a pandemic. Callee yawned and buried her face in her pillow. What an awful week. What a very bad, good for nothing, lousy, terrible... Another rock hit the window and she jumped up. She pulled the blinds apart and peered again into the dark night. She could turn the porch light on...

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“Rebuild Those Memories” by Orenda .

Submitted to Contest #50

Summer has begun…okay.I’m not fond of this season. The clouds, to all intents and purposes, curse us with raining cats and dogs, almost at any random time as if bawling like a two year old kid. Furthermore, I loathe how clothes stick to the body with sweat, the stench of stale moisture walking in and following me everywhere.Lord!Fine, fine, enough of blustering! Cute cotton ball-like clouds dot the light blue sky that drift lazily in the breeze. A grin like a Cheshire cat plays on my lips as I tilt my face toward the sky, shutting my eyes an...

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“Siblings and Gang” by Orenda .

Submitted to Contest #50

Clenching my hands hard until the knuckles turn white, I watch Yash squeeze his petite frame through a tiny window and plop onto a heaped blanket of white flurry right below the window. “Eliza, where are we going?” He asks with innocence laced in his tone. “Somewhere,” I say, reaching over to envelope his cold hand in mine and pull him towards the dense woods that expanses across a vast area of land behind our house, “let’s not waste any time.” Thick sheets of snow sheathe the tall trees and the earth, obscuring any green...

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“The Navy Blue Chevrolet” by Nandan Prasad

Submitted to Contest #50

The navy blue Chevrolet was parked right outside the Metro Cash and Carry supermarket. On the first glance, nothing seemed wrong with it. But if one looked at it for even another second, they would know something was wrong.It was hard to pinpoint what that was. It was nothing too conspicuous, like a broken headlight or a flat tire. No, it was just the subtle aura that seemed to surround the car. It was like a little pool of poison, slowly spreading, growing larger, seeping into everything it touched.It was no surprise that the parking spaces...

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“Treehouses and Friends” by Avery G.

Submitted to Contest #50

“Thud. Thud. Thud.” The hammer bounces up and down while I hammer a nail into place. It goes all the way in, but it’s sort of bent.I hammer it on the side, trying to straighten it out, and it works. Well, a little bit.I sit up. I look around at all of my handiwork. Almost done. I thought to myself. I’ll take a break now.I stand up, careful not to bang my head on the ceiling, and use the ladder to get down to the ground. It’s a standard metal ladder, the kind you would use to get to the roof of your house or something.I’m on the ground. ...

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“Here In The 'Present' Moment” by 🎀 Ɪᴍᴀᴀɴ ᴋʜᴀᴋɪ 🎀

Submitted to Contest #50

“Good morning, everyone,” says the teacher standing in front of the class.A few people mumble “Good morning,” in reply. The man raises his eyebrows in slight surprise, as if he hadn’t expected an answer from anyone at seven o’clock in the morning. “Welcome to Biology 101,” he continues. “I hope you all had a fun summer break. My name is Mr. Astor, and I will be your teacher for the duration of this year. Any questions before we begin?”The class is silent now, and I take the opportunity to look around and estimate how many students there...

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“Life Partners . . . ?” by Shivani Manocha

Submitted to Contest #50

“Eeeevery night in my sleeeep,I dreeeeam of beeing proposed,in Paaaaris by the man I, loooove,and who loves me, back of cooourse!T-ddd t-dd taa da taa daa . . .”I like to hum while preparing coffee in the morning. I think with the right guidance, I can definitely be one of the greatest singers to go down in history.I also like beholding the world around me, taking it all in as I breathe, and experiencing everything I come across in life deeply; it’s a very poetic talent. I enjoy observing the road outside my home through my kitchen window ev...

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“The Bakery Case” by Akshat .

Submitted to Contest #50

Max Wilson and Harry Cooper were just 2 normal 11-year-olds, with exceptionally good investigative skills. They had nothing to do after school except to hang around in their treehouse. What they expected would be a boring summer vacation, would turn out to be the most memorable moments of their 11-year life. As our to-be-heroes sat in their treehouse at noon, using their binoculars for bird-watching, while most of the residents of their town were asleep, a robbery was happening across town. The police were baffled: The robbery had abs...

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“Emotions And Summer Afternoons” by BRoOkE HAs A COwBoY HAt

Submitted to Contest #50

I looked up at the ginormous oak tree standing above me and grinned. It was beautiful. But nestled about halfway up the tree sat my treehouse. And that made it the best tree out of all of the trees.Making my way up the ladder, I was starting to get even more excited. This would be the first time I had ever been in it. Dad had just finished it, anyway.When I got to the top, there was a little landing and then a door to get inside. I took a step forward and opened the red door. I frowned; there was another door. Then another...And another...An...

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“All Because of the Ladder” by 🐬ᴬᴬᴹᴱᴺᴬ ᴷᴴᴬᴷᴵ🐬

Submitted to Contest #50

I sigh, staring viciously at the 10 year old chipped hammer that rests in my sore hands, wishing I were offered nails which weren't as rusty as these. With the sun beating mercilessly on my back, I go back to work. The wood that we have is limited, but we have enough for a treehouse, provided we make no mistakes. I should know because I'm a math geek. That's what makes me different from all the other kids at school. I pounded on the nails, trying to ignore the fact that I'm precariously balanced on one slab of wood that easily breaks. I gues...

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“Venny and the (Space) Jets” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #50

The first spaceship to the planet Bodacious was led by the brave and fearless Captain Miracle Rochester of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It left this morning at approximately five eighteen AM. Captain Rochester left behind her fiance of nine years, Kayden Jewell. They are to be married when she returns from the mission. She also leaves behind her parents and siblings. They will miss her, but they know what a great service she is doing for the space force. Here we have Captain Rochester’s last words before boarding the ship to the planet Bodacious.&...

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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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