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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

“Man Boss” by Phillipa Royer

Submitted to Contest #50

Ronan sat at his desk,"{| in the little closet that he called his office. The desk had a huge grease stain, his laptop, a desktop phone, and a“Man Boss” desk plate. A flickering bulb hung from the ceiling. Without it, there would be no light in the room. His eyes were squinting, he forgot his computer glasses in his car, as he looked at the screen.“Goddamn 18-19 business taxes,” he muttered to himself. 5 minutes into filing the taxes and he was sick of it. He shut his laptop and propped his legs up on the desk. It was nearing the end of the ...

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“If You Love Me” by Sydney Whitham

Submitted to Contest #50

"There's no way we can make it through after all that you've done," I said as tears filled my eyes. “Lydia, please,” his voice cracked as he spoke, tears brimming his eyes. “Don’t do this.” With a strangled cry, I snapped at him, “I’m not the one doing this! This,” I motioned between the two of us, “is all your fault. If you had any ounce of self-control, we would still be happy and okay.” Tears fell down his cheeks as he whispered, “I don’t wanna lose you.” I angrily wiped the tears from my eyes as I coldly said, “It’s too late, Elias. ...

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“The Weight You Carry” by Rhianna Gately

Submitted to Contest #50

Unable to ignore the heaviness of humidity any longer, you slowly bend down to carefully place the heavy box on the little square landing in front of you. Hovering over the package draped with a lemon-coloured, fleece blanket, you fold into a hunched squat. You place your elbows on your knees and rest your chin on your hands; fingertips just barely brushing your lashes as you blink, covering the dark shadows under your tired, heavy eyes and leaving only the bright blue iris and pale skin visible that hasn’t yet started to wrinkle. With one b...

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“Two Curtains Before the Last ” by Rachele L.

Submitted to Contest #50

When he was eight, Stanley Platt saw waving angels in the powdery white curtains his mother hung. They were quiet and pretty, and sometimes, they’d whisper little prayers as he ran through the house. On summer days, they brought back inside hints of magnolia, honeysuckle and sunlight. In the winter, they hibernated and smelled of crisp, clean starch. When his mother left, Stanley watched the curtains grow dirty and when they waved, they were grimy ghosts that brought in the odors of stale car grease and burnt meat from his father’s grill. Mr...

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“Pick Your Battle...” by M Solarova

Submitted to Contest #50

“Can I interest you in the dessert menu? The the special this week is a single-origin chocolate mousse.” Our server asks. “None for me thanks, but I’d like another Mule please,” Miles points to his near-empty glass. “For me as well, please,” I say. “Excellent, I’ll be right back with that,” she says, making notes on her pad. “Hey, do you wanna go see this pop-up exhibit downtown? Sean went and he said it’s really cool! It’s a look at the ways mainstream media has portrayed women over the last century and–” UGH. “How that tracks p...

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“a cub scout star is born” by Walt Landers

Submitted to Contest #50

Mrs. Conley was a clever lady. She even seemed to enjoy the noisy little boys who showed up after school for their den meeting. She always looked happy. She wore those plastic rimmed glasses, and and her light colored hair was curly with a maroon scarf tied to keep it neat looking. Mikey liked going to school in his uniform. He had a special hanger for it in his closet, and draped the yellow bandana over the neck. It was a nice dark blue, long sleeved shirt with 'cub scouts' embroidered in yellow thread. on one pocket...

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“The Moment of Truth ” by Benjamin Moss

Submitted to Contest #50

The Moment of Truth “And now…. Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for… here to give you a great show tonight– give it up for your performer!” [Performer stands backstage, anticipating his time to come on and perform his act. We take a brief moment to enter into his mind and discover what he thinks about before every show.] “Am I nervous? Yes. Will that stop me? Never.” “I have always wondered if people ever consider the feelings they endure the second before they go on stage, propose to their love...

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“The Song of Home” by Vivian Wood

Submitted to Contest #50

Today. It was all about today. The one day when the nerves slid through your body like tiny bolts of electricity, where they bounced off every little nerve making you feel like walking electricity. The stage was set for the performance, but was your mind set? No, the mind was never set until the music started flowing, flowing like the winds of a midsummer day, like a river on the edge of over flowing. Everything was prepared, the stand, the lights, the chair, even the energy of the audience was pulsating throughout the auditorium. The energ...

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“Carla's Pre-performance Jitters” by Sree Pavithra Tadigotla

Submitted to Contest #50

‘Hey!” the man with the pink shirt called me. “Ya wanna interview girls about performance glitters-” “Jitters, actually.” I corrected. “Bah! Whatever! Go there and ask for Carla.” he said, pointing to the backstage. I thought he was being helpful but his smirk told me otherwise. I headed to the backstage in search of that girl. I asked a few people if they knew where she was. Everybody seemed to know who she was but none knew where she was. I walked to almost every room in that area hoping to find her but with no success. In the last r...

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“A ritual backstage ” by A Z

Submitted to Contest #50

30 June 2018, 17:21 A stubborn muscle in his cheek spasmed, and his mouth, apart, expelled one short breath after another like a guppy’s would. As he rolled his fingers back and forth on his temples, he felt his underarms lubricated by perspiration. He felt like he was under water. Julian Lee sat in one of the plastic foldable chairs set backstage of a piano concert hall in Berlin, Germany. To his right and left were other contestants- younger and older, decked out in the usual formal dress or bow tie suit. In the rare few seconds he coul...

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“One More Breath” by Rayana Bhojanapalli

Submitted to Contest #50

It was during the wedding that I was starting to feel a tiny bit nervous about my performance at the reception, but I told myself that it’ll be okay. While I sat through what felt like the longest wedding in the history of weddings, I silently went over the dance steps that my aunt, the bride, and I choreographed. It’s not like I’ve never danced before in front of people, because I have. In fact, I danced the night before the wedding at the formal introduction of the bride and groom’s families that always takes place before an Indian wedding...

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“If Only They Knew” by David Hobson

Submitted to Contest #50

“Me and Jenny are going to the theatre on Saturday night Grandpa. We’re going to see a Beatles tribute band called The Penny Lanes.” My Granddaughter Vicky was so excited to tell me of her first trip to the local theatre without her parents during her weekly visit. “Did you ever see the real Beatles?” “As a matter of fact, yes I did. Once.” “Wow, that must have been great. When? Where? What were they like?” “Well now, I don’t know if I have ever told you before, but did you know I used to work in a th...

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“When Stars Shine through” by Refat J

Submitted to Contest #50

You swing and you swirl with eyes on the charm You swing and you swirl with eyes on the pole Swing out and play hard Duck and… Duck and… ‘Damn it!’ I cussed out in a whisper but Charlie’s irritated look told me it was still too loud. I apologized with my eyes and went back to my chanting. All five of us were huddled in the left wing of the stage, waiting to be let out. Literally. ‘They will fly out like swans!’ The choreographer had exclaimed and all five of us background dancers knew it was going to be a bad idea. Nobody wanted to cling o...

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“The Band” by Jennifer Garcia

Submitted to Contest #50

The room is filled with the banging of drums and the chatter of the excited orchestra group, but it’s nothing compared to the loud staccato beat of her heart that echoes in her head. The discomfort of it makes her skin crawl, and if you add in the churning of her stomach, it’s borderline painful. It’s pretty ironic and funny, although not really, how she refers to this as the song of her body, considering she’s a musician herself; the bass and melody of both composing a unique yet almost symbolic rhythm. The girl takes a slow and deep breath...

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“For Me” by Caitlyn Howard

Submitted to Contest #50

“My name is Matilda Collins, and this is For Me.” I take a breath, set my stance, and say it again. “My name is Matilda Collins, and this is For Me.” My voice is too high. Reedy, like a little kid’s. I picture myself in stilettos and a ballgown, strutting on stage as the audience cheers, and try to speak more deeply, the way the boys do. All the women are jealous of me and all the girls want to grow up to be me. In my future, I’m receiving a Grammy, and Mom’s sitting in the front row, laugh-crying as I’m handed the golden gramo...

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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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