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#54 Second Chances

"Third time's the charm."

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

The English language is full of aphorisms that get at a universal truth: human beings aren't perfect, and oftentimes we need to keep trying (and trying again) in order to get something right.

This week's prompts all revolve around the theme of second chances. Whether your characters are circling back to something from their past, getting a start on something they put off for a long time, or simply in the process of learning after a swing and a miss, we're looking forward to the 'second acts' you come up with!

And speaking of layered characters, on August 12th, bestselling novelists Caroline Leavitt and Gina Sorell are hosting a free webinar on creating believable characters. RSVP here!

🥇 Winner

Where the Water Meets the Sand

Winner of Contest #54 🏆

My mother almost drowned me once. My pudgy fingers were wrapped around a sapphire, a blue glass jewel caressed to smoothness by a century of waves. I had spied it resting on a dimple in the sand. I wondered at the shard’s origin; perhaps a pirate’s goblet or the perfume bottle of an exotic, sunken princess. The slap rang in my ear before I felt the heat spread. I raised my hand to my face, too late to shield my stinging cheek. She snatched my treasure from the sand where it had dropped and hurled it in a high arc back into the waves. My moth...

632 likes

196 comments 196

⭐️ Shortlisted

Her Beautiful Hands

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

Her hands were pitch-black now, but they had not always been.The bus lurched on the iron bridge crumbling apart. It stumbled on the bumps of the road like an infant learning to walk. She would have clutched the armrest to reassure herself that she would survive the journey, but between the residual dirt and sweat left like a legacy by previous passengers, and the old man subtly trying to shift closer to her, she remained indecisive.“Going to work?” an old lady enquired, elbowing the old man as she spoke. He smiled sheepishly and shifted away...

96 likes

The Little World

A.Dot Ram

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

I The first thing she saw when she landed was the sun filtering through tall, still blades of grass. Eerily still, as if the wind had just stopped. Already this made her think she was in a dream. So it didn’t surprise her that the second thing she saw was his face. It had skittered through her dreams before. Roland, one antenna leaning roguishly askance, just as it had long, long ago before the two of them had even shed their last juvenile exoskeletons. She blinked her small, black eyes and drank in the warm, damp air. Roland’s mou...

53 likes

Yukgaejang

Aidrielle R.

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

The regular patrons were present: mostly old Cheongsando locals, their skin darkened by hard labor under the heat of the sun. Hyerin recognized almost all of them as she sang in the makeshift stage at Mama Choonhee’s restaurant. Soft music piped in from the old speakers, so different from the upbeat tunes Hyerin was forced to sing when she was younger. Her mother had always said that her voice was much more suited to ballads.The patrons were swaying and clapping along while having their lunch--mostly variations of yukgaejang, the spicy ...

42 likes

IN MY BLOOD

Jo S.

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

“Five,” Pops says, holding out his dirty palm to the customer. She looks up from her phone momentarily before dropping some coins into his hand. She was expecting a few more words from him. The corner shop bell dings as Phone Lady leaves. “Five dollars,” I correct him. “Of course dollar. What else? Koruna? Everyone know dollar,” he huffs at me. “It sounds a bit rude if you only say ‘five’,” I scold. Gently, though, I don’t want him to start yelling. Pops ignores me and turns back to his book. I sigh audibly to show my...

24 likes

Second Chances, Sponsored by Budweiser

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

“Annnnnnd,” Tr8z, the smooth-talking announcer with the high-shine platinum pompadour let the words linger until the electricity in the room grew thick enough to make our hair stand on end. “....It looks like Dy&n has struck out again! Unlucky in love and on Second Chances.” The camera panned over and zoomed in on Dy&n, whose wrinkled leather lips shook with heartbreak. “I need to try again. Please!” She gripped the announcer’s sleeve, and her body went rigid. Her eyes bulged and she sputtered like an h-craft engine before keeling o...

22 likes

This week's prompts

Write a story about high school sweethearts coming across one another after many, many years apart.

Romance – 283 stories

Write a story about someone going back to school as a mature student.

High School – 88 stories

Write a story about someone looking to make amends for a mistake.

Adults – 222 stories

Write a story about someone struggling to learn a skill that in no way comes naturally to them.

Funny – 154 stories

Write a story about a TV show called "Second Chances."

Novel – 108 stories

Stories

Where the Water Meets the Sand

Winner of Contest #54 🏆

My mother almost drowned me once. My pudgy fingers were wrapped around a sapphire, a blue glass jewel caressed to smoothness by a century of waves. I had spied it resting on a dimple in the sand. I wondered at the shard’s origin; perhaps a pirate’s goblet or the perfume bottle of an exotic, sunken princess. The slap rang in my ear before I felt the heat spread. I raised my hand to my face, too late to shield my stinging cheek. She snatched my treasure from the sand where it had dropped and hurled it in a high arc back into the waves. My moth...

632 likes

196 comments 196

Just Give Him a Second Chance

Aerin Rebecca ✨🌈

Submitted to Contest #54

“Just give him a second chance!” Paxton pleads.“Never!” I cry. “Mark will die in those chains tomorrow!”I dramatically point to the left floor, where Levi sits, hunched over his bound limbs. Paxton approaches me. “But why?!”“You know why! He killed my sister, my beloved Isa. Now he will pay the price!”“It was an accident!” Paxton exclaims. “If you give him a second chance, Mark’ll fix this, I swear!”I snarl. “You can't fix dead, Vayd. Mark’ll be done for in a day, and you’ll join him if you don’t leave!”Paxton’s eyebrows pinch together....

201 likes

223 comments 223

The Heart of the Matter

Aerin Rebecca ✨🌈

Submitted to Contest #54

“POETRY SUCKS!”The shout finally bursts out of me as I grab my paper and try to dramatically slam it down. It generally flutters to the ground, so I groan, pick it back up, and rip it into shreds of failed poetry.“Zeke,” Samara sighs, “poetry does not suck.”“Does so!”“Does not!” She huffs.We exchange arguments for a couple moments—because my best friend and I are just so mature at fourteen years old. “Poetry sucks,” I repeat, “and you can’t change my mind on that.”“Poetry is an amazing art of expressing your emotions. Why do you hate it...

177 likes

175 comments 175

Bright Yellow

Alby Carter

Submitted to Contest #54

Red. The strawberries you hand-picked from your garden. I always pick the not-quite-ripe ones, but you have a sixth sense for the perfect fruit. You'd wanted to grow your own strawberries since you were a teenager and learned about all the chemicals that are put into mass-produced ones. You decide to eat just one while you wait for me. It's delicious. You've read all the books on gardening. You know all the tips and tricks. The strawberry melts in your mouth and blends perfectly with the hot summer's day. Yellow. The blanket you're lyi...

148 likes

Grey Clouds

Deborah Angevin

Submitted to Contest #54

To Bella, Did you remember the sunset that we last saw together, the sunset that caused your death? Did you know that the dazzling orange colour changed to a night filled with grey clouds, just a moment after you breathed your last breath? Yeah, of course, you wouldn’t know that. You would’ve been dead by then. Anyone who had seen the scene would know that you died right away. Your blood formed a huge puddle that filled up the ground. The blood continued to flow from the back of your head, even when you already closed your eyes. ...

148 likes

253 comments 253

The Secrets Women Keep

BeInspiredAbstracts/Etsy SarahGreenwood

Submitted to Contest #54

After seven years of marriage, Linda fell in love. It was the first time she had been to work in months. Since the quarantine started, everyone at the firm had been working from home, many of them left the company altogether. Being back at work was a little nerve-wracking but she was happy to be out of the house, away from Joe and the baby. Of course she loved them, but she needed her space too. She was sure many marriages were being put to the test amid this isolation.She was the senior consultant at a reputable...

145 likes

Poison

Lynn Penny

Submitted to Contest #54

Sometimes relationships are only meant to stay for a season.The rain should only fall when the earth needs it, for the dam can only hold so much.If one is too selfish and takes more than they can hold, their dam will crack and all will flush away.The wedding band on his finger shone brightly in the sun, a constant reminder of his life’s best decision. A union of the greatest things his life had to offer was wrapped up in a perfect bow.He woke up to greet his beautiful wife, her scent being the most intoxicating smell in his world. Lie there ...

134 likes

Sometimes Normal isn't Natural

. .

Submitted to Contest #54

Sometimes Normal is strange. Sometimes I dream of hearts stout and brave. Like muffled noises of beating drums. Sometimes I sense falling asleep is wrong. I’ve seen old ships sail like dead swans in a lake, I’ve seen water cry in pain, I see all the pain inside my dreams. At night I disobey my curfew. It’s normal, I suppose. I always end up sleeping, but the lack of sleep haunts me. I’m only twelve, sleeping’s overrated I believe. Or I used to believe- nowadays I try, but at max, if I’m lucky I’ll get two hours per night.I was scared, fear s...

132 likes

145 comments 145

The Brightest Stars

Doubra Akika

Submitted to Contest #54

“Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing-” Benjamin Alire SáenzPeople do bad things, but some people make one mistake that changes everything. The mistake consumes them. I am some people.Scars were a sign that you had been hurt, but you had healed. Scars fade, but they remind you of what had happened. She didn’t have scars because her wound was fresh. It never got time to heal. Three years had passed, but it didn’t matter how much time had passed when her wound was cut open so frequently.…….“Davina, would you like to explain the assi...

118 likes

108 comments 108

Julian Fairthorn

Submitted to Contest #54

Hi guys! Batool here. For those of you who haven't read "You and the train" and "Zita" already, go and read those two first and then read this one. I'll gladly wait:)Monster. Monster. Monster. You are a monster. What else can you be? A person who lost his parents, his siblings, his family, his wife, his relations, all because of his vicious nature. What else can he be called? There is blood, a lot of it. And, then there is Zita. Despite being bruised all over, a weak smile blossoms over her face as she whispers, "Jules, it isn't...over." And...

116 likes

Lies

Submitted to Contest #54

Lies. The little monsters that haunt us every night. Keep us away from feeling good. Induce guilt in our hearts. Once they are released, you can never take them back. Lies are like bullets. When you pull the trigger, the bullet will fire. You cannot reverse your action. The bullet will strike your adversary. But sometimes, our hand slips, and we pull the trigger by mistake. Instead of hitting our foe, we hurt a companion. I didn't mean to do it. I really didn't. I told myself these words every night in hopes of pacifying the pain. But...

99 likes

Her Beautiful Hands

Shortlisted for Contest #54 ⭐️

Her hands were pitch-black now, but they had not always been.The bus lurched on the iron bridge crumbling apart. It stumbled on the bumps of the road like an infant learning to walk. She would have clutched the armrest to reassure herself that she would survive the journey, but between the residual dirt and sweat left like a legacy by previous passengers, and the old man subtly trying to shift closer to her, she remained indecisive.“Going to work?” an old lady enquired, elbowing the old man as she spoke. He smiled sheepishly and shifted away...

96 likes

Grace

Submitted to Contest #54

The sun lies dappled on the casual, drifting reuland leaves, a rare and beautiful sight, but all it does is make you lightheaded and sick. The leaves are bright green, poison-green, and shiny in the merciless light. Around you are the crackling of heavy footsteps through the brush, and singsongy, whispering Clan chants, and the occasional swish of a blade through the underbrush. Everyone’s feet move in silent, brushing Indian steps across the leaf-covered forest floor. Your father’s hand is on your shoulder, heavy and warm, and you want it t...

95 likes

The Bright Side

Submitted to Contest #54

As his drinking buddy Agarwal had recommended (in an effort to stop a drunk Rastogi from jumping off the ledge), Rastogi tried to find the bright side of getting fired.For one, he wouldn’t have to see his intellectually inept colleagues anymore. Anybody above him was a rich man buying his way upwards; anybody working with him was just someone to bear with until he fought his way to success.He was sure, for example, that if he had met Joshi in the pub rather than the office, they would have hit it off immediately. But they both had work to do...

94 likes

124 comments 124

Good Friends Are Important

Avery G.

Submitted to Contest #54

Present day. I messed up. I messed up so badly.Alexandra Maffindale was locked in her room. She was sitting on her bed, desperately trying to figure out her life. I can’t go back. She thought. I’ve made too many mistakes. A knock on her door made her start up quickly.“Alex?” A voice asked. “You there?” There was silence for a moment.“Yeah.” Alex whispered. Then she said louder. “Yeah. I’m here.”“Olivia is on the phone. You wanna talk to her?”“No!” Alex yelled.“Whoa, okay. Dinner’s in 10 minutes.”Alex heard footsteps walking down the stairs. ...

93 likes

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Contest #54

This contest has ended. Thank you for your submissions.

$50

Prize money

855

Entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 14, 2020 EST

Won by Mollie Rodgers 🏆

Title: Where the Water Meets the Sand

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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