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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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!

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 – 223 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

“Bully me no more” by Chub Chub

Submitted to Contest #54

“Hi Mrs. Perskins!” A young man waved vigorously as he hurried through the crowd of kids. An old lady turned around slowly, unsure of the voice and man she saw coming toward her. The man was wearing a blue hoodie and blue pants and seemed older than the crowd around the school. He was catching his breathe as he pushed up his thick black glasses. “I’m sorry young man, do we know each other.” Mrs. Perskins asked. ...

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“Okay, I did it” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #54

Okay, I did It Okay, so I made a mistake. At least, I was willing to admit to it. Of course, I didn’t have much choice in the matter when the invasion started and we were caught flat-footed here on earth. They would have wiped us out. But, I am getting ahead of myself. It all started when Rufus Johnson (who is my best friend in the whole world) and I were walking back from the store. His mother had sent us on an errand. Now, at eleven years old, we are at a strange juncture. Because, you see, we aren’t ...

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“A Dream Come True” by Charm Elizabeth Merchant

Submitted to Contest #54

“Hey, you! Yes, you,” A man in a suit and displaying a huge smile, enthusiastically shouts to the viewer from a YouTube commercial. “Do you ever look back on your life and say ‘if I could do it again, I would do ‘x’ or ‘y’…?” Alan rolled his eyes, thinking just another gimmick, and got ready to click the ‘Skip ad’ notification, but the ‘if I could do it again’ line intrigued him. “Well, this is your chance. Join those who are happy now after coming on our show to get that ‘second chance’ to do whatever it is they did not get to do the fi...

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“Songs of an Old Flame” by Selima Kabir

Submitted to Contest #54

The hospital is packed. On one end of the building, the hospital has cordoned off a section to allow recovered patients to donate plasma. The opposite annex houses the pathology lab for testing. Thousands of people pour in on both of these wings, meaning the ground floor is constantly a swarm of people filtering in and out. As the warnings to wear masks, stay home and socially distance go unheeded, the number of cases are on an exponential rise. It is no wonder that the health systems are struggling to cope. As a result, the hospitals are ta...

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“THE RICH, NEXT DOOR” by Santhra F

Submitted to Contest #54

When he opened his eyes, she was sleeping next to him. Jackson looked at her face. She was drooling and looked like ugly. He thought why did he married her. Once she was pretty and attractive now she is looking ugly and no more attractive. He wake up from the bed. And moved toward his window. He moved his curtain. Opposite to their small building a mansion was there. Evelyn was standing on her balcony, sipping her coffee. She looked so sexy and attractive. He was amazed by her gorgeous look. Then he looked back at her sleeping wife, she was ...

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“The Seven O’clock Train ” by Arianna Noelle

Submitted to Contest #54

~ I wasn't expecting to see you again, but there you were, staring at me as if time was never a measure of how long two people could love each other. ~Running into you in an old, dusty train station wasn't quite how I pictured fate bringing us back together. But sure enough, as I waited for my train to arrive, I found myself staring at a painfully familiar figure in the distance. The figure came closer and closer until I could clearly make out the slender face of a boy I used to love. You're taller now, and your features have matured as well...

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“The mysterious girl” by Laiba Noor

Submitted to Contest #54

Abhishek oh he was The cool dude super handsome boy of the college he was the Prince Charming of every girls and yes he knew about it therefore was proud of it. Ahana is simple but the most intelligent fresher of college she has too many friends , all of them were books in the library as she doesn't like talking much. One night Abhi was wandering in the street and there came a dog and abhi was much afraid of dogs that's why after seeing it he become a statue not moving a bit and trying to push away dog by strange voices then he hear the la...

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“FRIENDSHIP VS. THE LAW” by IAIN STEWART

Submitted to Contest #54

FRIENDSHIP vs THE LAW The vet straightened up. Took a deep breath and looked at John. ‘You were right to call me over. And you’re right about his arthritis. He’s in a hell of a lot of pain.’ John looked at his old friend. The classic country vet. Green Wellington boots, tweed 3-piece suit and deerstalker hat which lay on the hall table. ‘Time to go?’ It was more a statement than a question. ‘Definitely. At least we have that option.’ As he busied himself with the battered case, looking for the tools of his trade, he said Y’know, John, ...

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“Made by Jerry” by Regina Morrison

Submitted to Contest #54

The book hung in the bookstand, the crisp pages trailing in the remains of a cracked egg. Jars of baking powder, vanilla essence, butter all in different degrees of use stood stolidly on the countertop. Dunes of flour lay scattered all over and then there was me, fiercely grappling with a large white mixing bowl and my mom’s ancient electric mixer. “Whisk until light and fluffy,” I read, nose deep in the recipe’s pages, a thin strand of brown hair trailing over one serious eye.“Light and fluffy, light and fluffy,” I breathed over and ov...

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“Not Today Anxiety...not today” by Shauna Woodbury

Submitted to Contest #54

Trigger warning: self-harm The day had begun. Simple. It was early. Maybe 5am. The sun had frozen it’s rusty head in that moment just peaking over the sliver of black cloud from last night’s darkness. It was simple. Breathe. Begin. He was simple. To breathe and begin wasn’t. This endeavor would require movement and initiative. It was early. We know this. Seems simple. One arm, one leg, one eye. Move. Nope not so simple. This will be it. The moment. I will tell him again go. Go now. Simple right? Hand on the door knob. One ...

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“Letter to a Phantom Lover” by Diane Martin

Submitted to Contest #54

Letter to a Phantom Lover Dear Karl, Thank you for visiting my sleep last night. A long-awaited, enchanted gift. For being young, shy, fresh, and untainted. Alive. In spite of the sick, sad condition of this ill-treated world we share, or I assume we share, I would like to imagine you are alive somewhere, under the same sun and moon as I, if not the same leafy shade and blood-stained sunset. So many decades since we exchanged a word or glance—it was never much more than that. Still, there was such enormous longing. The kind of tormente...

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“Confiserie” by Daniel Brown

Submitted to Contest #54

What are the odds of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic? One idiot doesn’t wait to text his mother and rear-ends a muscle car. I was supposed to make a christening, but these car horns surround me instead. I scramble to answer my buzzy phone before someone rear-ends me. My lane shifts forward three inches when I answer. “Elena, traffic is sluggish at best right now”, I explain, “Does shrimp fettuccine work for you?” “If it is served on a square plate with arugula, save it”, Elena replies. She is uptight but square pl...

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“Killer Love” by D. Alfonso

Submitted to Contest #54

Honestly, in all my years of working for the New York Police Department, I had arrested quite a few baddies. Yep, at least one person was serving a life sentence because I had caught them. This one, though, was going to be my crowning glory. I, Detective Alexander, was going to bring in the greatest serial killer of the decade. No, the century. The killer, who everyone nicknamed Thanatos, was responsible for more than a dozen murders in New York alone. There were a few from all over the United States that people thought he’d done as ...

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“The Pilgrimage” by Iam Danger

Submitted to Contest #54

“Sir, let me refill your wine sir. Can I get you anything else sir?” The wine glass was full. I wasn’t drinking it. had been offered so many times, I said yes to be left alone. It did not work. There was always one or two hotel staff hovering, in the event we needed something. I was uncomfortable with the attention, having grown up poor in South Philly. I was uncomfortable with complaining, as I had no doubt the man needed the job and he would be beaten or discharged if I said a word. I wondered if I farted if the young Et...

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“Paid in Advance” by James Shortridge

Submitted to Contest #54

Inside of the cave, there was no movement aside from the water cascading from the moss-lined alcove where it poured. No sound except for the echo of the cascade and the slow drip of unseen water. Below, a sickly green light crept from the bottom of a naturally formed basin and cast shimmering light along the glistening rock walls. Dense gravel, with small to large size rocks packed and trapped within, lined the cave floor as far as the eye could see. Only a small opening far from the waterfall, just wide enough for an average human, let in a...

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$50

Prize money

856

Contest 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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