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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

“On the Outside” by Shawnalynn Cromwell

Submitted to Contest #54

Trigger warning: suicide It was so hard for Shawn not to feel the atmosphere of the room – it was cold and calculating and deliberately dispelling. She was in the throws of finishing her final student work term and was nervously excited to do so. It was a hard journey to get to this last work term – between taking “time off” to recover from an illness and then rebuilding a brand-new work term to return to, was mentally exhausting! Not to mention being a mature student. The morning meeting ...

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“No Brick and Mortar school for Debbie ” by Debbie Stelzle

Submitted to Contest #54

In 1975, the year Debbie graduated from high school. Worked at a small nursing home till 1977. Wanting always to be a nurse, so in 1977 enrolled in a Licensed Practical Nurse program LPN for short. A two-year program and earned a diploma in 1979. Debbie worked as a nurse in Long Term care, otherwise known as nursing homes. Always loved working with the elderly, especially those who had Alzheimer's. Working as a nurse for over twenty years, finding great satisfaction in the job. On that day Tuesday, September 11, 2001, is a beautiful cloudles...

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“Back to School ” by Kristopher Kozak

Submitted to Contest #54

Kurt was a veteran of the United States Army and had been stationed all over the world, including three deployments to Iraq, but none of his ventures had worried him as much as his upcoming one, life as a student back in his hometown of Santa Esmeralda, Texas. When he left the West Texas desert and saw the beautiful woods of Fort Benning, Georgia—his first time ever being out of state—he swore he’d never return and live in a desert by choice again. After retirement, the he found himself ...

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“Jeremy” by Vincent Guillemin

Submitted to Contest #54

Not very far from my house, there is a hilly street, sloping gently up and down, shaded by towering pines and bordered with apartment buildings built up in the 70’s, their façades bleached white by the sweltering summer sun, their folding awnings striped beige and brown, the remains of that decade’s peculiar taste. I used to drive through that street on my way to work. I sometimes walk it to the grocery store, pine needles creaking under my feet, cicadas muffling the sound of passing cars, sticky hot air in the summer, scathing cold win...

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“Father” by George Burnett

Submitted to Contest #54

The doorbell chimes its sweet melody, cutting through the sizzle of onions frying on the stove-top. I turn the heat down to low, wipe my hands on a nearby tea-towel, and remove my floral-print apron. Whistling along with the doorbell’s melody and tapping my metal spatula against my leg, I walk across the kitchen and through the hallway to the door. It’s unusual for people to come here so late in the evening, but it could be one of my friends paying me a surprise visit. They do that on days like this. It could also be the postman with a packa...

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“Old Times” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #54

“How do you apologize to someone who doesn’t remember the reason you’re apologizing?” “Is this hypothetical?” Jaylynn asked. “No dammit, it’s a real question.” Bobby said “So…you want an answer?” “I didn’t call you down here for laughs.” “You didn’t call me at all, I come here every week. Where else am I supposed to get my Werthers? At a store? With Money? No thanks.” The old man huffed. She was no relation to him and he wasn’t even sure what her last name was. She used to come by as part of a probation thing but as the time went on an...

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“Poems and Penitence” by Rocky Hirajeta

Submitted to Contest #54

Juvie wasn’t hell. It was bearable. Barely. Everyone—her momma and her sister and kids from school who’d never given a damn about her before—had approached her with shining eyes and earnest voices, telling her to be careful, keep her head down, don’t get on anyone’s bad side. Like it was a state penitentiary or somethin and not Poskins County Junior Jail. Junior Jail wasn’t the real name. Duh. But juvenile was a juvenile word and detention sounded too much like school. Like they were in time-out. It was time out, all right. Time out from ...

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“The Cost of a Second Husband” by Felicity Edwards

Submitted to Contest #54

The email popped onto the screen unexpectedly. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets too! The sender was my ex-husband of twenty-one years ago. Curiosity got the better of me. Although I was at work, I had peeped into my personal inbox. Do I read it immediately or wait until I get home? Yes, you are right. I looked. What a strange reaction, I suffered a panic attack as I read it, the palpitations, the rapid breathing the whole shebang. My commonsense mind looked on in wonder, what is all this about? You walked out on him all those years...

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“Useless” by Achor

Submitted to Contest #54

A man stood on the corner of a deadly silent and dark street. A distance away, he heard a train pass. Slowly yet surely it made its way across the land humming every so often as if reassuring someone of its presence. The man reached for a watch in his pocket but glanced at it only for a moment before hastily putting it back and looking around. The strange man wore a black suit with black pants and had on an all-black wristwatch. In fact, the only thing that he did wear that wasn’t black was his top hat, which even then was a very dark g...

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“Second Chances” by Shelley Johnson

Submitted to Contest #54

I am 41 years old, recently divorced, unemployed, and living in a new Province. The universe has given me a second chance for a re-do, 21 one again, with 20 years’ experience. How exciting. I fell asleep one night in a world I was familiar with, having lived in it for 41 year and woke up (or did I) in a reality I can only describe as Augmented or Virtual. If I bought in to conspiracy theories, I would believe that the world as I knew it ended and AI (artificial intelligence) had taken over, my physical body in storage, on...

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“Ralphy In The Rough” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #54

It’s spring and my new master is Insane (that’s his name) and insane (his mental state). My name is Ralphy and I am a pure bred, grade A, male, unneutered chihuahua. At my old home, I won first prize four years in a row as a toy dog in the annual dog show. Then, as happens with winners who are getting older, I got sold. This is normal. Usually we’re sold so we can mate with females, with similar characteristics, so we can make puppies, which can be sold for a lot of money.&n...

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“Total Reset” by Lee Jay

Submitted to Contest #54

My anxiety rose as I awkwardly sat, legs akimbo, knees a mosaic of blue. While sucking a painful gulp of air I convinced myself I fell for a reason. I would get back up with something more than what I had when I fell, and it wouldn't only be the dirt on my pant legs. I grasped for a melody of bravery, yet no lyric I could remember seemed appropriate for this moment. Then it occurred to me that the reason no words fit was they had not been written yet. I gracelessly shuffled to my feet. A topsy turvy toddler in his father's shoes would have h...

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“Out of the Fire into the Frying Pan” by Muntaqa Bari

Submitted to Contest #54

The smell of burnt bacon filled the kitchen. “Luke,” said his mother in an exasperated tone. “How many times have I told you that you don’t have to cook for us anymore?” “Counting this one, 14 times,” his little sister chimed in. “You’re actually keeping track, aren’t you?” asked Luke, half annoyed and half impressed. “Don’t worry, Mom, with a little more practice, I’ll get the hang of it.” “But you don’t need to get the hang of it,” said his mother. “You know I’m perfectly fine with preparing breakfast for you guys.” “...

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“Hosted by Kendra Derkins” by Nataleigh Sandberg

Submitted to Contest #54

"Olyvia, I swear--" Sally Derkins said through clenched teeth. Olyvia gave her a sheepish smile."Sorry, miss, it happened again, I know, but I can fix it, just hold still-"Olyvia's thick Welsh accent rang through Sally's ears like a train whistle- high and annoying. Although, Sally only found her voice annoying when she was annoyed with her."This company's a real jerk, I need to bring this to the attention of the studio-""You know what, that will be fine, thank you," Sally said, irritated, standing up and ripping her apron off. She peered in...

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“Second Chances ” by Kristopher Kozak

Submitted to Contest #54

I After the coronavirus pandemic and the fucking murder hornets, the police protests in the name of equality, the natural disasters, and the world wide blackouts, everyone knew that the end was no longer near, it was here. As expected, people all over the world had began to panic. They rioted and looted. No longer had toilet paper and hand sanitizer been a priority. Clean hands and asses didn’t matter as much when people needed energy and food. The scramble for sustained shelf life sustenance, solar panels and gasoli...

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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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