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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

“Until I can hold you again” by Layla Writes

Submitted to Contest #54

“Yes, yes, please make sure the amounts of flowers are correct. I don't tolerate -- Hello? Sir?” I said into the phone before hanging up on the guy. I groaned in anger and quickly walked over to one of my friends who seemed to be a lot more relaxed than I was. “Chelsea, ey! We might need to get a backup florist. The one we hired weeks earlier hanged up on me, can you believe that? If he -” I scolded without even taking a pause to breathe. Chelsea started to motion breathing signs. “Calm down, Blaire.” She said, placing a hand on my shoulder...

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“9 PM on a Thursday” by David H. Fox

Submitted to Contest #54

The funeral ended six hours ago, and I wanted to leave the town as soon as it was possible. They never let me go right after the burial, I had to help them clean up the house and spend some time with the mother. It was my old man, they buried. We weren’t close, as it sometimes happens. He was a lawyer working in his own law firm, and that was all I ever had a need to know about him. I guess it’s easy to figure out that I wasn’t at all sad when they said he passed. Still, out of respect, or else…pity for my mother and little sister, I came al...

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“A Renewed Friendship” by Stuthi Shetty

Submitted to Contest #54

Radhika had been waiting at the Starbucks near her place for the last half an hour. She looked at the time on her watch for the 10th time in the last 15 minutes. It said 4.55pm. Her heart began to beat faster as the clock approached 5pm. Radhika knew that he was never late. She lightly pat her chest to calm herself. It isn’t the first time you’re meeting him! She chided herself. To take her mind of things, she began thinking of something else. The next thing she could think of was her mother. Even though she was only 5 minutes away from her...

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“The Bar at the End of the Lane” by Audene Isaac

Submitted to Contest #54

The bar is as crowded as always, the walls as sticky and tacky as the people filling it. I'm absentmindedly wiping down glasses, putting them away and tacking on my bartender smile, the one that simultaneously draws people in and makes them forget you. A stranger walks in. They're tall and have broad shoulders, and their muscles show through their shirt. I'm vaguely aware that I'm still drying an already-dry glass. He looks across the place, a ghost of a smile on his mouth, becoming on his strong jaw and cheekbones. His full he...

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“Crazy Coincidence ” by Cynthia Leo

Submitted to Contest #54

JAKE Using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, Jake Decker's lip curled slightly as he looked at his handiwork. His smile grew as he slowly gazed around the newly furbished Tiki Island Resort and Spa. From the sleek two-story hotel complex to the ivory-colored stucco villas that overlooked the emerald waters of Galveston Bay, it was magnificent. Running a hand over his sweaty face, he felt a tinge of sadness now that the project was completed. He had come to Tiki Island, a peninsula outside of Galveston, Texas two years ago. Back...

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“Willfully ” by Amelia Pauley

Submitted to Contest #54

Ring ring ring. I answered my phone to stop that horrendous ringing and hear my mom’s smooth, low voice on the other end of the line. “Hi Natalie,” she sang “just calling to check in after last night. How are you holding up?” “I’m fine.” I sighed “We just weren’t meant to be I guess. No surprise there, huh? I’m so incredibly over men. I’m taking a break from the dating world…forever.” I could practically hear her roll her eyes at me. “That’s what you say now sweetie, but by tomorrow you’ll be calling me to...

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“A Last Dance” by Emma Seibert

Submitted to Contest #54

James couldn’t help but be nervous as he stared at the red table cloth in front of him. He tried to distract himself; tried to focus on the smell of roasted peppers and a very strong cheese wafting from the kitchen, tried to focus on the melody the harpist had been plucking out since he had set foot in the restaurant. But he couldn’t keep his mind off the letter. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket, pretending he hadn’t read it before, even though he had practically memorized it over the past week. James, I don’t really know how to star...

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“Memories Back Then” by Imani McDonald

Submitted to Contest #54

“Excuse me would be nice,” Oshun Kingston spat, as she looked down at her champagne glass that had fallen out of her hand and onto the floor as she was bum rushed by a large male causing the contents of her glass to make contact with the freshly polished cherry-wood flooring of the party’s venue. Oshun had flown out from her New York brownstone to Atlanta for her friend, Natalie’s New Years Eve party. She and Natalie had met in high school, and while they remained in touch over the years, they hadn’t exactly seen one another in perso...

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“Amber Was The Color Of Her Soul” by Megan Zimmerman

Submitted to Contest #54

Amber was the color of her soul. And I was lucky enough to have seen it. I was lucky enough to paint it that fateful day in art class. She had waltzed in on a breeze, her rosy cheeks and curly auburn hair turning the eyes of every guy in the room. But she had looked at me, sitting in the back of the class, and smiled back. “Got room for me back here?” She asked. I nodded, sure that there was drool dribbling down my chin. She threw her messenger bag on the floor next to the shared table. She rested her elbows on the table and glanced over t...

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“Dazzling, something.” by Batool Zehra

Submitted to Contest #54

'love' i spoke after two or three minutes of thinking, while staring at the space blue ceiling which had milky ways too. when the room is dark and the blinds are closed, when you lay back on the sofa and let every negative thought flow away from your brain in the universe, it really looks mysteriously like a sky. i dont know whether there were more stars on the blue ceiling or in my black eyes. 'what about it?" my psychologist, in her 30's asked while caressing the edges of her peach new blazer, i can tell it's new by the way it appears, thi...

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“My Heart will always be Yours ” by Keira Dunham

Submitted to Contest #54

The stars shone dimly, the wind blew through the trees, and everything was still but for the seemingly "perfect" high school couple everything was taking a turn for the worst. "Good god Asher! Not everything depends on how people see you! Can't you ever just enjoy your life without worrying how people will see you?" Everleigh screamed at her boyfriend. "Yeah well leigh I don't feel like looking like an idiot! Everyone watches what I do and cares for some reason!" Asher yelled back. "I am so tired of having this same fight with you Ash. I ...

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“Small Mercies ” by Katie McLaughlin

Submitted to Contest #54

Mia was used to the mechanical whirl of the machines that kept her human heart beating. It was easy to sink into the rhythmic pump and gurgle from the grayish tubes suctioned to her papery skin. She was not, however, used to the itchiness that circled the contraption on her chest. It was a small price to pay to live for just a little bit longer. “Ma?” Her daughter’s voice floated through the hazy air. Mia lifted her head and her lashes fluttered as she focused on her only child. “Yes, dear?” Mia rasped, a lifetime of cigarettes a...

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“First Time Last Time” by Leslie Fisher Goodman

Submitted to Contest #54

If it hadn't been for his name tag, I would have walked right passed him and not had a clue who he was; he had changed that much. His face bore the tell tale signs of too much drinking and the strongly compact body I remembered had given way to the paunch that many men end up with. I realize I sound like a bitch saying this. He had to be close to 65 and who was I to judge. The last time I saw him I was 30 pounds less, 30 years younger and too innocent for my own good. My long dark curls was now a grey pixie cut and I tended to avoid mirrors ...

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“The one that got away.” by Rebecca Osiyi

Submitted to Contest #54

(Nosen is pronounced: No-cehn, Tobi – Tow-bee).“Oomph.”Her yelp is muffled by the blue cashmere sweater the person she bumped into dons. Her sling-on purse falls to the asphalt and she stumbles back, tripping on the sandal heels strapped loosely to her feet. All these happen in a second, and she cries in alarm again; she feels her vision blur as her body edges closer to the ground. She doesn’t fall, though, she is caught in a swift embrace. She leans back, and as she looks into those hooded, grey eyes, recognition strikes like a flint match ...

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“Endless Love ” by Manya Seth

Submitted to Contest #54

“I want to be your favourite hello and your hardest goodbye” That’s what Justin said to Emma when he asked her out for the first time in High school. Little did they know that they would actually have to say goodbye to each other someday. Both of them were known to be the most cheesy couple of their high school. Everyone called them ‘Jemma’. They were so in love with each other from the tender age of fifteen . They meant the world to each other . Everyone in their grade wanted to have what they had with someone . Some might say that t...

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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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