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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

“The Fish, the Stork and the Monkey” by Crystal Lewis

Submitted to Contest #54

The sun shone down on the lovely blue lagoon, bathing it in rich, golden sunlight. The wind was gently rolling through the reeds, whispering its secrets to the world. In this peaceful scene, there were two animals.There was the Fish in the waters and the Monkey in the trees.These two animals lived together in peace.Until, one day, the Monkey came down to drink from the lagoon. At the spot where the monkey chose to drink, the Fish was also resting there under a shaft of sunlight that reached down between the waters of the lagoon to the smooth...

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“Remorse” by Jorja Orne

Submitted to Contest #54

July 18th, 2020. That morning, I woke up. I usually got the morning newspaper before drinking my coffee, but that morning, I put it off. I had just worked a 16 hour shift and after I slept I was planning to go get groceries for Carl and I. I took a morning nap before though. Carl ran into my room and put the newspaper on my nightstand so that when I woke up, I’d be able to read it, so that’s what I did. I picked it up and on the front page it said, “Maxwell Baltimore, arrested for insider trading and murder: currently incarcerated at Omaha P...

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“somebody else's spit” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #54

He was not surprised or happy to see me. He looked weary, the skin thinning beneath his eyes and creasing on every corner. I told him, even in high school, that sunscreen wasn’t optional. He never listened, and now paid the price, looking as old and exhausted as he really was. That was partly my fault. We met at Burger King. We were both overdressed. Our pride wouldn’t let us go otherwise. I slid into the booth opposite him and he winced, as if expecting a punch across the table. I smiled, big, bright, harmless. After Kyoto, I was a ...

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“The Silent Strand” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #54

Trigger warning: graphic violence Marcus quieted his breathing as he hid under the bed. The bedroom he was in was massive. There was a four-poster bed in the centre, the walls were white, and there was a massive television. He was grateful the owners of the house had forgotten to turn their television off when they left. The blasting audio made his heavy breathing almost silent in the recesses of the house. He glanced at his watch. Any minute now. Lucy and her worthless husband would be back from their weekly bingo nights. He’d been w...

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“Inferno” by Nandan Prasad

Submitted to Contest #54

Day 1 I nearly killed a person today. To be honest, it wasn’t exactly my fault. I thought the road was completely deserted. Let me start at the beginning. As it neared six’ o clock in the evening, I hurried out to the back streets of my area. They’re usually deserted or crowded with high hippies who believe half the things they see are because of the marijuana they’ve been smoking. It was the perfect cover for what I was about to do. I started off small; just summoning a little flame on my palm. It wasn’t much, just around the size of a fis...

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“Wait for It” by Eve Naden

Submitted to Contest #54

Work ran late, so I didn’t go to the reunion. To tell you the truth, I’d been planning to avoid it since I received the memo on the group chat. I’d only joined the chat because I’d been coerced by the school bully who’d since become a Counsellor for a private company. The irony was not lost on me. All the same, I might have been forced to download an app I barely knew how to use, but I would not go to that reunion, regardless of how many reminders popped up on my calendar. Rather than sitting through hours of porcelain smiles as they remi...

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“Court-esy and Netiquette” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #54

I wish Adrian would stop hurling meteors in my general direction. “Jesus fucking Christ,” I yell across the court once I’ve confirmed I’m in no risk of being vaporized. “Take a chill pill, man. You’re not at a tournament!” Adrian’s smirk bounds over the net to give a condescending pat on my cheek. “Oh, stop being such a wuss.” He winds up—the dreaded neon-yellow fuzzball leaving his fingers to enter the space above his head, his entire frame bending like a pool noodle, his index finger pointing up as if that will help somehow— —befo...

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“Earth from a Different Perspective” by Clara D Berry

Submitted to Contest #54

Yes! I am so excited I have to concentrate on not slamming the door as I leave the Boss’s office. “Guess what?” I beam at Prm, the large fuchsia beast who sits at the desk next to mine.“You got it?”“Yes! I’m to leave within the month. I just have to decide where to go. Any ideas?” I plop down in my worn-out swivel chair and put four of my sixteen neon green tentacles up on the desk.“Well, it can be any of the smaller planets, right? How do you plan to get in? That’s going to be the tricky part.” Prm lifts a small squid from the jar on his de...

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“Back To School” by Deepti Kumari

Submitted to Contest #54

The thing , I was missing, was Yesterday's me. It is not that awesome as you think. School is the place where almost everyone does not want to be. ' Being different from others is my speciality.' I never missed a single day of school till now. I wish, I can go to school even on holidays. I wasn't good enough to be a rank holder. It doesn't matter to me whether others like this or not. One thing I can say about me i.e. I was a complete mess. "I always worried about being judged. Not find good friends who will stand by your side in the time of...

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“The Pin-Drop Man” by B.T Beauregard

Submitted to Contest #54

They’re all looking at you funny like you shouldn’t be here. The strange part is, they’re right, you shouldn’t have come, you expected the reaction but it’s still a shock. People mourn in different ways, some cry, some turn to God, some turn away from God, some die a little inside, and others view the world with a shiny pair of sunglasses, hating everything that stumbles into their gaze. You know it’s all in your head but everyone seems to glare through you, shooting holes in your tattered ego. You shift anxiously in your chair, tr...

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“My Wish Came True” by Akane Tsunemori

Submitted to Contest #54

Huff… huff… huff…I cannot lose her now. I won’t stop. I cannot stop. I cannot get tired now of all times. I saw her after 10 years since middle school. I have so many questions for her. But she looked different from how I remember her. Even if it turns out to be someone else I won’t stop before I know it for sure.A young man is running in a neighbourhood chasing after the glimpse of a girl. She seemed to look like the girl whom he had proposed to in the first year of middle school. They were good friends at that time...

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“Yukgaejang” by 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 ...

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“Writing Chances ” by Anna K Firth

Submitted to Contest #54

The typewriter carriage rattled back. The paper rolled up smoothly from the turning bar. The keys clattered their jangled music, edgy letters punching black into white. &nb...

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“A Place for Everything” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #54

You know the old (and not very complimentary joke) about someone having a “good face for radio”. Well, I’ve been told I have a good voice for television, and I’m not sure that’s much more of a compliment either. Oh, not that I’m against voice-overs, and when it comes to trying to earn some money instead of what I’ve rarely heard anyone actually call resting, it beats pot washing or flogging time shares. Anyway, I suppose partly as a result of my family coming from different parts of the country, ...

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“Temporary” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #54

I never loved my job as a temp at a big tech company, but I didn’t hate it. My boss’s name was Kevin, he had a balding head and kind blue eyes, a real friendly-executive face. Kevin had a habit of pacing around the office and stopping by to talk to people at the watercooler and the printers. Back then I only knew two of the software engineers that worked on my floor, Jay, and Cathy, because their cubicles were across from my desk. On Monday, we all happened to take a water break together, and of course, Kevin spotted us. “Hello Dylan...

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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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