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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

“First Shower” by Swati Mitra

Submitted to Contest #54

It was a midsummer afternoon in Jhimil, Jalpaiguri. The weather was warm and cozy and the quite little village was as pretty as ever. The mild breeze, the frame of faraway hilltops, the faint outline of river Sankosh amidst the green down the slope, the nameless path that stumbles through the rocky slope to end uncertainly into the Sal forest… they all anticipate longingly for admiring eyes in lonely sunsets like this. Whenever Bitan came here he walked to the end of the village to greet this view almost every day. But in general, there are ...

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“I remember ” by Avery January

Submitted to Contest #54

I still remember the first time I saw him. It was August 6th, the first day of school, freshman year of highschool. I was so scared. I didn’t know anyone there. I tried making friends but people looked through me as if I were glass. During lunch I had nowhere to sit, I frantically shuffled my way through the crowd and sat at the edge of the cafeteria. Then, I saw him. And he saw me. He didn’t look through me like the others. He saw me. He was eating lunch with his friends but split from them. I was panicking. Oh god was I panicking. In...

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“The Night” by Dylan Heath

Submitted to Contest #54

Jill wrote in the cafe down the street from her apartment. She shoved her curly red hair underneath an old hoodie and listened to the new Beck album through old headphones. She stared at the screen of her laptop, her chin resting in her right hand. Her left hand rested on her bicep. She picked out a sentence on her keyboard with her index fingers and then immediately erased it. She rested her chin back in her hand and stared at the blinking cursor on the blank page. The blinking slowed down. “Jill…?” Jill didn’t register anyone saying he...

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“Something's Amiss” by Elaine Person

Submitted to Contest #54

Something’s Amiss I really should check my Facebook postings more often. I found an attempt to reach me two years after it was written. There he was. My high school boyfriend wrote me a messenger friend request. Two years ago. Anything could happen in two years at our ages. That’s how busy I was. I never checked. When I finally saw the photo of a man kissing a cat, I said, “Ah, how cute.” Don’t think I haven’t thought about Hal. I left my home state of New Jersey thirty years ago but visited my siblings from time to time. My brother live...

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“Once Again, I Begin” by Rac Relix

Submitted to Contest #54

“It’s been a while!”“Yeah… it has hasn’t it?”I guess that’s how it usually goes when you happen to bump into someone you haven’t seen in a while. In a futile attempt to not appear arrogant, we are compelled by some unknown will to extend our acknowledgement to someone who is, likewise, expected to return the gesture. Compelled to recite those overused lines--mere pleasantries before the inevitable divergence of your paths once again.Sometimes, when I catch the sight of someone I am acquainted with, well or otherwise, the thought of not utter...

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“Catching Up with Old Friends” by Peter Majda

Submitted to Contest #54

I hugged myself, hoping in vain to stay warm as Stanley knocked on the door. As he waited, facing the door, I turned around and walked to the edge of the porch and leaned against a beam, breathing out puffs of snowy clouds. I scanned the street, looking at the rows of red brick bungalows, nearly identical to each other. All of the houses had stoops that led up to a porch. Lots of the houses had planters shaped like white geese, but they were empty because of the cold. “Is he in?” I asked pushing myself off the beam and mincing my way to t...

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“Even the Dead” by R M

Submitted to Contest #54

Even the Dead By Arpie Murphy He knew it would come down to this if the experiment succeeded and was cocksure then. There was now a sense of remorse for putting himself in this mess. He might get his life back by pushing that button. Or destroy everything. He planned suicide. First, donating his body to the field he loved: science. Death would be painless. A ricin pill and some ketamine from the lab. They would find his body in one piece. Foolproof plan, until he came across Theo’s research. He met Lori, a waitress at Finnigan’s, two yea...

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“Mistakes, Mended.” by Jacob Palmilloon

Submitted to Contest #54

Whack! I completely failed to expect the broom to the face. I mean, I expected to get my ass beat, just not milliseconds after opening the door. “Ow! FUCK!” I cursed and held my nose as I toppled backwards from the small apartment I used to share. Well, still shared, technically. I hit the hallway floor and curled up sideways to protect my face as my roommate continued to whack me with a broom. “YOU NEVER EVEN TOLD ME YOU AND ACID SHADOW WERE THE SAME FUCKING PERSON!” my roommate shrieked. God I am so glad I managed to clear out the rest of...

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“Reckless” by Christopher Michon

Submitted to Contest #54

It is two in the morning on a Tuesday night where Scott Freeman, who is an unemployed alcoholic, is sitting alone at the bar stand, deeply staring at himself in the mirror, suppressing his emotions. He drinks his eighteenth shot of Jack Daniels; “Yo bartender, reload.” The bartender walks up to Scott; “I think I’m cutting you off for tonight. I don’t mean to be rude, but the three guys by the table are starting to complain about the smell.” “I don’t give a flying fuck about them; give me another,” Scott screamed. “Sir, I’m only asking you on...

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“Chipped” by Swanilda Franz

Submitted to Contest #54

In front of the altar, I was gazing at a stained glass painting portraying a man leading a flock of sheep in the direction of his pointed staff when I heard the gawky traction of aluminum foil behind me. Madeleine, who was sitting on her bottom on the ground in front of the first row of mahogany seating, had cheetle on her fingers. “What are you doing?” I shook my head, and thrust my wrist toward her grim munch with my palm facing upward. I didn’t know what else to say. Our last conversation had caused three months of her silence. That was...

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“Chinese Proverb” by William McEachern

Submitted to Contest #54

That’s the thing with Chinese Proverbs. There either inscrutable or so dead on that it is uncanny. Take for instance, this one: Wise men fish in the same stream. Seems like good advice, doesn’t it? But it is contradicted by this one: Fools fish in the same bucket. There is one that for me was dead on. But I didn’t know it then: Be careful for what you pray, you just might get it. I had been dating Sam for over a year. Samantha was doubly Sam. First, it was her name shortened. Second, and I liked...

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“The burden i bare. By JB HART” by Josh Hart

Submitted to Contest #54

Trigger warning: domestic abuse THE BURDEN I BARE The middle of the night cracks in. I look at the time as She sleeps next to me. Can't think for even a second before the sudden need for alcohol fills my bloodstream. I can't stand being sober. That’s when the bad thoughts creep into my head like a nightmare I try desperately to get rid of but can never seem to shake. I open the fridge to find it missing from its usual place. That fucking bitch probably moved them thinking “I've been drinki...

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“Running For You” by Jialin Luo

Submitted to Contest #54

I still remember that night vividly. I had just gotten home late from cross-country practice. I'd put down my bag, kicked off my shoes, and stretched out across my bed. Like most nights, I had my phone out, ready to spend the next hour or two scrolling through social media. However, as soon as I turned on my phone, notifications for missed calls filled my screen. Apparently my best friend Kate had been desperately trying to contact me three hours ago, but I didn't know because of the rule Coach had about phones during practice–three texts a...

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“The Choice” by Chris Wheeler

Submitted to Contest #54

Yes! Finally a good song! At least I thought, Carol turned the radio station to a dumb overplayed song that everyone in the car has heard a million times. A good song, but I’ve heard it so many times. I’ve been in the car sitting back seat wedged against the window next to Carol and David’s two children for the past hour. My wife and I have lived with them for the past nine years. On this particular vacation my wife couldn’t get the time off so she stayed at home to take care of our many pets. I aspire to be a full time animal breeder so ...

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“A Hollow Conclusion” by Joel Stevenson

Submitted to Contest #54

ONE I arrived in town just after 9:00 PM with one thing on my mind—to apologize. My train pulled in at the old brick station, a place I’d spent a lot of my earlier years with Liz, just as the summer day turned dark. The air was hot, humid, suffocating. I fumbled in my jean pocket for my phone and pulled up the web. ‘UNABLE TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET.’ The words flashed on my screen. God dammit. My phone had run out of data. I checked the date—I wouldn’t get anymore for another three days. There was a poster on the timetable board for the loc...

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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.

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