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#56 Introductions

Hello, everyone!

 

Since it first started four years ago, I've had the pleasure of running this contest: writing weekly prompts, reading your wonderful submissions, working with our committed group of judges, and connecting with this steadily-growing community of writers from around the world. It's been an experience I've thoroughly enjoyed, and for which I am very grateful.

 

Today is my last day with Reedsy, so I wanted to use this Friday's newsletter as an opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all of you! The level of literary chops present in this community is truly marvelous, and I look forward to reading all the future short stories you have yet to write.

 

I also want to introduce you to your new "writing prompter," Jenn! Jenn has been with Reedsy for about a year and is a fiction writer like most of you. In her free time, she’s an avid swimmer, reads widely in any and all genres, and dabbles in all kinds of different hobbies. She’ll be sending you her first batch of prompts next Friday!

 

And on that note, this week's prompts all revolve around the theme of introductions.

 

I wish you all the best of luck on your writing journeys! And I'll see you around Reedsy Prompts 😊

– Arielle

🥇 Winner

Hello, Meredith

Winner of Contest #56 🏆

Trigger warning: suicidal ideation   The whole scene could have been a stock photo--the park grass was the kind of green and the sky the kind of blue that only came with late summer. There were kids out chasing a soccer ball around a boundless field. The smell of grilling hotdogs and burgers wafted from some charcoal grill. The laughter and chatter of carefree summer conversations were carried along by a pleasant, gentle breeze. I had brought chips to contribute. Everyone brought chips. It was that or the Oreos.  “Meredith! So glad...

339 likes 134 comments 134
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⭐️ Shortlisted

Always Human

Shortlisted for Contest #56 ⭐️

I met her at the edge of the world. She sat with her feet dangling over the Edge, the place where the stars touched the earth. I’d almost tripped when I saw her. From the distance, she looked like a marble statue, the ivory glow of the moon softening the edges of her silhouette, turning her hair into the colour of winter snow. No, not a statue, I thought as I approached, squinting into the darkness. A ghost. Perhaps foolishly, I thought of my father.“Guǐ” he called them in his stories. “Stay away, Leo. They linger between the ...

65 likes 28 comments 28
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Blind Date

Shortlisted for Contest #56 ⭐️

I hated blind dates. Mostly because of how ironic it was. But here I was, sitting at a table, waiting for someone named Joseph. I felt a tremor at my feet and I felt Molly sit up and lay her head in my lap. I started petting her head, my fingers grazing the labeled vest she always had to wear. Molly could always tell when I was stressing out, and I certainly was at the moment.  I blamed Lauren for this. She loved setting me up, partly because matchmaking was her personal hobby and partly because she knows I can never say no to her. Afte...

51 likes 35 comments 35
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Haunting: A How-To Guide

Shortlisted for Contest #56 ⭐️

When I agreed to go to boarding school for my last two years of school, I really did not expect to face death. Bullying? Yes. Homesickness? Absolutely. But death was not on the agenda. It was something I had hardly thought about - and even then, it was something that I only ever thought about in terms of others. I thought about my grandmother, a particularly unpleasant woman who was undoubtedly asking to speak to the manager of hell at any given moment. I thought about my cat Judas, a scrawny, thin-haired creature who, despite what his name ...

48 likes 16 comments 16
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Of Broken Things

Shortlisted for Contest #56 ⭐️

It was a stupid idea. It was stupid, it was illegal, and it went against all of her principles. “In fact,” she said as they stood outside the door, “I’ve changed my mind. You go. I’ll stay home and play video games.” “Really?” Nick said. “You’re ditching me here?” “Well, yeah. That’s what ‘changed my mind’ means.” “But this was your idea.” “I know,” she said, now fiddling with her jacket. “I think it was the alcohol talking. But you said you wanted to try. You don’t need me there.” Now, Nick looked embarrassed. “It’s kind of a weird ...

40 likes 25 comments 25
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This week's prompts

Write a story from the different perspectives of two people meeting for a blind date.

Romance – 129 stories

Write a story in which two people who know each other are introduced — but neither person admits to knowing the other.

Fluff – 190 stories

Write a day-in-the-life-story about a first-time parent and their newborn child.

Adults – 100 stories

Write a story about two people meeting during unusual circumstances and becoming fast friends.

Teens – 225 stories

Write a story about an established group of people welcoming (or not welcoming) a new face into their midst.

Kids – 127 stories

Stories

Hello, Meredith

Winner of Contest #56 🏆

Trigger warning: suicidal ideation   The whole scene could have been a stock photo--the park grass was the kind of green and the sky the kind of blue that only came with late summer. There were kids out chasing a soccer ball around a boundless field. The smell of grilling hotdogs and burgers wafted from some charcoal grill. The laughter and chatter of carefree summer conversations were carried along by a pleasant, gentle breeze. I had brought chips to contribute. Everyone brought chips. It was that or the Oreos.  “Meredith! So glad...

339 likes 134 comments 134
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The Dragon Warrior

Submitted to Contest #56

The sun shone brightly on a fine Sunday morning.A large meteor had impacted Earth. It had been years since a meteor had attacked Earth. It caused a lot of damage. Scientists had come to examine the meteor.There was a man inside the meteor. He was dying. The police took him out of it and admitted him to the hospital. Miles, the thin sub inspector of police, came into the hospital room and looked at his patient- a muscular man with black hair and tattoos on his hands and feet. He checked the eyes- brown. He read the file on his myste...

194 likes 239 comments 239
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The Adventurous Tragedy

Submitted to Contest #56

Sitting on the soft sands of the beach, I was watching the stunning sunset.It was finally time to go to work!Wearing my favourite swimsuit, I leaped into the vast water of the sea. I was an underwater explorer and I loved diving.A new species of fish was expected to be found in the ocean and I wanted to see it lively. The first person to find out the species to see it live had the opportunity to name the species. Thus, I wanted to be the first one.I put on my oxygen mask and swam deep into the ocean. The water was always murky, but I loved i...

172 likes 245 comments 245
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The Choosings—Part 2

Submitted to Contest #56

I take deep breaths in a futile effort to calm myself. You’re here—you’ve succeeded. Why are you scared, Juniper? The moon spirits won’t hurt you. You’re their slave. Calm down.I rechannel my deep breath into a drawn-out sigh as I glance around for the millionth time. I’m shut in a box—or at least, it feels that way compared to my airy bedroom. This place is a small room made of all metal. I’m shackled to a chair in the eerily quiet space. When I volunteered as a tribute, my dad protested. He’s the king, but he still can’t do anything b...

171 likes 204 comments 204
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The Purple Sash

Submitted to Contest #56

I woke up floating and saw my own body lying down on the back, eyes tightly shut, and hands put together on top of the flat stomach. Filled with curiosity, I flew around, observing my body that was in a black dress. The long sleeves covered my entire arms, hiding all the scars. The scars that were also on the pale face, making me stretch my hands to touch it. Yet, I couldn’t feel a thing.  Letting out a deep sigh, I had no choice but to keep observing my own body.  Until this one man came. A man that I knew very well. The m...

142 likes 155 comments 155
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The Newborn's Escape

Submitted to Contest #56

☆𝓛𝓘𝓣𝓐☆Lita was lying on a bed in the hospital room. Her newborn child, Kai, was sleeping in a bassinet near her bed. He was so small and beautiful.How? How could these people think of killing an innocent newborn?She remembered the exact words the doctor said the day Kai was born.‘He is underweight, he is not healthy, he won’t last long.’Last long? Kai is not some kind of manufacturing product. He is a baby and it isn’t his fault that he was born underweight.  Then the situation got even worse when the Citizons came. They read the l...

128 likes 324 comments 324
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My Sworn Enemy

Submitted to Contest #56

“Emma?” My little sister shook me on my shoulders. “It’s time to get up!”“Ugh.” I groaned. “Humph. C’mon Olive, just a few more minutes?”“Mom says to get up now.”“Okay, fine! I’ll be up in a minute!” I said. My sister ran out of my room. She is seven, but she acts like a three-year-old.I sighed. I am definitely not a morning person. Today is my first day of school. Well, of seventh grade. I’ve already done a year of middle school, so I know what to expect. Well, sort of.I have new teachers and harder subjects. I have a best friend,...

118 likes 76 comments 76
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Gemma vs. Elon

Submitted to Contest #56

Caught in traffic is like my life before I left Elon, just a waste of time. There is a procession of headlights on the highway. Tail lights are snaking their way down the road and over the brow of a hill, cars bumper to bumper, exhaust fumes are belching out, blurring headlights through the driving rain. The highway has become a giant parking lot. I sigh and wait.After waiting for what seemed like the longest hour of my life, I have finally arrived at my new working place. A place where I wouldn't be forced to breathe the same air as Elon. A...

109 likes 54 comments 54
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Thorns of the Rose

Submitted to Contest #56

“You must learn to be assertive, I refuse to have a Niminy-Piminy lead forward the family business.”“Yes, Father,” Charlie muttered. He tried his best to keep his voice steady as the seamstress poked needles into the thick of his legs. He wished to say something but kept his mouth shut in fear of his Father striking the young girl, for he already hated her for the colour of her skin.“Your studies are miraculous, but your voice is far from a match.” He raised his voice once again, Charlie could see the seamstress cringe out of the corner of h...

107 likes 37 comments 37
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The End of Love

Submitted to Contest #56

They arrived at the same time but since one went to the back door and the other to the front, they didn’t see each other. Pat clicked her car keys, standing at the front door of Cora’s house, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She let her keys fall into her purse and then snapped the purse closed. Clouds were gathering, thin and wan, stretched across a darkening winter sky, and just before the door opened, Pat put up a hand and two tiny snowflakes landed. They melted perfectly into the suede palm of her glove, and then the do...

105 likes 16 comments 16
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Remember Who You Are

Submitted to Contest #56

"She remembered who she was, and the game changed-" Lalah Delia.“I told you to come back home, Adanna. You’ll never be good enough there.”My mother. The woman I know loves me so much, but times like this, I'm not so sure. I’ll never be good enough for her. It doesn’t matter what part of the world I am.“I’m not coming home, Mum. I can’t.” I could. I know that, but coming home means accepting defeat. It would mean I had failed and while I have, a couple of times actually, I don’t believe failure means total defeat. I refuse to go down.“Igá fu ...

103 likes 58 comments 58
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Goddess child (part 1)

Submitted to Contest #56

I think it's best not to question this or how its possible, this is a thing with god's and goddess's and theres ton of weird stuff with them just enjoy it. even though she's not really a new-born either i hope this counts. Indigo hadn't expected to be a mother of a demi-god child. She hadn't thought she was EVER going to be a type of mother at all. She just thought that maybe in her 30's or 40's she'd find a man and get together. Maybe even have twins together if they both ever wanted kids. Though here she was, Barely in her 20's as she ...

100 likes 301 comments 301
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A Childish Debate

Submitted to Contest #56

  Nancy thought she must be hallucinating the morning she saw two babies fist fighting in the park. She had had a long raucous weekend. Is this an after effect of eating macaroni and cheese made with weed butter, or drinking too many Irish car bombs? Had she finally pickled herself?It was a typical Monday morning, and she was already running late for work. She grabbed her purse, careful not to wake the man in her bed. ‘Dave,’ she thought he said his name was. She stepped over her crumpled up clothes from the night before. The singl...

97 likes 61 comments 61
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Maybe It Won't Be So Bad

Submitted to Contest #56

"Mom! Come on! I don't want to spend weeks with her! She's probably a total grunge!" Michael stared at his mom, Caroline, who was packing his bag."No. I am taking this trip to Hawaii because I need a break. And staying with Laura and her parents were our only option. You need to stop whining and grow up!" Caroline turned to Michael, and he was about to protest again. But then he saw the tears that were threatening to fall out of Caroline's eyes. Without another word, he walked out of the room and into the living room. Michael flopped down on...

92 likes 82 comments 82
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The Diner of Doom, Toilet Paper, and a Whole Lotta Awkward

Submitted to Contest #56

KaraI’m trapped in a romantic prison with no way out except to stay for the night. I’m seated on a hot wooden stool, a candle flickering before my eyes, rose petals adorned the red tablecloth, and my ex-boyfriend, Henry Watts, placed on a chair directly across from me, his blue eyes sparkling in the starlight, but looking nervous nonetheless. I blame my best friend. Sandra Montgomery, my forever friend and swim partner since 3rd grade, had set this us up, informing me that there was this very interesting man that she wanted me to meet f...

87 likes 189 comments 189
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