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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#57: Legacies

Everybody hopes they’ll be remembered. It’s a big part of why writers write, artists paint, and singers sing. It drives some to rise to great heights in politics or business. It’s part of why people have children.

But whether you hope to build a legacy through words, kind deeds, grand ambition, or a strong familial line, the truth is, we don’t always know how history will look back on us. All we can do is put our best selves forward, and hope that our integrity and values will resonate long after we’re gone.

This week’s prompts invite you to delve into people’s hopes for the future — and the legacies that may or may not be what they dreamed of.

This week's prompts

Write a humorous story about the descendant of someone remembered for an insignificant act.

Funny – 73 stories

Write a story about someone who’s famous for something they never actually did.

Character – 119 stories

Write a story about someone breaking a long family tradition.

Angst – 170 stories

Write a story about someone who travels to the future, and isn’t happy about how they’ve been remembered.

Science Fiction – 131 stories

Write a story that starts with someone writing their will — one they know people won’t like.

Dramatic – 183 stories

Stories

“"Charlie's Homecoming" ” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #57

The headline read "Navajo Nation Judge Orders Widow to Return Body to Arizona." Jean Olson Whitehorse read the newspaper and her heart palpitated erratically because the article was about to exploit her life as it exists at this time. Charlie Whitehorse, Jean's husband passed yesterday and things have happened so quickly that Jean had little time to reckon with her feelings of grief. Charlie had been sick for a while and they had both thoroughly discussed and planned his funeral which would be in the tradition of her family; military honors,...

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“run away with me” by Sarah Firth

Submitted to Contest #57

“I’m not wearing white.” “You don’t have to wear white,” he told me. His head was on my chest, cheek to breast, nothing between us but skin and the sweat we worked up together. I was playing with his hair, combing my fingers through tangled black curls. “Maybe I won’t even wear a dress.” He kissed my nipple and said, “Maybe I will.” “Should I wear a suit?” “You should wear whatever you want, love.” “Am I even a bride if I don’t wear a white dress?” He lifted his head to look at me, digging his chin into my sternum. “That’...

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“A Family of Liars and Thieves” by Kayla Peart

Submitted to Contest #57

Lying is our way of life. As soon as I could talk, I was telling lies. It was encouraged. If you weren't lying and made a habit of it, you were ousted, or so they said. I played the game for as long as I could until I wanted to quit. That was when I lost it all. It started when I met Avel. His icy blue eyes caught my attention first. But, it was his kind smile and caring demeanor which made me rethink the way I've been living my life. Along with my memories of our first meeting, I'll never forget all the lies I spewed. "Looking for a...

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“Family Reunion” by Linda Brodsky

Submitted to Contest #57

Family Reunion By: Linda Brodsky You have got to call the brat and make it clear that nobody in this family, nobody, skips the annual family reunion. Sorry but this urgent. Fine. No. Scratch that. I’m not fine. I was fine. I was having a good day until a few minutes ago when I got the shock of my life. I am not being melodramatic. You didn’t hear those words spoken aloud. &n...

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“To fall from a thoroughbred” by Tony Yetton

Submitted to Contest #57

To fall from a thoroughbred To say that I broke a long-standing family tradition may be perceived as slight distortion of the truth. However, my family is inextricably linked to the horse racing and gambling industry and, whilst I can ride a horse very well and know how to bet, I had absolutely no interest in making a career in the Equine industry, the Racing Game, the Gambling bug, otherwise known as “The sport of Kings”! Please, allow me to explain: My grandfather on my dad’s side of the family was a Frenchman whose primary occupati...

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“Shattered Tradition” by Anika G

Submitted to Contest #57

It is Shadow dragon tradition to choose a new monarch from the current ruler’s children based on the moon. The child that hatches on or nearest to the new moon is destined to become the new king or queen of their tribe. If an egg has twins within, or if multiple eggs hatch on the same night, then the siblings must compete in a series of trials to see which one the moon—and the Shadow dragon tribe—favors. The favored sibling is then prepared for crowning. Datura hatched when the moon seemed to have abandoned the sky, and as such, her mother r...

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“Sermons” by Philip Ebuluofor

Submitted to Contest #57

She is like every last born of that family from this part of the country. In biafran land, indeed our culture. most last borns in a family were usually not grounded in spheres of life, simply because of over pampering, over- indigence. That was exactly the fate of this lady from my village. Her name is Nkechi. She was from relatively poor family. They were seven in that family four, girls and three boys. Their parents were famers like most families of forties. Her father worked in logging business till he had an accident that ended that care...

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“Guarding Cyremn” by Ephyunayne Arthur

Submitted to Contest #57

Guarding Cyremn I sat on top of a roof looking over the town of Cyremn as they anticipated the celebration of the day of the black sun. People were rushing up and down the narrow streets of cobblestone as the sun sunk deeper into the horizon. It was only a few hours till the festivities began, that was probably the reason for all the excitement. I could not say that I shared their excitement because I saw straight through it all. I knew what they didn't know and I had seen things they had never seen. When I was a child, my mother sat me down...

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“honor” by Taylor Pastore

Submitted to Contest #57

The honor came with power in my family. Without a grasp on the world around you, you were weak and powerless. And without power, there was no honor. From a young age, I learned that the Robespierre family never cried and never loosened their iron thumb on the world. The modern world would not function properly without our law and order, our influence, and control. With that, a huge responsibility was laid on my shoulders as a child, being the first male born in the family. I had three older sisters who were prepared for marriage since they c...

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“Time To Call It A Night” by Chris Manders

Submitted to Contest #57

It was Halloween again and the family was gathering at Darkwood Hall as usual. Everyone had come dressed for the occasion - as someone in the family who had met a not-so-nice demise in the dim, but not necessarily, too distant past. The Chingleys had lived at the Hall for generations, having celebrated Halloween for decades in the old way, long before the Americans commercialised it and passed the idea back to Britain in the early 1900s! “I think we should stop this Halloween lark,” Lucien scowled at the others assembled in the draw...

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“At the Top of the Hill” by J R Simpson

Submitted to Contest #57

To the top of the hill we go, our dead follow in tow, we bury them deep and sing, so their souls remain within, we cry and grieve and scream, to appease the deads dream, the reaper gets his fill, At the top of the hill. Jeremy awoke, startled. A flittering thought in his head and it was gone. Thunder rumbled through the house; wind and rain smacked against the window, as though it was trying to break its way in. Must have woken me up, Jeremy thought. He pulled himself out of bed; eyes glued shut, he stumbled around at first, makin...

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“A Star In A World Of Hate” by Yin & Yang

Submitted to Contest #57

Hey, there. My name is Jane Gardener. All my life I have dreamed of bright lights and wooden floorboards. Of a sea of people mesmerized by dancing figures in intricate dresses and elaborate gestures, masks firmly in place. Charming, lilted voices trapping the audience in enchanted silence. All my life I have wanted to perform. To be on the stage. To be a dancing figure, shoes tapping away to a chorus of singing voices. All my life I have waited to be an actress. I’d saunter up to the middle of the stage in a fashionable gown, heels tapping c...

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“Clip” by Audrey Zimmer

Submitted to Contest #57

The smell of Butter Vanilla and Cinnamon hit me like a wave of a home once lost as I wheeled Mrs. Ardelean inside the doors of the Caffé del Trono. The little old woman was frail and small, but she still insisted on coming with me every day. I shoved the silver wheelchair through the double doors and parked it by a table. I went back to the doors and locked them behind me. I calculated how long I had before opening and set the alarm on my phone. Mrs. Ardelean motioned for me to push her to her station. I had set up a room for her to...

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“Marmalade” by Gloria Dzanjalimodzi

Submitted to Contest #57

My great-great-great Nana Beatrice was always too busy filling her sweets in jars instead of her marriage (so the story goes). Her father had an envious orchard of peach trees and there was nothing she loved more than preserving them in a jam. Why should we only get to enjoy the sweet things for one season? She’d say, so she made a way to have the sweet things all seasons. Everybody loved her jam, it was the sweetest thing for miles – ambrosia they had christened it, for surely it was made for the gods. Everybody loved her peach jam, except ...

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“A story about someone breaking a long family tradition” by K V CHIDAMBARAM

Submitted to Contest #57

In India in particular and in Brahmins in general, marriages take place amongst families of same caste and religion as a family tradition. But with education and probably with a willingness to do something unique, my cousin did something unheard of, unexpected of, untried before, unaccustomed by him and his family members and relatives. Amidst uproar in the family circles, within closest cousins, amongst friends it became an issue that had answer not easy to find. After having highest of qualification for his age, safest of employment in h...

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$50

Prize money

676

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 04, 2020 EST

Won by Iona Cottle 🏆

Title: Et Tu?

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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