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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

“TRYING TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT” by RADIUS HAVWAALA

Submitted to Contest #57

The white rays of the sun streamed through tall trees like long spears, the wind blew a gentle easterly breeze swaying branches like drunken women in choir practice. Walking deeper into the jungle I came upon a tree bristling with nice fruits. I stretched my hand to pluck one but I immediately pulled it back, shocked by a strange phenomenon. “Hi there, I hope you will help me on this one,” there was a serpent swinging its cylindrical trunk into a sitting position on the very branch I wanted to pluck a fruit. It had opened its red eyes wider,...

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“I Write My Story” by Jaime Hidalgo

Submitted to Contest #57

It was time to read Grandma’s will. The attorney entered the room with a wooden box and an enveloped letter. Once he sat down, he opened both the box and the letter and started mentioning which items where left to whom. Everyone fell right into sense to what Grandma had left them with, but me. She left me a key and comment written on the letter ‘Only you know the answer to it’. I spent the whole afternoon and night thinking about what that key could possibly be for. The next morning, right when I woke up, I started th...

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“My future” by SIMONA LEGGERO

Submitted to Contest #57

PRESENT I’m in my room looking out the window the beautiful blue sky and I dream about the future. I don’t know what I want to do again and where I’ll be in 10 years from now. I touch the window I feel sparks I’ve never felt and I close my eyes. FUTURE When I open I’m not anymore in my room. I’m in a nowhere where everything has gone. Only destruction, desert and a dark sky, no lights. I look to my left, my right, up and down. Everything is dark, lifeless. “Jack” someone is calling me but I don’t see people. “Who are you? Where are you?” I...

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“And When I Die...” by Chet McHenry

Submitted to Contest #57

I should fuck them all, leave them nothing of my ten million dollar estate and donate every penny to.. Sal paused as his mind ran through the variety of charities that were more worthy than his family. Yes, to ASPC. Sal, c’mon. Are you really that heartless and cruel? Yes and no, but hell not one of them, even the wife, deserves a dime. Sal took a deep breath as he stared down at the blank piece of paper that would soon become his last will and testament.He took his vintage fountain pen, the one he’s owned for ...

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“My will to Michael” by Isobel Juno

Submitted to Contest #57

You are going to hate me after reading this but it’s not like it will matter much, for I will be dead. The worst that can happen is that you burn my body and dance on my grave, which I won’t even be able to see. I confirm now with no evidence that ghosts do not exist so tell your uncle John about it to ease his mind. Michael, you better be the one reading this, or else what I’m going to say is embarrassing but then again, I’m dead. But this could be used to humiliate you so… I guess it’s not a win situation for everyone. I thought long...

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“Better man than i” by Debra Easterling

Submitted to Contest #57

I Robert D Anderson being of sound body and mind. Leave everything I have, all my assets, money and houses, both in Florida and Michigan. To my wife candy Anderson. Anything eles? Said the lawyer sitting behind a large wooden desk. His eyes had puffy dark bags under them. He looks as though he had slept here in his office last night. His suit was wrinkled and his combover was all over the place. His breath gave off a strong coffee odor. Would you like to leave anything to Robert jr? No! I said as my hand slams down on his desk. O...

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“NO ONE SHALL GET MY TREASURE” by Chinagorom Mgbudem

Submitted to Contest #57

Hahaha, burn, burn, all of you will burn. Wild maniacal laughter filled the small enclosed room which was dark and filled with an air of depression. This was followed by the sound of furious writing and the shuffling of paper being turned over and over. In the room, there was only a single light source that was coming from a stick of candle that was placed on top of an old hardwood table. Before the table was the stooped form of an old man. The old man had a sloppy mop of hair that was sitting on top of his head and he wore a coat that was d...

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“The Truth Realized” by James Morris

Submitted to Contest #57

Frank sits down at his desk in his home office. He pulls out some paper and his favorite fountain pen. He looks outside his window to the large flower garden that his wife has spent much time growing. He admires all the different types of lilies and chrysanthemums, among others, and the various blooms each one produces. He watches his wife, Wendy, as she meticulously trims one at a time. Frank looks at the paper in front of him and starts to write his will. I, Franklin P. Daniels, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this documen...

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“Final Jeopardy” by Cheryl Fulks

Submitted to Contest #57

Final JeopardyI Barnibus Hannibel Hoffmeyer being of sound mind and body do hereby declare this to be my will, revoking any previous wills. My marital status is single leaving behind no current spouses. My three children are grown and they include Barnibus Hannibel Hoffmeyer the second, Barbara Hannah Hoffmeyer, and Blake Henry Hoffmeyer. I bequeath to my children the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars. I leave each child a total of fifty dollars. Barnibus started writing his will and he knew that he wa...

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“Let the Dead Take Me” by Brian Sweeney

Submitted to Contest #57

I, Victoria Anne Harker, being of supposed sound mind, do hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all will and codicils previously made by me. I appoint Henrik Harker, my husband, as my personal representative to administer this Will, and ask that he be permitted to serve as my personal representative. I leave everything in my possession to you, my dearest Jaina. All of my family's wealth, estate, and material. It will all be yours. Upon my death, I direct that my family will be given one final visit of my body,...

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“A breakdown ” by Connor H

Submitted to Contest #57

Jacob thought it would never come to this. Changing everything. Ruining their lives. But now things had truly become unbearable and something had to change. Putting fingers to keyboard he hesitated a brief second typing out the contents of his new will. As he typed it out, he remembered bitterly how it all came to this. “You’ve always been a sentimental old fool.” His speech slurring from his eighth brandy. He spoke to himself as he so often did these last few weeks. It wouldn’t be the cancer that killed him but the loneliness. How he wis...

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“The Rotten Fruit” by Gladys Nanyanga

Submitted to Contest #57

The words stared back from the ominous hard white paper in her hands. Mashika knew that her mother would say she wasn’t happy with the way she dealt with her relatives. Despite the wrong people do, you must always turn the other cheek. She had tried but she had had enough. “Are you sure that you are doing the right thing?” Mr. Okoye, her lawyer asked. “I am saving the rest of my country men from dealing with these people,” Mashika said, “they have to learn that there’s more to life than living like it is their last day in Paradise.” ...

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“To Start Over” by Cassandra Thelen

Submitted to Contest #57

To whomever it may concern, I apologize in advance for what you are about to read, some of the following facts may be hard to accept and it is understandable if you do not believe me. I do, however, ask you to read this entire message before discarding it, if the following does not interest you, please give this to the other one. If you are finding this, the world has already reset, the apocalypse was a success and you have hopefully started repopulation, if not I would highly recommend reproducing before the human race is completely an...

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“WHATEVER WILL WILLS” by Dolapo Omoleme

Submitted to Contest #57

The lawyer arrived early that morning, just as William had requested. He had very little time left to put his house in order, and he was eager to see to it that his estate was distributed according to the will he had prepared that morning. Will had been battling the disease for many years, and although the doctors had given him a clean bill of health a little over a year before, the disease made a swift return. It returned with vengeance. In a matter of weeks, Will was paralyzed from his waist to his feet, and the paralysis would have spre...

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“Life List” by Donald Conger

Submitted to Contest #57

“Gregor Stefka is a… difficult client, to put it mildly,” Paul Owens reminded her, with a condescending eyebrow. Perhaps a bit resentful at being saddled with a Junior associate. No matter. All the glory would fall in his lap, like it always did. Annaleah Velky didn’t need to be warned. She paid attention around the Law Offices of Abram & Zachary, LLP. It was the small details, remembered in the boardroom at sweaty emergency conferences, that got you noticed. Standing out in a sea of greedy wallpaper...

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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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