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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#6: On The Road

On September 5th, 1957, Jack Kerouac published On the Road — a novel based on his travels around the United States. It's viewed today as a defining work of the Beat generation. And fun fact: Kerouac wrote the book on one long reel of paper over just three weeks.

There's something about literature and road trips that work inherently well together. Just like road trips, stories must start in one place, and end in another.

This week, our prompts are all road trip inspired! And remember, it's about the journey, not the destination.

🥇 Winner

“Gone West” by Annabel Hynes

🏆 Winner of Contest #6

I call him under the awning of the café that opened on the corner of our street last year. The rain is warm and falls straight, as though from a watering can over an urbanized little garden, and I stand in my own sweat and dial with numb fingers. “Hello?” He sounds sluggish, barely awake. “Teddy? It’s – uh,” I pause because it’s been months, and he might have lost my number, forgotten me in a list that includes an Alex T, an Alex O, an Alex M; maybe I had even been deleted, I think despairingly, written off as a lost cause – “Alex? Hol...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Two Wheels to the Coast” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

1“I miss cars,” complained my daughter.Silence. Well, silence except for…Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“Moooom,” she whined.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.The heat was thick and tangible. It felt as if you could take a knife and slice the air before your very eyes. It was heavy, and horribly oppressive.“Mom!”“What is it, Honey?” responded Sandra, a tad testily. It was understandable. We were all irritable.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“I miss cars.”An exasperated sigh. “Me too, Honey.”Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.God, it was hot. Carefully, I armed sweat out of my face...

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“The Egg” by Juliet Martin

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

Carrie’s car feels lopsided. I lean uncomfortably against the passenger door and don’t mention it. When I had asked if she had a flat tyre, she snapped at me. Her view out of the rear window is obscured by our cases and bags jammed in the boot and it’s putting her in a foul temper. Every so often, when we pull up at a junction, she’ll mutter morbidly that there could be absolutely anything behind us, she can’t see a thing. I’ve decided that it’s best to stay quiet and just point the way to Louca’s house.“God, this is uncomfortable.” Louca co...

Read story

“Dust on the Waves” by Kristen Everson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

The summer of 1935, like many before it, had been hot and dry. Dust storms were common, some worse than others, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A bead of sweat trickled down a young girl’s cheek and she wiped the sleeve of her dress across her face. It left a streak of brown on the material. The dress she wore had at one time been a beautiful cornflower blue color. Years of frequent wear and washing by four previous owners had left it threadbare and so faded that it had become light grey. Sh...

Read story

“Leaving California in 1969” by Austin Wright

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

The air in California is different than everywhere else. California air is sweet like hummingbirds and ocean salt and no matter where I am — even in the mountains — breathing tastes sweet on the tongue but just barely. We can’t live in California anymore because it is time to go to the desert. Charlie said it was time and that’s why it is. Charlie talks about the war that’s coming. Everyone is going to die in the war except us and that’s why we’re in the desert. The war won’t be in the desert. The desert air tastes like ash. The ...

Read story

“Colours of Red and Yellow” by Michelle Iruobe

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

Agbor Park, one of the most popular commercial parks in Benin City is alive with the usual hustle and bustle, untainted, even with the scorching rays of the very hot Nigerian sun. Mobile vendors of newspapers, magazines and Hawkers of Oranges, Kuli-kuli (Groundnut cake), and Cold drinks walk to and fro the large area, squeezing themselves in-between commercial buses and taxis, big, medium and small, coloured red and yellow, the official colour of Benin public vehicles; some of them designed with colourful graffiti and very wrongly spelled qu...

Read story

This week's prompts

Write a story about a family road trip.

Short Story – 22 stories

Write a story about a road trip taking place 300 years from now.

Science Fiction – 18 stories

Write a story about two people in a long-distance relationship, driving to a location mid-way between both their cities.

Romance – 23 stories

Write a story about someone who started a road trip ten years ago and hasn't stopped since.

Adventure – 22 stories

Write a story about friends taking a road trip they've been planning for years.

Adventure – 22 stories

Stories

“Gone West” by Annabel Hynes

🏆 Winner of Contest #6

I call him under the awning of the café that opened on the corner of our street last year. The rain is warm and falls straight, as though from a watering can over an urbanized little garden, and I stand in my own sweat and dial with numb fingers. “Hello?” He sounds sluggish, barely awake. “Teddy? It’s – uh,” I pause because it’s been months, and he might have lost my number, forgotten me in a list that includes an Alex T, an Alex O, an Alex M; maybe I had even been deleted, I think despairingly, written off as a lost cause – “Alex? Hol...

Read story

“Road Trip To Fingoli” by Holly Pierce

Submitted to Contest #6

I stare out the window, the tall buildings blurring before my tear-streaked face. My anger bubbles inside me, boiling flames licking at my broken heart. The frowning face of my younger sister mimics the discontent within me.The government had promised. We deliver the mutated DNA samples, we earn our freedom. Yet again, we find ourselves moving to a distant, unknown city. Yet again, my heart aches for the comfort of my old home. In my entire life, I have never before loved a place so much as Hawaine.I nervously bounce my robotic leg, as we le...

Read story

“Two Wheels to the Coast” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

1“I miss cars,” complained my daughter.Silence. Well, silence except for…Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“Moooom,” she whined.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.The heat was thick and tangible. It felt as if you could take a knife and slice the air before your very eyes. It was heavy, and horribly oppressive.“Mom!”“What is it, Honey?” responded Sandra, a tad testily. It was understandable. We were all irritable.Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.“I miss cars.”An exasperated sigh. “Me too, Honey.”Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.God, it was hot. Carefully, I armed sweat out of my face...

Read story

“The Egg” by Juliet Martin

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

Carrie’s car feels lopsided. I lean uncomfortably against the passenger door and don’t mention it. When I had asked if she had a flat tyre, she snapped at me. Her view out of the rear window is obscured by our cases and bags jammed in the boot and it’s putting her in a foul temper. Every so often, when we pull up at a junction, she’ll mutter morbidly that there could be absolutely anything behind us, she can’t see a thing. I’ve decided that it’s best to stay quiet and just point the way to Louca’s house.“God, this is uncomfortable.” Louca co...

Read story

“Destination: DNA” by Ashlie Harris

Submitted to Contest #6

Lindsey Burke propped her feet up on the dash and slurped on a watered-down soda. She stared out her window at the blur of green hues from the trees and grass flashing by. Sighing heavily and throwing her silky blonde hair back against the beige, pleather headrest, she glanced over to her mother in the driver’s seat. Sherri Burke’s tight perm and loose brown ponytail bobbed up and down as she drove. Studying her mother’s face, Lindsey wondered when she’d gotten wrinkles and if her mouth was always so taut, or if it was just when she was driv...

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“Plans” by Daniel Munoz

Submitted to Contest #6

Michael finished packing his stuff and loading the car early on Monday evening. Even when he was driving to the campground late on Tuesday. It was not his first time camping, or the first time he went to Lake Crescent. He was actually a great fan of the lake. Especially now with the nice weather in August. But he was nervous. More than ever. He had met a girl online only three months ago, but they had clicked almost instantly. It was not on some dating site or app, it all started with just a twitter coincidence. They both replied to the same...

Read story

“Leaving California in 1969” by Austin Wright

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

The air in California is different than everywhere else. California air is sweet like hummingbirds and ocean salt and no matter where I am — even in the mountains — breathing tastes sweet on the tongue but just barely. We can’t live in California anymore because it is time to go to the desert. Charlie said it was time and that’s why it is. Charlie talks about the war that’s coming. Everyone is going to die in the war except us and that’s why we’re in the desert. The war won’t be in the desert. The desert air tastes like ash. The ...

Read story

“Dust on the Waves” by Kristen Everson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

The summer of 1935, like many before it, had been hot and dry. Dust storms were common, some worse than others, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A bead of sweat trickled down a young girl’s cheek and she wiped the sleeve of her dress across her face. It left a streak of brown on the material. The dress she wore had at one time been a beautiful cornflower blue color. Years of frequent wear and washing by four previous owners had left it threadbare and so faded that it had become light grey. Sh...

Read story

“Colours of Red and Yellow” by Michelle Iruobe

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #6

Agbor Park, one of the most popular commercial parks in Benin City is alive with the usual hustle and bustle, untainted, even with the scorching rays of the very hot Nigerian sun. Mobile vendors of newspapers, magazines and Hawkers of Oranges, Kuli-kuli (Groundnut cake), and Cold drinks walk to and fro the large area, squeezing themselves in-between commercial buses and taxis, big, medium and small, coloured red and yellow, the official colour of Benin public vehicles; some of them designed with colourful graffiti and very wrongly spelled qu...

Read story

“Ole' Eleanor” by Ryan Lieb

Submitted to Contest #6

“Alright Max, c’mon, what’s the big surprise? Why are we going to your uncle’s?” Frank asked restlessly. Frank and Max sat in the passenger seats in the cabin of Frank’s 2215 autovan, facing away from the cockpit. Their friend Steve occupied the bench-style seat across from them, while the van cruised up the highway in the Nevada desert on autopilot. For three hours Frank had been trying to distract himself from the secret Max was so keen on keeping about the reason for their road trip, but he couldn’t stand it anymore. Anticipation was gett...

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“Kiss Hello, Kiss Good-bye” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #6

“Welcome to paradise, Sam! Want a beer?”Samantha stood over Greg who sipped his beer by the campfire. “What are you doing?”“Camping.” He grinned up at her. The afternoon sun gave her a halo. “You didn’t say anything about camping.”“Surprise!”“I don’t like camping.”“You used to camp with your family all the time.”“’Used to…’ Do you understand past tense?”Greg poked the fire.Samantha caught his attention. “I didn’t pack for camping. I don’t like sleeping in the dirt. I don’t like bugs. I like my privacy. I like a hot shower...”“I get it. I tho...

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“They Never Listen” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #6

THEY NEVER LISTEN “People never listen,” the old man at the bridge said, as if it was something he had said a thousand times before, but it never ceased to surprise him. “Up to you, but they never listen!” He was manning a little tollbooth. I couldn’t quite decide if it looked more like a miniature log cabin or a very primitive public toilet, though the cash till inside was surprisingly modern; its digital display bright in the gloom of an impending summer storm. “No refunds, you k...

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“A Decade to Destination” by Troy Lane

Submitted to Contest #6

Richard knew it was time but self-denial is powerful. The last six months the signs have been everywhere. The gentle hum of the motorhome engine was soothing and familiar, focus on that. His eyes darted at all the signs telling motorists what exits were coming up for what destination. That used to be exciting but now they were like a social media feed, overwhelming and familiar. The excitement was gone. They’d taken this road before. He glanced at Karen next to him, beautiful as always but she’s been silent for an hour now, another sign. A q...

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“A Road Leads to Two Destinations” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #6

The coffee steamed very gently in his hand, sending plumes of steam like cigar smoke around his slicked back hair. He wasn't a usual partaker of the habit, but the drive was a long one, with many miles still to go, and the espresso helped him think. Whether or not that was a good thing was yet to be seen.He was a young man. What does that mean? His head was full of fancy yet - dreams and ambition and ideals. Love was prominent among them, for Matthew was a firm believer in the innate power of that theoretical philosophy of Man. All things fe...

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“Miracles ” by Layla Barnes

Submitted to Contest #6

There were only twelve of us on the train. No more than children ourselves, but children that were about to grow up far too fast. I looked over at the youngest boy. He couldn’t have been more than twelve, but unlike so many of the others, he didn’t seem to be afraid. No, he was a hardened boy, with a grim smile and grim scars across his face. I suppose he thought he’d seen the worst this world had to offer, that the place we were going couldn’t possibly be worse than wherever he’d been. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he was wrong. The ...

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$50

Prize money

107

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 13, 2019 EST

Won by Annabel Hynes 🏆

Title: Gone West

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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