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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.

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

“Two and a Half More Years” by Elena Carden

Submitted to Contest #6

He knew the drive from Oxford to Athens perfectly, the five major roads that separated him from his high-school-sweetheart-turned-long-distance-college-girlfriend. He drove it every other Sunday and he always drove this direction at night. Unlike nearly every other drive anywhere, he didn’t need his GPS for this one. He’d be on the road for just under an hour, home before ten p.m., ready to sleep in his lofted bed for a few hours before his eight a.m. Chemistry class Monday morning. It would be nice to get some rest, since they’d spent all d...

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“The Search” by Kaitlyn DeMetro

Submitted to Contest #6

There’s over 4 million miles of road in the United States alone. Traveling 500 miles a day, minimum, means it would take about 22 years to cover every navigable road. 10 down, 12 to go I guess. I’ve been to every major tourist attraction: Niagara Falls in New York, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yosemite Park in California; I’ve been nearly everywhere, more than once, and check every tourist attraction in each state I pass through. I had to trade in the jeep a few years ago. The vans better for travel, especially when I want to pull into ...

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“2010 Mercedes Benz ” by Nemo Artist

Submitted to Contest #6

It was the summer of 2009 and we were living in Denver, my wife and I, that is. We were bored with the silent grind and toil of the same ole same ole, and having the feeling of never getting out alive. We decided the only one true way to live was just that, to live. We had made many quick decision, life-changing choices before - quitting jobs, moving to crime-ridden neighborhoods - completely switching our lives as we saw fit has never been a problem. Hell, take the way we got together, an accidental drunken kiss set the whole thing in motio...

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“Call 911” by Milo James

Submitted to Contest #6

“Anna! Where did you but my toothbrush?” “Eric, where’s the cooler? The blue one with your name on it?” “TJ, in the car! Now!” So many people shouting, their voices filled with excitement as Eric, Anna, Zane, and I pile into Zane’s blue SUV. Anna takes the passenger seat, Zane is driving, and Eric and I are in the back. After graduating from high school, the four of us decided to finally take the road trip we’d been planning since 6th grade; from our boring town in Kansas to Florida. It was the third week of summer and we were fina...

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“The Unforgettable Road Trip” by Huzaifa Afzal

Submitted to Contest #6

I was always told that when you receive an opportunity you should always take it, and that is exactly what I did that evening. It was a cold evening, the weather perfectly matched how I was feeling, sad and depressed after my favorite football team just lost to the worst team on the planet. My mood was lightened by a phone call.“Good evening is this Mr. Johan please?” it said.“Yes yes please who is speaking?” my dad replied.“I’m speaking to you from Landmark hotel and resort,” it said. Right the...

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“Family Road Trip Of Horror” by Salome Idda

Submitted to Contest #6

“Ana?”I blinked open my eyes.“Ana!”Was someone calling my name?“ANAAAAAAA!”I yanked my sleep blindfolds off, threw off my covers and snatched my door open. And there, standing in my doorway, were Lauryn and Jasmine, my five year old little twin sisters. I scowled."What do you two want?!" I snapped."Ana, it's time to go!" said Lauryn urgently. I stared at them, confused."Go where?" I said."On the ROAD TRIP, silly!" said Jasmine, jumping up and down excitedly. "It's going to be so fun! Mommy said we're going to be on the road for TWO WHOLE WEE...

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“way to spider island” by Ziyad Mt

Submitted to Contest #6

Dawn was in charge kicking him out of dizzy that he had been for an entire night. Unzipping the tent, he came to meet a misty hill aganst him. He turned his eyes from the seduction of the valley to see his brothers enjoying their morning dreams. ‘You idiots get the the hell out of your limbo’ he mildly shouted that no one can hear but wondered to see them waking up as they have heard him shouting on them. Leaving them behind, he walked through the pine forest having a coffee mug, hot but ...

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“The Determined Chase” by Yogesh Mohla

Submitted to Contest #6

I have learnt two valuable lessons- Firstly, don’t listen to your pregnant wife even if your gynaecologist has advised you to do so and secondly, never read the newspaper headlines and jump the gun. A week before her admission date at Hyderabad City Hospital, Sonia my wife says, “Honey, let’s go for a long drive … to my Mom’s place!” She puts her arms around my neck and kisses me lightly on my cheek, her belly gently caressing my six-pack abs. The baby in her womb seems to echo the request as if eager to meet granny....

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“Itchy Trip” by Holly Starlin

Submitted to Contest #6

Charlie sat in the back seat of The Big Turd, feeling positive that her allergies were worse every time that she got in it.The 1972 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate Wagon, a two-toned brown boat on wheels, in her opinion, was her dads’ newest pride and joy even though it was over a decade old. Charlie and her siblings did not feel the same enthusiasm as dad did about The Big Turd, having to listen to snide remarks from the kids in the neighborhood when driving by, hence how Charlie came up with her own name for the car. The fact that the car had a...

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“A road trip of happiness” by Pooja Thube

Submitted to Contest #6

“Dad, speed up. Go faster.” James was yelling.“Keep it calm, dude. You are tearing our eyes.” Anna said angrily.“We are going safe and slow. Not faster. You get it, James?” Mom said.“Okay, fine.” James was unhappy. “Its no fun without speed.”The Cooper family was on a trip. Mr. Cooper got holidays from the office but he had to do extra work for that. Anna and James forced him to do that and he kept the promise. Mrs. Cooper also needed a break from the daily routine and her bakery. So the whole family decided to go on a road trip. Dad was in ...

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“Our Little Friends” by Catherine Kennedy

Submitted to Contest #6

We’d been looking for a puppy for some time, calling around to various breeders, when one of them called us to give us a phone number. “Call this guy, it’s not a puppy, but he has a nice girl he’s trying to place” she said.A couple of months later, we were getting to know a sweet dog named Dorothy. She was 18 months old and the man we’d bought her from, Daniel, wanted her bred when she turned 2.We were fine with that as we still wanted a puppy. When her 2nd birthday approached, we contacted one of the other breeders we’d previously...

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“It's Not You” by Debbie Edwards

Submitted to Contest #6

My heart was pounding. I hadn't seen Jeff in over a year even though we had made numerous attempts to meet at our special spot. The last time we tried, Jeff's jeep broke down and the money he would have spent on our meeting ended up going to his transmission. I couldn't make sense of the way he had changed. It's not like he didn't love me anymore, but he just wasn't the same. Something subtle had crept over him. His letters were awkward. And even his voice sounded different like he had been sick or something."Are you sure you're going to be ...

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“On The Other Side of the Line” by Shalom Aranas

Submitted to Contest #6

On The Other Side of the LineI met him online. Tom Hankford is a line man whose narratives of his experiences in climbing those lofty poles somehow attracted my heartstrings. I could feel his heart beating through those lines I’ve always ignored in our skies. We talked over Skype. Sometimes he’d show me the sky or a flock of crows perched on the belts of electricity lines. I was struck by this man who could find poetry in the most plainest of events as though the silence up there had fortified his longing for the sky.I live with my mother wh...

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“My Once In A Lifetime” by Trinity Smithers

Submitted to Contest #6

Of all the days in her life, Juliet had never known of another instance in which she felt more joy than she did at the moment. In just a few short hours she would soon come face to face with the person who's made her life feel so complete ever since they encountered on another on such a random occurrence. She wasn't one for social media but he made her laugh unlike any other so she felt it was inevitable that she'd give him a chance.And ever since then she'd been unable to let another person occupy her mind.That is why it was so imperative t...

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“Journey Beautiful Then Destination” by Harita Rao

Submitted to Contest #6

In front of Henna were the approved applications of her dream college in Paris. She applied for this college of arts last year too but her age limit was the barrier and instead she got huge amount of money as her painting was the most beautiful in the exhibition. That painting was depiction of her heart and before leaving the country she wanted to go to the place that was background of her winning display."Yugul, I have to go on a long road trip.So, prepare yourself accordingly by 7 in the morning.You got it?"she said to her driver while pac...

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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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