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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#68: Meet in the Middle

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the internet loves to argue. Perhaps one of the stranger fights I’ve seen is what constitutes a “sandwich” — you’d think the definition would be universal… and you’d be very wrong.

But whether you classify hot dogs, pitas, and burritos as sandwiches or not, one thing we can agree on is this: no matter how similar the components, there’s endless variety to be found when you combine the ingredients in different ways.

With that in mind, this week we’re celebrating the infinite diversity of fillings. To do so, we’re going to provide you with the beginning and ending of your story — and it will be up to you to fill these two slices of literary bread with whatever you can imagine!

🥇 Winner

“Silence” by FJC Montenegro

🏆 Winner of Contest #68

The orange sun peeked from behind the empty hills and found two sets of furrowed brows. On the driver seat, Michael lowered the sun visor, and his frown dissolved. On the passenger seat, his son did the same, and his frown didn’t move. Kevin’s eyes were lost beyond the hills, his arms crossed, his hands fiddling with the cord of the headphones. “I hate this time of day,” Michael said. There was no response from the passenger seat. The orange hangover sun was flooding the dashboard. The hills came and went lazily on the horizon. They said hi ...

175 comments 175

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Beth Ann” by Hannah B

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

Ruthie knows she should be scared, crouched here behind the teller desk while some beautiful lunatic waves her gun in the air – and lord, what would the pastor say? – but in truth, she is taken by the sight of her. Transformed, transported. Devastated.“You hear me?”Ruthie fights back a smile and the pistol barrel aimed at her head seems to fade, until there’s nothing but the pretty face behind it. There’s a bandana tied above her nose, obscuring her lips, her cheeks. But her eyes shine fierce and bright, like the bottom of a well when the su...

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“Hum” by Kanden Lang

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

The sky is positively glowing with first light. The purplish snow clouds blur into the horizon and sunlight bleeds through them, lighting them ablaze with gold. A shiver courses through me as a stir comes from behind me.I turn to find that she’s already up. She pulls on her robe and joins me at our massive bay window. She tousles my mop of black curls and chuckles. “Look at yourself!”I look back at the window and find my expressionless face staring back at me, my hair in a frizzy pile on top of my head. Then, I see her reflection as she rest...

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“Carnations and a Coffee Pot” by Clarice Shepherd

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same, save for the moth-bitten taffeta curtains and the dust resting on the bookshelves and piano. The particles hovered in the air like pixies and tickled the woman’s nose. Her cool, withered hands quivered from age and memory as she brushed away the delicate grime from the instrument’s expansive cover. The tintinnabulation of the front porch wind chimes carried on like a fairy choir with bass bamboo tubes and chipper crystal bells. Dozens of them hung...

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“Peaches and “Honey”” by Lauren Sarney

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

“I once ate a grasshopper in a restaurant in France.” It’s a still day and we’re lying on the grass in Shepard’s Park. It’s not quite spring so it's not all green yet and I’m certain when we get up brown splotches will stain our backs from the drying mud. She forgot our blanket but I’m still in my work clothes so to hell with it. The sky is getting softer around the edges as night begins to fall, and on the horizon I can just barely make out gentle ribbons of apricot and coral. It’s romantic, to say the least, this date of ours. Somehow,...

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“A Ballsy Proposition” by Lydi B

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

"What if I shared my most condemning secret?" Annette lifted her eyes from the dessert menu to meet those of her equally as decadent date. Ray had tapped into the essential plot element of intrigue with that line. His countenance had grown rigid, the humor of their previous conversation long gone from his otherwise glorious gaze. Every time she concentrated on those deep blue orbs, she felt a mixture of elation and enough jitters to about send her rocketing for the nearest toilet. Anxiety always made her nauseous. If she were a character i...

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“Adventurin’” by Dave Bolin

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #68

Jed and Tanner took turns rolling the barrel down the road as the sun rose on the Tennessee hollow. Tanner’s turn usually lasted longer because Jed was talking. Tanner’s father said that Jed talked like he was being paid by the word. But Tanner didn’t mind too much; if Jed was talking, then he didn’t have to. And Jed was always talking. “I’m tellin’ ya, Tanner. This is gonna be the biggest thing you and me have ever done. They will be tellin’ our story to their grandbabies one day. You just wait and se...

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This week's prompts

Start your story with two characters watching a sunrise and end it with one of them seeing the moon reflecting off a lake.

Adults – 301 stories

Start your story with someone admitting a secret and end it with someone telling a lie.

Dramatic – 180 stories

Start your story with someone robbing a bank and end it with two people driving on an interstate.

Dramatic – 86 stories

Start your story with the line, “This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives,” and end it with, “By then it was too late.”

Sad – 132 stories

Start your story with the line, “It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same,” and end it with, “[…] and that was all that mattered.”

Adults – 178 stories

Stories

“Silence” by FJC Montenegro

🏆 Winner of Contest #68

The orange sun peeked from behind the empty hills and found two sets of furrowed brows. On the driver seat, Michael lowered the sun visor, and his frown dissolved. On the passenger seat, his son did the same, and his frown didn’t move. Kevin’s eyes were lost beyond the hills, his arms crossed, his hands fiddling with the cord of the headphones. “I hate this time of day,” Michael said. There was no response from the passenger seat. The orange hangover sun was flooding the dashboard. The hills came and went lazily on the horizon. They said hi ...

175 comments 175

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“So It Goes” by Liza Anne

Submitted to Contest #68

“I’m terrified that I failed as a mother.”She doesn’t look me in the eye. Instead, she looks slightly off to the side at my mini, indoor, water fountain. I find the constant rhythm of babbling water to be soothing and comforting. Perhaps she finds the sight of it does the same for her.“That is an exceptionally common fear.” I smile at her reassuringly. She briefly meets my eyes. “I might even say the fear of failure is the most common fear.”“But it’s more than that.”“Oh?”“If I failed my kid, I ruined his life.” Her hazel eyes shine with unsh...

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“With the Moon” by Angelina Tran

Submitted to Contest #68

Trigger warning: murder, mental illness, drowning***I sigh with content as I watch the sunrise, filling the darkness of the world with its light. The fiery red slowly turns into orange, then a bright yellow. The rays hit my body, and the sudden warmth makes me shiver. I close my eyes, and my long, black hair spreads out on the grassy hill below me. Lifting my head, I look forward groggily.I study the sun’s reflection in the lake, a blend of colors making art.“The view is nice, isn’t it?” Alice giggles beside me. I squeeze her cheek...

743 comments 743

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“Frozen in Time” by Ariadne .

Submitted to Contest #68

Time stands still, lurking on the edges of our sanctuary. A thief, churning with waves of jealousy unable to be contained. I grimace. Not a single morning goes by without unwanted thoughts plaguing my mind and leaving my malnourished frame shaking with despair. Your small hand finds its way to mine, and I resist the urge to smile. Of course, you would know. You understood better than most, despite your youth. Time has not been merciful to you either, has it? I hold you close under the protective branches of the weeping cherry tree overhead ...

200 comments 200

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“Innocence Lost” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #68

5:00 a.m. — Lauds or Dawn Prayer“St. Benedict had too many rules for the clergy,” he said, rolling over in her big wide bed. “Awakening at this ungodly hour was probably the most demonic,” he sighed and burrowed back into the crisp, white sheets, cool in the morning air. The sheets had been sun-dried the day before and still smelled of early spring and youth and possibilities. He suddenly arose and threw open the blinds to let the insistent rays of dawn wash over him. “Please, it is cold—” she protested, raised an arm to cover her ...

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“Emphasis” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Isn’t it funny how, when you put emphasis on certain words, it can change the meaning of the sentence entirely? This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, meaning that out of all days in their (whoever they may be) lives, this one particular day was destined to be the happiest. This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. You could take that one in the way of something happened to make it the opposite of happy; something irrevocable and unwonted...

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“A Family Man” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted to Contest #68

Chill wind blew down the long asphalt street in Palestine, Texas, picking up sud-like dust and limply turning over dead dry leaves. The town was tired and quiet; only a handful of pickups drove leisurely down the street. Jason Lynn Pennsylvania sat behind the counter of AmeriCo Bank, shiny shoes propped up in his neighbor’s empty chair, white collar unbuttoned, Killing Floor open on his lap. His head tipped back against the rim of the sleek swivel chair, snoring. He was the kind of man who would go bald early but not care, the kind of m...

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“Too Perfect To Paint (Part 3)” by ♡ ℂ𝕣𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕝 ♡

Submitted to Contest #68

Kara stumbled through the grass, a blindfold masking her eyes, her arms outstretched like a zombie. “Henry, where are you taking me?” Kara asked the person who hopefully was preventing her from crashing into a tree. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there!” Henry assured her while ushering her slightly to the right as she took small steps forward. “We’d better be,” Kara grumbled. She had to wake up at 4 o’clock that morning for a special event Henry wanted to show her. They’d been walking for what seemed like hours, and on occa...

266 comments 266

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“Afra and Gervassi: Two Truths and A Lie ” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #68

Gervassi unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped in. The place smelled just as he left it, proof that either his roommate hadn’t cleaned in the week he’d been gone, or that he hadn’t been back to the apartment in seven days. Either way, Gervassi didn’t want to waste energy on worrying about that guy. He was exhausted and he wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for seventeen hours. It had been a wild week and the rest would be received so, so well. Only Gervassi was halted by a ringing phone seconds before he could sink into ...

158 comments 158

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“The Final Exam” by Julia Boddie

Submitted to Contest #68

"It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives," Ms. Christina read. "But instead, it was the worst." The bell rang. "Class is dismissed! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I want you to finish this book by Tuesday!" she said in her fake, sweet voice. The class packed up their books and began to leave. Before the last student left, she called her name. "Nicole, stay here for a minute, will you?" Nicole nodded and shoved the last book in her backpack. She then looked at Ms. Christina. Ms. Christina had always been Nicole's...

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“Bitter Fate” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. This was supposed to be the day they photographed and kept carefully in albums, the pictures they framed and placed at strategic points around the house, the day that they would share with their children and grandchildren without being prompted to. But everything had gone horribly wrong. The morning had been bright and clear, a few clouds dotting the endless blue sky. Estella was at the temporary house set up a few miles from the church, getting ready for her big day. The day...

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“The Sun and the Moon” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #68

I yawn loudly, not even trying to suppress it. Aunt Lucinda looks at me with mock anger, only for a second. Her familiar smile comes back on her face, the ends of her mouth curving upwards, and the area around her hazel eyes crinkling. The grass under me is still wet after yesterday’s downpour. If it had been up to Mother, she would have locked me inside, telling me that I would get sick. But I am at Aunt Lucinda’s for the weekend. Which means that I can do everything that is considered illegal in my own house, with Aunt leading the ...

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“Manic” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #68

Her fist shot out, connecting with the side of his head. He staggered back, clutching his ear.“What’s your problem?” The local superhero, Windstorm, complained.She backed away from him, keeping a hand on the bag over her shoulder. “My problem? You just tried to kill me!” Alexis was wearing all black, but no mask like most thieves. Her long black hair was in a neat braid. “Well, why are you robbing a bank?” He asked, rubbing his ear.She frowned. “None of your business.”“I think that it is my business.” He said, standing u...

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“You're Alright.” by BRoOkE HAs A COwBoY HAt

Submitted to Contest #68

“Ciana, what’s going through your mind right now? As we watch this beautiful sunrise, what thoughts run through your head?” Fiadh was sitting on his haunches, staring as the red-orange sun slowly rose in the sky.“I’m just thinking about how much I enjoy being here with my mate, not a care in the den.” Ciana turned to look at Fiadh. He swiveled his head to look at his beautiful silver-furred companion and barked softly, in joy. Ciana stared into his deep, blue eyes, then pressed her nose up against hers.Now the sun was displaying its beauty, ...

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“Sweet, Sweet Arizona” by 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚝 ~

Submitted to Contest #68

The glowing ball of a sun began to creep up the sky. The top of the sky was a medium lavender, and the bottom was orange with the sun’s light. The warming rays washed over the red rocks of Arizona, brightening the land, and striking a conversation with my best friend, Alexa. We were sitting on a rocky ledge, looking out to the vastness of the rocks, with the bustling city of Phoenix in the distance. We had been sitting there for a good 2 hours, just thinking. I was mindlessly gazing at the city that seemed so far away when Alexa tu...

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$50

Prize money

877

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 20, 2020 EST

Won by FJC Montenegro 🏆

Title: Silence

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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