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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!

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

“Darkening Skies” by Salom :)

Submitted to Contest #68

*Trigger warning: Suicide* Silver sat next to Blue in the early morning light, one of his wings curled around Blue’s tiny body as they watched the sunrise. Blue’s eyes were wide and fascinated; due to his time with the scientists, this was his first sunrise. The corners of Silver’s mouth twitched up into a slight, rare smile at the wondrous expressions on the smaller angel’s face. He should have felt the pure joy of seeing the skies sooner, Silver thought quietly. The pure ones like Blue deserved to see the sky and enjoy the vast e...

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“It All Started With A Box ” by Olivia June

Submitted to Contest #68

"Can I tell you a secret?" The small child's chubby hands clutch a crate with a shiny official cover and chocolate stains it. Smothering a laugh I reply, "What did you do now, Lizzy?"Elizabeth hands me the official looking package and showcases her missing teeth in a wide smile, "I took it for you but you can't tell anyone or mommy will be mad. Mommy's always mad." She sniffles before continuing, "I saw it in the bakery when the sheriff left his table to get another doughnut. It was so pretty I wanted you to have it. It's a present!"As Eliza...

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“Supposed to be.” by Issy :)

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Supposed to be. She screamed with pain, not able to handle the sensation of her insides being ripped out. This wasn't right, she thought. But what would she know? It was her first child. Her first time giving birth. None of her birthing classes had prepared her for this much pain. With no medication and no one to hold her hand, she was scared out of her life, feeling alone for the first time. She trained her eyes back to the road, taking deep breaths as the agonising contractions eased...

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“I'm sorry” by Meera C

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives.But I ruined it.Yes. I was the cause, the reason, the problem, the black hole.The one who was responsible for my own terrible actions, it was me and only me.And I regretted it. So much.I don’t know how to forgive myself.God, please forgive me.Bring them back together again.I’m begging you.My father died when I was still a young, immature child. By then, I was already big enough to know and understand what was happening. No words needed.I pushed everyone away. I don’t need their sympathy...

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“Telling a Secret and Telling a Lie.” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #68

Sam walked over to me with a very serious look on his usually smiling face. He put his hand on my right arm, which is a serious gesture on his part. He is not a touchy, feelie kind of guy, more of the fist-to-fist and high five kind. “We’ve been friends for a long time, right George?” “Of course Sam, we’ve been buddies since grade school. You know that. And from there to high school, and then to our jobs here working for the same company.” “I need to tell you something, and you are not to share it with anyone”. He...

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“Ward ” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, but then it happened. I need therapy, the doctors and nurses told me I need therapy, but I’m a doer and therapy’s expensive and dangerous. My parents said they’re still proud of me and we can always try again. After all, trying is the fun part, right? Yes, but it’s the herd mentality. Everyone else has one, so we should have one, too. What a weird world. My colleagues have jobs, so do I, they have hous...

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“Smiles of butter on warm toast” by Farah F

Submitted to Contest #68

"You think there's really a songbird that thinks it dies every time the sun goes down, Arden-Lea?" Roe asks me, their eyes shut tightly against the roaring sunrise before us. "No." I say, watching Roe carefully while shielding my eyes. Their expression, previously hopeful, falls flat and bursts open, like a water balloon on a sharp nail. "I mean," I add hurriedly, "I don't think so, but if there is one, then it's surely quite relieved right now." A small smile spreads over Roe's face, like butter on warm toast, and Roe turns onto their side ...

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“The price of freedom” by Azalea Silver

Submitted to Contest #68

The bank's workers cowered in fear at the semi-automatic rifle gun pointed at their heads. The funny thing was that the figure that was currently robbing their bank had no accomplices. He held the gun with steady, gloved hands and glared at the workers with steely eyes from behind his ski mask.Never in all the years since that little town was founded, had there ever been a robbery of any sort in that bank. Though, the barrel of the gun he was holding was as real as can possibly be."Open the vault." He said, his voice cold, gruff, and dangero...

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“Milestones to Woe” by Eugene Ewusi-Annan

Submitted to Contest #68

“This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives”Friday…Pause. Rewind to Thursday.Chantalle stepped out of her dorm room into the hallway and dialed on her Samsung. She speaks quieter than usual, calling out mildly, ‘Hello, mama. Hello, are you there?’. She multiply turns at her sides to see for anyone passing while on the phone, as if she was hiding. She was. She complained for the little money given her. Her mother convinced her to be patient until she is paid her poor salary.Chantalle lowly replied, “I’ll call you next week t...

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“Crook Woods” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same, apart from the plaque declaring what she remembered as ‘Woolwicke’ was now ‘Little Beam’. The white painted double garage with its navy blue painted roller shutter doors. The neighbour’s lamppost she used to be able to see peeping over the hedge when playing in the garden, making believe Mr Tumnas was waiting for her under it, even in midsummer. The conservatory she could see from between the bars of the wrought iron front gate. The shadow inside t...

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“Ripples on a Quiet Lake” by Aisa M

Submitted to Contest #68

The aroma of instant coffee woke me up. It wafted into my nostrils, whirled its way into my every nerve, and woke up every bit of my sleeping body parts. I sat cross-legged; hands tucked inside the pocket of my grey sweater, absorbing every heat they can get. My eyes squinted as the tender light of the dawn entered the tent. The fog slowly vanished in the presence of the early morning sun. Puffy, white clouds enveloped the Lover’s Summit – as what everyone called the twin mountains. Mike smiled at me as he transferred freshly fried eggs into...

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“Amazing Grace ” by Arianna Noelle

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same.Well...almost.Growing up in an old town like this one, everything moves at such a slow, creeping pace, that you almost expect time to wait for you to come back home before the clock starts ticking again.Twenty-four years.Just enough time for the old grocery store clerk who used to offer me candy as I waited on my mother to finish shopping to forget my name.Just enough time for me to get married and have two kids of my own.Just enough time for the ma...

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“A Real Mom” by ℤ ℍ☮️

Submitted to Contest #68

Aileen walked into the bank. It was pretty simple. No mask. No gun. No threat. All she had to do was act like an eighteen year old who wanted to transit five-hundred dollars for a mall-stop. She usually twisted her hair with her fingers and used the words "like" and "umm" excessively. But today she wanted to go big with a uniform, a mask, and the whole gig.Aileen wasn't doing this for the money. It was more for the news. One day, her mom would think about her. One day, her mom would see her on the news and rush to the crime scene panicked, h...

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“Lying in Truth” by Christy Sutton

Submitted to Contest #68

“I love you” It was the first time she had ever said it, although she had known for years. She whispered the words. He barely heard them in the silence that had become the two of them. He had waited months to watch those three words leave her lips, to taste their sweetness, but this felt futile. He wanted to pull her into his arms, tell her he loved her too, and etch his name forever in her soul. But he couldn’t, not now. They had been here before. They had already had this conversation, on these bleary concrete steps, setting side...

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“The Lavender Lake Prescience” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #68

Daisy didn’t have much time for boys, and Leo didn’t have much time for girls. But they had all the time in the world for each other. And they had both sneaked out of their houses to watch the sun rise on Midsummer Day. They lived on the East Coast, so in June daybreak came early. Very early. It wasn’t quite like the land of the midnight sun, but it didn’t seem to go properly dark at this time for year. Anyone who first met them and didn’t know would have presumed that the 2 ten year olds had known each other si...

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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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