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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

“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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“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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“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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“The Magic of the Sun and Moon” by Sam Reeves

Submitted to Contest #68

This would be our one-hundredth sunrise together. And it would be beautiful.We were out on one of our famous hikes, one we did every year. Jess and I, we had a bucket list of walks we wanted to do. This was just another one to tick off our lists – Seventy miles.We had left our homes in a quaint town where community mattered and simple lives were led. Our destination was a quarry town where Jess’ grandparents lived. We figured we would hike out to see them, enjoy the walk and spend a week or two with the grandparents and hike home again. Soun...

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“East to West” by Matthew Turner

Submitted to Contest #68

“What are you doing up so early?” Io’s voice was hush despite them being the only two around for miles. Those dark moments of dawn seem to demand a quiet voice. “Look,” Erzo said pointing to the east. She only knew it was east because there was the small sliver of orange buried under the immense rich purple of the night sky. They were strangers in a strange land. Everything had fallen apart while they were away and the only word from civilization was clear enough, they were enemies of the state. Every one of their kind. Anyone with th...

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“Easily Broken” by Don's Literary Corner

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The taxi pulled into the cobblestone driveway a few minutes after twelve. The sky was veiled by flickering clouds, and the iridescent colors illuminated the streets the thunder had silenced. The shower earlier that day had carpeted mirrors all over town, and with the blinding neon lights shining from the ground as well; the town was aesthetically dystopian. Donna hastily jerked her body towards the door, only to b...

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“Silence” by John Ware

Submitted to Contest #68

Silence Johnathan Ware Silence. Finally. Go over the rules: Don’t get greedy. Don’t get the audience involved. Don’t get sloppy. Showtime. I steady my hand, adjust my mask, and check the grip in my left hand. Three steps forward and I’m in front of the window. Such a pretty clerk; bright green eyes that reflected a genuine interest in her work. Smooth dark skin that complemented her black and gold suit. I really hope she doesn’t have any heart problems. “Hello,” I swipe the brunette hair from my eyes and toss it over my rig...

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“The Absurd World of Mandy Rose” by Courtney Haynes

Submitted to Contest #68

MANDYUsually, a sexy hot thing making demands would be the highlight of my day. This, however, is not the highlight I expected.To start things off, for most of the week I was pretty damned sure I had just failed all four of my exams, putting the nail in the coffin of my lackluster college career. Everything was floating around in my mind a mishmash of questions. Please write out the quadratic equation. Locate the Pyloric Sphincter on the pig. Explain how Jean-Paul Sartre’s belief in the absurdity of the world connects to his concept of ...

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“The Getaway” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #68

The door was waiting for him. Already open for a quick entrance into the inconspicuous car. Tony ran as fast as he could, chucking the duffle bags full of money into the back as he more or less dove into the passenger seat. “Drive!” Tony screamed at Jackie, “Drive, goddamn it- drive!” Jackie Scaletta did not need to be told. Before Tony had even entered the vehicle, he had popped the clutc...

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“The Time Empress ” by Claire Clayton

Submitted to Contest #68

“He can’t find out!” Kate hissed in my ear. “He will not. You can trust me,” I whispered back, my heart beating at a quickened pace. “You know what’s at stake!” “I am aware.” “Good. If he is even the slightest bit suspicious, we are all dead. Rose, you cannot even make one mistake! Understand?” “Yes, Kate!” She sighed and turned back from the frosty window to face me. “I'm sorry. I'm just worried about what could happen to you.” “I know. It’s okay,” I soothed. I gave her a quick hug and stood up. We had been crouching ne...

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“The Taste of Heartache” by Humphrey The Camel 🐫

Submitted to Contest #68

“How long?” Jared asked, holding the phone where he had discovered the vile messages. The question left behind a rancid taste in his mouth. He really didn’t want to know.“Four months.” Lisa whispered solemnly, hot tears rolling down her pale cheeks.The confession slammed Jared like a sledgehammer. He couldn't feel his hands. His brain became a raging bonfire.“Oh my god you've been going around doing this for four whole months?” He rasped, choking on the sentence.The room was filled with silence. Lisa couldn’t even muster the strength to look...

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“To The Moon And Back” by Mary Isabelle

Submitted to Contest #68

Mason sat outside the hospital beside his brother, Maximus, who was confined to his wheelchair. They stared ahead at a sunrise unlike any they’d ever seen. The sky was blooming with rich golds, soft reds, and radiant oranges. Even the clouds were a frosty pink. They had seen so many sunrises together. So many, but this one was different. Ordinary, and yet so extraordinary. The sky practically radiated hope, and it almost brought tears to their eyes. Hope. The irony. Just that morning, they had lost all hope. The doctors had delivered th...

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“The Perfectly Imperfect Proposal” by Zahra Daya

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Vander awoke merrily just as the sun rose from beneath the luminous clouds. Today was proposal day. Not for them, of course. For their beloved son, Theodore - or Theo, as he liked to be called. Elliot had no idea that she was going to be proposed to, and the Vanders had gone bonkers in attempting not to spill anything. But the day had dawned upon them and they couldn’t be happier. Mrs. Vander hugged her husband snugly - a rare action - and gave him a sloppy kiss on the che...

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“My Universe (#1 and #2 Dylan's pov)” by Zoé Nöel-Lemieux

Submitted to Contest #68

**Author's note; there was a second story, but it didn't submit so I edited this story with a new ending**～～～Gazing into the colourful horizon, I sat beside Ariana before Lake Monova. Trees lined either side, only breaking to form a gap for the pier on the other side, and the rock beneath us was still cool from the night before. The golden light of the sunrise shimmered across the water, reflecting in golden flecks off the ripples in the water and glinting in her amber eyes, making them appear a delicate gold. Gazing across to her, a warm fe...

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“A FABLE OF RURAL INDIA” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #68

[This story is set in rural India of over 150 years ago.]It had been nearly 24 years since she had last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. She was now 38 but the memory hadn’t faded. She had played in this house in the village of Rampet when young, petted by grandparents. Fond memories still lingered. Her name was Rani. She was actually a citizen of the prosperous village of Chembu, a day away by bullock cart, where she owned large tracts of agricultural land which yielded her a good income. So she chose to neglect this old hous...

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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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