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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

“Thousands of Days” by Mary Corbin

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. So far. I mean, we have a lot of those, right? Birthdays when we’re kids. Wedding Day. A first-born child. This. This was the best day yet. At least. Until it wasn’t. It didn’t start out that great for my niece Julia. She woke up that morning to an email from her boss telling her he had to let her go. A reorganization was underway, last-hired-first-fired kind of thing, you know. They loved her work but it was just the method they had decided was most fair. It was a Friday morning and...

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“The Sun Has Fallen” by Diana Espinoza Banegas

Submitted to Contest #68

December 25, 1917 It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Mama had prepared roasted turkey for the holidays and had made a delicious punch filled with exotic fruit. It was a luxury for us and we were excited. But Papa didn’t return that night. We waited so long that Mother eventually told us to go off to bed, that tomorrow we would eat. I stayed awake and grabbed a book from under my bed. Drowning myself into new worlds and places, I heard a sob after another. That sound called me back into reality and I walked to the ajar doo...

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“The Possessed Car” by Maira Finn

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Twin sisters Sally and Samantha were going to Fun Land. It was a 3 hour drive to Fun Land. Sally could be patient as she drew picture after picture in her old battered sketchbook, but Samantha was impatient and restless. "How much more time till we get there?" moaned Samantha. They had been driving for nearly an hour already. "Two hours," said Dad, who was behind the wheel, "Be patient. Sit back and read your book." "But I'll get carsick!" "We're not on a twisty road," said Sally, look...

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“Rogues” by Stan Allen

Submitted to Contest #68

This was suppose to be the happiest day of their lives. Jay Rhone and Amy, his new wife left the brokers office holding hands, happy and excited. They walked across the yard until the Inter-coastal waterway stopped them. Sitting quietly and waiting on her new owners the forty five foot ketch was what the couple had just purchased. A ketch is recognized by it’s twin masts, plus a head sail or genoa..“Here she is, your wedding present.”“Oh Jay, it’s beautiful. The photos you showed me didn’t do it justice.”“Come on, I’ll show you what it looks...

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“the day of the bite back” by Jadyn Krone

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. We were setting up for our annual fourth of July party. My mom handed me more corn to husk just because I said I was bored so I told her that I wanted to do something else and she said, “You could pour some more skittles and also you could help them get some hot dogs and other stuff cooked.” "Ok I will do that then I will come back and help if you need help.” I said calmly. I was getting really excited because each step that we took to set up we got closer to the celebration t...

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“The Distressed Damsel” by Sreedevi Mahapatra

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. The entire jungle of the Eastern ghats reverberated with the sounds of cymbals, drums and bamboo pipes announcing the birth of the first royal child of the tribal kingdom of the Parja tribe . The kingdom which was hidden by the tall sal trees, and teak trees and bamboo groves, rejoiced as their king at last could father the heir of the parja dynasty. The long wait of two decades had come to an end. Meanwhile the kingdom saw a dozen weddings and...

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“Egotistic” by Maimai Luzano

Submitted to Contest #68

This was was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives after winning a match, the aura that surrounds the both of them changed."so what happened after that? you two didn't try to sort it out? like you know that's what you always do, so the both of you won't be awkward to each other" nicolaii kept asking the latter, but she noticed that she's just talking to the wind 'cos here's her friend staring right at the sky. nicolaii sighed, "when it happens to you enough you just learn to pick up on it." she added, "it's gonna rain lai, you shoul...

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“Little things” by Amélie Veva

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. They had been planning for this day for weeks –no months, maybe even years. Malinda had met Matilda at a Christmas party at a friend’s place. Malinda being the introvert that he was, was head strong on not going to the party that day. He wished to stay home – away from the very many sweaty bodies stuck together in a place with deafening noise and too many people. He preferred being a homebody that evening, cozy and warm. But his dreams of the night shattered as two of his closest fri...

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“Complications” by Adrian Solorio

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, at least, that’s what parents having their first baby were supposed to feel. Carmen, Arturo's wife, was radiant. After nine months, they were finally welcoming their daughter, Delilah, into the world. But Arturo couldn't share his wife's joy. For his night had been plagued by dreadful dreams and his morning haunted by an inescapable feeling of approaching disaster. They had been in the hospital room for an hour and Arturo felt cornered. It was too sma...

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“Rose's Wedding” by Julie Bissell

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. And it would have been, if Rose hadn’t told me to organise it all. Two things there – first, that she told me, as in, no please or would you mind. Secondly, organise it all. All. She could have hired a professional wedding planner, but I was free and I was always available. She loved saving money. She even got me to make the wedding cake, and that was my chance to take a little revenge. Any wedding guest who got stomach lurgy, sorry, but… you’re friends with Rose, right? Legitimate tar...

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“Past, Present, Future maybe” by Hope Mwaura

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty- four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. She could still see herself running through the corridor to her room. She could still smell the familiar lavender and mint scent that she came to love. Walking through the house brought back memories. Bittersweet as some would call it. The kitchen’s wallpaper hadn’t changed either nor did the couch set that sat in the middle of the living room right in front of the chimney. She didn’t realize till then how much she missed it. “Is anything mi...

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“Leaving home” by Mohaddesa Alarakhia

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. She could still recall the stooping figure of her mother's waist in their backyard garden caught there like a piece of sheep's wool. Despite being tired and weary from a long flight from California, she felt a surge of energy within her. All her childhood memories came flooding back. She was back home. Nothing seemed to have changed. The bright rays of the Arabian sun stung her eyes as she rang the same old rusty doorbell. Tears welled up in her ey...

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“Belonging ” by Tanja Cilia

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same, in a manner of speaking.Of course, you wouldn’t expect paint not to flake, and shingles not to fall, if a place had been uninhabited for almost a quarter of a century – but the building still stood, erect and proud, on the top of the hill, and a lot of the way inside it, with a labyrinth of corridors that ran crosswise, and, for safety reasons, had cleverly designed exits in all four points of the compass, albeit at different levels.Now, all she ha...

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“A Victorian Scare” by Emma Griever

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. With the ever changing climate surrounding the old, rustic, building, you’d think it would be weathered down a bit. She sauntered over to the threshold that revealed a staircase, leading to the next floor. A slight creaking noise came from above her, she glanced up at the bare ceiling. She heard the sound echoing throughout the old Victorian house again, as it sounded similar to a rocking chair being used against old wooden floorboards. ...

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“Twenty-Four Years ” by Mackenzie Hebner

Submitted to Contest #68

Twenty-Four Years By: Mackenzie Hebner It’d been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. I suppose that is how death works after all. Six feet under always stays at six feet, neatly chiseled stone stands tall with its tell-all engravings, grass grows and is cut in routine motion, and flowers fade but the colorless stems still rest as visual aids for what once was. It was another life back then. They were young, passionate, and invincible. Traipsing through the days fueled only by the whim...

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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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