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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

“24 years is such an odd time for a reunion” by Adrian Locke

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she'd seen it, but the place looked the same. Her high school. Alice never wanted to set foot here again, this big fucking yellow banner strangled above the entrance "Welcome class of 2018" Great, real nice. Nothing more exciting than anything coloured yellow. She knew she was stalling, who wouldn't? Who would go rub shoulders with the town arseholes while her husband stayed at home with the girls. Lucky man. The door sat heavy, like it was trying to keep her out. Somethings never change. Her name wa...

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“The walking stick” by Brian Njenga

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The wind whistled calmly, bristling her hair as if to usher her forward towards the verandah she remembered so vividly. She edged down with warm tears in her eyes as she grasped the earth with dry and trodden sand slipping through her rosy slender fingers. It was here that she once trotted on, rode her first bike and fell leaving her with a nasty scar on her knee; the only blemish on her delicately bronzed skin. It was also here where she had her f...

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“Remembering Granma May” by Debra Johnson

Submitted to Contest #68

“It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Except for one thing - the woman who lived in the home Ethel May was standing in front of, was gone. She had passed away over a year ago and was greatly missed by everyone who had known her. Including me, my name is Ethel May Carter and the woman in question was Martha May Carter, my mother. I was unable to say good-bye until now.Now standing in front of her home memories of my childhood flooded back as a smile formed. To everyone who ...

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“The Russian Spy” by Nataleigh Sandberg

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Nataliya Romanova stared up at the towering skyscraper, covered in shining glass, reflecting on the clear blue sky above. She turned to the two men behind her, her shoulder-length red waves swinging behind her. The first man was stout and carried a yellow briefcase. The second was tall and dressed sharply, with a long black overcoat over his perfectly tailored suit. "You stay here until I return. Do not let anyone who looks suspicious into the buil...

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“636 Brown” by C Alexis McGregor

Submitted to Contest #68

Trigger warning: reference to child rape It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Seated in her car Hester's green eyes scanned the red brick house, noting how innocuous it appeared as if one more of the same along this tree-lined street. Uncle Sheldon and Aunt Lila still lived there, following their daily routine of avoiding each other. Hester could visualize one seated smoking at the kitchen table, the other beer at hand, watching endless sporting events on the telly. &nbsp...

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“We Won in the End” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #68

We Won In The End It had been twenty four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. But like all of us, it had aged. Bricks needed a clean where the rain and damp over time had darkened them. Cream mortar in between was now grey, if there at all. Some of the red bricks had graffiti drawn on them, amazing artwork in bright colours some with the names of the taggers, and of course obscenities too! So much had happened in the last twenty four years. It was so long ago but in a way felt like yesterday. Suddenly...

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“A Journey Worth Travelling” by Alice McVey

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Icy wind slashed at her face as her bony fingers gripped her blanket up to her face. The streets were dimly lit and the houses were shut and dark. It had been exactly how Jane had remembered it, except for one little thing, her parents. Where were they? How come they weren’t where they said they would be? She was curled up in a dirty corner under a streetlight. The light started flickering and in a moment Jane was in complete darkness. She wa...

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“Waiting Room” by Christopher Cayen-Cyr

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Surrounded by walls and furniture of an immaculate white, she found herself in the same spot again, trapped in the narrow cubical room as she waited for her adversary to show up. Decades of prayers weren’t enough to prevent her from having to go back in this fateful arena. The words spoken by the surgeon before the anesthesia kicked in still echoed in her head. “There’s no need to be afraid,” he said, blinding her with the frontal light fastened ...

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“You Created Something Unique” by Gelyn Pescuela

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. The memory she had flash back to where it begins. A woman who started her journey in searching of who she really is and her purpose in life. A woman who looks life differently because the world is unfamiliar to her and the life she had push her to the limits that made her to become the woman she is. Struggles in life, the hardship she encountered and the failure she had. Often times...

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“The Meadow” by Ashley Florexil

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. Her meadow. The sunflowers gleamed in the rays of the sun from which its name originates. Her sunflowers. The peonies: pink, white, and purple, danced in the breeze that blew gently in from the south. Her peonies. The chrysanthemums were all crowded together in one section of the meadow. They seemed unmoved since the last time she was here. Her chrysanthemums. Even the large oak tree at the far end of the meadow still had the carvings of our initia...

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“Freezing Warmth” by Rena Bhullar

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been twenty-four years since she'd last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. From the naked eye, it would be bold to judge the broken-down exterior of the tree. Antiquated and dilapidated, it was a ramshackle treehouse. Yet there was an aura of warmth that seemed to outline the tree, as if someone was calling out to her, pulling her closer. The attraction was magnetic, she couldn't quite repel it. Each step towards the tree seemed to free her of her pain, her misery, her suffering. The tree was the gateway to the future, as...

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“Reflected hopes ” by Hawi G.

Submitted to Contest #68

Both were looking through the window to the rising sun. The rays from the sun have started to brighten the room. It would be really nice if the sun brighten everybody's day and life. Bona has gone far thinking here and there as he was sitting on the couch which was placed in a close also fair distance from the window of a normal sized room. The room carries a bed, couch, chair and a very small shelf. “Oh, so it is morning!” said Bona’s mother as she laid on her back, starring at the window. Bona, startled and recalling his moth...

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“Was it all a lie?” by Katherine Taylor

Submitted to Contest #68

A warm blanket of air covered my whole body as I lay still in the cold grass. His hand crawled towards mine until our fingers were interlocked. Breathing in the fresh, dewy morning air I turned my head to face him. The skin on his naked body was glowing golden in the early morning sun. Beads of sweat rested on his broad chest and his dark hair stuck to his forehead. Around us birds were waking up and singing their morning rituals together. The early morning dog walkers would be arriving soon but I wasn’t ready yet to bring this momen...

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“I miss you Sam” by Lucy Parwot

Submitted to Contest #68

Lucy turned in bed, the warmth of the morning sun seeping through the sheer curtains, blowing in the gentle dawn breeze. A little bird chirped heartily close by. She peered through one eye – there was a little red breasted creature, chirping as if to tell her it was time to rise. “Well, good morning to you too, little fellow,” Lucy whispered, stretching her arms over her, allowing the first rays of sun to bathe her in their warmth. She turned to look at Sam, her partner, lying beside her. Almost like he could feel her stare, his eyes slowly...

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“The Way of Nature” by MoonDragon Dreamer

Submitted to Contest #68

We had finally made it. Our morning runs were normally less strenuous but coming all the way up here was definitely worth it. With the sun rising in all its celestial glory bathing the valley down below in its swirling colors, the two-hour run it took to get up here felt like two minutes. My running buddy, Jace, seemed just as stunned as I was. With our section away on a mission, newbies like us were still expected to stay at the top of our game. A morning run up Colian Hill seemed like a great way to get the day started, not to mention the ...

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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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