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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

“Mother of ...three” by Doina Toma

Submitted to Contest #68

(Hi guys. This is my first time here so I could use some comments and critiques. Thanks!). I woke up in a mood that immediately felt wrong for that day. The air smelled the same way I remembered it from all the mornings I was all packed up and ready to go to summer camp. I would always feel excited but terrified at the same time, ready to be away from home on my own but also apprehensive and sad. That day, thirty-some years later, I felt the same mixed excitement. It was bitter-sweet and made me feel like a child again. But all I am trying t...

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“The disaster at the dance” by Isabela Campos E Silva

Submitted to Contest #68

"Okay, I admit it, I was the one who called the police," said Carla. They were gathered around an investigation table, and no one could leave until the killer was found. You are probably asking yourself "Who are they, and why are they being investigated?" and you are asking the right questions. Let's travel back in time a little. Two hours ago, Carla and her sister Margo were getting ready to go to their high school winter dance. It was a mess of makeup, hot tools, discarded clothes, and questions like "Has anyone seen my lipstick?" "Does my...

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“Stupor” by Samira Davis

Submitted to Contest #68

It had been thirty-five years. Thirty-five years since Daphne had made her fatal commitment to her high-school sweetheart, Charles. How could this have gone so wrong? She loved him, didn't she? Gambles, gambles..... Daphne Adair.....No. No. Daphne Miller. Daphne hated Charles for what he had become, the sweet-voiced liar who had twisted and turned her life using his lovely eyes and gentle voice, to ride her through the biggest rollercoaster she had ever been on. Well, the drop was near. Beginning of Act I "Daffy!" called Laurel Parker, her b...

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“Was it possible for someone to hate their own mother?” by Marcus Éloi Gideon

Submitted to Contest #68

“I hated my mother” whispered Frank, trying to keep his voice low. There were people around him, and the last thing he’d want was to be heard by the crowd gathered to honour his mother’s death. It was a funeral. His aunt was talking, saying some untruthful things about how virtuous and good his mother was; “All of these are lies!” whispered again. Indeed, nobody in that room was aware of his mother’s torments and hate against his own son. “I...

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“2050-Mother” by E.M Green

Submitted to Contest #68

Mumbai-A Friday of 2050 'Jai I have to tell you something, can you come here?' Mio has finally messaged him. She is standing in front of his room. An android, with short hairs, she is dressed in white maid attire. I'm not good at these things, I want to make it easy for him. Small speakers creeks alive in the house. Jai "What happened Mio? It's not Sunday, you know I can't come offline." Mio "It's your mother..." Jai "What?" little background noise disappears from the speakers. Mio "She has.....committed suicide." she s...

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“An Unescapable Fate” by Megan Patterson

Submitted to Contest #68

“I have cancer.” The weight of the words sent a painful shiver through his body. Saying it out loud somehow made it real. He had spent months bargaining with himself, telling himself that if he kept quiet that the cancer would go away. But it didn’t. His mother wore her broken heart on her face. With a low voice, she croaked, “How long have you known?”&nbsp...

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“A long and happy life” by Merinda Forwood

Submitted to Contest #68

"Is the rumour true, then? We're all going to die?"“Unfortunately, yes. The meteorite is due to hit in five hours. All the media know so far is that it's going to come close. That’s all we are going to tell them. The last thing we want to do is set off a panic about something that cannot be changed. We don’t want to make humanity’s last few hours worse than they have to be."“True. At least everything here will die instantly. Those on the far side of the Earth will not end so well.”James scrambled up from the flower bed underneath the window,...

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“Masked Feelings” by Melody Milano

Submitted to Contest #68

Third Person’s POVThis was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, the day that was supposed to be hers. A day she has been imagining since she was just a child, planning every detail perfectly, even going as far as to plan whom she will marry.It’s a beautiful wedding with the theme of pink. The decorations and even the dress of her maid of honor, her sister, were in the shade of pink.Everyone’s jaws dropped as she walked down the aisle, they were all in awe seeing the bride in the gorgeous white gown which matched to the pink bouquet i...

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“My name is Ollie Hoggans” by Hazel Stephens

Submitted to Contest #68

My name is Ollie Hoggans It was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives but instead this happened Hello my name is Ollie im 15 . I can't wait till I'm 18 and ready to leave the home. I hate being adopted. I never fitted in. People always tell me I'm lucky I found a family. I'm not. I don't tell anyone I'm adopted . I also don't ever talk about it with my parents but that's not my fault they won't tell me anything where I came from or who my parents were or why they abandoned me . ¨Olli...

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“And Then She Was Gone” by Valeria Ortiz-Martinez

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. Do you ever get the feeling that something is wrong? Something is off. Maybe it's the sandwich you ate this morning, maybe the pickle you put in was expired. Or maybe it's the old man staring at your sister from across the bar. ... "Come on, Abby! We're going to be late!" Joleen laughed at her sister who was still upstairs getting ready. "Hello!" "Oh, shut up! I'm coming!" Abby laughed, pulling up her winter boots and zipping them up, this time not getting the zipper caught in the ...

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“DISAPPEARING ACT” by Emmeline Bisiikwa

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. It was our wedding day. Dean and I had met about two years ago, and it had been love at first sight. We met at a friend's party, and he seemed familiar from the moment our eyes met. I knew I had to talk to him. Something about him kept my attention. The strength in his frame, the confident way he carried himself, the layers to him that I wanted to unveil. I made my way to his side. 'Do you like to dance?' I asked. 'Only with beautiful women' he replied. I laughed, 'I bet you sa...

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“Meeting Tyler” by Lizzie The-great

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest days of their lives. After seven years of trying, the resilient couple finally accepted the fact that if they were to start the family they so longed for, the child just wouldn't be theirs. So, they picked up their pride and head down to the adoption agency determined to settle down for the rest of their lives. "Mr. and Mrs. Hudson?" The pair looked up in anticipation. "It's time for you to meet Ty." Prilla looked into her husband's eyes. "This is it Danny, this is the start of the rest of our lives." Dan...

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“The Eternal Bond” by Oliver C.

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. They’ve known each other ever since they were kids, and later on they became each other’s first love. They had been together for years, when Ron finally popped the question, to which Alice said yes, and a year later, they held a wonderful wedding. It was love of the purest kind. A love that binds two people together eternally. In a bond that not even death could tear apart. After their beautiful ceremony, they should have deserved a happy life together, but things don’t always work out...

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“Alana's Fate” by Ana Paula

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the best day of our lives. Tom had proposed during lunchtime in the campus cafeteria. Just the two of us. Some people might need a huge, magical proposal, not me. “Look Alana,” He’d said, “I know I don’t have much to my name. I know you could do much better than me, but I’m too selfish and I want you to be mine. Forever. I love you and I want you to be my wife.” It took me a few seconds to reslise he was proposing. When I didn’t answer he went on. “We are young, I know. If you think it’s best we get our degrees first ...

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“Nora is gone” by Lucile Duchac

Submitted to Contest #68

This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. A vacation before college, before they say goodbye. Nora and Alexa were twins. Very close twins, the kind of twins that wore the same clothes for way too long. Alexa was set to go to MIT. She was always the overachieving sister, Nora decided to start her own business and she was ready to move 1 block away in an apartment building near her local community college. Nora wanted to get out of the house, but she never held onto anything for long, her mother worried she would switch her majo...

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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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