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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#72: Shocking Developments

Have you ever heard that there are only so many types of stories in the world? Some people say seven, some say three, some six… Regardless of the number, the idea is that you can boil down any narrative into universal templates.

While it’s true that many stories do follow familiar structures (and understanding them can help you learn how to craft a compelling narrative), there’s so much variety in how those structures unfold that the best stories still feel fresh and original.

One of the ways writers manage this is by filling their stories with unexpected details — so this week, our prompts are all about characters finding themselves in situations they’d never have imagined. But to really get something unique, don’t stop there: ask yourself what would happen if your characters made each of the possible choices before them, then write the one that surprised you the most!

This week's prompts

Write a mystery where the detective realizes at the last moment that they have the wrong suspect.

Mystery – 117 stories

Write a romance where your character falls in love with the last person they expected to.

Romance – 193 stories

Write about someone getting a job offer they never would have thought to apply for.

Adults – 94 stories

Write about someone who gets an inheritance from a relative they’ve never heard of, but they’ll need to do something completely outside their comfort zone in order to collect it.

Teens – 144 stories

Write a science fiction story where all human behavior can be predicted — until your character does something the algorithm did not expect.

Science Fiction – 139 stories

Stories

“The Vaccine ” by Alex Arias

Submitted to Contest #72

I thought going directly to the HOO, Christen Goldwater, would be a rewarding experience. He would congratulate me on a job well done, perhaps bestow some public accolades that would mark the beginning of our partnership fighting the extraterrestrial virus plaguing our planet. But I had misread the situation. Again. You’re probably confused. Let me start from the beginning. When I was born, I cried. Which isn’t unusual for an infant freshly pushed out of the womb. As they wiped the blood from my skin, I’m told they injected me, as they...

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“Illicit Fate” by Larlin Reese

Submitted to Contest #72

Hours passed as I flipped through my perfect grades, boringly checking them again and again. Tonight was set, knife in my boot as I was getting ready to kill a man. The bots passed by my room near the time of my scheduled lunch hour, watching me eat my stale bread, poking it from afar. "Your brother is in the infirmary," They announced, emotionless and automatic. Just like every single day. That kid beater would get his due. I grinned back. "My grades?" "Perfect as always, Rockers." My last name was sung in my ears as common, the ...

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“Algorithm” by Nikhil Sai

Submitted to Contest #72

"Welcome to the after life...." Peter heard a voice said to him. But he was out in the world before he could comprehend who it was and he is in the job before he could get a grasp around this world . It was quite a task for him in the initial days, but slowly he understood some things about this place. He got a job in the food section which is the highest level of job you can get in this place and if anybody asked him how he got this job he would simply smile and got out of that situation because he doesn't remember....

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“Lauren's Letter.” by Fortune Phiri

Submitted to Contest #72

A collection of one’s and zero’s, that is how the Core views humanity. A collection of worker ants that follow the instructions it doles out. Today was the same as every other day in the city of light, people being moved like pieces on a chessboard carrying out their tasks. Isaac is sat on the train. Humming along the magnetic lines that snake through the mountainous peaks of skyscrapers. The buildings give off a magnificent sapphire-blue glow that rises from the reactors in their core, almost like that of blue sun. The train is filled with ...

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“Everything's Under Control” by Troy Lane

Submitted to Contest #72

Dim, but warm, morning light began to push its way in from behind the heavy drapes of the bedroom. James and Amy sound asleep snuggled together like one cocoon under the thick blankets. Air vents at the bottom of the wall behind their bed opened followed by a soft hiss. James sniffed involuntarily. Soft music began to play, its beat and volume quickly increased to a crescendo. The bed began to shake and vibrate, slowly at first but it too became more violent matching the beat of the music. Simultaneously the drapes began to open.James opened...

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“Sophie” by Arathi Raghuveer

Submitted to Contest #72

Sophie, where is my handkerchief, you know very well that, I cannot leave the house until I have a hanky in my pocket. Roger was almost on a run to his workplace as he was getting late for a presentation. But he would never leave without his lucky charm, his white hanky with a simple flower at the end. Though this looks weird, but he had an obsession towards his mother’s gifts and this was very special. He felt his mother was with him on all his special occasions. Roger’s mother had died of heart attack a few years ago, but his attachment to...

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“Lasagna Day” by Craig Gamble

Submitted to Contest #72

Thursday was lasagna day. Richard Littleman brought a cold lunch from home most days of the week, a salami sandwich or perhaps one with egg salad, but he always bought a hot lunch from the cafeteria on Thursday. Much like the fat orange cat in the comic strip, he loved lasagna. And you could never count on any being left on Friday. The staff only made enough for those that would eat it on Thursday. Leftovers no longer existed. The word had fallen out of the language. The queue was never very long. The service staff had long ago determined w...

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“Bluebird ” by Katherine (Kitty) Lacey

Submitted to Contest #72

Hi, my name is Ember Lorden and I'm in hiding from the law. I didn't do anything terrible, I didn't steal anything, or kill anyone. I just don't like Lima beans. I know what you're probably thinking, why would a distaste for Lima beans force me into hiding? Well, it's kind of a long story. To start, I'll give you a little back ground. Where I'm from, everyone is Programmed. Programming starts when a baby is 1 month old, and ends at 4 years old. This means we like the same food, style, music, entertainment, everything. And we all have a small...

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“Meat Sacks and Metal Bodies” by KC Gilman

Submitted to Contest #72

Why are humans so thoroughly, so absolutely, so utterly, mind-numbingly boring? Every last one of them. They scream. They poop. They pee. They eat. They sleep. And repeat until they die. Add some meaningless banter and some “interpersonal relationships”—maybe throw in some intercourse for the lucky ones—and that’s about it. What’s the point? Why even carry on with their pitiful existences? Not to mention how fragile they are. Get too hot? They die. Get too cold? They die. Eat ...

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“The Guardian Angel Project” by Giovanna Duarte

Submitted to Contest #72

Being designated to a human is no easy task. To excel it, you have to be properly trained by the Angels Unity and Rearing Agency, popularly known as A.U.R.A. Most myths tell that angels were born this way, beautiful and mighty. No, most of us start training as younglings, being injected a serum early on. I wasn’t new to this world when they injected the cold liquid inside me. I can remember vividly what happened.Simply telling the side effects don’t cover up to half the brutality that is this process. The feeling of being split in half ...

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“Becoming Human” by Peter Weigel

Submitted to Contest #72

2065. That’s the year I was born. I’m actually able to remember it. Birth, that is. I recall a flash of blue-white light, like a lightning bolt, followed immediately by darkness and an incessant stream of voices. Despite my blindness, I was a quick learner, mastering the art of language in a few short months. Speech was fun, kind of like a secret code that everyone knows. The problem was, I never had the opportunity to test out that code with anyone else. I learned to speak from recordings of voices, not from people themselves. Nonetheless,...

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“A Dance of Technology” by Bernadette Beauchamp

Submitted to Contest #72

In the year 2042, it was thought that Big Brother finally had gotten it right. Once everyone had calmed down after the pandemic was under control, it was noted that the world was too crowded and extremely busy. So scientists and programmers worked together to make a system that would predict people’s behavior and then organize society so only certain people would be out in public at the same time. The best part was that the scientists and programmers designed this system so people would believe that all of the choices they made were th...

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“Hail Mary” by Katariina Ruuska

Submitted to Contest #72

“So, what you're saying is that being part of the dumbest, weakest, and the most talentless species is actually a good thing?” The green alien stares at me with his five yellow eyes. We're sitting in his tiny office just in front of the heavy lead door that says “Simulation in progress – don't disturb” in big red letters. He's waiting for an answer, clipboard in one of his tentacle-like hands, but all I can think about are his eyes and if all five of them are really that necessary, like, when it comes to eyes, isn't less more? But then I rem...

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“It wasn’t me” by Ana Maria Zaha

Submitted to Contest #72

It wasn’t me It's been 8 years since the investigation started. Sleepless nights, the thunder in his head won't stop. The coffee split all over the files, vodka bottles pieces laying on the floor, surrounded only with the echo of the impact. Everything was in vain. The case of the criminal twins was still unsolved. It was always a mistery for Theo. He solved every case before this one. But since 6 may 2012, things weren't the same anymore. He lost everything and sacrificed his life for this. It all started when he encountered this little gi...

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“Rain Clouds” by Gordon Holloway

Submitted to Contest #72

The sound of distant thunder rained overhead, giving notice to all who listened that a storm was on its way. Rain clouds, John thought, sighing into his coffee. Why'd it have to be rain clouds? Rain clouds never meant anything good. Whenever something bad was about to happen to him, he was always warned ahead of time by the weather. It rained back when a car skidding across the road ran his childhood puppy over, unable to stop itself thanks to the water laid out across its path. It rained back when he was in college, and he slipped off...

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$50

Prize money

687

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 18, 2020 EST

Won by Julie Ward 🏆

Title: Currents

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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