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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#74: Countdown

Congratulations everyone, we’re almost done with 2020! As we reach the final week of a year that’s brought so much upheaval to all our lives, there’s bound to be even more clock-watching than usual.

To channel this anticipation, this week we’re going to focus on counting things down. Whether it’s seconds, days, or tasks, striking through lists and calendars is both therapeutic and practical. So don’t let me hold you up! After all, time’s a-tickin’ and these stories aren’t going to write themselves!

This week's prompts

Write about someone scrambling to finish a goal in the last few hours of the year.

Winter – 123 stories

Write about someone keeping track of time with tally marks on a wall — until one day they discover that all the marks are gone.

Thriller and Suspense – 133 stories

Write a story that takes place across ten days.

Kids – 100 stories

Write a story that takes place across ten seconds.

Kids – 256 stories

Write a story in the form of a top-ten list.

Middle School – 115 stories

Stories

“counting down your hearbeats” by Ru .

Submitted to Contest #74

The beach will be small. But somehow, it’ll be enough. Two lonely strangers will tumble over its coast like driftwood into the clutches of low tides. Deep within their rib cages, their hearts will be crumbling sandcastles, awkwardly patted together by the children they once were.The woman will stash sand dollars into her coat pockets, saving them to play checkers later with her daughter. There'll be scallop shells wreathed into her hair. The man will have plastic wrinkles melting from his eyes. Years will be carved into his face, making him ...

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“Letters To Tal” by Orenda .

Submitted to Contest #74

trigger warning: suicide mentions.Lots of crying too, so please bear with me xD.~17.07.XXXX“Dara, manage her! She’s painting our faces black if she continues bringing misfortunes upon us.” “Misfortunes, Papa? My c-condition paints your face black? That’s how you put it? All the years I’ve been living with this body, n-none of you ever considered helping me. And t-that’s inhumane of you.”“Inhumane, ha! You’ve no say in this, child. You’re no less than a dead pariah to us.”And with that, Tallulah stormed into her room and slammed the door...

121 comments 121

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“Elijah” by 𝕜𝐞𝕟𝐝𝕣𝐚 𝕤𝐭𝕠𝐧𝕖

Submitted to Contest #74

Day OneEdith picked up the album with her hands and set it on her knees, as if the weight grasped onto her shoulders and back. She took out the very first picture on the beginning page, examining it carefully. Her favorite memory splashed in her brain, and she could replay each part one by one.“Mama, a seahorse is in my pants!” Elijah shrieked, running back up to the sand. “I feel it, I feel it!”Ruth, her husband, took a picture.“Are you sure that’s a seahorse?” Edith said, laughing. “We’re only a foot and a half in the water!”Elijah paused....

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“New Year, New beginnings” by 🕊 🎀 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝓈𝒽𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝓂𝒶𝓁 🎀 🕊

Submitted to Contest #74

“10!” We screamed at the top of our lungs, I almost gagged at the noise pollution we’d created. Sythe winked, smiling as she showed her perfect set of teeth she’d take care of every day. I was so glad that she decided to join my family for our annual New years party. I rolled my eyes at her. She was such a show-off. We met as rivals actually. Sythe had hated my guts since she laid eyes on me, she was the most popular girl at Sunnydale middle school. She practically owned it. On the first day I bumped into her during our only shared class: Ar...

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“Things My Mother Collected” by A.Dot Ram

Submitted to Contest #74

Things My Mother CollectedA list by Dr. Alex Caldwell1. PerfumeSome women have their signature scent. I thought my mom did, but it turns out that maybe her signature was her variety. There they were, three glass bottles, three little jewels sparkling on a polished silver tray on her worn white dresser. I thought I knew my mom. I thought the perfume in the short, fluted bottle, golden flowers and Swarovski crystals adorning the dome of its lid, was her scent—an ephemeral, flowery sillage, light and inoffensive. Whispers of Truth. I sprayed it...

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“How long has it been?” by Moon Lion

Submitted to Contest #74

I yawned lazily, realizing that it must be nighttime out there. Well, maybe, or maybe not, I mentally debated for a few moments before reverting to laziness. I'm tired which means it's sleep time. I had been inside the bunker for so long, in this windowless, not too hot, not too cold place, that my body had forgotten all about the rhythms of the outside world. Picking up the metal nail, I climbed up the dangerously positioned ladder I had propped against the wall. It was the end of the world, and I didn't think it mattered i...

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“My New Year Resolutions” by ✯𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫✯

Submitted to Contest #74

Title: My New Year Resolutions By: Haripriya Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope that you're having a great Thursday and a lovely Christmas Eve! I hope you enjoy this story! Number #1: Learn how to knit: I have always been wanting to learn how to sew/knit because the idea of making your own things such as a sweater, gloves, socks, etc just sounds so much more fun and a bit more satisfying. Meaning, when you're wearing something that you made by yourself, won't you feel just so much more proud than wearing something you bought from Targ...

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“Where Is It?” by Lauren :)

Submitted to Contest #74

Today is New years eve. I am glad that it is soon to be 1979. One thing that I haven’t done though. My resolution for this year! I forgot about it! I have to figure out what it is! Right now! I only have 7 hours till it’s 1979! I better hurry!HOUR 6I think that I would have put my resolution in my journal from last year. I keep my old journal on my bookshelf near my living room. Maybe. That was where it was 2 months ago. But then again I did rearrange my house. I’ll check over ...

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“Just 10 Days” by ◦•●◉✿ 𝓑𝓵𝔁𝔁𝓲𝓲 ✿◉●•◦

Submitted to Contest #74

Day one: I remember the day, clear as day. As if it just happened. The day I discovered how many days I discovered how many days I have left, to live. In the world I live in, at the age of 18, we discover how many days we have left to live. I didn’t yet know how many days I had left to live. I feared, yet yearned for that one day. December 21st. I feared that I would only have a day or two left to live. I feared I would never experience so many things-in so little days. “Hey, Irelyn!” My best friend, Kisha, exclaims, running over...

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“STRANGE HAPPINESS” by Amel Parvez

Submitted to Contest #74

1) She took a deep breath, taking in the odor of that place. This was her favorite place in the whole world, she would give anything to come here. She could feel her body getting relaxed in that environment.It was just the type of her place. The place of peace and tranquility, where no one will disturb you. There would be no place anywhere where you will find this much calmness and coziness. The silence filled her ear, and the sweet aroma of the librarian perfume filled her nostrils. She was filled with happiness...

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“The Death ” by W.W. Skybelle (Inactive)

Submitted to Contest #74

I paced around my room in frustration. I could feel a battle raging in my head. Should I do it? Yes. Wait, no. I have to do this. But the risks! It’s the only solution. No, there’s always more than one answer to a problem. I banged my head against the wall. That calmed me down. Bits of pain could make me think straight. I shouldn’t overthink it. I just had to go for it and hope for the best. Before I could change my mind, I shoved the pill inside my mouth and swallowed. I didn’t...

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“Together Again” by Lilliane Wei

Submitted to Contest #74

Lauren didn’t believe in true love and fairy dust and happily ever after’s. At least not anymore. She was older now, wiser, and she knew that everything didn’t magically fall into place, that miracles were mere coincidences raised to fame. That's when a ghost from her past walked back into her life. “Lor?” That one word glued Lauren to her seat, effectively rendering her frozen in place. Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe it was terror that kept her in place, maybe surprise, maybe excitement. Or perhaps a combination of all three.&...

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“Trapped” by 🕊 🎀 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝓈𝒽𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝓂𝒶𝓁 🎀 🕊

Submitted to Contest #74

Day 1: “Don’t be a pest Diana, go play with your friend,” I gestured at Lily Kennels. Diana rolled her eyes at me, slumping back to Lily. “Dad… why did we need to bring them along?” I made sure to speak softly. “Geez Abby… it’s only one day… can’t you adjust?” “No,” I snapped, folding my hands. “Behave,” He warned. I groaned. If only my little sister hadn't been BFF’s with the sister of an annoying jerk. Tony… ugh, I hated him. Ever since we were little he’d tease me, steal my jacket and throw it in the boys bathroom. I’d cry, wail… co...

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“10 seconds.” by 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚝💙

Submitted to Contest #74

10 seconds that’s all we had to get out. The call came from nowhere telling everyone that there had been a bomb planted inside of the school.It was a normal day. I woke up around 8 in the morning. I had two classes in the morning one began at 9 and the other at 10:45. My roommate made the small apartment we had lived in smell like a 5-star cafe once again. This morning she made waffles with blueberries, powdered sugar, and some syrup. Everything looked so perfect as it always did. I washed down the meal with some orange juice we had in the f...

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“The People in the Windows” by A.R. Eakle

Submitted to Contest #74

He’s only about fifteen yards away from us, this madman with a gun and two children standing in front of him like pawns on a chess board. The pavement is new beneath his feet and the painted lines, the pavement markers, they’re crisp and bright. There’s ten of us and only one of him and only two children. I can feel my heart beat in my throat, each pulse gagging me, punching on my uvula. I can barely hear my sergeant yelling commands like, “Drop the gun,” and, “Nobody has to get hurt,” and other things that I can’t hear over the throbbing of...

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$50

Prize money

727

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 01, 2021 EST

Won by Scout Tahoe 🏆

Title: Kindergarten

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.

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