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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#79: The Family You Choose

They say blood is thicker than water — but is it always?

The truth is that not all families offer healthy relationships to each other, and sometimes the harsh act of cutting them out of your life may be the best course of action. Fortunately, we can still meet people who love us no matter what and become our new families. Not to mention adoptions, blended families, and all the wonderful ways people connect with and support each other, regardless of whether they share any DNA. It's fair to say that family is a lot more than blood!

This week, we’re going to turn family life upside down and examine all the ways that family succeeds — and fails — for our characters.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who decides it’s time to cut ties with a family member.

Sad – 260 stories

Your main character is approached by their long-estranged parent who wants to reconnect. How do they react?

Dramatic – 193 stories

Write about someone who discovers the only family member they have left has just betrayed them.

Sad – 160 stories

Write about two characters who’ve gone through something so intense they now feel like family.

Adults – 190 stories

Write about a “found family” who are finally able to get together again after a long time apart.

Fluff – 100 stories

Stories

“Mr Strong” by S. Athena

Submitted to Contest #79

My heart is pounding, my breath is coming out in short bursts and my hands are trembling. This is what happens when I think of him. So the story goes for most of the members in my group. The old lady called Lucy is no exception. She seems to be staring at me but her eyes are glassy, her pupils dilated; I know her mind is elsewhere, like mine was a few seconds ago. “So, what would you like to share with us today?” the group leader asks, looking at me. I know it’s my turn. I know I can postpone this no longer. And yet my memories of ‘that...

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“The Bond” by Ayesha Hassan

Submitted to Contest #79

The Bond“You can come and see your mother”, the doctor said.I went in and saw my mother sinking fast, at the deaths’ door .Her eyes were closed, she opened it twice, looked at me, vague and pale. She didn’t &nbsp...

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“The Shards of Glass” by Luna Wood

Submitted to Contest #79

I am hiding in the upstairs cabinet under the sink. My father storms through the house downstairs. I hear as his beer bottle smashes into hundreds of pieces on the floor.I hear him start to trudge upstairs to get another bottle. I hold my breath as he walks through the hallway. His bottles cling together as he grabs a new one.He stayed home all day. When I came home I saw at least 5 empty bottles on the table. As soon as I walked in a saw something coming at me through the air. I duck down fast as the bottle flies behind me and hits the wall...

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“ I am Found” by Melina Verhoff

Submitted to Contest #79

I've never seen the light of day. I'm not sure what the birds sing about. I don't know what the smell of oak trees are. The feeling of soft moss growing on the tall pine trees. The taste of wild berries. I have never seen the planet known as the Earth. I was born in a spaceship, a whole civilization of people who, too, have never been to or seen the lifeless planet. Since that day... I'm only 16 years of age. Now, I do have a family, however, the ship segregates each member by age. Little babies (newborn-2 years) Children (3 years-12 year...

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“Tainted blood” by Amber Brownlee

Submitted to Contest #79

After years of mental abuse, I knew it was time. As I watched the blood flow down my arms, I knew that it was time, taking my anger out on myself was no longer an option. She was killing me without even physically touching me, each cut represented her vile words. After eighteen years I knew that it was time to cut all ties. She begged me to stay, promised that she would never hurt me again. She told me that she loved my and that she was truly sorry; “Look what you love did to me.” I shoved my newly badged arm in him face. “I don’t think I ca...

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“Missing Pieces” by Philip Hedges

Submitted to Contest #79

In many ways, an orchestra is like a jenga tower, for its success rests equally on all the individual parts. A few missing pieces and it collapses. Leonard’s job as a conductor was holding together that delicate construction. He kept a clear view on each and every part at all times. Aware, that the smallest disequilibrium could bring the entire structure tumbling down.Tonight’s program was Johannes Brahms’ third symphony. A challenging piece for a young conductor like himself. To get into the right headspace, Leonard followed his usual ritua...

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“The Pursuit of Knowledge” by Estefanny Almanza Fuerte

Submitted to Contest #79

I sat down and looked around at the people around the kitchen. I should like the people around me. They were my family, and I had to just take a deep breath. I had to keep my mind clear. They were stranger in many senses, and it could start from one person I thought I looked over and glance at him. My father and I thought about laughing. I got up and looked around, and picked up a soda for my father and brother. I did try to look at him. I could feel my heart stop as he gave me a look as I went into the kitchen to help out my mom in the kitc...

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“Dumbo” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #79

It was her birthday (one of the late-twenties ones). At that point, I was drinking Wild Turkey 101, Basil Hayden’s, Makers Mark, Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, and anything else I wanted. I’ve learned the difference between whiskey and bourbon more than once, but it’s never stuck; It all smells like booze to me. Back then, nights started with drinking and driving. What a time! I drove us into the city, my Pathfinder’s stereo blared rap music. If I had asked her what she wanted to listen to, she would have answered, “Lana Del Rey.” The Nove...

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“Perfect match” by Lerato Moeketsi

Submitted to Contest #79

Grace, clambered down from the bus and watched it slither away like a snake on fire: flashing red, whining. Fifty yards up Valley Road, it veered out of sight around a hairpin curve, belched a plume of exhaust and was gone. She gazed across the street at the entrance of Beverly Grove. Squat stone pillars with broken tops marked the neighbourhoods boarders, with a scatter of houses set in no particular order on irregular one acre plots. There was the shrill of barking dogs, and a revving motorbike. Grace squinted through the glare, searching ...

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“Burned and buried” by Vibes Blossom

Submitted to Contest #79

Final autumn leaves grind beneath her dusty feet. Her bouncy hair pumped vitality in an frizzy manner as she hobbled towards the garden to pluck freshly matured roses. The sky wasn’t a plain yellow expanse like it used to be in her preferred times; the sky was now a profuse of soluble shades. Brought up by a single mother, Reya outgrew from the last civilization of the era and struggled to sustain in the more modern world. Her mother who had, in the past, lived in regional groups when the culture of multiple mating partners existed, ironic...

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“A Royal Assassin ” by Olivia June

Submitted to Contest #79

The many weeks after my family's assassination were somber. If I didn't know better I would think all these mourning people actually knew and cared about them. They would not cry so much if they knew the terrible things my family had done. I gracefully wiped away another fake tear. My grandmother caught my eye and narrowed her eyes. "The royal family will be forever respected for their contribution to our country. May they rest in peace." Murmurs filled the silence as the ceremony ended. Lords and ladies greeted ...

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“Jiggle like Jello” by Melisa Trad

Submitted to Contest #79

Christmas. Yes, that marvelous spot in the calendar in which a pumpkin pie makes you sit in front of your worst enemy. I am, however, loyal to the slow death of custard melting in the mattress of my tongue. No matter how much pain is inflicted on the outside, how many aunts ask about my unemployment, or whatever bad joke my husband spits on the table: this pie is ma´Lord and savior. This year would be no exception. There I was, expecting the last spoon of stuffing to be claimed soon, so the ritual could proceed as established in any family ...

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“Better” by Rawn A Lynn

Submitted to Contest #79

Maddox was cooking breakfast with his mom like he always did every Saturday morning. He was watching his mom stir the batter with concise and un-wasted movements. He was silently trying to figure her out as he observed her. She mentioned a surprise for him which made him excited, but she didn’t seem as excited. She seemed a bit afraid and Maddox was not used to his mother having that expression. He always knew her as the strongest person in the world. He tried to say something but he didn’t know how to word it. How was he supposed to ask his...

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“Going Through with It” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #79

Lynette wished that people would stop telling her, “Of course we would understand completely if you didn’t want to go through with this,” and then promptly, in those bright well-meaning voices, try to persuade her exactly why she should. I know all about persuasion, she thought, and you’re not even very good at it. She hurriedly reminded herself that it was to their credit, and to her benefit, that they weren’t very good at it. Only Gran-Jan seemed to genuinely respect her views. Even long after putting aside childish things (many of which s...

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“Four, Thirteen, Fifty” by LaShawn Baker

Submitted to Contest #79

Four, Thirteen, Fifty By LaShawn Baker I was only four years old when my father appeared from behind the tattered screen door of my aunt's home. I remember calling to my aunt that there was a strange man at the door. But in my young mind I had to make sure the tall man was my family, my daddy my saviour. I knew who he was in my heart. Yes I knew, but I wanted to make sure:running as fast as my four year olds as legs could carry me to my room in the back of the old house. I retrieved the borrowed photo from under my pillow. I co...

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$50

Prize money

905

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 05, 2021 EST

Won by Reha A 🏆

Title: Puzzle Pieces

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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