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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

“This time.” by Samantha Alner

Submitted to Contest #79

Every day I think about them. Every single second that I’m not otherwise distracted, I see his smiling face, twisted with spite; eyes dead after selling his soul. I see her, loyal to him, casually ignoring her own dreams and her own son’s needs to appease her husband’s desperate sense of self. I can still feel the rage he exuded as he beat me and bore down on me with those hateful words, “You deserved it.” I can still feel my heart breaking over and over as I realised that this man, my father, would never care about me; would never celebrate...

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“It has been long” by Ema Hinata

Submitted to Contest #79

" It's enough . I can't take it any longer , Kevin! It is either me or you !"Young Emi thumped her feet : ready with her bags to put an end to all the drama in her life while Kevin just stood there , confused , not realising what he had done wrong.Kevin was her only kin in this world or more like the only enemy. Kevin would do just about anything to impress their boss. Last meeting was the limit . He stole her project and presented it in his name ; his position as the design Director confirmed.She never understood how could this brother of h...

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“Carpe Diem” by Pamela Dorothy Castro

Submitted to Contest #79

Family is not an important thing. It's everything. I grew up as the eldest among my four siblings. I have a loving mother and responsible father who always supports us in everything. Let's just say I've got this almost perfect family, or I just thought. Time flies so fast, we are already in our teenage years. I'm the only girl among my other siblings that's why maybe I guess I got the most attention especially from my father. I admit. I'm a daddy's girl. From all the stuffs that I like, my allowance, going to parties and so on. He alway...

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“THE TIES THAT BLIND US” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #79

“Okay, Tyler, I get it!” mumbled Jake under his breath, teeth clenched. His cousin had grown into his twinkle toes, big time, and no doubt had his own fairy wand at the ready. That’s the only way Jake could put an image into what was happening. Why he ever agreed to go along to see this personal fashion show, was beyond a sane thought. He should have stayed home, but Tyler pleaded with him to help decide on the outfit that would dazzle the crowd and one that would be talked about for months. I can dazzle with the best of them, Jake chuckled ...

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“TRUST” by Sheila Payne

Submitted to Contest #79

Jeff and Lisa lived on a small ranch in Wyoming. They both had their own horse and the family had chickens. Their grandfather bought the house for their parents 20 years ago when they got married. Their dad, John, was a coal miner of the new generation, no more going underground to those dangerous mines risking his life, like his father did. Modern technology took care of that, by providing the means to extract the coal from the surface. Mining has declined over the years, but John was thankful he still had his job. Debbie, their mom was a...

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“Little Warm Hug” by Slowed With Rain

Submitted to Contest #79

✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ ✾ I sat there, unconsciously twirling a loose lock of my hair. My fingers stroking across the uneven grains of the wooden desk that sat in front of me. Awaiting for my mind to come up with something, anything. My fingers began in a thumbing motion as I could feel my eyebrows crease towards the center of my head. I pressed the graphite of the yellow number two pencil against my lips, then they squished into a hard line. With my right hand, I hovered over...

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“Unhappy Birthday” by Howard Seeley

Submitted to Contest #79

An old scab was ripped from my heart when I read an email which began, “They say blood is thicker than water - but is it always?” I laid in bed that evening unable to sleep, recalling that disastrous time three years ago. It all began when Darla and I decided to drive from the east coast to Iowa to celebrate our granddaughter’s second birthday. It had been four months since the last time we visited, and we were excited to see the entire family, but when we arrived, our excitement began to erode. When we pulled in the driveway, we found ou...

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“Monster” by Beth Black

Submitted to Contest #79

Monster “He what?” “He had sex with her.” ‘But… But she was his student!” And a vulnerable adult at that. Monica’s head spun. She had so many questions and didn’t want to know the answer to any of them. How could he be so stupid? How did Mum know? Why would he think he could get away with it? The question of why Monica’s Mum had chosen to tell her now was easier to answer. Today, Monica’s Dad had remarried. It had been a small ceremony. Just the celebrant and two friends to act as witnesses. Although Dad had told her his intent, sh...

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“Blood may be thicker, but water is better for you.” by Jessica Miller

Submitted to Contest #79

Shocked, that was the feeling overloading my senses as I had looked at the message I had received on Myspace. It was 2009, I was 18 years old and sitting in the Arc (academic resource center) at my college in between classes. My entire life I have been told how my biological father wants nothing to do with me, I had never even met him because he left my mother while she was pregnant. I had learned to be ok knowing he did not want to be in my life even though I never really understood it. How can you not want your child? It makes no sense to ...

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“Effects of The Cherryhound Italian” by D.W. Noel

Submitted to Contest #79

‘She was a silly thing' they'd say, always egging her on about it.Her feet wouldn't walk right (tied upwards at the achilleas) and scars dug in at every angle on her skin.'She was a silly thing' they'd say, always egging her on about it.She'd bite straight through her lip from stress and chopped off all her long, dark hair at 3:57 am one Thursday on a whim to get people to stop always pulling at it.'She was a silly thing' they'd say, always egging her on about it.She'd cram her fingers down her throat one by one like caterpillars forcing the...

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“THE MISSING” by Phil Flockton

Submitted to Contest #79

She was beautiful. Beautiful in the Ancient Egyptian style: proud and graceful, she would appear in their artwork, most often in paintings (on papyrus or stone panels) in the formal and, to us now, strangely slightly abstract way of the time. Occasionally she would have been rendered in three dimensions as a painted wooden sculpture or carved from polished soapstone. In the practice of the time almost all artwork was the product of Pharoaic workshops and never intended for public display. Her long, strong neck and long legs were, all those c...

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“Imbalance ” by Elona Buzhapa

Submitted to Contest #79

I sat purposely in front of my round crisp mirror, patiently watching how my fragile chest slowly rise and fall, making no difference to my breast size and noticing how there was no attraction, no appeal to this action like most women. It was simply my body’s involuntary attempt to keep me alive. Disgusted, but expected. I shift my tired gaze to my face realising how pale I am and how my skin just sat there hopelessly tugging tightly against my brittle infrastructure of bone. One simple movement and I was convinced my skin would crack and pa...

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“The Come Back” by Thompson Emate

Submitted to Contest #79

Jessica never expected Harold could walk away from their home. Go absence without leave. There were no obvious signs. There were no impending warnings. She couldn’t tell that he had something up his sleeves. She didn’t see the handwritings on the wall. He left home as routine to go to work and never came back. She stayed up waiting for him as she does anything he said he would be working late. This time around she waited longer than normal. She became worried. She was afraid that something bad had happened. So many conflicting thoughts ran t...

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“An Encounter With Death” by Ron A

Submitted to Contest #79

Death had never been formidable to me. Not because I was too naive to comprehend it or too oblivious of its mysteries. It had blown fiercely, often around me, snatching souls from mothers’ arms while their child lay suckling at their breasts or from lonely warriors strolling mindlessly through life’s journey. It had left unbearable grief in its wake, cruising briskly through bustling streets and leaving them deserted, forcing the mighty to bow humbly before it. However, in all the humdrum of dread and decay, Death had always eluded me.I may ...

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“Reboot required” by David Van Uffelen

Submitted to Contest #79

Images flashed before his eyes. They disappeared too fast to see, but he knew they were memories. Maybe he still carried memories of a previous life with him? They said it wasn’t possible, but the technology was still under development. The only thing he was certain of was that the flashing images were a bad sign.*“Did you sleep well last night?” She asked it every morning, but today she already knew the answer. He had been sleeping restless the whole night.“No.” He couldn’t hide the concern in his voice.“The images again?”He nodded.“I know ...

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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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