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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#80: Living History

It's an important truth that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves living through historical moments whether we’ve prepared for them or not.

This week, we’re going to examine all the ways that people live through — and shape — history. Whether that’s an important activist organizer, a daring political leader, or just someone trying to educate people on the past so they can avoid previous mistakes, history is made up the actions of each and every one of us. How will your characters change the course of their world?

This week's prompts

Write about someone who never planned to make history but is now about to deliver a speech in front of millions.

Teens – 104 stories

Write about a child witnessing a major historical event.

Dramatic – 237 stories

Start your story with someone entering a museum, and end it with them settling down to join a sit-in.

High School – 41 stories

Write about an elderly character who was part of a historic movement years ago.

Historical Fiction – 134 stories

Start your story with a major news event breaking — one that will change the world forever.

Dystopian – 156 stories

Stories

“The Secret Blood of Maria” by Maria Korina Lopez

Submitted to Contest #80

MARIA grew up in isolated place wherein crimes and cruelty is the main focus of that area. She was abandoned in that place when she became 12 years old. At her young age, she witnessed the cruelty of the world. She was not afraid seeing dead bodies and bloods because it became natural for her to see those things. Her personality is too strong and her neighborhood is afraid of her. she can fight and follow-up easily what is happening around her. There was a time that someone tried to kill her in her own house, but that person did not succeed ...

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“The Modern Luddites” by T. Rezy

Submitted to Contest #80

''Chamomile. That's the one!'' ''... What was that dad?'' Henry turns away from his chess board towards Beth's direction. She's in the kitchenette, programming the appliances. ''It was Chamomile. You know, the herbal tea your mother used to like.'' It's a contemporary and streamlined apartment, in a modish senior residency complex - Fryer's Grove's the name, in New Hadley, the incidently new smart city. The air pollution is pretty much nonexistent, which helps for Henry's asthma. ''For the life of me, I couldn't remember what it was called. ...

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“Before They Ruled Us” by Peace Nakiyemba

Submitted to Contest #80

They look like us.If you can ignore that their skin appears in the ‘wrong’ colour. So I heard Mama whisper at night. I don’t mind it. Their colour looks a lot like milk. Their skin looks it too, fragile. Like when it turns a furious red where it remains exposed to the sun. But they have eyes like we do even though the colour of their eyes is different, a nose like we do…even teeth like ours and it seems they use all of those parts the same we do. Mama will not listen to this logic. She calls them all sort of unseemly names but no one will li...

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“I'm a hero?” by Somegenius Kid

Submitted to Contest #80

No, no, no, no!!! This is impossible!!! 2 hours ago As Tasha rolled me off of the bed, I woke up and whined. “My goodness Just let me be. Please.” “No sleepy-head. Wake up!” She said right next to my ear. “Okay okay okay. Ugh.” It was Tuesday and I wanted to stay in bed although I was working at the World Trade Center. “You should be excited!” She said. “Well I just want to stay in bed.” I grumbled. “If I were you, I would wake up at like six! How could you not be excited!?” She asked. Now, she started to tick me off. “Could you just sto...

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“Myself” by Black Raven

Submitted to Contest #80

Walking up the stage, I look back to my past. The people cheer at my sides while I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't pushed. If he hadn't given me an ultimatum, maybe I wouldn't be here. Here about to give a speech to a million people. They asked me what had driven me to share my stories, what made me want to write. Could it have been him, or was I meant to do this? Hah! 'meant,' my ass. I made this life. Ten Years Ago: When Everything Was Wrong 'To live without a purpose to pursue is like having no life at all.' I had h...

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“The Towers Came Tumbling Down” by Danika ɹǝƃɹǝquǝnǝ˥

Submitted to Contest #80

The plane flew at the towers. People screamed. I watched as the plane made contact with the tall buildings. The blast made me flinch. More people screamed. I stared at the place of impact. People on the streets were either running from or to the tower. Some people just stood in place and watched, like me. I looked around to see hundreds of phones out and recording. Some people were walking out onto the street, asking what happened. Within a couple of minutes, news teams were on the scene. Their cameras pointed at the towers. Then eve...

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“Memoir of Justice ” by Jose Duron

Submitted to Contest #80

Entry: 2/6/2021"Stay close to me." My dad said as we weaved through the crowd. Left and right and everywhere we looked there were people waving flags with the emblem of an eagle. Some others shouted about lettuce, grapes, and other names that are foggy in my memory. Some others even carried cardboard spray-painted with messages that read the future is ours. There were times in which we would stop to listen to a speaker get on stage and rally the crowd. Some other times were long walks under the sizzling sun of Arizona.I was ten at the moment...

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“Fierce Frank” by Yugel Losorata

Submitted to Contest #80

The change in Frank's behavior towards his brother Mike was like an automatic switch that transformed him from being fierce to friendly. He had gone back having drinks with him for old time’s sake. They even went out for a couple of street pranks at dumbfounded strangers, just like they used to.They noisily spent the New Year’s Eve revelry with their girlfriends, with Sheena on leave from work duties and the European girl now more acquainted with him. They all were looking forward to a new decade as Frank saw a TV news clip about an outbreak...

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“The Adventures of the Urban Survival Squad in Post-holocaust Britain” by David Francis

Submitted to Contest #80

In the beginning there was that which was not, and that which strove to be. A single point of infinite potential, floating gently in no-where, un-waiting in no time, existing quietly and unremarkably in Void. Until suddenly (although ‘suddenly’ is used here for dramatic narrative effect as no time yet existed and therefore nothing could happen in any linear manner, suddenly or otherwise!), and for no readily apparent reason, exploded. Hmmm. Exploded, hardly does the moment justice. Gargantuanly humongous colossally shaking the pilla...

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“Momma” by Morgan McEntire

Submitted to Contest #80

Today is October 27, 1933, and momma finally let her tears out. We hadn’t seen the sun in two days. I didn’t even know what time of day it was, the dust has swallowed our home. In between waves of dust filled air, momma lets me run outside and chase off the birds. The dust has covered our house so much that I can walk right up on top of it. But it ain’t no fun up there because the view is the same for miles and miles out. We’ve got neighbors, but their houses are just little mounds of dust like ours too. We used to have cows but they all wal...

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“A Step Back In Time” by Betsy Remington☕

Submitted to Contest #80

Willa tilted her head to look up at the giant stone columns at the entrance of the Chicago Field Museum. She didn’t know why her dad and step-mom Renee insisted on dragging her to things like this whenever they traveled. She was seventeen now. Why couldn’t they do normal things like go to a water park or rent a boat? “This place was built to hold artifacts from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition,” Dad said. He was always acting like a walking encyclopedia with his facts and figures. If you asked him about any...

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“Lady Liberty” by Richard Ault

Submitted to Contest #80

1217 words Lady Liberty The women crowded onto their chartered red barge, shadowing President Cleveland’s boat as closely as they could in New York harbor without overtly challenging the security boats around him. Josephine Swenson, age 10, was almost crushed among the women’s bodies. Marrianne, her mother, did her best to protect her. Marianne wanted her daughter to share in this important endeavor by these brave women. The suffragettes had turned out in force with homemade signs and banners to make it known that, while...

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“War Plans in the Culdesac.” by Spencer Steeves

Submitted to Contest #80

For as long as Jakobb could remember, he'd lived in the town of Wasthret, a big and bustling place on the far side of the continent his family kept talking about, but he could never remember the name of. He was young, only seven, and had other things to worry about, like being the leader of the Worthy Creed, a band of other children in the town who protected it from disruption and brought about peace wherever they went. He didn't actually know what the words meant, but his brother had given him the name, and he'd stuck with it.Jakobb si...

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“The Grieving Widow” by Annette Lovewind

Submitted to Contest #80

Author’s Note: Hello! This story takes place roughly around the timeframe of the reconstruction of the United States--about 1865-1877, give or take. This piece is set in the south during the time the K.K.K. was formed and began their terror on the African-American population. This includes burning, rape, and murder that was inflicted upon African-Americans by the K.K.K. I don’t intend to say anything rude, nor do I support any beliefs they have; I'm simply writing. Keep in mind, this story will include mentions of mass murders and people bei...

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“Selma Daze ” by Christian Hinrichsen

Submitted to Contest #80

Selma Daze christianhinrichsen4@gmail.com As history appears and goes by each day. There have many traumatic experiences that have led to a huge portion of our lives. We have witnessed stories of the American Civil War to power events such as the recent Insurrection on Capitol Hill. What would we do if we could go back and stop some event that changed the course of history? If it could be done there have been many tales that such events have a significant impact and would change history. This is one story that I hope you enjoy however th...

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Ended on 23:59 - Feb 12, 2021 EST

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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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