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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#85: City Living

There’s something deeply compelling about cities, isn’t there? Whether it’s the influencer-driven styles of LA, the laid-back sophistication of Athens, or the perfectly manicured greenery of Singapore, each one truly has its own unique soul. Those who visit are awed and at times overwhelmed, either falling in love or swearing them off forever — while lifelong residents take up a fierce loyalty that nothing can shake.

When writing, it’s often helpful to think of your setting almost like another character. Cities are an excellent way to explore this line of thinking, so for this week, pick a favorite and invite your readers in. What gives your city (whether real or imagined) its local “flavor”? And what impression do the people there give to the many tourists traipsing down their streets? Tap into your inner tour guide — it's time to travel the world!

This week's prompts

Set your story in a major city that your character has a love-hate relationship with.

Middle School – 153 stories

Write a story that takes place in the same building but in two very different time periods.

Historical Fiction – 154 stories

Start your story with the line, “That’s the thing about this city…”

Adults – 283 stories

Write about someone fighting to change their city neighborhood for the better.

Teens – 44 stories

Write about someone fighting to keep their city neighborhood the same.

Teens – 34 stories

Stories

“The Hidden Force of Tempered Glass” by Zilla Babbitt

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city—it looks like it’s made all of glass. The city seems so big and hardy, full of stretching alleys and ever-expanding secret holes and infinite dim-lit streets. And at night the skyscrapers, glassy and poignant, are the only things marking the path to the sky. There is the big one Mom and I called the Keyhole, because there is a gap at the top that some huge god-sized key might unlock. To where we didn’t know. Narnia, probably. Heaven, Mom always said. “El cielo.” She is like that. She loves the city. It i...

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“the city called you, they want their angst back ” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city. It gets inside your head, makes you think that for once in your life, you’re gonna do something great. It makes you think that every time you walk by a stranger on the street, that they could mean something to you, so every time you leave the house you dress up and you look nice and you run those streets as though you own them, and they don’t own you. In the city, you don’t think anything owns you till it’s too late, and you’re lying in your room and looking up at a ceiling that doubles as the floor for the ...

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“Hold Me” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city: it is always alive. It is like a long winding creature, always moving, always breathing, its heart always beating rapidly, fueled by the oxygen of our hopes, dreams and expectations. Our lives entangle and separate, but the city never stops for anyone. Everyone is a part of this city, and the city is a part of everyone. It is always a looming presence, sometimes a comfort, sometimes a luxury. I sometimes wish I were as alive as the city. Maybe then people would stay, just for the joy of listening to my...

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“A Saint Patrick's Day Green Snake Story” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city—you can meet the strangest people who’ll tell you the strangest stories…“To Seamus!” all the Irish diaspora who were drinking their heavy, dark Guinness stouts and green tinted beers on Saint Patrick’s Day at The Blarney Stone Pub, located somewhere in the West 30s neighborhood within the concrete-canyons of New York City, loudly toasted. “To Seamus O’Malley and his sorry Saint Patrick's Day snake bitten arse!” another patron of the pub proclaimed and which elicited gales of laughter from the other Gaeli...

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“Bleeding Skies with Lost Wings” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city…it was once home to flying humans. The sun was a cracked yolk-shell, spilling crusty yellow and frosted blue across the skies. Plastic bags flit along with the dully quiet interstate, shed of anything except the squat fire extinguishers and sidewalks following its path. Imani followed the road, cracking her knuckles to break the silence which often made her cry rivers under the protective shade. Sometimes, as she walked, she kneeled to lift a smooth stone from the street. They may have been aimed at house...

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“An Eidolon Named Night” by . .

Submitted to Contest #85

** This story has lines from Edgar Allan Poe's poem Dream-Land, my favorite poem, and you can see by now that EAP is one of my favorite authors as this is the second story that has a poem of his in it. I hope you enjoy it in all of its oddness.**By a route obscure and lonelyHaunted by ill angels onlyWhere an Eidolon named NightOn a black throne reigns upright“Tha’s the thing about this village,” Old Nula intoned, “darkness is evil.” She had her stand near packed up by then. Lime and ice had tinged the road lime like the color of her rags, so...

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“Enchanted, Enchanting” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city, angel. It never grows old.” Asmodeus said, sighing as we watched the sun sink below the skyline of Chicago. I murmured in agreement. “Mm, even when the Fire came and roared through the city, we bounced back like nothing happened,” I replied. I saw him shift uncomfortably at the mention of the Chicago Fire and grinned to myself. He sat on the park bench for a long moment before turning to me. “Any plans for this evening?” He asked. I shrugged. “I was going to try that new deep-dish pizza pl...

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“The Windy City ” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #85

*Nainika's Note* Yo, so this is basically *ahem* fact-based and doesn't really have much of a plot, per se....anyways, enjoy!My city gets a lot of mention around the country, and sometimes even around the world. The City of Big Shoulders, the Center of the Midwest, The Second City, The White City, the City That Works, and most notably, the Windy City. I have lived within the city’s reach all my life, and even though I live out in the ‘burbs, I am proud to call myself a Chicagoan. And I love my city, I really do. It is the home of d...

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“Rose Witch” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #85

It is not that I hated the people of the city that I did what I did. Really, it was quite the contrary. I found them fascinating, from the inside of their intestines to their outsides. I found that the human body had it’s many limitations, but it was easy to work around them if you tried. The blood never really left from underneath my fingernails, and the smell lingered underneath the suffocating rose scent of my soap. It was as if I had something to hide, and perhaps, perhaps I did, for the people could never accept someone as eccentr...

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“The Distortionist” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #85

That's the thing about this city; since father practically runs it, everyone is fake. They are mirrors to my face, reflecting what they wish for me to see. The only- "So, Jonathan..." My eyes bolt up to the woman before me, her thin curly hair piled stiffly upon her head. To perforate my thoughts is something only she could do, dastardly woman. "I was still wondering why you summoned me..." her deep, dark skin plunges straight between her form-fitting dress. I do wonder where mother finds these women. "I didn't," I flash her the trademark sm...

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“thursday night open mic” by Natalie Strawbridge

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city, I thought, as I examined the business card between my thumb and forefinger. Just when you think it’s time to pack up and leave, it sends you someone offering to change your life. Cady returned from the bar, balancing a quizzical expression and two drinks – mojito for me, something bright orange for her. She carefully set the mojito on a coaster and slid it towards me. “Who was that?” she asked, inclining her head toward the man I’d just spoken to, now leaning against the far wall. She dropped her voice to ...

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“Nothing Changes” by ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕒 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕨 🏳️‍🌈 (inactive For The Summer)

Submitted to Contest #85

“That's the thing about this city,” Will said, looking at the two lane highway. “Nothing changes, nothing stays the same.” “Wow, Will, that was real philosophical.” I shoved him playfully on the arm. “What?” He asked. “Just because I’m a handsome skier doesn’t mean I’m a total airhead.” I giggled. “Riley Grace!” My mom called. “Young man, why are you still here?” Will Jackson, my boyfriend, looked up at my mom. “Sorry, ma’am. I’ll be going now.” He stood up from his seat on the stairs and trudged through the mud as soft flakes started to fal...

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“the villain ” by KED KED

Submitted to Contest #85

He supposed he would always be cast in this light. A villainous figure upsetting the naïve tranquility of the small towns and cities he would be sent to. Oh, how he envied the unenlightened. The folk who had seen but not understood the consequences of humans playing gods and of divine agency disrupting these affairs. Sure, there were always traces of witchcraft woven into stories the villagers would whisper at the inns. Tales of wonder-working and the occult only spoken about amongst the locals when the sun would si...

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“Off With Their Heads” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

Submitted to Contest #85

"Yes mother," I sigh into the line, wrapping the infamous cord around my finger. "Of course, I'm fine... What? No, it's not like I'm in the states! This is Britain, god damn it! Mother... no I think you should lie down for a while. Call dad as well. He'd fancy a visit from you, I'm sure" And just like that, my hand smashes back on the receiver. Blood, Britain, eh? Who could ever have imagined Olivia from the apartment up above would pursue law in England? Well, for starters, certainly not her. A buggy sweeps by my rusted telephone box as I t...

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“'Retribution'” by Asha Pillay

Submitted to Contest #85

Sara looked at the empty champagne bottle and glass on the table and gave a sigh of satisfaction. She was on a high, after all she had accomplished what she desired.The sobbing and groveling face of the girl swam before her eyes pleading for mercy.Sara started laughing, a bout of hysteria overcame her, which was difficult to control.Did the silly girl think she could take her place, and not face the consequences.?Well, She deserved what she got.Sara was ' Lady Remington', the mistress of the grand castle, and wo...

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Ended on 23:59 - Mar 19, 2021 EST

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