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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

“city of favorites” by Carl Frye

Submitted to Contest #85

"That's the thing about this city" it has exactly 1,720 people in it. 65% are black, and 40% are white, and all of them compete with each other every time there is an election. They announce their candidacy for the office they want, advertise in the paper what they can do to improve the city, and then the mudslinging begins. First, we have our mayor that has run for his office and every time has won. He either bought the votes, or the people just wanted him in there because of the color of his skin. those that run against him he downplays th...

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“The Nigerian dream” by Esther Onumonu

Submitted to Contest #85

That's the thing about this city, it sucks you in, turning you into a mere flavor, an ingredient, just another addition to the city. You become Mama Kachi, the woman who bakes bean cakes down the road, or Aisha, the girl who braids hair, or simply Big Ben, the man who lives next door. No one wants to know what your favorite color is or what your mama always says or even what your dreams were, what you wanted to be when you grow up. You lose your individuality, that thing that made you unique back when you lived in the countryside; the fact t...

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“ THE FREEDOM AT LAST” by Adebiyi Ayobami

Submitted to Contest #85

SO "THATS THE THING ABOUT THIS CITY" just hope it gets better one day. b....oooo.......ooo.... again gun shot riffles filled the air ooooooooooooooo(humming sound) I don't seem to hear anything again it seems my tympanic membrane has finally bursted. Can you hear me? Can you? What are you saying? I can't hear you Keily, her girlfriend replied. The ambiance of the atmosphere remained like a tv set having a transmitter without a receiver this went on for a while and after some little minutes they regained their cons...

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“Too Sweet to be True” by Ali Anthony Bell

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city…” Alex was thinking to himself as Lena walked towards him “…so many beautiful women”. They had crossed paths several times recently, so they’d both realized that they were neighbors. Roy Orbison was singing in Alexander’s head ‘I don't believe you. You're not the truth. No one could look as good as you. Mercy!’ Flowing from under a black fedora, her blond curls fell freely over her black wool trench coat. A fuzzy white turtleneck softened her allure, and her cerulean eyes were gleaming with a look of appreci...

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“That’s the thing about this city” by Adeusi Pelumi

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city with brown roofs,untarred roads, incomplete buildings,so dusty that you sneeze from time to time,beggars to the north,the homeless to the south,the elites to the east and the middlemen to the west,everyone moves about with no iota of care in the world. There is a passage with strange people,it feels like a path for a strange meeting and you want to run,mats by your right, beds to the left,blood stains everywhere, it looks like a work of art,cries here and there and it feels like you will go deaf.There is this...

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“Mistake On The Lake” by Debra Sue Brice

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city. People can’t seem to forget our past, even though what happened here was decades ago. 1969 to be exact. Has everyone forgotten we’ve had three championship teams representing our community?” Julie scowled, taking a considerable bite out of her sandwich. The southwestern spice from her burger burned gently as she washed it down with a Mexican Coke. Julie and fellow coworker, Lucy, sat in the corner table at Wahlburgers restaurant in the heart of downtown on their lunch break. “What do they call you ...

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“Only In Bangkok!” by Colin Devonshire

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city, you can do anything here,” said Pope. “Why do they call you Pope?” “The simple answer, it’s my name.” “Yeah? I don’t believe you.” “And I’m supposed to believe Gratis is your name?” The two men laughed and drained their beers. “You were saying about the city?” asked Gratis. “You can get away with a lot more here. We have a similar problem.” “You don’t know me, how can you know about my problems, if I have any?” “Because I can read,” said Pope. “What do you mean?” “You are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, ...

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“Downtown Survey” by Fatuma Abdullah

Submitted to Contest #85

“That’s the thing about this city is its intensity. Downtown is not a place for claustrophobics. In the streets you drown in the noise of the bustling minibuses - ‘the matatus’, the hawkers haggle you to buy something or anything, the pace is quick, and you need to watch your step, the potholes are ankle twisters. You have to channel your inner Jason Borne, stay focused, notice everything and be adaptable.” said Mr. Liberman over the microphone. “Talk about drama., that’s just pure exaggeration.” Zoma whispered to Suzie standing next to her ...

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“Skyline” by Sylvester Savage

Submitted to Contest #85

"That's the thing about this city...""Whad ya mean stranger?"Cyde looked at his bartender in the deep crevasse of his mug. The bartender had a relatively mean and chiseled look, but Clyde was just too drunk to care. His liquid bravery has built up enough that even talking to the kingpin would be like talking to his spoiling mother."Ain't nobody got any damn respect around here!" Clyde said with a scoff half slurring and flailing his arms."Well that may be, but I ain't eva heard a problem a good bourbon n smoke didn't solve."These two men wer...

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“Toxic love” by Alexandra Bilanin

Submitted to Contest #85

That’s the thing about this city – nothing ever truly changes. Crystal-like dew has set on leaves and petals, alike. Shadows passing come creeping over to our open window, slide into the room and leave in a blink. The chilly air of early morning smells like pastries and perfume and plight. The sound of something crashing makes me jump. I reach for the knife I have hidden in the mattress, blade dressed in thick cloth so it doesn’t pierce it through. Jumping lightly over creaking boards, I make my way towards the door. Silence hangs h...

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“Paved with Blood and Tears” by Kathleen M.

Submitted to Contest #85

TW: hallucinations, panic attacks, and depictions of burning to death Dedicated to the friend who helped me build this world. *** “That’s the thing about this city…” I muttered into my glass. "It keeps you prisoner. There's always a job and a room for you, but at the cost of your freedom." The man next to me gave me a strange look, and the bartender topped him off. "It's not all bad here." She reassured him. He wasn't upset by my statement, he was confused because that was the start of our conversation. I continued, "You're new in town...

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“Bullets Formed from Tears” by Alexis Juran

Submitted to Contest #85

The cries of people meeting their deaths are everywhere. Seth hears it no matter which way he turns. Smoke is thick in the air, the rubble of old buildings and bullet shells littering the ground. It’s pure and utter chaos, screaming and fighting and shooting and death. The city of Perlshaw has turned into a bloodbath. It wasn’t always like this. The city didn’t use to be a symbol of tears and tombstones, but now, that’s exactly what it is. A graveyard. Seth trips over his black, chunky combat boots. Sure, sometimes they make hi...

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“Lena's Notebook” by Kayleigh Fraser

Submitted to Contest #85

Vince lay on the roof outside his window gazing into the clear night's sky. Despite the light pollution of Edinburgh city, it was still possible to see the hundreds of stars that glittered above his head. He closed his eyes and invited Lena to join him, feeling the soft caress of her hair as she cuddled into his chest. The warmth of her skin and how perfectly the curvature of her body fit against his was so deeply imprinted on him that it almost felt real. Lena's essence was still very much alive inside Vince's heart. Her love had been so vi...

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“The Change” by Joy Toku

Submitted to Contest #85

Growing up as a child, I knew only two people in my neighborhood. The one directly opposite my house and the one directly by my house. It has been long, and I don’t seem to remember how they look. However, I know that they both were very tall. The highest conversation I ever had with them was “HELLO” and if not hello, then a wave. One day when walking around the neighborhood with my family, we met two elderly couples who turns out to have been living in the neighborhood for about 25 years. We were all surprised to learn about how long the...

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“Getting By” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #85

I noticed something different today. Perhaps more unusual than different, I see this guy walking by here towards the river, always comin after this mangy looking dog goes by. Didn’t think much of it the first time, but like most things when something keeps happening you get the hint that you maybe should be paying attention. I like to sit on the porch and keep an eye on the street so as it don’t get any funny ideas, like pot holes and such. Not that they bother me much more than the taxes do. Don’t drive anymore.&nb...

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Ended on 23:59 - Mar 19, 2021 EST

A winner will be announced soon.

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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