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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 Dreamer's Message” by Corbin Sage

Submitted to Contest #85

That's the thing about this city. It might look innocent- well, maybe innocent isn’t the right word. What I meant to say was that it looks like a normal city, all lit up to hide the heavens, all car horns, and drunken shouts. Sit down! If you flip that crate over, the rusty nails will be on the side, not on the top. You see, the thing about this city is that we remember. We remember what it was like before, before the terrors, and before everyone forgot the stars. I’m not making much sense? I don’t suppose I am. Here, ha...

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“Superhero Part two” by Vicky S

Submitted to Contest #85

The thin wail of the sirens echoed off of the buildings as the police maneuvered their way through the streets. Outside, the crowd was becoming larger, the people at the back standing on their toes and craning their necks to get a glimpse, regardless of any danger. The traffic was at a standstill, and cars horns were beeping, their drivers yelling profanities. Trying hard not to smirk as he ignored the noise, Ben held one gloved hand out. “It’s over,” he said, his voice calm and steady. “Why don’t you just hand it over, and no one needs to g...

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“Tear drops and closed caskets ” by Khotso Motale

Submitted to Contest #85

Content warning ...in a sense I'm 14 years, 4 months suicidal, and nobody knows it better than my mind that every year they sing a happy birthday for me, inside my chest behind my ribs there's a beating organ that sings for me too a happy-alive-day song, because of surviving all the 335 suicidal thoughts and attempts. All the diarys I've been owning from the age of 7 are full of never ending lists of things I brood and reminisce about whenever I'm in solitude. Be in a taxi to school; reading a book alone in the park; aiding mys...

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“The Ritual ” by Jen Ponig

Submitted to Contest #85

In this part of the city the fog doesn’t hang around for very long. At dawn the sun comes out and wakes up the neighborhood and brings everyone out of their homes. There are children playing in the park, parents pushing strollers, people waiting for the bus, stoners standing outside the donut shop, and early birds buying fresh produce from the vendedor de frutas. A homeless man is curled up at the entrance of the boarded up old movie theater. He wakes up and stretches his stiff limbs. He holds his face up to the blinding sun and closes his e...

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“Is Life Full of Roses or Jade?” by Shannon Ruane

Submitted to Contest #85

Is Life Full of Roses or Jade?Mr. and Mrs. Johnson recently lost their daughter. Fortunately, death was not the cause. Rather, marriage led her away from home. Loading the last of her gigantic, unorganized boxes into the moving truck they turned all turned away from each other. With nothing left to say, the newlyweds Anna and Mark slowly walked to his car. The cheap car's roar did not distract Anna's parents enough to look back. The new Mr. and Mrs. Smith could walk all the way to Washington, D.C. for all they cared. Actually, they cared mor...

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“Le Plan” by Lani Lane

Submitted to Contest #85

A suitcase rolls toward me, the sharp corner hitting the middle of my thigh. I wince and step back onto a man’s foot; he grunts and shoots me a dirty look. Shaking my head apologetically, I shuffle forward and settle against the pole next to the doors as the train lurches forward. The City of Love, my ass.Four more stops of pressing my back into the pole and I’m finally lunging out of the train, hurrying up the steps into the street and pulling out my metro map.Parisians hurry past me, phones pressed to their ears, purses and backp...

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“nice man” by Max Shoe

Submitted to Contest #85

“You used to be so nice!” she screams. I don’t agree with her. When have I ever been nice? “Please stop that and look at me,” she says in a normal voice. A sweet brown voice that you can taste and see. Like a bear or a lion. I keep plucking the strings on my guitar, pretending that I’m on tempo. Pretending that her sweet brown voice is a song that she sings for me. But her voice is not a song. Her voice is not a bear or a lion. Her voice is a lie. “W...

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“No Judgement” by Cathryn V

Submitted to Contest #85

TW: addiction, violence Grace remembers the women at the fabric store talking about the Ramsey family, trailer trash they said. Mother and father with three little ones. The bank took their house. The Ramseys left in the middle of the night and took nothing with them. The townspeople carried out a good sofa. A set of twin beds. A high chair and crib. The pictures from their mantel were thrown in the garbage. Grace had taken the dishes. Even so, Greenhills Pennsylvania had a certain nostalgia to it. Grace Berman had grown up ther...

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“April” by 𝓐𝓻𝔂𝓪 🌹

Submitted to Contest #85

Summer, 1950s April's POV "Papa," I called as I strode into our new house. Papa built it himself and, he just finished a couple of weeks ago. It was a cozy house made from brick and flowers planted outside. It felt like home. "Papa," I called again. "Yes, April," He called back. My name wasn't inspired by anything, just that my mama and Papa loved the name. I saw that Papa was helping my older brother Timothy with his toy car. He thinks he's all that special because he's 14 but, I'm only two years younger. I looked for mama and found her i...

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“This Place Is Dead Pt. V” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #85

The flames of Greywood cast an orange-black glow over the ruins of the city. What remained bore little resemblance to the Tilgreen she’d grown up in. The city she’d fallen in love with. What remained looked to be little more than rubble and toothpicks. And what remained had sapped the last vestiges of love from her heart. Had drained her of her fondness for the streets she’d once called home. Polly used the inferno as cover and made a break for it. What else could she do? Sit and burn as the conflagration swallowed all four bui...

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“Sightseeing in Brighton” by Vanessa Queens

Submitted to Contest #85

Brighton, Mid-1780s- Here?Prince George IV stared at the residence, totally astonished. Not the princely type of accommodation he had in mind. However, there was room for improvement. And the surroundings were formidable.The residence was a simple and small lodging house with few outdated furniture, located within walking distance of the seaside. For George, this proximity to the sea was of vital importance; his health depended on the sea water and air. And Brighton was an ideal location, with i...

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“The Bloody Change” by R. B. Leyland

Submitted to Contest #85

It began in blood and carried on much the same. Since the night I was cursed, I had felt the all too familiar pulsing coursing through my sinuses, forcing my mouth to salivate and my teeth to sharpen, my eyes to focus, my nostrils to flare. We’d been made for one reason and one reason only: to kill. Bullets still penetrated us, knives still cut us, our bones still broke. But we healed at a speed that belied belief, spat the bullets out from between our teeth as our bodies did the unnatural and soldiered on.At the start, we were used against ...

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“Call Me Lizzy” by Daniel R. Hayes

Submitted to Contest #85

I love this city because this is where I found her. This was David Leary’s only thought as he stood overlooking Mason city on Old Hill Bridge. He felt a cool rush of midnight air blow through his black hair, which would normally bother him, but not today. David was full of confidence and desire for a special young lady, by the name of Elizabeth O’Conner. Tonight was a special night for David and Elizabeth because this was going to be their first date. The both agreed to meet on Old Hill Bridge and have a spontaneous night of fun. Most n...

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“Falling Ashes” by Antonio Jimenez

Submitted to Contest #85

Oswiecim, Poland - June 1944Not a cloud was in the bright blue June sky, but—ignoring the heat—one could easily mistake the ashes falling from above for a light snow. It was not snow, however. Snow was for happier times. Times of peace, hope, and joy.Death was falling from the sky. It covered the grass, the trees, and the walkways surrounding the stone building, tucked away in the north corner of the concentration camp. Death was in every step, every look, and every breath. One could not escape it.Within the barbed wire fences of the Auschwi...

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“Blueberry Lips” by Inkstained Introvert

Submitted to Contest #85

Keller stood at the bottom of a thin but wide metal ladder curving up the side of one of dozens of black trains. “Climb with me?” Farren exhaled deeply and followed his friend, who’d already begun to ascend. “Sure.” Keller, sassy wild child that she was, made it to the top before Farren was even a quarter of the way up. It wasn’t that far to climb, but the already-setting sun was rendering it difficult to see, and besides, maybe he was just a little bit afraid of heights. Maybe. At the top, the pair was met with a space a...

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Ended on 23:59 - Mar 19, 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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