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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#89: The More Things Change...

If there’s one constant in life, it’s change. You can plan all you want, but as we all know, life is often surprising. The only way to keep up is to remain flexible and open to new choices.

This is my final Friday here at Reedsy, and so in the spirit of moving forward, this week’s prompts are all about changes. I want to thank this wonderful community for all your creativity and enthusiasm — it’s been an honor getting to write these prompts for you every week and see the dazzling, beautiful, and unique stories you create from them.

But Reedsy Prompts is much larger than one person, and as the saying goes, the show must go on! Next week you’ll be meeting your new Prompts host, Laura, and I’m very excited to see what you all achieve together.

🥇 Winner

“Strong Exhale” by Shea West

🏆 Winner of Contest #89

Hugo-Day one, the hottest day in July. The kind of hot that makes the neighbors forgo underwear and plant themselves in front of oscillating fans. Feet planted in small kiddie pools filled with tepid tap water, topped off with bagged ice from the corner market. The breeze from the fan casting across the iced pools does nothing to diminish the warmth from their radiating bodies. Instead it pushes the sweat further across their faces and thighs until they are all shiny with sweat.It’s nearly impossible to forget day one. You try, yet day one i...

257 comments 257

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Itch” by H Bolton

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #89

She couldn’t focus on what her boss was saying because of how much the bug bites on her leg itched. Her dress pants had gently kissed each bite as she walked to his office, waking up those pesky red dots from their hibernation. They screamed to be itched now. Beat on her temple, ‘Scratch me! Scratch me!’ Leaning over, she rubbed one on her knee to calm the chant. Ugh, she knew she should’ve worn bug spray while camping. She gave herself a pass because it was winter and she hadn’t seen a mosquito in months, but a smart person would've ac...

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“Ritual Burn” by Katie Gibson

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #89

There are some places that just don’t look right when viewed in the light of morning. The main stretch of Angelwood had a washed out white light and sat at a tilt; all the storefronts seemed to lean drunkenly in at you when you looked straight down it. Morning made a deserted fairground out of the streets. It was almost embarrassing. I was doing what anyone with a a brain would do in Angelwood at ten in the morning. Anyone who wasn’t wisely still asleep under cover of absolute darkness. I was sitting in a bar, leaning against the corne...

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“Hell Hath No Fury” by Mallory Senn-Flinn

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #89

Hi, lovelies! A few content warnings: cursing, suicidal thoughts, death, and a brief mention of substance abuse. Thanks for reading! --------- It started with an envelope - white and innocuous save for the “time sensitive” stamp in the bottom right corner. Whoever it was had spelled my name correctly, which was a rare occurrence among the spam mail I regularly received. Siobhan O’Rourke. Yes, my family is Irish, I would deadpan to whoever asked, as if it weren’t the most obvious thing in the wo...

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“Tolden Castle” by A Mehendale

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #89

Thud.****************************************************************************In the dim twilight shadows, the late Sir Edmund, Knight of the Felled Ash and Rider for Tolden Castle, lists atop his steed and, seen by no one, falls to the ground.****************************************************************************A jolt runs through Sir Edmund’s spine. The air tastes metallic in his mouth. Absently, as if in waking dream, a hand reaches for his nape, and the fingers come away warm and wet .********************************************...

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This week's prompts

Write a story that spans a month during which everything changes.

Sad – 131 stories

Start your story with a character taking a leap of faith.

Middle School – 151 stories

Write a story where one person is trying to say goodbye but keeps getting interrupted.

Middle School – 154 stories

Write about someone who is always looking toward the future.

Adventure – 77 stories

Start your story with an ending and work backward toward the beginning.

Fiction – 201 stories

Stories

“Strong Exhale” by Shea West

🏆 Winner of Contest #89

Hugo-Day one, the hottest day in July. The kind of hot that makes the neighbors forgo underwear and plant themselves in front of oscillating fans. Feet planted in small kiddie pools filled with tepid tap water, topped off with bagged ice from the corner market. The breeze from the fan casting across the iced pools does nothing to diminish the warmth from their radiating bodies. Instead it pushes the sweat further across their faces and thighs until they are all shiny with sweat.It’s nearly impossible to forget day one. You try, yet day one i...

257 comments 257

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“The Fifth Wave” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #89

“Well, I appreciate your kindest regards, gentlemen—but I must get back to work,” he said graciously, standing up to leave the café, affixing his silk top hat and holding his calfskin gloves. “Oh, don’t leave yet, COVID,” Flu said. “You’ve been so busy this past year, and we haven’t heard all of your plans for the coming one. How many more political careers will you topple? How many more economies will you destabilize?” Flu laughed, pausing only to sip his sherry. “You’ve made quite a name for yourself, my boy.”“I agree with Flu, COVID,...

143 comments 143

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“Partners In Crime” by Liza Anne

Submitted to Contest #89

“Next time you want to play with me, learn the game.”Cassie levels me with a predatory smirk. I glare at her attempting to look mildly annoyed instead of utterly defeated. It’s unconvincing, probably because I’m sprawled out on the floor and she’s perched on top of the desk holding Marie Antoinette’s priceless, diamond necklace teasingly out of reach. I kick out, catching her leg with mine, and pull her off the desk. She stumbles, but doesn’t fall. As her eyes darken, I regain my footing. We both know it all depends on who gets to the w...

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“Bet on Yourself” by Kanika G

Submitted to Contest #89

1 April 2021I quit my job today. Everybody I told about it thought it was an April Fools’ Day prank. I mean why would anyone in their right mind quit a high-paying corporate job that involved travel to places around the world, the opportunity to work with the best minds in Data Science, a diverse team comprising individuals from six countries and a supportive and understanding boss? And I just say, it’s really hard to explain.Would they understand if I explained that corporate life is not for me? Why not, they’d ask in bewilderment.Because I...

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“Farewell” by Sasini Athapaththu

Submitted to Contest #89

I rang the doorbell next door (Mrs. Foster’s house) and waited patiently listening for the footsteps. But, the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat. After a few seconds, the door opened and Mrs. Foster’s always smiling face appeared. She had her dog, Charlie on a leash. I cleared my throat, but she spoke first. “Oh dear, I was so worried about Charlie. Neither I can take him to the yoga class along with me nor can leave him alone in the house.” (She treated Charlie more like a child. She even called it him.) Then she thrust the lea...

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“Faith in the Mirror” by Williwaw Puleon

Submitted to Contest #89

It is said, "Life blows like a wind, with no signs of direction of where." I thought before that it would make me happy, but I was mistaken, greatly mistaken. I should not have leaped, the leap of faith.Five years have passed, yet everything was still fresh and tears-flooding. How could I forget the memory of loss which yields unexplainable dementia on me? All I could remember was the banging, scraping of mystic nuances in the middle of the night. The sound was creepy-odd but very enchanting that I couldn’t resist the snooping. I was captiva...

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“Which place is real? The breathless world of pain, or the calm mysterious other? ” by Rose Valerie

Submitted to Contest #89

MY stomach drops, I’m falling. I can see myself through my body! I’m a ghost witnessing my own death. My eyes are glued open and I see my cream white skin getting pale. I can feel my stomach and my lungs bursting, but I can’t grab the pain. I’m dying.My eyes open wide again, and I feel the air as it trickles into my lungs feeling like a feather. “Dan, you really have us worrying.” A miniature-sized lady says. Her voice sounds like honey. She looks at me up and down. I look down to find myself drenched in my own sweat. Eww. It slaps...

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“sea green eyes” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #89

He will die, life and light fading from his sea-green eyes as he takes his last breaths. His soft grip on my wrist will grow even softer as he uses his last bits of strength to stay conscious, if only for a couple more seconds. The dagger in my hand will be sticky with his blood, and I will drop it. It won’t make any noise on the soft rug, and for that, I will be grateful. He will lean in and whisper his last words directly into my ear, for fear that in his condition, I won’t hear them. “I still love you.” He’ll say, and I’ll drop him ...

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“Not Alone” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #89

March 1st, 2020 Sunday Dear diary, It’s a new month, a new week, a new beginning. Today was the first day of 10th grade. It was as expected, and about as normal as it gets when you are a 10th grader. The lessons get tougher, the teachers get stricter, and the eight-hour school day just results in a headache and a slowly increasing urge to lie down somewhere, anywhere. My friends and I are as nonchalant about this year as we are about every year we have had. We just go with whatever happens next. I have homework to do, so la...

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“'The girl in the park'” by Asha Pillay

Submitted to Contest #89

It was a month ago when I saw her for the first time. It was a perfect morning: birds flying in the sky, the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, and the morning sun casting its golden hue everywhere.Like me, she was also walking in the park, a tall pretty young lady.Something about her caught my eye.I knew it was rude to stare, but I still did.After a few rounds of walk around the park, she came and sat on the bench near me. I gave her a smile, and she smiled back,I noticed she had radiant green e...

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“After Shock - Burning Bronze - Chapter 6” by Clinton Ernest Murphy

Submitted to Contest #89

Jim - March 13 - 6:43 PM“I swear, Jim, if you don’t jump, I’ll push you myself. Trust me, you don’t wanna go down that way.”The wind howling past my ears made it nearly impossible to hear Jaquin. “I don’t wanna go down any way at all.” Heat, radiating from the door, pushed against my back in waves. “We’re forty stories up. If we jump, we’re dead. If we wait, at least we have a chance for her to rescue us.”Jaquin continued prodding. “If you don’t jump, you’re dead! At least if you jump, you won’t burn alive. Ask yourself, do you really wanna ...

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“Sign of a Haunt” by Cookie Carla🍪

Submitted to Contest #89

She's everywhere. She doesn't do anything or say anything - just stands there smiling. Everything about her looks dry, but her hands are cold, clammy, and wet. Trust me, I know. When she grabbed my arm after I'd dropped my papers in the hallway, my wrist was dripping with water. The shadow of a wet handprint lining the outside of the pisiform on my arm.I jumped back, not because my arm felt weird, but because she shouldn't even be here. She left. There was no way she was still at Georgetown High. She left. There was no escaping her...

130 comments 130

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“Oranges and Goodbyes ” by Gina Brioso

Submitted to Contest #89

I spooned some classic orange marmalade from the Mason jar and heartily slathered the fruity jam on my homemade sourdough bread. Hmmn… Andrew’s favorite bite at his most favorite time of the day. The scent of tangy flavor permeating my kitchen’s air – ah – what would be a morning without the delightful taste of the pulpy citrus on my crispy bagel and a cup of black coffee to go with it?With the cup in one hand and my heart on the other, I went out to the porch, tilting my head up to smile at the morning sun. I feel giddy like a teen. It’s ju...

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“I don't know what to say” by Ari Berri

Submitted to Contest #89

I think I followed the prompt. If not, oh well, enjoy the story anyway. There probably isn't going to be a sequel, by the way.“Jace, look!” Mike says, pointing over the side of the railing, and leaning forward. The wind blows his curly red hair out of his pale, freckled face. He’s tall and lanky, and clumsy sometimes.Charlie automatically reaches out to grasp the back of Mike’s shirt, and pull him back, not looking up from his phone. His black dreads are pulled back in a low ponytail, and his rectangular glasses are perched on his nose.&nbsp...

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“Marked For Evil” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #89

Elise The small ship drifted in the still waters of the river, guards milled about on the top deck. An abandoned warehouse stood across the bank. Its firm foundations were a sharp contrast to the gently listing ship. I burst through the door leading to the roof, my colleague and ally, Joshua, right behind me. We opened our bags and drew out our rifles. I trained mine on the first guard who was unfortunate enough to walk into my scope. “On your mark, Joshua,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth, finger tensing on the trigger.&nbs...

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$50

Prize money

718

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 16, 2021 EST

Won by Shea West 🏆

Title: Strong Exhale

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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