Set your story in a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.

Posted in Fluff on Jan 12, 2024

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 61 stories

“Matador Bar and Lounge” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #233

Lisa woke up on the side of the road and slowly took in her surroundings. Where the hell am I? Everything looked fuzzy for some reason. She must’ve bumped her head pretty hard. She tried to recall her last memory, but her head throbbed with the effort. A light breeze caressed the side of her face, and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she finally recognized where she was. Her mood lightened a little as she gingerly got to her feet. She quickly checked herself to make sure there weren’t any physical injur...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Bootleggers and Baptists” by Edgar Seegers

Submitted to Contest #233

It all started because I am a contrarian. When there is a popular view among my family and friends, I enjoy taking an opposing position. My fandom for my favorite college football team started because most of my closest circle of friends were strong in their support of the state university. Of course, that meant that I started to cheer for their arch-rival merely to upset them. Slowly, over time, I became a huge fan of that rival. I started regular consumption of alcoholic beverages when Dry January became popular. A lady friend named Alex...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Desert Inn” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #233

You could have knocked Bill down with the proverbial feather. A small and inconsequential feather would have done, something from the hind quarters of a robin would have been just the ticket. You could have blown Bill down with a mere whisp of breath. Barely touched him with a fingertip and uttered “timber!” In this frozen moment, he stood there in this most precarious of positions and without a clue as to what had happened to render him so. “Pardon,” he said after the shock had reached its half-life. It wasn’t a question. It was a word ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Wrong Bar” by Bec Newton

Submitted to Contest #233

The Dead Man’s Rest was a grubby little tavern but here at the docklands it fitted right in. The weathered and half rotted facade made no effort whatsoever to disguise itself from any that considered partaking of what it had to offer. It seemed as though no one had thought to do any maintenance to the old building since it had been built in the Georgian era if the date above the door was anything to go by. It was also doubtful that the glass had been cleaned either, the smoke staining so thick it was impossible to see anything more than silh...

2 comments 2

Read story

“So I Have to Move On” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #233

So I Have to Move On “So I have to move to keep my job.” I spoke these words after the boss had assigned me to a new and at least equal paying job for the company I had worked for during the last five years, but it required a move. The branch of the company where I would be working was in another town. I hadn’t been given a genuine choice in the matter, other than ‘take it or quit’. I thought that my wife might be unhappy with both these options, but I learned later that my boss had talked to her about it for some time on the...

0 comments 0

Read story

“BOB” by C.N. Jung

Submitted to Contest #233

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t hear anything but the buzzing in his ears. It was like a swarm of bees circling his head in a flow of never-ending noise. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz…Buzz… Beep! Beep! The buzzing was shut out by the sharp alarmed cry of a car horn. He jumped in his seat. He jerked the wheel to the side, just as a car in the lane beside him screeched past, the driver holding his hand out the window and putting up a furious, obscene gesture. He’d been weaving between lanes. He was lucky the oncoming Chevy hadn’t scraped or rammed...

1 comment 1

Read story

“A Refreshingly Dry Sunrise” by Lee Sedin

Submitted to Contest #233

Blake was never good at taking hints. His first hint that he was in the wrong place should have been the name of the bar itself. “Dry Jeremy’s” was arched over the front of the building, a shining neon beacon in a quiet town after sundown. The name wasn’t a feature Blake thought too hard on, and even if he had, it still would have taken him an hour or so to clue in to what it implied. All he knew was that “Dry Jeremy’s” was the first on the “bars near me” list currently displayed on his phone. He held little doubts as he sauntered ...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Sicco Bar- an unexpected encounter” by Lee-Ann Hiscox

Submitted to Contest #233

The eerie clouds rolling in, serve to mock me. This has been a disastrous day, which began with me waking up late. From an onlookers perspective I’m sure it must have been quite comical. I practically jumped out of bed in shock, then proceeded to stump my little toe on the door frame of the bathroom, a long list of curse words came blasting out my mouth while I hobbled to the sink. In a frenzy I grabbed my toothbrush, putting the toothpaste on and proceeded to start brushing. For the second time this morning, my body went into a state of sho...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Remember That ” by Elizabeth Coronado

Submitted to Contest #233

The following short story contains sensitive information regarding miscarriages and addiction.1Crossing the street toward Bayshore Drive, a gust of fresh-cut grass and dog’s poop greets me. Classic Margaret Pace Park. I marvel at the early risers jogging by - three miles at seven in the morning is beyond me. The only reason I’m here this early is to see what those parrots are up to these days. Today, after what felt like forever, I arrived a good ten minutes early, set on claiming the prime bench. It's crucial for my first day of s...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Damned or Free” by Aaron Kohlhoff

Submitted to Contest #233

Sensitive Content: Profanity, Drunk Driving Clayton wiped the bar with a moist rag that smelled like sour milk. The bar wasn't dirty. It was just a way to kill some time before the second-shift crowds filed in. They were always a rowdy lot and the mindless repetition of cleaning dirt that wasn't there helped him mentally prepare for the inevitable mayhem. Tonight would be especially chaotic. Everyone was looking forward to the 666th episode of 'Damned or Free' and the word on the street was that it was going to be the best episode ever.Som...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Downtime Den” by Zachary Fox

Submitted to Contest #233

Days were often meant to disappoint anymore, and that’s how they intended to keep themselves, with Leslie Rose relenting unto his worst habits.To articulate just how much of a disappointment today had been would be hard met, as the words failed to suffice in any way that mattered. Anymore these were far too common an occurrence, unable to count the days on his fingers where he felt like everything was okay, and felt there was no healthier way to drown himself than the pity of sweet citrus.The sky could not attest for his mood, as the e...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Ghost And a Wolf Walk Into a Bar” by Annie James

Submitted to Contest #233

Author's Note: strong language warning. "There are ports in the universe. Places where your realm connects with other realms. Think of the universe as a long subway tunnel. Each port is like a subway exit. Celest's Cafe is just one of those ports." The barista nods her head, as if satisfied with her own explanation. She goes back to washing and drying coffee cups; She pulls them from under the counter, and Ghost can hear the cups clinking together, so she assumes there must be a dishpan under the counter. 'Ordinarily,' Ghost thinks, 'I...

2 comments 2

Read story

“One drink won't hurt you” by Nicholas Elliott

Submitted to Contest #233

"Why do you desire alcohol?” This was the second time that the man behind the bar had repeated this sentence. Todd hadn’t answered the first time, not because he hadn’t heard him but because he had never been asked this question by a bartender before. Surely the role of a bartender, in a spot like this, was to passively serve you with alcohol until you either became merry, fell into a drunken stupor or ran out of money and therefore had no choice but to leave. A bartender’s role was definitely not to question its patrons about whether or n...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Soul” by Margot Hoffman

Submitted to Contest #233

The sun had set long before the tires blew out. A wash of flamingo pink and tangerine hues bathed the long stretch of road that seemed never ending. The desert was cruel, unidentifiable animal carcasses strewn off the side of the concrete with little care. Some, Wes assumed, had been eaten by vultures but the majority of the roadkill he saw had been left to decompose in the dry desert heat. The car had been shoddily fixed at a gas station back in Louisiana by a man with a face tattoo who seemed to know very little about cars. He had ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“The BAR ” by Josephine Damm

Submitted to Contest #233

The pavement is slick with water and between the high-rise buildings, the wind howls. Joe tugs his coat closer and leans forward as he continues up the street. He doesn’t recognize this neighborhood yet something about it feels familiar. There’s a steady buzzing in the dark corner of his head and it makes the skin at the back of his neck prickle. “What in the world is going on?” He turns his cheek against the sharp lashing of raindrops and squints at the streetlights bouncing off the puddles of water, giving the passing cars a distorted...

2 comments 2

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Character – 33 stories

Your character, having abstained from their worst vice (big or small), finds new clarity.

Character – 49 stories

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Narrative – 49 stories

Set your story during a month of drought — whether literal, or metaphorical.

Dramatic – 38 stories

Contest #233

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Dry January

$250

Prize money

230

Contest entries

78

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 19, 2024 EST

Won by Ariana Tibi 🏆

Title: Vegan Hamburgers

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Set your story in a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 61 stories

“Matador Bar and Lounge” by Malia Kao

“Bootleggers and Baptists” by Edgar Seegers

“The Desert Inn” by Jed Cope

“The Wrong Bar” by Bec Newton

“So I Have to Move On” by John Steckley

“BOB” by C.N. Jung

“A Refreshingly Dry Sunrise” by Lee Sedin

“Sicco Bar- an unexpected encounter” by Lee-Ann Hiscox

“Remember That ” by Elizabeth Coronado

“Damned or Free” by Aaron Kohlhoff

“The Downtime Den” by Zachary Fox

“A Ghost And a Wolf Walk Into a Bar” by Annie James

“One drink won't hurt you” by Nicholas Elliott

“Soul” by Margot Hoffman

“The BAR ” by Josephine Damm

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a character participating in Dry January.

Your character, having abstained from their worst vice (big or small), finds new clarity.

Write a story in the form of diary entries, written by someone who has set themselves a month-long challenge.

Set your story during a month of drought — whether literal, or metaphorical.

Contest #233

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

230

Contest entries

78

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: