Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?

Posted in Short Story on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 52 stories

“Where life just isn't fair” by Sidney B.

Submitted to Contest #66

Welcome to Tinpen Harbour, or Tinpen, as everyone calls it, where everyone will follow the same path in life; first, you get born. Then, you go to Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School and eventually, High School. At the end of High School, everyone takes the SCDT’s, the Standardised Class Division Tests. This is where it gets exciting. This is the point in life where you can go two ways; either you pass the SCDT’s, or you don’t. If you pass, you’re one of the lucky ones, your life will matter. You will get to go to a good college, ...

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“Bloodied Grins ” by Hungara Gamelia

Submitted to Contest #66

Kathrine scrambled over the barricades slamming her back against the wall. She swung her sniper rifle up, gazing through through the scope for barely a second before pulling the trigger. The bullet slammed into her opponent, moments before he would have thrown his own knife to slit her throat. She stayed there for a handful of heartbeats, catching her breath as she listened to the sounds going on around her. She peeked over the edge of her the barricade out into the rest of the arena. Figures fought everywhere she could see, long brai...

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“No Longer Pure of Heart” by Gary Crist

Submitted to Contest #66

No Longer Pure of Heart Anna Lang was focused on revenge. At age 25, she had recovered physically from the brutality inflicted upon her by her mentor, Benjamin Ripley, under the guise of celebrating her win of the Women’s Open, five years ago, at Meridian Golf Club near Indianapolis. But Anna had not recovered emotionally. She would not until she witnessed Ripley’s lifeless body. Only then would she able to move on. &...

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“World does not operate in solo mode!” by Jayashree Sadagopan

Submitted to Contest #66

** Does the world operate in a way we all think and act only for ourselves always, or the opposite is true many times? The anti-hero Balu finds out in this story about video-games, after he tried to cheat his way to victory when the game was on mid-way. ** An hour since 'War with Azoora' had commenced! To Balu, it had given complete satisfaction over acing the first 4 levels, the levels where the warrior player's astuteness is kept in check via unidentifiable quicksands, flying dragons and the risk of getting roasted from the fire emi...

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“TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT” by Amatullah Khanbhai

Submitted to Contest #66

My opponents were doing better than we expected. Their eyes were staring straight at the pronouncer. They didn't even look away for a split second.They stood high above us.They had long legs and I had to look up to see their faces. Their faces were long and they had a stern look. Before the beginning of the competition they passed my teammates in the hallway. “There is a strong gust of wind,” they said as they passed us, their facial expression numb. We began the competition with five teams all competing for the prize which was...

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“The Battle of the Flowers” by Ruth Jacobs

Submitted to Contest #66

The cheerful looking judge choked on the generous bite of chocolate cake she had just put into her mouth, her hand held to her throat, her smile now gone. She fell to her knees. The vicar looked down at her in disgust (obviously had a little too much at the home brew tasting, he thought) as choking and spluttering she fell hard to the ground and went still, a blue ribbon still clutched in her rigid hand. His expression turned to one of horror as he bent down and put fingers to her neck. He searched frantically for a pulse and found nothing. ...

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“Does It?” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #66

Does It? “It always comes down to this. I know it does because he makes the rules. If he didn’t, what chance would he have? You see, finding your way out of a conundrum, you have to either cheat them, or they cheat you, as I see it. Watching someone you’ve known for a long time, seeing them slip, sometimes fall, time and time again, knowing there is nothing you can do is… well there’s nothing worse. Let’s leave it at that. I should explain the conundrum, more a dichotomy of choices I suppose. What’s in a name, tit...

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“Ezekiel 25:17” by Todd Paris

Submitted to Contest #66

"C'MON REF! THAT'S THE THIRD GADDAM TIME HE HIT HIM LOW! WHAT FIGHT ARE YOU WATCHING?!?!" Thursday, March 2nd, 2017. Open Class Championship. Golden Gloves New England. End of round 1 The water makes it's way through the headgear and finally cools Michael's head. He likes to keep the mouthguard in to save time. That's what he tells everyone, but the truth is he hates the way Gil's latex surgical glove makes the mouthpiece taste. And Gil has terrible aim. That time in Dorchester when he almost shoved it up Michael's nose. "Rinse and spi...

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“Pandora's Box” by Nathan Ice

Submitted to Contest #66

Dark, ominous clouds shroud the full moon from sight. Moisture clings to everything as a low fog blankets this valley town. The cold, crisp air bites my lungs as I dart across the street. Light floods my field of vision as a car drives by. I make eye contact with the driver, who is staring at me with their mouth wide open.Not that I blame them. My costume of white silk, flowing tassels, and fiery makeup have transformed me into quite the sight tonight. Then there’s the fire extinguisher...and the polearm slung over my shoulder. I keep my awa...

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“Between the Choices” by Sofi Sugito

Submitted to Contest #66

Andy tapped the tip of his pen against the paper on the front table where he was sitting. His eyes were still staring at the something written on the white sheet. However, his thoughts were erratic. The letter arrived in the morning, where he had just called his beloved wife. His daughter entered junior high school starting last week, and it made Andy who works far across the island return to longing for his little family to be together. "Ah," Andy put down his pen and massaged his temples while leaning his head against the back of his s...

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“Dip, Dip, Dip.” by Marie Maher

Submitted to Contest #66

Jane was walking slowly down the aisle to the mellifluous strains of ‘The Wedding March’, and she knew she had to make a decision fast. The guests were waiting expectantly in the pews as she reached the altar. Inexorable panic, slowly rising into the back of her throat, threatened to choke her. She felt hot; the palms of her hands were sweating as they clutched her bouquet. It was made up of her favourite flowers, roses and carnations, and she lifted it now to her nose to smel...

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“Zugzwang” by Megan Faith

Submitted to Contest #66

‘First pawn. Queen moved….what is she going to do?’ “Would you tell me something dearest?” said Death, eyes studying him. She smiled as she watched her opponent sweat and scan the board. She moved a knight, clicking the timer. Her hands had rings on every other finger, glittering every now and again. When she smiled she smiled sincerely. “What is your favorite piece?” “What do you mean?” murmured the opponent. They moved another pawn, avoiding capture, and clicked the timer. “You’ve played this game before?” “Yes. With my mother.” ...

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“The Untrackable Path” by Andy Baldwin

Submitted to Contest #66

The marathon was almost halfway over and Ron had been closing in on the leaders for the last several miles. The people in front of him had won this race, and similar races, a few times before, but he knew that today was his chance. Ron had heard, from a not-so-reliable source, that halfway through the race there was a spot where their trackers weren’t able to connect to the system, so they couldn’t be tracked by the racing officials. This wouldn’t matter, though, if two things weren’t also happening at the same time. The first being that no ...

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“Writers Block” by Adrian Locke

Submitted to Contest #66

"I have no stories in me" That, and so many other similar lines filled the Archers page. It was bullshit. Endless amount of coffee wasted for no work. It was 2am here, his little apartment pitch black besides his screen, the top corner streaming his Netflix. Background sound while he thought about writing. Come on man" He whispered to himself, knowing how crazy he seemed. "Think. Think John Connolly, Koontz, hell even think Stephen King." Archer scanned his desk hoping to find a sliver of inspiration, a gleam of hope. My eyes settled on his...

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“Best Laid Plans” by Anell Douglas

Submitted to Contest #66

I flinched as the man grabbed my hand and pressed the tiny vial into my hand. I grimaced as he stepped closer to me. “We cannot afford a lost at this point,” he said. I tried to step back but he grabbed my arm and squeezed. We stared at each other, only parting when the back door swung open. He smiled and let me go. “We expect perfection, Elliot. The gym needs some good publicity.” “That’s all I’ve been giving you,” I snarled. “I don’t need this crap to win.” The man chuckled. “Well, ...

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Halfway through a fierce competition, your character is given the opportunity to cheat their way to victory: do they take it?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 52 stories

“Where life just isn't fair” by Sidney B.

“Bloodied Grins ” by Hungara Gamelia

“No Longer Pure of Heart” by Gary Crist

“World does not operate in solo mode!” by Jayashree Sadagopan

“TO CHEAT OR NOT TO CHEAT” by Amatullah Khanbhai

“The Battle of the Flowers” by Ruth Jacobs

“Does It?” by Joe Swanson

“Ezekiel 25:17” by Todd Paris

“Pandora's Box” by Nathan Ice

“Between the Choices” by Sofi Sugito

“Dip, Dip, Dip.” by Marie Maher

“Zugzwang” by Megan Faith

“The Untrackable Path” by Andy Baldwin

“Writers Block” by Adrian Locke

“Best Laid Plans” by Anell Douglas

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with one character telling another, “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat.”

Write about a character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted.

Write about a contest with life or death stakes.

Write about a character who’s finally on the verge of achieving their lifelong dream.

Contest #66

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

584

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: