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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write about someone who’s desperately trying to change their luck.

Posted in Teens on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 101 stories

“As luck would have it” by Anna Tishchenko

Submitted to Contest #98

Darren had never considered himself a lucky sort of person, nothing came easily to him. He fought, struggled and pushed his way through life achieving things despite the way the universe always seemed to conspire against him. No matter what he did, how high he climbed, something unlucky would occur and he felt like he had taken two steps back.                He had made it onto the basketball team but the skin of his teeth, despite the unlucky shot during tryouts, he ...

4 comments 4
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“The Gamble” by Amelie R.

Submitted to Contest #98

“Straight shoot.” Raglin spread five cards in front of him, eyes glinting.  “Damn it, Rag. I was just about to fix you-” A stout man with obsequiously oily blond hair slammed his fist on the table, subsequently sending his hand of cards flying across the table.  The nine of them sat in the Walton Blue’s lounge, their faces clouded behind a swarm of cigarette smoke. The round table was just barely illuminated by the swinging light overhead, and that, swathed with the plait of smoke, was a recipe for disaster. Each of them held a bri...

1 comment 1
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“A New Start” by Meta M Griffin

Submitted to Contest #98

Julie’s luck had only gotten worse since she left Texas to get away from her family. She got a teaching job in Denver and was fired after one year.  Her friend encouraged her to take a teaching position at a small University in South Carolina. All of her other friends thought she was insane for wanting to go to SC, but she didn’t want to go back to Texas. She wasn’t planning on spending the rest of her life in SC. She wanted to get some experience and put herself out on the market in a couple of years. She loved her fami...

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“The Lord's Penny Well” by Vanit Shah

Submitted to Contest #98

The first penny went into the Well 3 years ago, on a beautiful summer day when the air was filled with the scent of blooming honeysuckle. I can still feel the gentle weight of the red-and-white mayoral sash draped over my shoulder, savoring the heady feeling of having finally been elected after months of political scheming.No sooner did the coin leave my hand when a chorus of applause broke out throughout the clearing, joining the frantic click, click of photographers jostling to grab my picture. Waving regally at the crowd, a smile beaming ...

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“Tears of a Dragon” by Mike Garrigan

Submitted to Contest #98

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Edward counted nine stalks of bamboo growing out of the small planter that lived on his kitchen counter. Edward unlocked his iPhone and opened the Compass app.  “Perfect,” he said to himself. The front of the lucky bamboo stand faced east. The kitchen timer pealed. The aroma of freshly baked eggplant parmesean filled Edward’s urban highrise apartment. He pulled the casserole from the oven, placed it on a four-leaf clover shaped trivet, and covered the dish in foil. The digital clock ...

3 comments 3
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“Brian's Luck” by Ben Rounds

Submitted to Contest #98

“Five, six, aaaand… seven,” said Jennifer, panting slightly.  She stood straight for a moment, then pinched Brian's shirt sleeve for balance as her ear canals caused the world to twist. “What was that about?” said Brian, touching his arm lightly where her hand had been. “I forgot and touched that chair,” said Jennifer. “The rocking chair?” said Brian. Jennifer nodded solemnly. “Well, I mean, so what?” said Brian, looking up and down the Cracker Barrel stoop in case he had missed something.  There were a multiplicity of small s...

3 comments 3
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“Bad Luck Love” by Renee Langille

Submitted to Contest #98

Not every day is fraught with the perils of bad luck but some days, its just not worth getting out of bed at all. Margo’s head drooped forward over her knees. Her bum was half frozen to the concrete sidewalk. Her jeans smelled musty and unclean. They were musty and unclean. She tried in vain to not scratch her head. Lice had moved in at some point and it was all just too much by then. She couldn’t face it anymore. She didn’t even understand how this had happened. Weeks before this Margo had lived in the rich neighborhood. Her house was plast...

2 comments 2
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“Luck o' the Irish” by C Britt

Submitted to Contest #98

"Mr. Mackenzie?" The door clicks shut behind me as I step further into the plain, white room. "Mr. Mackenzie, my name is Gwen Iverson."With his back toward me, the man continues staring out the window. As the raindrops pelt the glass and streak their way down, he lets out a grunt of acknowledgement."Did anyone tell you I was coming, Mr. Mackenzie? I'm..." I pause to set my things on the table and slide into one of the wooden seats. "I'd like to interview–""Aye, they told me. I know who ye are, lass, and I know about the book ye plan to write...

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“The Lady's Steward” by M. Sawan

Submitted to Contest #98

I arrive at 7:00 AM and drink three beers. I carry my clubs to the first hole and stretch—opening up my hips with a squat, windmilling my arms, using my three iron to flex my lats. My movements are ordered into ten second intervals. The sun rises orange against the grass, vibrant above the slopes where the night denies defeat. I put on my hat. The Men arrive late and with chatter. I found them on Craigslist. I am patient. I am polite. If not for the Lady’s demands, I would abandon them. I do not know why She wants them. They are loud, batt...

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“Murder, envy and a new start in life” by Paul Howard Surridge

Submitted to Contest #98

Penny offered to make some tea to calm things down, and Rod gratefully accepted. He was fond of Penny and appreciated her genuine concern and compassion for him, unlike Tom his brother, who returned to the drawing-room to join them. “Look, Rod. I’m not about to make a speech, but I wanted to say that Penny and I understand the stress and strain you are under right now. We know you didn’t kill Mary, of course, you didn’t you had a happy marriage, everyone knew that. We’ll do all we can to make life as comfortable for you whilst you’re here, b...

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“When the Age of Heroes Ends” by Heather Mayson

Submitted to Contest #98

Lifting the mountain they climbed would have been easier than lifting his own legs, Dhyses decided. He felt a curse smiting the gods of Emsding for not dissuading him from following his blasted old man ahead of him and what remained of his retinue. Thirty men from across the known world, for their pride’s sake at least, had agreed to accompany Soreus Emberwood. Every single one of them had chosen glory over a boring life in their villages. They had all chosen greed over their wives and children. None of them had give...

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“Lucy and the lucky charms” by Simon Tayengwa

Submitted to Contest #98

Lucy bolted from the shindig with an awkward pace, and before she could cross the street, a screeching of brakes, and a blasting horn made her retreat to the pavement. She then darted across the street, fell headlong on the other pavement, and started to hysterically derange her well-combed hair as if on a mission to pull it out. After the bewildering performance, she impetuously let out a demonic shriek much to the shock of some bystanders, onlookers, and passers-by who still couldn’t utterly make out the mystifying scenario.The night would...

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“Unlucky, or Not” by Eve Y

Submitted to Contest #98

“God damn it.” I curse under my breath as I storm out of the office building. Fired. Again. I think to myself. I’d taken up six different jobs this past month, all of which lasted no longer than a week before each employer decided to call it a day and run a red line through my name, fired.  I flounce through the parking lot, making my way to the bright red mini cooper that my mom had bought me last year for my birthday in hopes that it would bring me “luck” and “good fortune”. As I pull open the car door to the driver's seat, I not...

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“Disappearing Rainbows” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #98

Have you ever felt as though the sun is setting, and it is setting on you. They tell me it is depression, but I don’t know that I believe everything they tell me, they have agendas. I have an agenda as well, but I doubt it is compatible with theirs. I have tried explaining my feelings. I am under a spell cast on all those that were born at a particular time, under a particular planet alignment, but they tell me that is just an excuse for my feelings of inadequacy, my lack of self-esteem. I wasn’t even aware I had any...

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“The Fortune Cookie” by Brandon Cominsky

Submitted to Contest #98

It was Valentine's Day and me and my girlfriend Julia were at a fancy overpriced Chinese restaurant. Spoiler, I ended up getting so sick after eating there, but that's beside the point. I'm not too fond of Chinese food. The only thing I like is fortune cookies. Finally, after eating the expensive meal, I was ready to open up a fortune cookie that could prepare me for anything. What I didn't expect was to get a fortune that would change my life forever. "Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. "You must leave the city and never return....

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