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#139 Growing Up

As March reaches its conclusion and nature comes into full bloom (at least in the Northern hemisphere), it’s a time to reflect on growth. While shoots are emerging and flowers start to bud, it’s inspiring to think how big things flourish from such small beginnings.


This week’s prompts are about just that. Whether your characters have already gone through big changes, or are just beginning them, it’s time to get growing. I’ll see you back here for the next contest, when we’ll all be one week older and, hopefully, one week wiser.

🥇 Winner

buried in saipan

Winner of Weekly Contest #139 🏆

There are still rusted bayonets to be found in the dirt. Alongside broken firearms, canteens, and bullet-struck helmets. At times, still attached to skeletons. The deep-sea team would occasionally find a corroded tank or the remains of a submarine acting as an aquarium. Fighter planes would turn up far off in the mountains, a surprise to climbers. Rare was it that Hisao found letters buried in Saipan. He dropped his shovel and knelt, the archaeology team at work behind him—industrial lights illuminated the tunnel with a silver glow. Brushing...

248 likes 189 comments 189
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⭐️ Shortlisted

Roy Mans the Donation Counter

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

Roy took a deep breath and drummed his fingers rhythmlessly on the donation counter. It used to be all white but there was a big smear right in the middle where the paint had long worn off – a sign of the overbearing generosity of the patrons. Which meant this was a very important counter to be manning. He looked down at his nametag and then caught his manager, Bill, out of the corner of his eye. Bill’s face was solemn – he was on duty after all – but he gave Roy the thumbs up. Roy nodded and took another deep breath. His heart was galloping...

54 likes 69 comments 69
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The Garden Oath

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

Bernadette's stomach churned every time she hugged her dad. She was revolted by the sticky suction of his sweaty arms on her skin. She despised the nose-scrunching sour stench of his morning work in the hot delta earth. More than anything, she hated being so close to the man who killed her mother. Standing at the edge of the garage she'd just entered, Bernadette watched as a strange woman carried her mother's unfinished sewing projects and knick-knacks to an unfamiliar car. "I really can't thank ya enough, Owen, for donating these," the ...

31 likes 9 comments 9
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Zebra Stripes and Shoes

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

It started with the shoes; years of high quality, leather, fashionable footwear. Some bought in Europe, some as far off as Venezuela. For this fashionista, a careful collection she felt was irreplaceable. A hundred or so pairs. A ridiculous collection for a new mom.  Western societies don’t prepare women for life after childbirth. We have loads of magazines, cultural references, tv shows, and movies glorifying beauty, sexiness and what a woman looks like. They’ve done a thorough job mapping out loads of scenarios of what attracting a ...

28 likes 31 comments 31
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A Very Brief Meeting

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

“This company could save a fortune on air conditioning.” A shiver ran through me as I sat looking around the HR manager’s small office, wearing only a t-shirt and my boxer briefs. The cooling unit under the window rattled. It was on high and the adrenaline was wearing off. I was alone, sitting on a lime green plastic office chair facing a desk carefully arranged with standard office equipment, file folders, and sticky notes. People usually waited in the reception area, but given the circumstances the secretary had made an exception, ushe...

21 likes 17 comments 17
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This week's prompts

Write a story that involves a character donating a box of clothes which have been outgrown.

– 49 stories

Start your story with someone having their height marked on a door frame.

– 36 stories

Format your story in the style of diary entries.

– 52 stories

Start your story with the words: “Grow up.”

– 61 stories

Write about a character sowing seeds for the future (literally or figuratively).

– 37 stories

Stories

buried in saipan

Winner of Weekly Contest #139 🏆

There are still rusted bayonets to be found in the dirt. Alongside broken firearms, canteens, and bullet-struck helmets. At times, still attached to skeletons. The deep-sea team would occasionally find a corroded tank or the remains of a submarine acting as an aquarium. Fighter planes would turn up far off in the mountains, a surprise to climbers. Rare was it that Hisao found letters buried in Saipan. He dropped his shovel and knelt, the archaeology team at work behind him—industrial lights illuminated the tunnel with a silver glow. Brushing...

248 likes 189 comments 189
Read story

The art of growing

Weekly Contest #139

Mallot's mother dies in March from cholera and the day after, she comes to class and tells me about her father who lives in a city far away. She doesn't know him that well but she can guess he is fine. As we walk home under the flaming sun, she elbows me and laughs and I think about losing my mother too; how each touch and exhale would cease at that moment. Sometimes I let my mind stray to that thought and how simple it would all be to lose a part of my soul. "Why aren't you crying?" I ask her later when her laughter has dipped low.She ...

82 likes 19 comments 19
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Diary of an Answering Machine

Weekly Contest #139

July 18, 1985 “You’ve reached Matt Nicholson and Buddy. Buddy say hi: Woof! We can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks!” BEEP “Matt, it’s mom. Are you still at work? It’s nearly seven thirty; you should be home by now. It’s time you settled down; you’ll be thirty in two weeks-you’re too old to be barhopping and galivanting around. Anyways, it’s Kelsey’s baby shower tomorrow and I wanted to know if you’d like to carpool with me and dad. No use in takin...

70 likes 51 comments 51
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Roy Mans the Donation Counter

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

Roy took a deep breath and drummed his fingers rhythmlessly on the donation counter. It used to be all white but there was a big smear right in the middle where the paint had long worn off – a sign of the overbearing generosity of the patrons. Which meant this was a very important counter to be manning. He looked down at his nametag and then caught his manager, Bill, out of the corner of his eye. Bill’s face was solemn – he was on duty after all – but he gave Roy the thumbs up. Roy nodded and took another deep breath. His heart was galloping...

54 likes 69 comments 69
Read story

Between The Lines

Weekly Contest #139

Marie had never painted before—that was always John’s job. But the house needed to be sold and according to the real estate agent, it needed to be painted. Marie wasn’t mad at John for leaving the task to her; she was angry at him for dying. John had bought life insurance, but hadn’t anticipated the medical bills. He fought until his last breath, but the fight left Marie without a husband, without resources, and without a home.A painting novice, Marie attacked the big rooms and hallways first. They were the easiest with most of the furn...

51 likes 19 comments 19
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A Pocketful of Dreams

Weekly Contest #139

May Golightly rented her suite of attic rooms to Charlie for over twenty years. He was an ideal lodger, smart and courteous, and always paid his rent in cash. It was a convenient arrangement because his presence afforded her both peace of mind and financial security during her retirement. She’d never interfered in his affairs until one morning a letter appeared on her doormat. May recognised Charlie’s cursive script and opened it to discover a brief note, saying he’d gone away. Charlie asked her to secure his few valuables and box up his clo...

40 likes 22 comments 22
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The Years Will Rush By

Weekly Contest #139

ㅤGrow up. Go to school. Tell the class your name. Colour inside the lines. Try to make friends. Brush your teeth for two minutes in the morning. Brush your teeth for two minutes in the evening. Don’t lie. Come inside, you must be freezing. Be nice to your sister. Eat your vegetables. Don't mess around. Learn to tie shoelaces. You're too old for velcro now. Learn about verbs and nouns and adjectives. Let’s mark your height on the doorframe. Come on, stand up straight.ㅤㅤGrow up. Tuck your shirt in. Stand out from the crowd. Learn to play foot...

38 likes 28 comments 28
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I'M BREAKING UP WITH JEFF BEZOS

Weekly Contest #139

I'M BREAKING UP WITH JEFF BEZOSI confess. Jeff Bezos knows me more intimately than my husband does. But don't tell his ex-wife. And I haven't been able to hide it from my husband. No, I swear, it's true. Couldn't be more true. Jeff and I communicate more frequently, more personally, and just MORE than I communicate with any other human on this Covid confined planet.I can't just punch a delete button on my keyboard and wipe my order and return history out of my life like I can with my Google browsing history. So I have left a telling, shamefu...

32 likes 28 comments 28
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The Garden Oath

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

Bernadette's stomach churned every time she hugged her dad. She was revolted by the sticky suction of his sweaty arms on her skin. She despised the nose-scrunching sour stench of his morning work in the hot delta earth. More than anything, she hated being so close to the man who killed her mother. Standing at the edge of the garage she'd just entered, Bernadette watched as a strange woman carried her mother's unfinished sewing projects and knick-knacks to an unfamiliar car. "I really can't thank ya enough, Owen, for donating these," the ...

31 likes 9 comments 9
Read story

You've grown son

Weekly Contest #139

Trigger Warning: death, (sad content) “And? How much have I grown?” the boy asked his dad excited. “Let me take a look.” The father looked at the door frame with the white line showing the height of the son. The boy was jumping behind his father and wanted to know if he has grown a bit. It’s his sevens birthday and he’s already a big boy. “Uh! What have we got here? Who are you the big boy?” the father asked. The boy laughed. “Dad it’s me! Jack! Don’t you recognize me? Have I grown so much?” The father nodded and the sons eyes sparkled. “Y...

30 likes 2 comments 2
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Head Plant Supervisor

Weekly Contest #139

He knew what they called him and he didn’t like it: Unemployed Lloyd. True, he’d been out of work for a while; but that’s no reason for insults. Besides, he’d sent out his resume. Even went on a few interviews. He knew his luck would change and they’d be sorry.     Lloyd scratched his butt and looked at the clock. He heard the stop-and-go hum of the mail truck and trudged to the door; not bothering to put on shoes (or pants, for that matter.) The only highlight of his day since he lost his job, was the mail.   &...

29 likes 29 comments 29
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Zebra Stripes and Shoes

Shortlisted for Contest #139 ⭐️

It started with the shoes; years of high quality, leather, fashionable footwear. Some bought in Europe, some as far off as Venezuela. For this fashionista, a careful collection she felt was irreplaceable. A hundred or so pairs. A ridiculous collection for a new mom.  Western societies don’t prepare women for life after childbirth. We have loads of magazines, cultural references, tv shows, and movies glorifying beauty, sexiness and what a woman looks like. They’ve done a thorough job mapping out loads of scenarios of what attracting a ...

28 likes 31 comments 31
Read story

Summer Loving

Weekly Contest #139

A note to the reader: This is a love story. Specifically, it’s about two people falling in love for the very first time. But it’s also a story that I hope opens the conversation surrounding consent and intimacy for our youths. Please be advised that the final scene of this story contains content surrounding that conversation. “Oh grow up,” Amelia scoffs at my big, black, puppy eyes staring at you and your best friend, Jacob. The two of you are known as Jacob and Carson, the two youngest black belts in the history of the Studio. Your nam...

26 likes 23 comments 23
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Wendy, Never After

Weekly Contest #139

Day Four Hundred and Thirty-Seven Tinkerbell still won’t speak to me. She keeps insisting that I used her shampoo. I did no such thing. If I even attempted to pick up the bottle, I would crush it instantly. Her accusations used to be easy to brush off, but now they crawl up my skin like the forest bugs that swarm us every night after dinner. This place is meant to be some sort of Paradise, and yet, it has all the trappings of every other tropical island. Insects, humidity, birds that look like rodents and rodents that look like birds. Pe...

25 likes 12 comments 12
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Memorium

Weekly Contest #139

Today You know how little I remember. It’s strange to have lived a whole life and not have any memory of it. I’m lying here in a hospital bed, with no memory of how I got here. There is no one in the room and the door is shut. I cry out for help and no one answers. My sheets are tucked tightly over and under me from my waist downwards. I am clothed, that much I can tell. My right wrist is shackled to the bed by a single handcuff. Words and my voice are clear to me. I recognize them. But why can’t I remember my name? Beside me is a small op...

22 likes 7 comments 7
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