Winners of our FREE monthly 53-Word Story Contest

Each month we offer a prompt to subscribers of Prime Number Magazine to write a 53-word story—no more, no less—and send it to us by the twenty-first day of the month. Our judges select one winning story, and the author receives a book from Press 53 as well as publication here, in Prime Number Magazine. Want to play along? Subscribe to Prime Number Magazine and we’ll send you the prompt on the first day of each month.

Read our winners for October, November, and December 2019 by scrolling down

Traveling Companion

“Non,” I blurted, the only French I knew. 

Our bus lurched around a corner and the gray-haired Parisian glared, uttering a tut to fell cities. My tongue lay heavy with unspoken explanation as I guarded the seat against her, my limping father still trying to make it down the aisle, another wretched foreigner.   

~~~

53-WORD BIO

Rebekah Heaney spent the last four years working in Dubai as a journalist before retreating to the green Surrey countryside of her native England. Her writing has won multiple awards, including the Emirates Festival of Literature’s Montegrappa Fiction Award and Costa Debate Prize. She also happens to make an excellent cup of tea. 

Home Alone

Papa, babysitting two-year-old triplets, took a bathroom break. He heard the sound of the toy box being pushed down the hall, stopping by the bathroom door. Giggling, then the ominous click of the dead bolt installed to keep the girls from playing in the commode, and three sets of tiny feet running away.

~~~

53-WORD BIO

Jane Pait, a Language Arts teacher for over fifty years, loves telling her nine grandchildren stories in which they are the main characters. This story stars her triplet granddaughters who are now sixteen. Jane lives in North Carolina in a small village, White Oak. She is married to her high school sweetheart.

Good Night

Dr. Manecilla smiled as the mouse’s eyes drooped. It had been another big day for the genetically spliced rodent. Dr. Manecilla had run Skippy through a battery of tests to prove handedness was hereditary. Another day; still no side effects.

“Good night,” said the doctor, turning out the lights.

“Good night,” Skippy replied.

~~~

53-WORD BIO

Brian Rosten is a husband, father, and middle school science teacher. In the little free time afforded him, he reads, writes, and eats buffalo wings. He’d like to thank his friends and family for supporting his writing, and a special thanks to Kiel Christianson, whose class on child linguistic development inspired Skippy’s tale.