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If your story is listed in the top 5 below, congratulations, you are among the 125 writers moving on to the 2nd Round kicking off at 11:59PM EDT this Thursday, April 11th!   Congratulations to everyone that submitted a story, narrowing down a top 5 in each heat was incredibly difficult and everyone should be proud for rising to the challenge and creating a story outside your comfort zone from scratch in 8 days.  We hope the challenge was inspiring and hope to see you in our next challenge!

#1 'Guilford Green' by Laura Spence-Ash SYNOPSIS - Richard spends a Saturday evening at home with his daughter Katie while Marie, Richard’s wife and Katie’s mother, is down at the shore. Marie returns on Sunday to find the house in disarray, everything changed and yet somehow still exactly the same.

#2 '[g]host' by Audrey Webb SYNOPSIS - When a priest is asked to negotiate between God and Satan for possession of a man’s soul, he learns the requirements for admission to heaven or hell are not as clear cut as they seem.

#3 'Ascension Parish' by Etta King SYNOPSIS - A young man’s confession damns two lives forever.

#4 'The Domino Effect' by Laila Norum Roknian SYNOPSIS - The decision to surrender to a New Year’s Day hangover turns a man’s world upside-down.

#5 'Matters of the Heart' by Erin Tewes SYNOPSIS - A young man battles to meet the infant he fathered but ends up making an eerie and heartbreaking discovery when he cannot contact his dismissive ex-girlfriend.

#Honorable Mention 'Forget-me-nots' by Alix Ayoub SYNOPSIS - There was a voice— and maybe that was enough. There was a voice and Charlie could move on again.

#Honorable Mention 'THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR' by Jesse Montrose SYNOPSIS - A series of unfortunate events befall a priest who is just trying to quit his job.

#Honorable Mention 'Tycho's Moose' by Brenda Wong SYNOPSIS - The alcoholic husband and father of a young toddler finds himself in the idyllic but dull surroundings of wine country, where the family is attending a wedding. He stumbles upon a rustic bar with an interesting mix of patrons.

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