One Small Step for a Man by Erin Brandt Filliter

Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy

First published in 1895, and translated into English by Constance Garnett in 1901, “Master and Man” by Leo Tolstoy is set in 1870s Russia, and follows a landowner and his servant as they struggle through a blizzard on their way to a neighboring homestead where they hope to conduct some business… With an introduction and short closing analysis, the actual story begins at 8:05… From one of the greats, it is a suspenseful tale about the struggle for survival and Man vs. Nature...

Break Glass by Sabina Trojanova

Sixteen-year-old Eve takes part in the Rite, during which she will be matched with her future husband. All she has to do is prove her worthiness... "Break Glass" won 4th Place, out of 691 entries, in our Eighth Playground Challenge... Sabina Trojanova is a talented writer from London, UK and you can follow her on Instagram @girlvsglobe - Read more of the winning stories from our challenges on our website, writersplaygroundllc.com

Three, Three, Nine by Pauline Marie Morris

An arranged marriage between a young Japanese woman and an older Japanese soldier bodes well until a new presence threatens to divide them forever... "Three, Three, Nine" won 4th Place, out of 570 entries, in our Sixth Playground Challenge... Pauline Marie Morris is a talented writer from Albany, NY. She is currently seeking representation for her thriller, Water on The Grid, and she is actively working on her new novel, a dystopian romance set in futuristic Japan. You can find her website paulinemariemorris.com [https://paulinemariemorris.com/] and follow her on Instagram and Threads @paulinemariemorris - Read more of the winning stories from our challenges on our website, writersplaygroundllc.com [https://www.writersplaygroundllc.com/]

Have You Seen Me? by Sarah Newman

Between a fouled swimming pool, a school bus fight, and a half-packed runaway bag, a girl comes face-to-face with anger, loyalty, and the quiet ways love shows up... "Have You Seen Me?" won 2nd Place, out of 639 entries, in our Twelfth Playground Challenge... Sarah Newman is a talented writer who lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she splits her time working for the local children's museum, battling neighborhood groundhogs who won't stop terrorizing her vegetable garden, and playing beer-fueled fast-pitch baseball with a bunch of lovable punks. She lives in a home overfilled with books with her fellow bookworm husband who is very, very handsome (she was paid by him to add that) and her ball-obsessed Pitbull. A lover of stories and writing bad poetry in the notes app on her phone, Sarah looks forward to continuing to try and find the right words to describe this weird, wild, ephemeral existence. That is, until the groundhogs get her... You can read "Have You Seen Me?" and more of the winning stories from our competitions on our website, writersplaygroundllc.com [https://www.writersplaygroundllc.com/]

Graduation Cake by Charlie Rogers

Long-held secrets unravel when an estranged son returns to the family house for a graduation party... "Graduation Cake" won 1st Place, out of 639 entries, in our Twelfth Playground Challenge... Originally from Beacon, NY, Charlie Rogers is a talented gay writer who lives in New York City. He is a former photographer and aspiring hermit. He finds himself writing the same story over and over, ignoring birds and their portents, and he studied literature at Cornell University for some reason. His work has appeared in BULL, Uncharted and Ellery Queen... You can follow Charlie and read more of his work on his website, charlierogerswrites.com [http://charlierogerswrites.com/] and you can read more of the winning stories from our challenges on our website, writersplaygroundllc.com [https://www.writersplaygroundllc.com/]