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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#102: To Kill a Mockingbird

This Sunday (July 11th) marks sixty-one years since To Kill A Mockingbird was first published. For over six decades now, Harper Lee’s groundbreaking Great American Novel has been taught in schools, stocked by the dozens in bookstores, and devoured by adults and children alike. And despite its age, many of its themes remain deeply relevant today: the damage done by judgment and discrimination, the loss of innocence as one grows up, and the vital importance of standing up for what’s right — even when everyone else is against you.

To commemorate this classic, this week’s prompts are inspired by its characters, plot devices, and most enduring lessons. Whether To Kill a Mockingbird is a distant English-class memory or your favorite book of all time, these prompts are sure to spark a few story ideas — one of which may even lead to your own literary masterpiece.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a metaphor about human nature.

Fiction – 109 stories

Frame your story as an adult recalling the events of their childhood.

Adults – 244 stories

Write about a character with an unassailable moral compass.

Character – 34 stories

Write a story about someone losing faith in an institution.

Angst – 120 stories

Write about a mysterious figure in one’s neighborhood.

Horror – 205 stories

Stories

“Three Ceramic Plates” by Amanda Gocel

Submitted to Contest #102

Content warning: abuse***Four ceramic plates, four tall glasses, eight pieces of silverware and a basket of bread in the middle. The family sitting around the table with a painted poise on each of our black canvas faces. My father will come home to this each day, cascading his fork into the pile of food without a second glance at the human chickens before him. But, without fail, my mom and I’s hands will always take us back to the dishes each night, despite our reluctance and depressive state. Our life depends on it, my mother says, because ...

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“The Castaways” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #102

It has been more than thirty years, but looking back, it feels like only yesterday. It all began back in the late 1980s. It was my graduating year at Madison High School, and I had a feeling that it was going to be “my year”. Growing up, I was known as the loner, the geek, the outcast, and the nobody. Those who did not know me, turned their noses ...

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“Graffiti” by Cezanne Panay

Submitted to Contest #102

The sight of fascinating creatures under the water, as well as mesmerizing surroundings makes sea diving an indescribably lovely experience. However, why is it that when you're alone in the deepest parts of the ocean, there is a resounding fear? But, you can be the most courageous when you have someone beside you. Perhaps, it is proof that we were made to be in groups, fish, too, are generally found in schools and pairs. I like water and swimming, bu...

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“Bread & Water” by Riya Anne Polcastro

Submitted to Contest #102

The first time my father calls me a joto,[1] I am five. I don’t know what the word means yet, but I know what he means by the hate in his eyes, the rage on his lips, the disgust on his tongue as he spits it out—¡joto! Like chunks of sour milk in his coffee. Like a mouthful of blood. Like a fly that had the gall to die in his beer—¡joto! The word reaches across the breakfast table and smacks me across the face, sucks the air from my lungs, rips my world out from under me. Then he does. With his big meaty hand. With his grip like a vice. He re...

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“Faithless Pets” by Opher 51 2022 REYES

Submitted to Contest #102

There once lived cheerfully together, in a fine house, a turtle shell Cat and a lovely white Dog: the Cat's name was Tittums; the Dog's, Fido. In course of time the beautiful Dog fell head over heels for the Cat, and just hung tight for a decent opportunity to reveal his expressions of warmth. This came one day, when Tittums had put her paws on the bumper, dropped her head a little on one side, half shut her eyes, and appeared considering nothing by any stretch of the imagination. Then, at that point Fido, who lay extended at...

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“Funeral Drive” by Alice Claude

Submitted to Contest #102

How many deaths have you experienced in your lifetime? I’m not really referring to beloved Pops, or your great aunt. I’m referring more to the things that have happened, things that have died, that have caused you to grieve. Humans have a tendency to prepare for and attend these metaphorical funerals more times than one may think. We experience losses throughout our lives, and each comes with its own ceremony, with candles and flowers, which attempts to mend the breaks that life has unceremoniously punched into our hearts. Sometimes it’s...

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“Widow's Walk” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #102

She was a mysterious woman that sparked my curiosity. It is not that I was interested in her in ‘that way’, as I am far too old and she far too young. It is just that when I go for my nightly walk, I see her at the same place on the very small balcony that juts out of a dark old two-storey house. Where she is standing used to be called a ‘widow’s walk’, an old-fashioned term that readily conjures up a story. It is rather like ‘widow’s peak’, a vee-shaped ...

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“Making It Right” by Racheli Berkowitz

Submitted to Contest #102

If I close my eyes, I could imagine I am in the right place. I could drape myself in the gentle whites and glittering silvers of my wedding gown, interpret the throbbing beat of a hundred foot soldier’s boots against the dock as trumpets and drums, change the soft sweaty hand in mines into the gentle clasp of a man’s rough fingers. If I close my eyes, my country wouldn’t have been burnt to ashes and dreams, and I wouldn’t be waiting to board the blood and sweat and tear stained deck of a slave galley. I wouldn’t be gazing at rows of sil...

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“There's a Hole Where My Heart Used to Be” by S.E. Reed

Submitted to Contest #102

You know she’s a loaded gun. Click, click, boom. “Lucy, what the hell did you do?” Benny says when we walk into the house and he sees the glass on the floor. “What needed to be done,” I reply. My cheeks are burning. “She’s going to lose her mind!” “But Benny--” I punch my hands into my pockets. “God Lucy! You can’t just break shit. Anything sets Mama off these days--” “Just shut up Benny!” I cry. I don’t have to be reminded how bad it is. She’s moody, bitter, drunk… and she hates me and Benny more t...

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“The Chicken House” by Tricia Shulist

Submitted to Contest #102

THE CHICKEN HOUSE An abandoned building draws kids to it, like a moths to a flame. And sometimes, they get burned. Allister looked down at what he had written, and sighed. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to write about his own childhood, even under the guise of fiction. He had thought that it would be a good idea — they say to write what you know, but what did he know, really? He only knew what he knew. There were the stories from the others, but what had happened, exactly? His father, a police officer a...

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“Never Talk To Strangers” by Lisa Lacey

Submitted to Contest #102

When I was 10 years old two strangers came to my small, rural town. One was a little boy named Roger and the other one wanted to kill me. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time. In fact, it wasn’t until just a few moments ago that I even remembered Roger or the odd events of that day. I was in my third year of college studying pre-med and it was the first day of classes for the new semester. I was running a bit late finding my biochemistry lab. The hallways were a maze full of other confused and rushed students and the now familiar sce...

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“A Soldier Man” by Muffin Hill

Submitted to Contest #102

I can only think of a person who has an unassailable moral compass, that must be you, and can only be you. You are an infantry soldier, who was tough enough to go through intelligent trainings and always keep looking forward to go to a higher rank in the military, and you succeeded, by becoming a military officer, who has the courage and empathy to lead and coach platoons to fight with enemies. You are a humble teacher, who dedicated his career in guiding and coaching peers or juniors to march forward and toward their dreams. You became a ...

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“Bully” by Glory Samia

Submitted to Contest #102

Hera is a normal high school student. She's known but not popular because she's been part of the student council. At that time, she had her close friends named Xara, Tulip, and Prime. They've been in the same class for 2 years until Prime had transferred to another school. To be honest, the first two years they've been joking about one of them would be leaving. One actually got injured because of this. Hera, Xara, and Tulip are quite disappointed for what happened. But they can't do anything about it because it was the decision of P...

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“The MIddle Child ” by Barbara Mealer

Submitted to Contest #102

The Middle Child Being the middle child isn’t easy. That is something I learned at an early age. First is the oldest child. They are the darling one the parents dote on when born and then make all the mistake while learning to be parents (or not). Then comes the second child. Now that they know the binkie on the floor isn’t going to make the kid deathly ill, they pick up it, rub it against their clothes and give it back. The parents are now comfortable but their focus is still on the oldest who is learning all the wonderful things...

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“Memories” by Tom Sun

Submitted to Contest #102

Some memories are abandoned but a spark of light from seven years ago is something that I can never forget. A life lesson that always lingers around every day. That time, I stared at the same full moon as today. The cobalt plate hung up on top of my head a couple of years ago... “Mom,” my young self called that night. “Why is the moon blue today?” I was curious about everything and I would always make older kids and adults go crazy. However, my mother was never bothered by it. Instead, she seemed to li...

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$50

Prize money

712

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 16, 2021 EST

Won by Shane Ransom 🏆

Title: Favorites

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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