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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#106: Periergia

Ever found yourself experiencing a newfound appreciation for something you see or do every day? Maybe you think fondly of how many people have stood on the same street corner as you, or appreciate the centuries of craftsmanship that it took to develop the humble coffee mug you hold in your hand.

When you feel like waxing lyrical about the everyday, you might call it periergia — using flowery language to describe something trivial. While this is usually a writing no-no (purple prose, anyone?), there's something irresistible about romanticizing the mundane once in a while. So this week, we’re looking for beauty in unexpected places, whether that’s a character, something they see, or anything in-between.

This week's prompts

Start or end your story with a character noticing the beauty in something they've seen hundreds of times.

Fluff – 74 stories

Write about a character who’s known to be a cynic, but secretly romanticizes everything.

Valentine's Day – 16 stories

A mundane ability suddenly becomes a superpower. Write about someone or something affected by this.

Middle School – 26 stories

Write a story about a character who takes nothing for granted.

Teens – 21 stories

Write a story about a character who’s secretly nobility.

Thriller and Suspense – 16 stories

Stories

“The Garden” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #106

The Wedding The garden is the site of my aunt’s second wedding to a guy named Phillip. Phillip. Like the prince. May he rest in peace. Technically, the garden is not the site of my aunt’s second wedding to a guy named Phillip. It is the site of the reception of my aunt’s second wedding to a guy named Phillip. It was April or March or...um...sometime early spring. I was only 10. Time works differently when you’re a kid. I once read that childhood is like being drunk: you don’t have much memory of it all, but everyone keeps telling you storie...

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“Homemade” by Francis Daisy

Submitted to Contest #106

Chlorine hangs heavy in the humid evening air. Bare footed children yell “red light! green light!” in an age-old game of you can’t get to the other side before someone yells “red light!” again at the other person. Moms chase children with towels trying to herd them towards cars. Grandmas helpfully shout out, “I’ll order the pizza!” It is another closing day at the city pool and the families are being sent out into the parking lot. The life guards can be glimpsed through the doors as they sweep, mop, empty garbage cans, and tidy up...

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“This Tide Lifts Us All” by Charlene 🧙‍♀️✨ Boyce

Submitted to Contest #106

It was early enough that the dust still glittered in the last rays of sunset through the windows. We picked out a good table, off to the side, sheltered by the bathroom wall. We could stash our stuff in the corner when the time came for dancing, and not worry that some buzzkill would steal our warm jackets. Danny was acting weird about his new pants because he thought they were blue-green and I'd made the mistake of calling them turquoise. I hoped that more people would arrive soon to distract him. So far there was only us and what l...

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“Layla and Ashley” by A. A. Yepiz

Submitted to Contest #106

******Death warning******I chose this. She did not.Drip, Drip, Drip “Ashley, please, hurry.” “I can’t,” her helpless voice begins to dim. “Ashley,” I try to hold on to her arm as water begins to break through the cavern, “Come on Ashley, just keep climbing we’ll get out of here soon.”“Layla,” She holds my wrist that is latched onto hers.“Don’t stop, we have to keep going,” water spews into my mouth.“I am just slowing you down. I need you to get out of here safely.”I realize she has sto...

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“Ghost of a Place ” by Ryl J.

Submitted to Contest #106

The year started off normal. School finished and my family took our long-awaited trip to Italy. Everything seemed perfect and aligned. The arrival of summer was like a fresh breath of air after a long day’s work or the first sip of warm morning coffee. In that moment, as my back hugged the sand and my gaze alternated between the vast blueness of the sky and the ocean ahead, it felt as if nothing could go wrong. Then it did. As we searched for our gate at the airport, I quickly texted my best friend that we were on our way home. I...

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“The moon is beautiful, isn´t it?” by Jessica Feder

Submitted to Contest #106

Her name was Alina and she was the love of my life. 26th of July 2018 she passed away, six months prior we had discovered a tumor with little chance of recovery. At first there was hope that surgery would help or at least buy us some time, we tried everything and got second, third and fourth opinions with different doctors only to get slammed with the harsh reality, there was nothing to do except wait. We had been together since university and had plans to marry that summer, she wanted to have a small ceremony in Italy with our closest ...

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“Yuji and the Crag Whence the Dragon Took Flight” by Jon R. Miller

Submitted to Contest #106

Yuji observes the crumpled pink pellet that was once a sticky-note and steers it from afar by drawing tight circles with his slinky forefinger, alternating clockwise and counterclockwise. He’s been willing it to float and join the eclectic swarm of papers swirling above the littered room that was once his. But it defies his wishes, preferring to twitch around apprehensively as it hovers mere centimeters above the frayed tatami mat floor. The mats haven’t been changed since he fled this house ten years ago. The tightly woven rushes have long ...

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“Are You Ready” by Jared Hammer

Submitted to Contest #106

Have you ever met Death? She’s quite nice. Oh yes, and she is a she. Before I met her, I always imagined Death to be some sort of scary looking thing with a cloak—not quite human, not quite monster. Death is actually quite beautiful, to be honest. Nothing to be afraid of in the least; on the contrary, I imagine people wouldn’t dread the actual event itself if they knew Death. It’s not the first time I’ve met her—right now, that is. I’ve caught glimpses of her passing by probably a hundred times during my career; I’m a fireman, you see. I sa...

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“The Memory Letter” by Silver Pen: Temporarily Inactive

Submitted to Contest #106

TW: Suicide. Dear Chris, I’ll never forget the day we met, not even when death himself tries to wrench the memory from my stiff hands. Twelfth-grade calculus, third period. In full honesty, I’m not completely sure why I remember the day so well. Perhaps it was the way you smiled when we were paired. A small, courteous smile full of wires and metal. Ah, the braces. I remember how much you hated them. Every smile was lip-tight and careful, anxious embarrassment hiding the way your face lights up when you truly grin. Even in those days of awkwa...

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“A Curious Experience” by Nikki Rae Jensen

Submitted to Contest #106

The Cottonwood Trees were still bare, though the empty branches had brown tips as if they had been individually dipped into milk chocolate before being sloppily dried. The little bumps seemed ready to burst, and she wondered if they would explode before her very eyes. “If only I can be patient…” she thought. While she waited, her mind wandered. Eventually, forgetting that she was practicing an exercise of patience, she rolled onto her belly; her right side slightly elevated, her left arm cradling her head. Her right ear still took in the...

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“The Song Of Men” by Mathic M

Submitted to Contest #106

Most men can ascertain the pain of war, a virtuous man knows the rhythm of war. War be a bloody thing, limbs scattered like cut grass across a meadow. Most high class men wrenched at the thought of bloodied bodies, rotten and decaying. The worst thought for a high born was the thought of a freshly dead corpse, ripped into with many slashes, slashes that cut deep, making it hard for them to be recognized. The worst was when the crows would come to pluck the eyes, it was good to be dead before they came. I hated the nobility. They let nob...

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“Romance is dead.” by Asia Perrine

Submitted to Contest #106

"She is probably using him." Was the first sentence out of his mouth. It had slipped out as he starred blankly into his latte as it swirled casually around the espresso and whipped cream in the cup. His friends, Audrey and Stella, Both had their jaws a gap. To which Darnell simply shrugged nonchalantly, sipping coolly at his drink. He glanced left, then right at both of his dear friends. A bored expression plastered on his face before he set his drink down, the sleeves of his dark over sized hoodie shuffling over his knuckles as the drink ...

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“Night Recollections” by Erica Hampton

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #106

Even at 3 am, the sky outside was more gray than truly black. No stars were visible, beyond the yellow orbs of streetlamps high overhead and the hanging red, green, or amber traffic lights. Downtown was deserted, and I was alone save for the one being beside me: a young, slender tomcat whose nametag read ‘Daniel.’ “You know, this would all be a lot easier if you would let me pick you up.” I stopped, but the cat just stared up at me. His green eyes blinked twice, and then he tr...

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“Insignificant Other” by Shoshana A

Submitted to Contest #106

It was one of the chilly months of the year when every bone of your body shivers rhythmically and your mighty teeth chatter to chime in. Well, my body felt as much, so I donned a black thick woollen coat and a scarf as buttress against freezing wind blowing outside. Earlier, I was planning to slip my head inside a cowl but it would have looked inappropriate.It was not any run-off-the-mill event for which I dressed up like a royal lady.It was something which sent a chill up my spine, a mere thought of it gave away sensation of snakes dan...

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“The Thrill of Romance” by Lorraine Evanoff

Submitted to Contest #106

Evelyn pulled the large flat sheet from the dryer, hair raising in all directions from static sparks. She never put the fitted sheet in the dryer with the flat sheet and pillowcases because pillowcases would get bunched up in the elastic corners. Despite deftly extracting the California King flat sheet, a pillowcase caught the edge, and fell to the spotless floor.“Fuck!” Evelyn had had enough. “Really?” She continued her tirade. “GOD, I hate making beds! It’s the absolutely worst chore on the planet! They literally send men and women into ou...

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$250

Prize money

153

Contest entries

206

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 13, 2021 EST

Won by A.Dot Ram 🏆

Title: I Was Always Good at Taboo

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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