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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

“Thoughts of Leaving” by Michelle Aislinn

Submitted to Contest #106

“I’m not happy.” Alissa sits down across the table from me. “Not happy about what?” I ask. She takes a breath, her eyes closed. Her eyelashes flutter up as she releases her breath. “I’m not happy here. In this.” She points back and forth between us. My neck starts to tickle. All I can do is watch her graceful hands as she sweeps strands of blonde hair away from her forehead. “Oh,” I say. “Oh?” I scratch at my neck. “Why not?” Alissa pauses. I can see she’s holding back tears. “I don’t think I’ve been hap...

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“Untethered ” by Anne Perry

Submitted to Contest #106

The first time it happened, Camilla was completely caught off guard. She had been wandering in the rose garden at the Dallas arboretum, captivated by the fragrance and beauty of over 200 hybrid tea roses of 16 varieties, and when she got to a particularly delicate peach rose, she felt a tingle in her feet. She looked down to see that she was literally off the ground—by about five inches. It didn’t prevent her from walking gingerly on the air, and she had perfect balance despite the absence of earthy contact. Of course, she had to bend over a...

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“Deep inside the earth” by Kayise Mosotho

Submitted to Contest #106

I wake up draped in sheets of silk on a bed of tender foam. Pulling drips out of my arm and inner thigh as I try to stretch. The bed adheres to the weight of my body as I roll up to a sitting position. It could sleep six of me with room to spare. Its corners are surrounded by four pillars of carved wood. One carved in the totem of a snake. One of a bird of prey, perhaps a hawk or a falcon. One of a baboon. And one of an elephant. My eyes are pulled to the ceiling at this time. Pearls of varying sizes are lodged into the roof. Spinning ...

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“Wilted Hydrangeas” by Ella Dodge

Submitted to Contest #106

A few days ago she had been sauntering on the sticky streets of Southend-on-Sea and now, she traveled in a cloud of clay dust with a group of archaeologists into the Moroccan desert. Every object in sight was saturated in yellow, lustrous saffron in the scorching sun and flaxen rust in the sparse shade.Sonia sat adjacent to the window, brushing away the dust that had accumulated to show the sun, a dandelion that infested the sky that she was furiously attempting to keep at bay with her hand-held, paper make-shift fan. A woman with a fine car...

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“Pre-Surgery Concerns” by Meg Vischer

Submitted to Contest #106

Do people fart when they’re on the operating table? During surgery I mean, once that anesthesia hits, you take a deep breath, you go to sleep, your muscles relax—all of them. I need someone to confirm that I won’t just let loose as soon as I knock out. Luckily the doctors and nurses will be wearing medical masks over their mouths and noses; who knows, they might even be all plugged up under there, secretly so as not to embarrass their customer. This is my main fear about my surgery, truly; the thought of me, lying naked with a paper bag...

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“Robot Arms” by Alejandra Mora

Submitted to Contest #106

It had been a long arduous process to get to this day. Calvin couldn’t believe it, but he was finally going to get his robot arms. He sat with his parents at the doctor’s office, and they were discussing the new state of the art prosthetic arms available to him. Calvin’s mother smiled and whispered, “Looks like you're going to be a superhero after all.”**When Calvin was 9 he received his first set of prosthetic arms. As a kid he thought robot arms would give him special superpowers. His parents had taken him several times to a prosthetist to...

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“The Count of Saint Augustus” by Leon Moss

Submitted to Contest #106

I inherited a title handed down through about 8 generations. By the time it reached me it was worn pretty thin. Any money that had been attached to it had been spent. The title was meaningless. It brought no discounts or special deals. Use and misuse had taken their toll. I am broke. Flat broke. Not a dime to my name. My pension arrives on the 2nd of each month. By mid-month I have eaten my way through it. So part of the month I live and eat like a king, and the other part I starve. I live on leftovers. Leftovers are not that terrible until ...

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“Trixie and Norma of East Cordovia” by Alejandra Mora

Submitted to Contest #106

Trixie was laid out on the carpet and the way the feeling of it caressed her body made her sleepier than ever before. She’d been too exhausted to climb into bed, plus the carpet was so much softer. Her mom had asked her to go to bed for a nap a while ago, but Trixie just couldn't. She wished there was a way to let her mom know she wanted to stay here all day, that her bed was all the way upstairs and it was cozy right where she was. But it was no use. Trixie knew no matter what she tried, all her mom would do is pat her on the head absentmin...

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“A Club Story” by Ben Rounds

Submitted to Contest #106

CW: mild adult content“Would you mind? Val?” said Charles, casually waving an empty glass in the young man's direction. Attentions focused momentarily as the group waited to see what he would do. Cindy’s eye’s, deliberately dilated with just the smallest drop of ecstasy, reflected silver in the strobing club lights. Val checked in the act of replacing the stopper on a small bottle, his long, white fingers poised. With a small smile he slid it into an inner pocket and took the glass.Cindy’s hand tightened ...

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“Complete and Utter Despair” by Amanda Fox

Submitted to Contest #106

I’m alone. I’m so terribly alone, and it’s dark in the apartment. The blackout curtains are drawn tightly to block out the aggressive summer sun. The overhead light is on, but it does nothing to cut through the darkness that is, I recognize, mostly in my own mind. There are times when the loneliness is so overwhelming that I can’t help but cry. This is one of those times, and a soft whine escapes my lips. I take a deep, shuddering breath and push the cry back down my throat. I mustn’t let the neighbors hear.&nbsp...

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“after love” by Vie Tan

Submitted to Contest #106

Today, once again, the table is warmed by the dawning rays of sun. The dips in between each wood grain is still lukewarm, but the sun only grows stronger with each passing minute; underneath the delicate lace of the table runner, the wood is cold there. Already, there are two mugs on the table, only one half-full. When lifted, they leave water stains behind them, the wood stained irrevocably. These rings are marked in patterns of duets all around this wooden table, some overlapping like rings, and others just shy of touching. Here, w...

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“Burned Beauty ” by Leonora Juarez

Submitted to Contest #106

How many times had they walked these halls back then? How many times — without ever giving it a second thought? They had taken all this for granted… only to regret it now. To feel the lingering feeling of sadness right in their bones, making them shiver as they walked slowly from room to room, eyeing at everything. The smell of burnt something tickling in their noses, followed by the black spots on the floor, on the ceiling, on the walls. Dirt crunched as they stepped on it — it was the only sound they dared to make, though each of their ste...

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“Old Man Barnsworth” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #106

Tonya, a very skilled nurse specializing in geriatric care, was assigned to a patient by the name of Frederick Barnsworth. Mister Barnsworth went through nurses like most people go through a jug of milk. He had a reputation for being a cynical old man that hated life and anyone in it, and he was not afraid to express himself. The last nurse ran out of his home crying frantically after the horrid treatment she ha...

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“To Hold the World” by Ella Bella

Submitted to Contest #106

Sam stared at the fallen painting kissing his feet, as if trying to send up an apologetic offering. It didn't mean to fall. It didn't mean for the old nail to become so rusted that it couldn't cling to the wall anymore. It didn't mean to bring back the sad memories. It didn't mean to hold the weight it did. It didn't mean to let go. It didn't mean to beat him to the fall. "Well I guess I'll get a broom," Sam said to the empty air of the perfectly poised house. It was a cute house on the outside. But the inside was uptight like a rubber ban...

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“Fan Fiction” by Donald King

Submitted to Contest #106

Fan Fiction “Can you believe this shit?!?”, Stan says to his friend Ryan who's standing awkwardly behind him, looking for any place to sit that isn't covered with dirty laundry, books or potato chip wrappers. “I mean, what idiot wrote this crap! Did they even read the books?” “Why are you bothering to read it, then, Stan? If it's so stupid, why are you even getting worked up over it?” Ryan taps on the glass of the terrarium, trying to no avail to get the corn snake to move. “Have you decided what you're going to do with Marceau?” The sna...

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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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