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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#119: Listen

It’s November, and with that come some familiar sounds: the pitter-patter of rain, the rustling of leaves, and the hysterical typing of writers attempting NaNoWriMo. This week, let’s throw the windows open and listen closely. And if you need company while you write, join the Reedsy team for a live Write-In on November 10th!

This week's prompts

Start your story with an unusual sound being heard.

Horror – 41 stories

Start your story with a character saying “Listen, …”

Valentine's Day – 57 stories

Write a story inspired by a piece of music (without using any lyrics).

Middle School – 39 stories

Write a story that involves eavesdropping.

Fluff – 34 stories

Set your story in a silent house by the sea.

Dystopian – 61 stories

Stories

“Sea Sounds” by John Vincent Bahrenburg

Submitted to Contest #119

Only one person was on the beach that evening. A shaded figure, dressed in a long black jacket, stood at the edge of the great blue abyss. The figure stared, over the tops of the cresting waves, out to sea. They were humming. The breeze off the salted shore whistled the old tune. Seagulls sang the melody through the rain hazed mist, hungry for the food that was no longer so easily found. The waves, of course, provided the harmonies. The discordant cacophony of the summer crowds had come and left. It was a new song now. “He’s out ...

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“Why I Have Bars on My Windows” by Samantha Shaffer

Submitted to Contest #119

Warning: attempted sexual violence and gun violence When we have children, we promise to give them lives better than our own. We try to raise them with respect and encourage a good education. We want to give them the world but protect them from the evils around them. I grew up a pretty typical life in 1960's America. My father worked for the local bank and my mother stayed home and raised my brother and I. There were dinner parties on Saturday nights, that the kids were not invited to. I was on the pep squad and my brother was a star f...

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“Sinister Talk” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #119

The house on Elm is quiet, no sounds are heard expect the ones coming from the basement of 2141 Elm Street. RaeLynn, who lives on the 3rd floor of 2141 Elm Street is getting home from work when upon entering the front door hears noises coming from the basement. RaeLynn goes to the basement door, opens it and hears people talking. She can't make out what they are saying , so she goes down a couple of steps and sees three men talking. She notices one of the men has a gun and is waving it around. The man with the gun is angrily talking ab...

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“Keep Listening” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #119

It’s the sounds I notice first.The beep of machines, the low hiss of air through ventilation ducts, the muffled thumps of footsteps nearby.It’s like I’m aware, but I’m not awake.It’s strange. I can feel a mattress under me, a needle sticking into my arm, the warm, dry air of wherever I am.But I don’t know where I am or how I got here. Suddenly worried, I try to open my eyes. They won’t open. I try to lift my arms, to touch my face. They won’t move. Now I’m afraid. &nbsp...

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“Cabin on Lake Elderwise Cove” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #119

If you have ever been to Lake Elderwise, there is a cove and in that cove there is a cabin which has become my solitude since my wife passed two years ago from cancer. We found this secluded place a few months before she passed tucked in the Adirondack Mountains where there are often more geese than people. Having invested my pension, I was able to buy the cabin that had a dock to launch my boat. The cove provided me with the privacy I had always desired. Elenore was more of a socialite, but she ended up falling in love with this plac...

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“Glimpse” by Yel Hipolito

Submitted to Contest #119

This isn’t the time and the place to die… She's had her head down for quite some time now. Just the cold, gray, granite floor staring back at her, meeting her blurry vision. Her back aches from the long hours of being curled in on herself - like an armadillo in defense. Her hands wrapped around her knees, holding them up and stopping them from buckling even more. Fingers gripping the tattered hem of her sleeves, hoping she could hide her vulnerable self from harm. The ticking of the clock stopped a long time ago. Or maybe just minutes ago?...

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“Silent House by the Sea” by Lesley Snider

Submitted to Contest #119

She lives in a silent house by the sea. Blue waves swell and break, swiftly rushing up onto the shore in front of her as she looks out into the horizon. Birds dot the sky, singing their morning song, and their bright eyes twinkle in the sunlight. The wind rustles through the trees, weaving in and out of their leaves in an intricate dance, yet, not a sound can be heard. He lives in a silent house by the sea. The moon is high and the night is dark when he stumbles home with empty bottles that clatter in the wind but do not make a sound...

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“A Fork in the Sand” by David Hubber

Submitted to Contest #119

Max pushed aside one bush with his left hand, and then another with his right as he sprinted for his life through the deep forest undergrowth. Rays of light from the evening sun shone between the trees, outlining a small ridge in the landscape not far ahead. Surely he could lose them there, if he could just hold out a bit longer. “Stop! Turn yourself in now!” The ever distant cries of his flagging pursuers were still motivation enough to keep running as fast as his legs could carry him. He could feel every pounding beat of his heart, each ...

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“Home” by Daeanyra Travis

Submitted to Contest #119

The roar of silence can be painfully deafening at times, and in Mabel Wetherby's home, the silence was as loud as ever. She stood by the windows and took a deep breath of salty air. She turned to look at her bedroom, taking it all in one last time. The closet was bare, her wardrobe packed neatly into suitcases and waiting for her by the front door. In fact, the room was mostly empty now, except for the bed. Mabel had made it this morning, making sure the duvet was smooth and perfect. It took some time, in her old age, but making the bed was ...

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“The Old Man” by LinAris Aris

Submitted to Contest #119

On a cold November morning a beaten down Fiat snaked its way down a dirt road on the coast of the Black Sea. Every so often the car front dipped into a puddle and then bounced back up sprayed with mud. It had rained the night before and the water had hollowed out the ruts and grooves into large craters filled with brownish brew. After much jolting and shaking the little Fiat turned the corner onto a section of smooth asphalt and stopped. A wide metal gate blocked its way. The car stood in front of it with the motor running and when nothing h...

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“Time To Break The Silence” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #119

What is silence? Is it a soft monotonous drone, a subtle buzzing - a swarm of bees discussing things in whispers? ‘This seems like silence – but not complete - I can hear something. Is this what ‘nothing’ sounds like?’ and she closed her eyes. ‘Closing my eyes seems to make the emptiness, nothingness louder’ she mused. ‘I wonder if this is the sound you hear if you are deaf, like Grandma was? She liked the quiet at the moment – needed it. She didn’t miss all the voices that were once in her head, - loud, insistent cruel voices. ‘I...

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“Ghost on the Sand” by Sarah Rich

Submitted to Contest #119

The waves crashed along the beach with a soothing rush, and her eyes began to water from the strong salt in the air as she stepped onto the porch of her vacation home. The humid air felt heavy, but the sun shining overhead erased any chance for gloom. She allowed herself a few, short steps until her bare feet touched the edge of the stairs to the glamourous house on the beach. Her wavy, red locks blew through the breeze that sang by gently with a peaceful suddenness. How could she have gotten so lucky? The air was rich with the minera...

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“Alone” by Laura Holmes

Submitted to Contest #119

WARNING: This story contains alcohol, suicidal thoughts, and mild swearing. If you are sensitive to these topics, you might not want to read this story. It was supposed to be the best vacation that we planned. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Alone. Alone without my friends or family. They’re gone. I sat outside on one of the metal chairs and watched the sunset fall. The sea was out and dreary silent. I could hear my friends’ voices, whispering in my head. But they faded out. I wish they were still here with me. I wish we never found ...

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“The Cabin” by Eddie Hurricane

Submitted to Contest #119

The light of the sun was just coming through the windshield as we began the drive to the cabin. The air was crisp and cool, a little too cool, so we turned on the heater in the car and we held hands as we set off to the east, towards the rising sun. The bright pinks and oranges of the sky gave off a quiet and peaceful feeling as we sat warmly in the car over hills and by the farms that bordered either side of the road. As the sun climbed, so did the altitude of the land and so did our moods. You opened up your canvas bag and brought out two ...

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“STARLING'S HOUSE BY THE SEA” by Julia Corliss

Submitted to Contest #119

Starling loved the sea. She loved it in all its moods—tranquil, boisterous, angry, storming, soothing. She often walked along the shore looking to see what gifts the sea tossed up for her to find. She lived alone in a small silent house nestled amongst the palm trees that lined the shore in clumps. She found the house on one of her wanderings along the shore. At the time, she hadn’t expected to stay on the island, but then the telegram arrived and her world changed forever. She had no home or family awaiting her return. All were lost in th...

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$250

Prize money

232

Contest entries

160

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 12, 2021 EST

Won by Rachel Dzengelewski 🏆

Title: Suzanne

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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