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#132: Time to Blume

On February 12th, Judy Blume turns 84 — and her bestselling book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is finally becoming a feature film this year. To celebrate, we’re featuring prompts based on the YA classic released over 50 years ago.

If you need a refresher, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret follows 6th grader Margaret Simon in her quest for a religious identity. Her mother was raised Christian, her father Jewish. They’ve decided not to impose one belief or the other on their daughter, but that leaves Margaret longing for a god of her own to talk to.

Dive into this blast-from-the-past and relive your childhood reading by writing a story based on one of our five Judy Blume prompts.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character saying “Are you there, God? It’s me…”

Dialogue – 108 stories

Write a story where a character is exploring their religious or spiritual identity.

Fiction – 59 stories

Write a story about a couple with fundamentally different beliefs.

Valentine's Day – 23 stories

End your story with a character saying “Thank you, God. Thanks an awful lot.” (sarcastically or not).

Dialogue – 44 stories

Write a story about a teenager whose family is moving.

Teens – 46 stories

Stories

“The time where I almost failed” by Wayne Steele

Submitted to Contest #132

“Oh God, what am I going to do?” I mutter to myself, papers soaked with tears strewn across my desk, several cups of coffee thrown half-hazardly, some empty, some still full and cold. I looked at a nearby clock. The time was six o'clock. The moon was dipping in the west, getting ready for bed as the sun was getting ready to go to work. The sky looked like a dancing fire with a mix of orange, yellow and red. The birds sang their beautiful songs, but they must have been singing about my funeral for me. The science finale worth sev...

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“The Day I Lost Everything” by Miriam Wilson

Submitted to Contest #132

I was only nine when my mom told me we were moving. She was marrying a man she had been dating for about two years now. He was a funny man. Always making puns and letting my youngest brother, Zach, climb him. He spent a lot of time doing math for fun and he would help us with our homework. I liked him but I hated that he was the reason we were moving away. I had been living on that street since I was four. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my school friends or my best friend, who was homeschooled, but I had too anyway. My four siblings and ...

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“Hungry Hippo” by Arch R

Submitted to Contest #132

I stared out of the white window of our living room onto the front yard of our neighbors across the street. Not that we could call them neighbors since we haven’t met them yet. Well, we had, but just the mother, who, given she had two kids the same age as me and my brother, seemed very curious about the newcomers at her children’s school. She regarded us with the air of interlopers and seemed genuinely perplexed by our names when she asked for them. “Amrita and Akshay” we had politely replied to which she brightly retorted that she would cal...

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“Dear Mom...” by Britt Garman

Submitted to Contest #132

Dear Mom, Hi. I don’t really know what to say. I don’t even know if you’ll ever see this, but I’ve decided it makes sense that if I write to someone on the other side, they would allow you to read it somehow. I try to believe that your always with me, like you promised, but I still miss you so much. I do believe that you watch out for me, keeping up with my life, but I’m sure you’re too busy to spend every moment watching. At least, I hope there’s more for you to do than just ...

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“Making a move” by Alice Richardson

Submitted to Contest #132

Making a move Diane stood on the lip of the cliff. This is it, she thought, there’s no going back now, her mind closed to her surroundings and focused on her next move. Taking a deep breath she tipped her body forward and allowed herself to topple slowly over the edge. Diane’s family had just moved to a remote mine in outback Australia. Her father had been offered an executive position with the large mining company and her whole world had turned upside down. At thirteen years, she’d made long term friends, had niches in her favoured sport a...

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“Are You There, God? It's Me, Margot” by Starla Moore

Submitted to Contest #132

CW: sexual abuse, murder“Are you there, God? It’s me again, Margot. I know I ask an awful lot of you, and sometimes it feels as though you aren’t listening, maybe you don’t care. But I would like to ask you for just one night, one night of peace, please.” In the beat-up shack called home, Margot sat in her bed, fingers laced in prayer with a once again, futile request. God did not answer her prayer that night, and the frail 14-year-old did not receive her one night of peace.Margo’s eyes shot open when she heard the sound of footsteps, throug...

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“Gods Lessons” by Caroline L

Submitted to Contest #132

"Are you there, God? It's me..." The words came from lips again, but the words were inaudible. I was scared to even speak them, let alone anything, out loud. Not here. Not now. God, if you can hear me, I beg you to help me. Please get me out of here. Please help me. If you know me, please save me. I closed my eyes and put my cold, shaky hands together, but the only thing that came to my mind was the past hour playing over and over in my head, like a movie reel on repeat: I saw the lights, red and blue, coming at me straight ahead. Then I h...

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“God, It's Me, Francisco Rodriguez” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #132

It’s my last day at the 9th Precinct in Manhattan where I have served faithfully for over thirty years since 1982. There are things I like to talk about like my grandkids Romana and Dalby who love coming over to grandpa and grandma’s house after church on Sunday. I also like to talk about my daughter Francesca and her very fair skinned Irish husband Shawn McGuiness who is a hulk of a man with a great career at Colby’s Electronic Design Firm. Yeah, he’s a real computer geek who earns a pretty hefty salary, but he talks about...

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“Are you there, God? It's me Alan. ” by Professor Alan Dale Dickinson

Submitted to Contest #132

ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, ALAN! Hello, God, you remember me, right? I am that dirty old rotten scoundrel, saved by your grace, and my sworn faith, whom you reached out to way, way, back in the day. And, I told you at that time, when you saved my poor miserable soul, “Thanks for sending your precious, and only begotten son, Christ Jesus, to bleed, and then to die for me, in order to cover up all of my several sins, ‘faux pas,’ and many transgressions. Of course, you will remember me, my all-knowing, God. It’s me in the flesh, good old...

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“Are you there God, it's me, Chris.” by Keith Butler

Submitted to Contest #132

Are you there, God? It’s me, Chris.I’ll understand if you don’t remember me as I guess that remembering every name since the beginning of time, plus watching for all those birds falling and counting every hair on everyone’s head must be a bit time consuming. Although the fashion for shaven heads must make it a bit easier at the moment. By the by, do you have to count wigs too? If so, then King Charles’ cavaliers must have been a bugger at the time. What about hair extensions?I haven’t contacted you for over 40 years, but it seems just as dif...

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“Reach Out” by Charlotte Hawkins

Submitted to Contest #132

Author’s Note: All words in Spanish will be translated into English in the endnotes. All translations are by way of the Google Translate feature from the search engine. Reach Out Are you there, God? It’s me, Mya… Mya’s forlorn thoughts were relentless. Mya stared down her bookshelf trying to not think about the last week. She could not avoid the thoughts of her abuelito[i] Miguel and his sud...

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“The Necklace.” by Ainslie Jones

Submitted to Contest #132

“Are you there, God? It’s me.” Savannah was now standing in front of the little cabinet next to her bed. She was wishing for a miracle but when she opened it, it was still empty. She had been trying to remember everything she had been taught about talking to the Lord. She was so upset but she figured this was as good a time as any. The preacher had said the Lord was everywhere and knew everything. He was watching over her and he knew her every move and thought. “Lord, you know that my grandmother gave ...

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“To Feel God's Heart” by Lauren Flake

Submitted to Contest #132

“Are you there, God? It’s me…again,” Detective Jadyn Grey mumbled. She let out a deep sigh allowing her head to roll back and look up at the few stars that shone in the night sky. Just two hours before, she’d sat down at her parent’s house with a burger to watch the Saturday night game. Before she took a bite, her phone rang. Now she stood in a trailer park about an hour south of town, watching as a family mourned their dead son. This was not her call week. It had been another detective’s, but when her captain phoned asking her to take this ...

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“Dreams, Not Angels” by Chloe Lomas

Submitted to Contest #132

“Are you there, God? It’s me, the idiot you just tried to kill.”These were the only words I had the strength to mutter as I pulled my suitcase down an already bustling airplane terminal. I wasn’t one to talk to myself, usually, at least not aloud, but the woman strolling ahead of me had white earbuds jammed all the way into her cochleas and showed no interest in my delusional ramblings. Besides, I’d had a rough day. My lack of religion wasn’t going to stop me from venting.My heart was still pounding. I couldn’t believe it—not even a day ago,...

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“So Many” by Christine Cornejo

Submitted to Contest #132

“Are you there, God? It’s me, Susie.” “Hi Elmer, she said, as she hugged its enormous trunk.” “Yes, I know, I’m back again.” A large orange, yellow, and green leaf landed gently on her head. She held the leaf gently as she sat her dingy yellow backpack down on the grass at the base of the huge elm. She sat down next to Elmer and crossed her legs, Indian style. Rubbing her small back against the bark of the huge elm, she tried to get comfortable. Fingering Elmer’s leaf seemed to settle her. “Elmer, I haven’t seen you since I was ten. I’...

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$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

127

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 11, 2022 EST

Won by Adam El Nabli 🏆

Title: Inshallah

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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