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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 – 112 stories

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

Fiction – 61 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

“Our Father” by J.C. Lovero

(Note: Lola = grandmother)“Peace be with you.”“And also with you.”The cold water lingered on my forehead, traveling slowly before settling on the lines in between my eyebrows. Even though it had been over thirty years, stepping foot into the church was like riding a bicycle—you stumbled and swerved at the beginning until you got your bearings again. I looked down at the open casket, taking in a cleansing breath as I stared at your face, pale and peaceful. A stark contrast to how I’d describe you when you were...

28 comments 28 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Bangs vs Mullets” by Jamie Gregory

Brad walked the three blocks from his apartment to Strikes and Pints with nothing to keep him company besides the sound of his defeated footsteps landing on the sidewalk. He had discovered the bowling alley dive bar in college and, now that he’s practically a regular there, he couldn’t think of a better place to find solace tonight. He paused at the final crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, and glanced at the scrolling marquee on the bank sign across the street. Temperature: 15°FHe...

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“Jesus Wore a Brown Jacket ” by Melony Beard

Are you there, God? It’s me, Mallory. My momma is dying. I’m scared. I’ve never watched anyone die. I’ve never been without my momma either. Dear God, I know I’m grown, but I don’t feel so grown right now. On a cold, bitter January night at two in the morning, my sisters slept upstairs while I stayed downstairs with Momma. Taking care of Momma had become a twenty-four-hour job. We took shift...

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“Prayer in the Dirt” by Jeffery Young

“Are you there God? It’s me, Jaxon.” The man was just a kid. To me, at least. To everyone else he would be about nineteen. He had never grown up. Not really. He pressed his dull green eyes shut, little fleshy dams for tears and months of stress. He was dirty. The fatigue of constant fighting evident in the deep rivets, cuts, and bruises that criss-crossed his face. They were a part of him now. Even ...

17 comments 17 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“First Love” by Amanda Lieser

Mia’s forehead was sore from where it hit the cool, glass pane of the window as her mother weaved through the single roadway up into the mountains. Their destination: Estes Park, Colorado. The bright, June sun cascaded into their car warming Mia from the black tank top she had donned for the occasion. Her thighs pinked up with every passing minute. She gazed at the rows and rows of evergreen trees with a forlorn expression. Her fingers moved rapidly in her lap and she counted the days, hours, minutes that she had left in these mountains.<...

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“He Took His Wings, And Fled” by James Miller

It was in an impassioned service of worship at Water's Edge Evangelical Church, sitting at the far end of a packed pew, that Mateo decided he did not want to believe in God. He didn’t disbelieve. Rather, he didn’t want to affirm belief. If it came his turn to profess, he intended, like a nervous freshman on the first day of class, to answer, “Pass.” A sweating, invigorated preacher stalked the stage in pr...

12 comments 12 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“10-year anniversary” by Danny G

Jack pushed the door open, stumbling in. He drunkenly fumbled for the lights, then he gave up. What did it matter anyway?It was dark in the apartment but even in his drunken haze he knew the way. Five steps forward and you’re in the kitchen. Five more and you’re in the lounge. Two steps left, three more forward and…“Ouch!”Maybe drunken steps are different. Longer maybe? Or maybe it’s the wrong apartment. Jack fumbled around, found a switch and flipped it.The lights flickered on.“Hmm” he mumbled. He was i...

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“A Cult Unloaded” by Thomas Giorgione

Content warning: violence, references to sexual abuse, and language.Humble was coming, and he would keep them warm. They called themselves Unity. On January 6th at precisely 10:00 p.m. Unity crowded into the compound’s central tent, and the North Dakotan air frosted their bald heads. No one complained—no one dared speak—they all knew the rules.Beckett Gorman, Humbles second in command, prepared to start his “unloading.” He paced naked behind the tent. I’m going to die tonight, Beckett thought. Th...

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“One of us is right, one of us will die.” by Holly Guy

TW: mental health issues, physical abuse, suicide I’m awake as the strangled sobs dance around the room. Their haunted songs fill me with dread and force me to my feet. I throw the covers from my body and the chill in the room instantly nips at my skin. I bite back a swear word as I stumble forward, searching for the owner of that cry I know all too well. My wife is collapsed at the door ...

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“A Lot Can Happen in Five Minutes” by Clyde Laffan

CONTENT WARNING; STRONG LANGUAGE, SEX SCENES “11 minutes sir, until impact, that’s what CNN says.” Sir cowers on all fours, placing his desk between him and the nuclear warhead that is now minutes away from turning our school into a barbecue pit. He pokes his phone’s darkened screen hard with his index finger, tap, tap, tap. He’s trying to call his wife or kids or something; I ...

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“Blind Wait” by PJ Aitken

“Hiya chucks! It’s that time of the day again where we play a game of “Blind Wait” in this hospital reception to entertain all of you as you wait a ridiculously long time to see a doctor.“Remember this is only possible because of the wonderful way our National Health Service in the UK is criminally underfunded. All those lorra lorra promises of extra funding for the NHS that never happened post-Brexit, writing off billions of public money on pandemic fraudsters and purchasing billions of pounds worth of rubbish PPE!! You lucky thin...

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“Chalk and Cheese” by Suma Jayachandar

“All marriages are arranged; some by the bride and the groom and others…well, by others!” boomed the baritone.“I don’t agree Ram. A person should be able to choose a partner for themselves.”“Janaki, don’t put these silly ideas into kids’ heads now. Aren’t we happy together?”“Well, we got lucky!”“Even though we are like…”“Chalk and cheese?” Ma had said and let out a throaty laugh.I was thirteen at the time and was certain I had met the love of my life. I too had joined in the laughter thinking of i...

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“A Family Attrition” by Chris Campbell

“Bless me father for I have sinned.” How many times have you heard that phrase? To me, they’re simply empty words on deaf ears from forced confessions of the indoctrinated - a practice passed down by each generation to the next gullible crowd of oppressed souls, fearful of divine retribution. I was born into an Irish Catholic family, so these archaic beliefs were acted out before me every Saturday and Sunday, firstly at confession then followed by the next evening with holy communion. As a reluctant c...

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“The Regular” by Jasmine Crafts

My sister June and I can feel change coming the way some people can smell snow before it falls. When you’re about to leave a place, the electricity of impending change zaps around it. Things you never noticed before seem precious and things that you use every day have to prove themselves worthy of the space they’d take up in a box. We have moved 23 times in the 18 years since I came along. That is how Da...

11 comments 11 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Missionary Position” by Jonathan Blaauw

[TW: Possible strong language]At one time or another, each of us will pause to ask ourselves the age-old question What is the meaning of life? The natural follow-up to Why am I here? is Where am I going? For many, these moments of cosmic contemplation are short-lived. We pause, we reflect, maybe we vow to be a better person, to start giving to charity or going to church, and then we go right back to living as we were. Some, however, embrace these lucid intervals an...

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$250

Prize money

286

Contest entries

128

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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