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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#135: I Wanna See You Be Brave

Looking at the children’s books I used to read, there’s a lot of emphasis on being courageous. It makes sense — growing up means facing one tough new thing after another. But in adulthood, we stop thinking about bravery so much, as if the concept is confined to the chivalrous men and misfit animals of fairy tales and picture books.

This week, let’s think about what bravery (or its opposite) really means, in an everyday context, a fantasy world, or a children’s story.

This week's prompts

Write about a hero or a villain deathly afraid of doing their job.

Adventure – 37 stories

Start your story with someone stepping outside their comfort zone.

Middle School – 60 stories

Set your story in a town full of cowards.

Fiction – 31 stories

Write a story where fortune doesn’t favor the brave.

Thriller and Suspense – 38 stories

Write about a casual act of bravery.

Narrative – 46 stories

Stories

“TAKE ME INSTEAD OF HER (Fiction) Feb 2022” by Donnie Powell

Submitted to Contest #135

TAKE ME INSTEAD OF HER (Fiction) Feb 2022 “This is a hold up! Everybody down on the floor!” Screamed the three masked men. All of us quickly lay facedown and I for one, started saying my prayers and hoping that no one would get hurt, that the robbers would remain calm. I knew that sometimes for no reason they shot people who had not resisted or caused any problems. My heart was racing. I tried to calm myself. I knew they would not stay in the bank long. That might mean I had just minutes to live.&nbsp...

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“Ice Girl” by Isabella Ruffatti

Submitted to Contest #135

Mariana shivers in her Shawn Mendes hoodie as she slowly makes her way down the electric stairs. Though she does not dare to look down at first, when she finally does, she sees the other skaters who are at the rink below glide, jump, and spin effortlessly. She thinks she is going to be sick. She still feels her mother’s steely glance on her shoulder blades as it followed her out of the car and into the mall. At the time, all Mariana could feel was apprehension, but she misses it now. It would make what she’s about to do harder. Onc...

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“Ten Seconds of Silence” by Ashlyn Oboyle

Submitted to Contest #135

Sweat dripped down his face. 10. His heart banged against his chest in a rapid rhythm. 9. Glancing down, he let out a curse and clenched his shaking hands. 8. Was his mouth dry? Or was he just imagining it? 7. He almost forgot about the countdown that seemed to mock him with every count. 6. The muscles in his neck contracted as he attempted to swallow, the invisible blockage making it near impossible. 5. Eyes flickered from his hand to the blue and red wires. It was so easy. It could be done in a second. 4. The sweat on his palms made the...

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“The Order of Light (Part 1)” by April Lillard

Submitted to Contest #135

On the outskirts of Nottingham, England, there resides a very peculiar man of great ancestral wealth and prestige. Sir George William Oxley III, of the great Oxley Estate. The Oxley family has called that land home for 6 generations. Sir George’s wife, Elanor, beloved by many, passed away 15 years ago. She was the only one who would entertain Sir George’s stories of great mystery and folklore. Only his children, George II and Elizabeth are all who remain of his family. His children would rather not have to deal with their father and his infa...

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“Among the Wildflowers” by Jordan Caves-Callarman

Submitted to Contest #135

There was a patch of wildflowers growing outside the funeral home, and they were just perfect. A ray of morning sun filtered down through the trees and lit them like a spotlight, their delicate purple blossoms a sharp contrast against the deep green of the grass. Eight-year-old Jacob broke away from the crowd that was milling about out front to inspect them more closely. They were all beautiful, but one in particular stood out from the rest, its petals lush and vibrant. Jacob plucked it carefully and held it gently by the stem as he looke...

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“Savoury, Soldier, Spy” by Jordan Williams

Submitted to Contest #135

Content Warning - Physical Violence, Sexual ViolenceThey would lose, it was an unwinnable and untenable position. The S.E.F. had been pushed back and back for weeks and now there was no more back to which be pushed. Thomas Penrose knew it in his bones, even before he reported to what was left of command, most of the higher rankers having either deserted or fled Sunderton, but that conversation had confirmed his fears. Thomas was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Sunderton Expeditionary Force and an Intelligence Officer employed by the Coalit...

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“The Last Stand of Carson Faraday” by Ravea LaGeorge

Submitted to Contest #135

The Sightless Knights were supposed to always be there for the people of Sanctum Reach. No matter the problem, their light was supposed to shine bright like the sun. They looked beyond everything to bring hope and peace to the land, but in the darkest of times, they were failing. They were lost and scrambling and no one knew what they could do to fix things. Carson Faraday, the leader of the Sightless Knights and bravest of them all, knew the day would come when the Knights would face a threat that they could not face. But he never thought...

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“Misguided Bravado” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #135

[This account contains sensitive content in the form of mental health issues and physical violence.] “Breakfast! Breakfast! Get up for breakfast!” The familiar voices of hospital staff echoed down the hallways as heavy metal doors to the mental patients' rooms were opened, then noisily closed, and the unfortunates were roused for the morning meal. Mike frequently woke up dreading the day ahead. He had been hospitalized for three years and episodically was besought by an existe...

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“The Brave Get Beaten” by Okashi Kashi

Submitted to Contest #135

Trigger Warning: Story about slavery, make some assumptions.My mother once told me that fortune favours the brave. And for a long time, I believed her.The sun’s blazing heat hammered my naked back. With aching limbs I strained to pluck the cotton pieces from their plants. I tossed them into my basket, one that’d been weaved of dried sweetgrass and flower stems. I looked across the large plantation, wiping a sea of sweat off my face. As far as I could see, there were people who looked like me. And only people who looked like me. The...

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“The Husband's Text” by Tracey Thornton

Submitted to Contest #135

CHAPTER ONE Meredith was startled awake in the middle of the night by something, but she wasn’t sure exactly what. Maybe it was just a feeling she had that something was wrong. She realized her husband wasn’t lying next to her in bed, but that wasn’t unusual. Many nights he got up when he couldn’t sleep, so as not to disturb her. This night, though, something was different. She stumbled out of bed, ...

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“The Monkey Tree” by Cal Kirby

Submitted to Contest #135

The Monkey Tree By Cal Kirby Sonny Pigpen was a smelly, bratty kid and made the life of the neighborhood kids miserable, most of the time it was me in misery. His real name was Sebastian Pignall, but his nickname was Sonny and everyone called him, behind his back, Sonny Pigpen. “Leslie, Vivian, Clark, come home now,” our mother yelled from the front steps of our house, half a block away. Our mother was a real star-crazed, unrequited love of acting, early-thirties mother of three pr...

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“The Tiger” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #135

Part of Alyssa’s brain knew she was being unreasonable, but wasn’t that her right as a fifteen-year-old girl? Wasn’t that what teenage girls for known for? She was otherwise quite mature; she simply couldn’t get past this one little thing that sometimes ended up being a big thing. Times like this coming weekend. “For real though, you have to come. You get straight As in all of your smart girl classes and play three varsity sports, your par...

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“What it Means to be Brave” by Chrissy Gochnauer

Submitted to Contest #135

“Why? Why is this the job I chose?” Eric thought to himself as he pulled on his wet suit. Dragged out of bed by a water rescue alarm at one o’clock in the morning. Someone’s fallen into the water from their pleasure yacht. A child. What was a child doing up at that hour? At least, he was told, the kid was required to keep his life vest on at all times, even, he’d been told, at night. Little Jimmy’s mother’s paranoia may have just been the thing that keeps him alive until Eric can get there. And Eric will be there soon. He's gotten th...

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“The Reaper Wept” by Robert Quinn

Submitted to Contest #135

“No!” The old woman cried out in a mortified shrill.Standing in the doorway with a grin like a shining crescent moon lurched a tall figure.The head on its thin shoulders nearly touched the ceiling, and when it moved, its feet made an awful noise that sounded like wet socks against a dry floor. The cloak this ancient figure of terror wore was as pitch black as the moonless sky from outside, and the sleeves were so long they touched the ground. It was holding something in its hands, and the woman was even more horrified when she made out ...

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“Bit Uncomfortable” by Lee-Anne Archibald

Submitted to Contest #135

I knocked loudly. I knocked loudly again, like a cops knock. The seedy little man, behind the door, told me that he'd "have the money," in an hour. Id been here twice already,and I told him that this was the "last trip," I was going to make to him, for our clubs money. I was warranted the collector, in our clubs, goings ons. We didn't mind, lending our money but, if you didn't pay on time, there would be taxes. If you didn't pay the taxes, there would be broken legs. This guy was at the start paying taxes stage. We wanted our money back with...

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$250

Prize money

212

Contest entries

154

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 04, 2022 EST

Won by Thom With An H 🏆

Title: Home of the Brave

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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