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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

“The Endless Year” by Judith Teich

Submitted to Contest #135

It seemed like an ordinary Thursday afternoon. The wind was cold, which was normal for the beginning of March, but there was a faint hint of new leaves and buds as Justine walked the few blocks from the subway to her parents’ apartment in Queens.  She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular; her graduate program was going well, although the three days a week of required field work, at a geographically isolated, dilapidated public hospital, were stressful.  The fact that her father had recently undergone a serious operatio...

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“Little Acts” by Lady Senie

Submitted to Contest #135

It was time.   The decision had been up in the air for so long that the woman had to honestly think about what decision she had decided to make.  The woman stared at her computer screen blankly, her expressive brown eyes looking over the multiple tabs opened on her computer.  She’d done so much research over the last few months!  Coming at her book from so many different angles…  Wasn’t writing the book supposed to be the hardest part?  Wasn’t that supposed to be the thing that kept her up at night, stru...

2 comments 2
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“Time to Jump” by Donna Smith

Submitted to Contest #135

Bravery is what comes when there is no other option but to jump. I’m not a risk-taker. I almost never challenge the odds when they are stacked against me and when losing can cause harm either to myself or others. For me, the thrill of winning in such situations is never rewarding enough to make it worth taking the risk in the first place. I’m not a brave person. I would rather think of myself as smart and have often thought that we would be much better off if our national anthem ended with the words “and the home of the smart” instead of “an...

4 comments 4
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“Follow Your Orders” by Noa L

Submitted to Contest #135

“Phee.”  “Phee it’s time to wake up.”  “Phee!” “Goddamit Phee would you just wake up?!” I yelled, more worried than angered but I couldn’t help the immediate response. It was nearly noon, the sun filtering through the crystal skylights and casting rainbows about the room.  Phee was princess of the human kingdom of Valda, and I was her maid servant. I didn’t exactly like the job and the only reason I took it was because I would die if I didn’t. I was a fugitive from the crown. The first reason for that was my heritage. I wa...

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“Determination is Rewarding” by Jenna Melancon

Submitted to Contest #135

“Are you ready?” asked Travis. He was supposed to be dead, but he visited Nicole often, so he couldn’t be. “No,” she replied. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.” “Pussy,” said her mom from the chair in the corner. Her mother was in Chicago most of the time, hundreds of miles away, but somehow she managed to sit in that chair every night. Usually she only said one word at a time, and that word was usually something bad. Nicole tried to ignore her mother, to focus on Travis. “I’m scared, okay? I am terrified. That just means I’m sane, ...

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“Travesties in Lyme-Regis” by White Buffalo

Submitted to Contest #135

A bright yellow sun winked its eye over the hills in the East. "Sunday morning, in the life of 2073," typed Father Jimmy Savvalas in his soon-to-be-read sermon, at church today. He felt like a seminarian, procrastinating his sermons 'til the day before, if not the day of. Times were tough of late, however, for the region of Dorset, town of Lyme Regis, and soon, for the whole country of England. Father Jimmy turned his television off. Click. The only thing fun he did these days was watch movies, trying  to get his mind off the riots. A ...

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“The Enochlaphobic Amnesiac Horse Park Bugler” by Scott Muka

Submitted to Contest #135

His brain regained function after six months of cognitive rehabilitation, but erratically. Lieutenant Jack Dawkin’s heroic actions saved the lives of his squad. But all Jack got in return was the presidential Medal of Honor, an honorable discharge from the army, intermittent amnesia, and a deathly fear of large, noisy crowds. The army psychologist said Jack’s fear was a result of reliving his traumatic escape from a prisoner-of-war camp, then brawling through a noisy throng of angry townsfolk outside the prison.   Jack was an a...

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“Hang ‘Em From the Cypress Tree” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #135

Standing on a hill overlooking the nearby valley, Brendan Sheehan and Creed Bonham study a herd of undernourished cattle. They wipe their brows, feeling the effects of the hundred-degree heat. With wavy, jet-black hair and sculpted features, thirty-two-year-old Brandon is absurdly handsome, which suits his role as the heir apparent to the Shamrock Ranch, the biggest spread in Little Heaven, Arizona. Although he has a college education and is as tough as any cowhand, Brandon still has problems living up to the reputation of his uncompromisin...

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“In the Matter of Minions” by L.M. Lydon

Submitted to Contest #135

Content Warning: Moderately murderous musings of a megalomaniac... Gritting his teeth in rage at the mocking laughter, Markus Mordquist tried to force his involuntarily twitching face into stillness. Responding in any way would only encourage the merciless taunting. It was one of the earliest lessons he’d learned as a child. He’d always detested this particular smooth, smug bastard anyway. It must be nice to be handsome, muscular and not overly burdened with enough intelligence to suffer from anxiety or phobias. Markus himself had never be...

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“The Covered Man” by Jeffery Young

Submitted to Contest #135

CW: death, gore, illnessThe man in my room was dressed like an alien. He had a white plastic suit, like a packaged fish from the town over the hill. I couldn’t see his face behind a dark visor, but when he spoke his voice was fluent in muffled smiles. It was comforting in a way, like burying your face in pillows when you’re tired. I wish I could see his face, I hadn’t seen anyone's face in weeks. Not since I got sick. I was playing with my baby sister outside the village about two weeks ago. Running around near an old hollow tree. ...

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“Yes Wo(man)” by Allie Paige

Submitted to Contest #135

“Hey Hallie,” Marta, my best friend, plops her body next to me, hearing the sound of my bean bag chair. “What you doing this week since we are off school? “I don’t know. I might just stay home and read.” I reply, thinking about the carnival that’s coming to town.  “That’s not the correct answer,” she chuckles, revealing her perfectly aligned pearly whites. “We get the whole week off of school and you’re not even going to go to the carnival? It’s the reason we are off.”  “Yeah I’m not a big fan of heights and you know people,”...

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“The Paladin” by Paul Brown

Submitted to Contest #135

The PaladinShe walks across the stone flagged floor, her betrothed by her iron barred door.Entrenched in a draughty high tower, she not one to lose her hidden power.A noble girl from a distant land, come courting south for a fair hand.Knights and nobles with bright banners, drinking and feasting with poor manners.None stand out of the milling crowd, the unruly noise far to loud.For a forest girl with earth brown hair, her eyes leaf green and complexion fair.Freckled cheeks and a wandering eye, she wants an equally dauntless tie.To bind her h...

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“Detonating Hope” by G Suzanne

Submitted to Contest #135

“In conclusion, I believe that visiting and learning from iconic leaders from the past, like Wangari Maathai and Dr. Vandana Shiva, would be the best use of an opportunity to time travel. Thank you."  Millie made fists to hide her trembling fingers as she crossed the stage self-consciously and made her way back to her seat. She hated being the center of attention, and had nearly skipped the event. She could feel the mocking eyes of the other finalists, doubtless both top tenth-graders who, unlike her, had not scribbled their essays do...

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“The Sweet First Step” by Misty Phillips

Submitted to Contest #135

Tick… tick… tick… tick… Malory flinched at each sound that clock made. Once it was a calming sound, a sound of structure and familiarness. Today, it counted down the seconds to her doom. She clenched at the arm of her favorite chair, her manicured nails digging deep into the leather skin as she heard the most dreaded sound possible. Knock, knock, knock. A whimper escaped her lips, and her legs betrayed her. She couldn’t stand… or wouldn’t. She was comfortable here. She didn’t want to go. Knock–knock–knock. It was faster now. They must h...

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“Lapse in Control” by R. B. Leyland

Submitted to Contest #135

The steady tapping of the keyboard was the constant companion to my ears these days. When I dare to take a second’s respite, even the muted sound broke through the thick, material booth that was meant to segregate us all from each other. No communication, no chance for discontent; take the cards you were dealt and keep your head down. This was the way they wanted us. Docile. Hopeless. The perfect workers to fuel the idea of a perfect empire. Since countries around the world had decided that enough was enough, that the constant protests ...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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