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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#143: Beautiful World, There You Are

Today (April 22nd) is Earth Day, and since it’s far too easy to doomscroll our way through discussions about the climate crisis, I thought we could also find more positive ways to show our appreciation for this planet. This week’s prompts are inspired by the beautiful world we live in, and the ways we can reconnect with it.

This week's prompts

Set your story in the woods or on a campground.

Summer – 82 stories

Write about a character who loves cloud gazing.

Fluff – 55 stories

Start or end your story with a person buying a house plant.

Fluff – 63 stories

Write about a trip to see a natural sight that’s usually only ever seen in photos.

Adventure – 9 stories

Write a story involving a friendship between two different species.

Vampire – 44 stories

Stories

“Devil’s Ivy” by Lily Saylor

Submitted to Contest #143

The plant sat dormant on Oliver’s doorstep for three days until he reluctantly brought it inside. At its arrival, he had chalked it up to be a simple error with a delivery driver. People mistakenly drop off packages at the wrong address frequently, so he naturally assumed an annoyed neighbor would be around to collect it after a day or two. When no annoyed neighbor had come his way, Oliver began to consider the possibility that a friend of his had dropped it off at his door as a kind gesture. A gift, perhaps. This thought was quickly ...

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“I Love it When We Bloom Together” by JJ Robinson

Submitted to Contest #143

"I don't know what winter is all about, exactly, but I have seen snow. I'll never forget that day in April when you began to bloom next to me in Adelaide's garden. I had fully bloomed, standing tall and firm, but naturally turning my bright yellow flower downwards so I could see you come up. And there you were, not yet fully blossomed but I could see the raspberry pink color of your flower just starting to make its way through your green coat. But today, you were collecting snowflakes, as was I. It only made you more splendid and courageous....

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“Feathered Friend” by Kelly Mesenbrink

Submitted to Contest #143

Henry Fluffypaws did not feel like gardening that day. He’d woken up on the right side of the bed, next to his beautiful wife, and with the scent of flowers wafting into his window. He had absolutely no motivation to disturb the beautiful moment he was experiencing. But Mr. Marsden would want his hedges perfectly trimmed as usual. He sniffed angrily at Henry whenever there was a branch or two un-snipped. Hootie Marsden terrified Henry, and he did not dare disobey his wishes. So Henry took one last look at his sleeping wife, gave her a kiss o...

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“The Brute and The Riaex” by Mary Duke

Submitted to Contest #143

“My life can’t possibly get any worse.” The accursed little creature that I had the pleasure of calling my sister took the last swig of her ale, “Oh Albert,” Aella grinned, “it can— just give me a moment,” she put on her green hat with its gold tassel, and a mischievous smile that made me feel queezy. Oh, dear spirits of the ancients no… She took her mandolin, leapt up and started strumming a peppy tune. Confidence marked her stride as she began to sing. “There once was a man who lived under a wall; He hid from the birds and their happ...

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“The Bird Sang” by Sherri Moorer

Submitted to Contest #143

That bird has come to that same spot on our back deck every day for two years, I thought as I drank my coffee and watched the sunrise in the woods around my house. It was no coincidence. Two years since the world shut down. Two years since Dad was diagnosed with cancer that took him three months later, leaving me isolated in a frightened, chaotic world, with nothing but the trees and this sole bird singing on the banister to remind me that the world still turned. Two years since the life I knew came unraveled and wove into a new tapestry o...

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“A Clearing, A Waking” by Lucas Malan

Submitted to Contest #143

The fire crackled merrily in the distance, it's flames casting long shadows between the trees that reached until where Klaus was standing. Fiddling with something in the semi-dark, the teenager wasn't paying attention to his surroundings at all. Low voices washed over to him with the wind, talking of haunted huts and lost children. Every now and again gasps could be heard, or a faint whimper.Klaus had been here a lot in his life, and knew these woods like the back of his hand – if it hadn't been for his over-enthusiastic dad he would never h...

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“What lies ahead.” by Jesper Jee

Submitted to Contest #143

He never grows tired of looking at things. Sure, there are things he wishes he’d sen less of, some a lot less - like bills or certain relatives. But nothing he regrets looking at. Sometimes he wonders if there’s someone who exists, today or ever, who’s actually seen it all. Not like when you go ”Now I’ve seen everything!” meaning something so outrageous and shocking nothing can top it. But literally everything.Samuel is lying in bed. By his bedside there’s a table with a water glass, a picture frame and that wrist watch he never wears anymor...

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“Woody” by Dylan Pritchard

Submitted to Contest #143

Mum always asked about Woody because he was a family friend. She didn't know about the footballs pelted at him from ten yards, that his gym shorts were pulled down during PE. Stanley would empty the contents of his side bag and stamp on them: conkers, dried leaves and some bark. Everyone would howl at him.I didn't stop a thing, and by day three of his disappearance, I knew it was my fault.Woody's blonde bowl cut and pointy ears made him look like an elf who'd pranced off a tree. All the other kids stared down at phones or iPads whilst he stu...

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“Runner Up!” by Maggie Bass

Submitted to Contest #143

Noise.There is a lot of it. Around me, above me, beside me, coming from the blocks in the lane next to and behind me.There is the crowd and it's mighty roar, the voices of all the people watching, drowning down into one voice that demands an exciting race.There is also noise inside of me. It's quieter than everything else. The distant sound of my heartbeat filling up every single inch inside of my living body. I live and breathe it, and so does the crowd, spurring on the Run Run Run that is coursing through every fiber of my body that wants ...

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“Changing Horizons” by Thomas Auen

Submitted to Contest #143

TW: Drugs mention, verbal abuse. Breathe in. Pause. Breathe out. Pause. Conscientiously, I guide the rhythmic release of air. I seize this sensation of control by timing out each respiration. I cannot, however, control today’s atmospheric temperature.Summer heat bears down on my body. Don’t get me wrong, I relish the opportunity to be outdoors and away from the personal stressors of my indoor life. Yet, I also enjoy the occasional breeze breaking the intense, solar rays beating down on my exposed skin. It is late August, the final ...

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“Love in the Clouds” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #143

Classic movies do indulge in cloud gazing. Lots of dreaming and imagining pictures in the clouds. Big ships. Angels. Faces of loved ones. Good, positive things. The classic movie I am thinking of is the old version of Back Street starring Charles Boyer as Walter Saxel and Margaret Sullivan as Ray Smith.Charles Boyer has a nasty habit of dumping women while they are laying down in a field of hay looking up at the clouds. In Back Street, Walter Saxel is a "cad" who promises to wait for Ray Smith (Margaret Sullivan) at the Riverboat landing. He...

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“The Gardener” by Evie Scobey

Submitted to Contest #143

Chi-ching! Another plant sold. This one is an Orchid that I have named Steve. I can't help it! I need to have something to do for the three hours I'm here every day! So… I name the plants. Stupid, I know, but I get bored easily. I look up from the homework I resumed and notice the Woman who bought Steve staring at me expectantly. She is probably in her 70s, with gray hair, thin lips, and wrinkles. "Have a great day," I say in a not-so-cheery tone. She stands there and glares at me. I don't know what she wants until I look down and see Steve ...

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“A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, a Murder Mystery” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #143

“My name is Darren, 2 years sober. I bought this house plant today, and I am an alcoholic.” Darren smiled and gestured theatrically toward the lily plant on the table in front with him. Everyone in the room already had a good look at it. “I’ve let down many, many people in my relationships as my only real love was my drug of choice. With the advice from my new sponsor, I’m going to avoid a relationship for the next 12 months and learn how to take care of others by taking care of this plant.” He looked at the plant and then back at ...

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“Blooming Barter” by L.M. Lydon

Submitted to Contest #143

Above Cadyn’s head, the rusty, non-functioning traffic-light swung in the restless breeze. Nervously, he gazed towards the nearby alley. It wasn’t the high-pitched squeak that he could hear that bothered him: nah, it was all the noises that the sporadic metallic clang was drowning out that he couldn’t hear. With a burst of confidence energized by resting one hand on the massive machete buckled to the right side of his belt, he took a chance and scuttled quickly across the apparently deserted street. Once sheltered by the shadows agai...

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“Love and Tears-Best Friends Forever” by Tambrey Granneman

Submitted to Contest #143

Toby Anderson's world shattered the day his lifelong companion died. Losing Champ, his Golden Retriever, wasn't the first death the 8-year-old had experienced. He had lost other pets, small animals; a pair of mice, a guinea pig, and even a chicken. Although he still missed them, the pain of their passing was nothing compared to the loss of his dog. He sat at the kitchen table, staring into his bowl, stirring soggy cereal in slow circles. Toby hadn't taken a bite, nauseated by the milk's natural smell. A dry Cocoa Puff hit him in the f...

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$250

Prize money

253

Contest entries

139

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 29, 2022 EST

Won by Zack Powell 🏆

Title: What Happens in Vegas

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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