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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

“Henri The Lab” by Joseph Registrato

Submitted to Contest #143

Henri the Lab by Joe Registrato I was on a trip to Paris that I arranged as an anniversary present for my wife; and it was fun, poking around museums, shops along the Champs-Elyse, sidewalk cafes and outdoor food vendors, but even during a pleasant trip a man needs a break. So when my wife was napping, I went for a walk among the Parisians, strolling along the sidewalks of one of the banks, left or right...

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“THE RED POND” by GEORGE LEVY

Submitted to Contest #143

RETURN TO SHILOH 1,057 words The pond haunts my sleep these past twenty...

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“Eternal Dawn” by Dhruv Srivastava

Submitted to Contest #143

As the afternoon turned to evening, Caleb noticed the clouds had thickened through the finely stenciled canopy of spruce trees. In the gathering darkness, they hovered above his campsite like massive totems, peering down at his solemn abode. The ground was littered with caramel colored pine needles mixed with white snow, half an inch deep at its worst. It was late March, and that meant it was the dominion of crows; their harsh tones provided the only auditory stimulus outside of the gentle whistling of the breeze. Caleb stared at the ...

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“Nature's Nurture” by Julia Langton

Submitted to Contest #143

The cool morning breeze on my skin and the skittering of dried leaves blowing through the grass rouses me gently from a peaceful night’s sleep. I peel my eyes open and squint into the brightly risen sun, fighting the temptation to let my heavy lids carry me back into darkness. There is no need, however, for something else comes abruptly to shelter my face from the sun, the sudden change of lighting causing spots to dance in my view. I blink a few times to clear my vision, able then to meet the beady eyes peering curiously into my own. Not le...

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“Too Many Wrong Turns” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #143

Like a long, black curtain the pandemic of 2020-2021 had shrouded the area around Ocean City, Md.--and the celebration of the beauty of Maryland’s Eastern Shore--in a cloak of too-greatly-reduced activity for a time period way beyond what it should have. The announcement that the area finally would return to some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy, therefore, blew like a breath of fresh ocean air across all of Delmarva. Those looking for opening up of yearly ...

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“Campfire Confessions” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #143

There was always something freeing about being in the woods with nature surrounded by tall trees which looked like they reached to the heavens. I had taken many trips to the woods alone when I needed to think and reconnect with myself. My trips were usually taken after bad breakups, job endings, job beginnings, new beginnings and just because. My best friend, Reese, was going through some things that life throws at you all at once. She had to face a lot of hard balls coming at her all at once. In a time span of a few months her mom died sudd...

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“The Forest in My Mind ” by Greta Bonati

Submitted to Contest #143

I feel so free. I am free. All it took was the first painful step. “I’m leaving you here, don’t follow me,” I cry, as my voice breaks. Sweat frames my face. Don’t ever come back. I look at her once more with disgust. Naive and fragile, that’s what she is. Foolish and scared. But most of all, I look at her with embarrassment because she is me. And I, her. Her flaws I can see, rippling through her face. Inscribed in her eyes. Pouring through her lips, cascading down, performing an aura around her. I look...

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“Orders” by James Grasham

Submitted to Contest #143

Warning: This story contains an instance of strong language. The castle at Elvia sat on a small rise on the east edge of the city, with a good view over the approaching road from Teraditha. It guarded the east gate into the city, joining the high walls seamlessly by the work of master stonemasons. To the south, the clear sea glittered in the sunlight, giving the impression of summer despite the chill air. The road became busier as farmer’s drove animals to market, and tradesmen of the surrounding towns and villages headed for the city to s...

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“Beach Gravel” by Thomas Graham

Submitted to Contest #143

It must have been a mottle of sunlight that woke me. I lifted my head and looked around. The sun had just risen above the mountains on the other side of the fjord, and the light was fighting its way through the trees above me. The day before, from the water, the sides of the fjord had looked steep and inaccessible—just raw rock walls with the occasional stand of trees poking out of a rocky ledge. But I’d somehow found a hidden lair. My sleeping spot was nestled in a tiny inlet between sheer walls, on nearly flat ground next to a creek that e...

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“Enamored by a Cloud” by CarlottaAne'th Williams-Watts

Submitted to Contest #143

Enamored by a Cloud! “Chare’ how are you this beautiful day?” says her therapist while Chare’ is driving down the road. Chare’ responds, “I find that I am at peace, peace, but to give you an idea of how I truly feel this beautiful day let me share a chain of events. My day began with a shower, as I completed my every day rising routine my attention, my eye was captured by the gazing of the sun through my window. I thought to myself it must be a beautiful day, it has to be, as I stared deeply out the window a little longer than usual. In sur...

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“The Spirit Clouds” by Margaret Bravo

Submitted to Contest #143

Sensitive content- Covid Pandemic Deaths.Despite of all my good intentions and silent whispered prayers, the man still died alone in the small hours of the morning. He was there when I stepped onto the makeshift Covid ICU for my shift at 7am. Someone on the night shift had placed a towel over his face and disconnected the intravenous lines but, he still looked lonely and untended. I had an irrational thought to place a blanket over his lower body, lest he get chilled but then the blaring alarm of a ventilator a few beds down jolted me i...

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“Clouds Shaped Like Her” by Cameron Hara

Submitted to Contest #143

I stared out of my bedroom window, still sitting on my bed in the clothes from the previous day that I had fallen asleep in. It was supposed to rain today as it had for most of April but instead, as I gazed through the glass with my chin resting in my palm, I saw the sun peaking through fluffy white clouds pressed up against a blue sky. Despite the unusually pleasant day outside my body felt heavy and unable to move. My throat started to burn and I found myself wishing it was raining like the forecast had said it would so ...

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“Bucket List” by S. Thomson

Submitted to Contest #143

ㅤThe plants died slowly, but the flies arrived overnight. Nicky heard the buzzing as he stirred his morning coffee, and went to investigate. In the living room, a large mirror hung on the wall behind the plants, doubling their decaying anatomy and reflecting Nicky’s frown back at him. A faint, sweet smell filled the air. ㅤMoving closer, Nicky could see the flies hum in and out between the drooping leaves. One of them, which could have been a fruit fly, flew again and again into the mirror. Each collision made a soft tap against the glass. W...

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“Sisters sharing plants text ” by Nancy Lyon

Submitted to Contest #143

We brought two plants that day rosemary and lavender. My name is Nadine. My four sisters Lola, Janna, Esther, Agnes and I are always texting on our group text. I texted……Morning 💞 Sitting outside eating breakfast yesterday 😋. Next thing I know Jordan, Nora, Manda and I are planting seeds. Took a trip to a landscape nursery and Lowes. Just finding out yesterday was National Garden Day made it O so sweet! NATIONAL GARDENING DAY - April 14, 2022 - National Today https://nationaltoday.com/national-gardening-day Agnes tex...

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“Susan” by Stephen Massa

Submitted to Contest #143

SUSANBy Stephen A. MassaSusan stood at the south-facing window, absorbing the sunlight streaming through the panes. She longed to feel the fresh air, but the cool draft penetrating the glass made her wish for much warmer climes.Her neighbors, stationary as much as she was, were similar in size and stature, if not in color. At the far end of the row, Julia differed from the rest, her purple and pink hues contrasting sharply with the yellows and whites of her peers.Susan was there the longest, not for lack of interest, but of cost. She was tal...

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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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