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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#149: Of Stranger Things

After its much-awaited release last week, the fourth season of Stranger Things has taken the world by storm. First aired in 2016, this television show stars a group of D&D-loving kids and unlikely heroes in a topsy-turvy world. Its creators took inspiration from many classic thrillers, and the show has in turn been influencing writers to write Stranger Things books. 


Whether you’ve been swept up by this sensational show or not, I hope my Stranger Things-inspired prompts can propel you into a story of your own this week:

This week's prompts

Write about a character who is trying to convince others to play a game.

Kids – 20 stories

Start your story with the flickering of a light.

Kids – 98 stories

Write about two people who form a bond with each other through music.

Middle School – 46 stories

Set your story in a town that’s teetering on the edge of something dark, literally or metaphorically.

Dystopian – 50 stories

Write a story about an unlikely group (or pair) of friends.

Middle School – 43 stories

Stories

“The Man In Blue” by Ian Crombie

Submitted to Contest #149

The town was snuggled peacefully between two small mountains. It contained one road with one stoplight at the center of town with charming brick houses south of the light and to the north, a single gas station and a few essential businesses. The 122 residents lived simple lives, going to their nine-to-five jobs and spending time with their families and neighbors.  Nothing happened in this town. It was quiet, with few visitors and even less crime. The people of the town knew each other well and had for generations. Everybody loved the s...

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“Sinkhole in Centralia” by Zach Martz

Submitted to Contest #149

Note: The following story is based on real events. Because what’s scarier than something that’s actually happened?The government van cruised down the state parkway past the sign marking the city limits. It continued past a large field of browning crabgrass and sparse trees, and made a turn at an empty intersection marked only by an abandoned and decaying gas station. The van made its way into the town center, or what was left of it, and was unfettered by traffic as it passed the empty buildings and sidewalks that lined the pockmarked and bum...

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“All Wrapped Up In Physics” by LC Moran

Submitted to Contest #149

“Whelp,” he sighed hard, sitting down even harder in his neighbor’s lawn chair. “Ain’t that somethin.” “It’s always somethin,” the neighbor’s wife said, wiping her hands on a dirty apron before accepting the beer her husband held out.  “Ain’t it always somethin,” his neighbor summarized, cracking his own beer open.  “How many’s that been now, three? Five?” “Well, it’s two this month already.” The neighbor’s wife spoke again. He always had a hard time remembering her name. He had a hard time remembering his neighbor’s name. Hell...

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“Stories: Dark and Evil” by Heather Johnsen-Gisi

Submitted to Contest #149

October 4th, 2008           The house had peeling paint, rotting shingles, and an overgrown yard. Vines climbed the front, stretching over the boarded windows. It looked like the door had been scrubbed but faded spray paint remained.           “It’s perfect, I’ll take it.”           The realtor looked at the house then back at me. “You’re serious?”     &n...

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“The Ravine” by Lee Disco

Submitted to Contest #149

It was a cloudy day— the duvet of stratus clouds was so dark and so low that it was like a beast gliding, slow as molasses, over a little town in Iowa. There was a ravine at the edge of it. It stretched and twisted as if groaning with its endless silence, pulling taut whenever a wanderer pulled close enough to see the bottom. And each time, they stumbled back, as if they had seen something beyond ordinary life, beyond the reaches of God. There were no wanderers today. If there were, they might have seen something different than wretched, l...

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“Playback Recording: The Corpses of San Pedro” by BOFT V

Submitted to Contest #149

[physical violence, gore, mentions of abuse; suicide] *click* … You already know why I’m here, the fuck is the point of saying it again? So my mental health gets wrecked even further? That it? Quack therapy, that’s what I think this is. … I’m angry? Yeah, no shit Sherlock, thanks for catching that.  … I lost everything, Doc, how do you think that makes me feel? … I’m just as clueless as you are. Aside from whatever that black substance was, there was zero indication for what was going to happen. San Pedro is a town on the side of a moun...

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“Secret Santa” by Andrea Doig

Submitted to Contest #149

He led her down the stairs. Bright tinsel snaked its way along the balustrade, and people were already gathering in the Christmas wonderland below. They were all waiting for her. It was Christmas Eve, and Rudolf had chosen this day specifically. Her anxiety grew as they descended. She focused on the large overly adorned Christmas Tree in the corner but looked away with a shudder of revulsion when her eyes fell on the fat Santa shadowed in the corner of the room. His ruddy cheeks and twinkling eyes were strangely at odds with the fear that ...

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“Why Didn’t I Notice” by Kaeli Newcomb

Submitted to Contest #149

       Adeline Meyer was the best friend a girl could have. She was always there when others weren’t, and even though her problems were much worse than mine, she never made mine feel insignificant. She was perfect—to everyone but herself.       The night before my life came crashing down, Adeline and I were having one of our many sleepovers. It was pretty normal—prank calls, baking, and talking about boys, (Ryan Carter in particular). Adeline was stuck on Ryan like glue, and ha...

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“Sheepdog” by R W Mack

Submitted to Contest #149

“But we’re a retirement community!” Ursula whined. Doris wheeled her tea-tray of canalés and Darjeeling to their usual courtyard table. “Why would he keep hanging around?” She helped unload brunch from the cart as Doris took a seat next to Marnie, completing their trifecta. “Why’re you complaining?” Marnie cupped her hand under an inaugural bite. “Having a young man around is nice every so often.” She shimmied with a smile as Doris poured them tea. “Because it’s strange!” Ursula took her cup with a thankful smile before snapping her face ...

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“Alpha” by Haven Marfield

Submitted to Contest #149

I stood in the dark hallway, unsure of where I was or how I had gotten there. Old fluorescent lights flickered weakly on the ceiling, and the whole place smelled of mildew and neglect. What was this place? Why did I come here? This place exuded power, but not the kind you'd hope for. It was a suppressing power, one that made you feel like you couldn't help but obey. Power that was suffocating and murderous. Something in this place demanded respect and authority. And I had a sick feeling in my stomach that it was coming after me. I could hear...

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“THE END, at the beginning…” by Norma Gauld

Submitted to Contest #149

THE END, at the beginning….. The candle had burned down to just a puddle of wax on the plate; the last bit of flame diminished into nothing as darkness overcame the tiny room. He could no longer see his breath but could feel the stinging cold and believed it was dark outside. He sat motionless except for the trembling of his body that was trying to keep the blood from jelling in his veins. The last time he had looked at the thermometer was before the flame died and it read thirty-four Fahrenheit. It was cold. “How did he ...

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“The Storm Inside” by Keri Brugge

Submitted to Contest #149

The lights flickered in her bedroom as the storm raged on outside. The weather outside was not the only storm that was raging. In her mind a storm began to rage as well. A swirl of thoughts began to fill the silence of the night. A storm that came all too often to her and just as a meteorologist can not always predict as storm so she two never knew the precise moment that the storm would fill her mind. She grabbed her pillow tightly and rocked slowly in her bed. She didn’t wish to awake her husband; he needed his sleep. He needed his sl...

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“CSS 3 + CSS 17 + CSS 35” by Kurtis Leong

Submitted to Contest #149

As directed by the set guidelines beyond the Limitless Anything, a random flicker of light shall occur, starting the second variation of the story that occurred in the transition point between both Realities. The Garden in the Bones, a place interlocked in a prairie between two tree-filled mountains, both drowned with the embers of nostalgia. A blurred memory easily rekindled with the stimulus of sight, but still all out of the realms of reality.  “I am still a servant of Time.” I started its monologue, “Not the element, Time, no o...

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“The Cunning” by Laura Eliz

Submitted to Contest #149

Trigger warning: non violent death               The overhead light on my bedroom ceiling fan flickered. Odd. It didn’t often do that. It was as if someone or something was trying to send me a message.  I had fallen asleep again with the light and TV on in my bedroom. It is hard to sleep, knowing that someone you love with all your heart and soul is dying. Sleep had become elusive and knowing that the cancer my Dad had was slowly killing ...

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“The Everlasting Flame” by Lilly Dreis

Submitted to Contest #149

Amenaous entered the sacred hold, lowering his hood. The light highlighted his young features, making his freckles glow like embers. The Flame flickered.Surely, it is a trick on my eyes. The Flame flicked again. He shook his head. The Flame was still brightly aglow. The Everlasting Flame causes the world to continue moving on its axis; it continues spinning among the stars and other planets. It has been lit since earlier than time. The Flame provides heat and growth for the planet, giving it life and prosperity. As FlameBearers, our job is t...

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$250

Prize money

256

Contest entries

123

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 10, 2022 EST

Won by Katy B 🏆

Title: How to Win a Game of Chess Without Really Trying

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 | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.