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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#16: Once Upon a Time

Earlier this week, we published a blog post about modern fairy tales, and it got us thinking about the fact that no genre of literature is without its own set of tropes — and that certain literary tropes we still see commonly today are rooted centuries back.

This week's prompts are all elements pulled from fairy tales — both modern and old. You can feel free to play them straight: in other words, using the trope traditionally. Or you can feel free to twist the trope on its head. That's the great thing about tropes: they might provide you with a foundation that's already well-worn, but the opportunities to make it your own are endless.

This week's prompts

Write a story around the theme: Be careful what you wish for.

Novel – 79 stories

Write a story that involves love at first sight.

Romance – 87 stories

Write a rags-to-riches story.

Novel – 20 stories

Write a story in which characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Mystery – 98 stories

Write a story about a character on a quest, trying to "prove themselves."

Adventure – 30 stories

Stories

“The Fae Child's Forbidden Home” by Emma Goertz

Submitted to Contest #16

Deep in the outskirts of modern-day Počitelj, across the still grey waters of the loch, lay a quiet hamlet nestled between the great, snow-encrusted rolling hills and vast forests. In the winter months, fog rolled in from the slightly rippling waters and hung thickly in the air while the frosty grasp of glass-like verglas crystalized the tips of the needles on Firs and Spruces. On a freezing winter night, while the snow cascaded in large flakes from the sky, a sprout of deadly Belladonna peaked its head through the snow at the tree line of t...

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“Don't Go in the Woods” by Mia Strickoff

Submitted to Contest #16

“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Miranda,” my mother told my younger brother. “She was a beautiful girl—”“Was she prettier than Snow White?” My little brother asked. I had always stood in the doorway while my mother told my little brother, Hero, stories. I had been waiting for her to tell Hero this story. “Yes, she was prettier than Snow White. Miranda, while beautiful, was very curious, and curiosity always kills the cat.” I wanted to cut in and say that “Curiosity killed the cat,” wasn’t the full phrase. The full phrase was ...

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“The Woods Are Lovely Dark and Deep...but don't go into them!” by April Knight

Submitted to Contest #16

The Woods Are Lovely Dark and Deep – But Don’t Go Into ThembyApril KnightA large sign was posted at the entrance to the Pioneer Nature Trail reading “CAUTION! Enter woods at your own risk. Not responsible for accidents, injuries or death.”Lavender wasn’t concerned about the warning. She was wearing a new purple jogging suit and had new sneakers with purple laces. She had a fanny pack with a bottle of water, a granola bar, her car keys and her driver’s license. She was stretching and running in place to prepare herself for the Silver Sn...

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“The Witch of the Woods” by Sara Turner

Submitted to Contest #16

On a bitter and cold winter evening in a remote village in the mountains, a young couple readied their herd for the night. The shed latch clicked into place in the dark, and the husband and wife returned together to their dilapidated home on the edge of the woods. As they drew nearer, they could hear their children chattering, their grandmother getting them ready for bed. Within the ramshackle cottage the elderly grandmother stood watching her grandchildren as they scrambled and chattered their way around the room. Their small home co...

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“A Prisoner of Guilt” by Prachi Mishra

Submitted to Contest #16

I look up to see the sun begin to hide behind the comfort of the horizon as the sky changes to an orange hue. I wish I had a horizon to hide behind. From my spot up on the hill, no one could bother me for a few miles and I wouldn’t have to worry about them. I enjoyed doing this whenever life became too much to cope with and I needed to take a step back to breathe. I can’t do that at my home with my mother’s constant fake smiles that try their best to conceal her red, swollen eyes. She’s been crying a lot since it happened five months ago. I’...

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“Small Town Charm” by Hance Theodore

Submitted to Contest #16

A chubby, red headed nine-year-old boy sits helplessly on the pavement, blood running form his nose, lip busted. A feisty, freckled face brunette with hazel eyes stands over him like a guardian angel, wielding a baseball bat. She looks on in the distance and watches two older boys speed away in frantic fashion on their bicycles, “crazy bitch!”, yells one of the boys as he rides away. “That’s right, ride away you jerks, next time pick on someone your own size!”, yells the gutsy girl, who must be half the size of the helpless kid on the paveme...

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“Arbortherium” by Christopher Wyer

Submitted to Contest #16

The forest wasn't there last night.Gramma said it was a miracle, Papi said it was the Devil's work. The younger Winks didn't know what to make of it. The farm had sat squarely in the centre of nowhere, arable land that reached to the horizon. A horizon the forest now obscured. They had set out on their bikes as they did every weekend they went to visit their Grandparents, Viola had her metal detector and her Papi's trowel in her backpack, and Lucian had his camera. They had explored as much of the great open fields as much as anyone could ha...

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“ The Nightingale Catcher” by Babbs Davis

Submitted to Contest #16

Finding the witch’s house again should have been easy. Gretel kicked a dense layer of moldering leaves blanketing the primeval forest floor. Stupid, she thought. Should have accepted Hansel’s offer to draw map. A gray mouse scurried across the young woman’s sturdy hiking boot. “Nibble, nibble, little mouse,” Gretel said and smiled–her usual good humor restored. A chill autumn wind blew. Gretel shivered. She tucked her long, blond braid inside the fleec...

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“The Whisper of Wood” by Rachael Wu

Submitted to Contest #16

It was the very first lesson Owyn was taught: do not go into the wood. She could step into anything else – candlelight, instruments, raindrops – but wood was always banned. Every child grew up coddled by warnings about the dangers of wood; it was the cornerstone to Kaldor’s survival.The precaution almost seemed unnecessary – children were not taught about Fluidity until they were going on six, and those gifted with the ability were seldom identified before eight. An exceptionally strong-willed or studious Fluid might be revealed around seven...

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“To Eat You With, My Dear” by Autumn Peercy

Submitted to Contest #16

Once I was told a story about a time when we weren’t afraid of the forest, a better world in which we could run far without getting lost. It was my Grandfather’s golden days of when he was a cub, his prideful youth spent under the canopy of evergreen treetops. Now it’s gray all over; in the skies and under foot. I am not as gray as the world seems.There was a time once when I’d obey every rule of the Alpha and this rule above all not because it was what the pack had forbade me but for the fear of going in and none to come a...

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“The Winds” by MaKenzie Meeker

Submitted to Contest #16

On October 30th a few college students from ESU (East Stroudsburg University) wanted to go on a spooky trip to set the mood for Halloween the next day. They were staying in Fujinomiya, Japan as a trip for their school break. Alex found a cabin a few miles from a forest for only $200 for a week and told his friends about it. Justin, Max, Olivia and Mary were all excited. They spent the next couple of days talking about it at lunch and after classes. The day has finally come. They have all of their things packed into their duffel bags and they...

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“Dark” by Carri Macek

Submitted to Contest #16

The trees moan against the harsh winds, leaves dancing by us. “I don’t like this.” Elise grabs her flashlight tighter, “Oh come on Elli! Don’t be a wimp.” Shanay teases her. “You know she’s not the only one who’s not loving this idea.” My eyes send daggers her way as I speak, “You guys can’t be serious! These woods are ancient, no one has ever actually been killed in these woods. They would’ve found a body.” Shanay defends. “Are you high?! Just because no one finds a body doesn’t mean that they’re not dead!” I throw my hands up in the air. ...

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“Forsaken” by Tuscani Orris

Submitted to Contest #16

“Don’t do it, Kenz! Don’t go into those woods! You won’t come back!“ Those were the last words I had heard from my brother. His voice was shaky and consumed with fear. But as usual, I rebelled. “Why should I listen to you?” The more they warned me to stay away, the more the urge and curiosity swelled up inside me. It didn’t matter what anyone said anymore. I was determined to venture off into the woods. Surely, they were all just paranoid cowards. I kept forcing myself to believe that everything was a lie, that they were just trying to prove...

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“The Forest” by Laura Todd

Submitted to Contest #16

Granny Winnie is a witch. And the forest behind her cottage is cursed. The townsfolk don’t go near it and even animals stay away. Granny always tells us never to go into the forest alone. There are too many trees, all close together. Light barely reaches the forest floor. Once you go in you’ll lose your way and you won’t come back out. My sister Nancy takes the warning seriously. She’s older than me and wiser, I follow in her lead. Our brother Peter doesn’t believe, he thinks it’s just a scary story to keep us from wandering away. “It’s only...

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“Don't Go Into The Woods Sheldon and Zoe” by Renee Ferrell

Submitted to Contest #16

Stepping steadily forward with arms outstretched Sheldon moved closer to his prey. Twin sister Zoe was approaching from the opposite side in a similar manner. Inching ever closer to the clueless rabbit, Sheldon caught his sister’s gaze and mouthed 1, 2. “Sheldon! Zoe!”, the deep voice bellowed across the yard. The twins froze in place, moving only their faces toward their father. Upon seeing his clouded features they walked toward him in unison. Father was the tallest of the three, his long dirty blond hair held back in pony tail with a leat...

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$50

Prize money

314

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 22:59 - Nov 22, 2019 EST

Won by Vivien Leanne Saunders 🏆

Title: The Sackcloth Liar

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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