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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#181: Standing Tall

The mountains are the place where many people go to seek adventure, whether that be hiking, climbing, or skiing; but they’re also where some go to find stillness, and reconnect with nature. Mountain ranges have an almost spiritual feel to them 一 they stand tall, enduring the test of time, and remind us of our scale in the universe.

In literature, mountains have often served as powerful settings, or as a metaphor for the insurmountable obstacles characters have to deal with. This week’s prompts are inspired by them:

This week's prompts

Write about someone who realizes they're on the wrong path.

Character – 69 stories

Write a story about someone who has to “move mountains” to get what they want.

Angst – 15 stories

Write about a character who’s climbing a mountain, whether internal, external, or both.

Adventure – 59 stories

Write about a character who, for whatever reason, retreats to a remote cabin.

Mystery – 62 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Let’s go for a walk.”

Dialogue – 73 stories

Stories

“Running Man” by Sav Lightwood

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #181

Sports jerseys. Defunct firearms. Leather notebooks bound by thread and twine. Dilan was a man of memorabilia. Mountains of gimmicks and curios, littered and stacked and filed with seemingly no order. This was far from the truth, however. Dilan was an organised man. For what he was, he had to be, and he loved all the qualities that came with it; clarity, understanding, peace of mind. His belongings were exactly where he intended them to be, his time protected like a princess in a castle. In another life, he could be a project manager, doct...

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“The Follicle Chronicles - Pt 1: Lifter of Wigs” by Jim Firth

Submitted to Contest #181

CW: Swearing. Mild Peril.I didn’t realise how pale people from the city looked until I moved away. Tove thinks the urban water supply is laced with hair growth inhibitors, and I believe her—that would explain why everyone is hairless and smooth all over. Now that we’re convalescing at the cabin, our detox pathways have had a chance to eliminate the chemicals completely, and our follicles are sprouting for the first time. I don’t know what the history books will say, and I don’t want to speak too soon or sound arrogant, but this feels like a ...

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“A MOTHER'S LOVE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #181

If you have a moment, I would like to tell you about a good friend of mine. His name is Jonathan Ackerman. He is a wonderful man with a beautiful family and loving wife. But something happened in his life that was really remarkable.I first met Jonathan more than 30 years ago when we were in college together. He was studying psychology at the time, expressing a desire to become a clinical psychologist, but ultimately did not go into that field. Instead, upon finishing his studies, he decided to pursue a business venture by opening a carwash a...

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“Twenty Seven Is More Than a Number” by Steve Rogers

Submitted to Contest #181

“Let’s go for a walk”. My mum and dad looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. They knew that I didn’t like walking anywhere and they didn’t care for it much either. After a brief silence Dad said. “Okay. I just need a piss first” He finished his beer, put the empty bottle on the coffee table next to the empty KFC boxes, took a final drag on his cigarette and waddled off to the toilet. Why had I suggested that? I did hate walking but I was still angry with them. Dad mostly, and I thought “That’ll show ‘em”. Dad came back and said “Where are we gon...

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“The Woman in White” by Gerardo Noriega Rivero

Submitted to Contest #181

It all started with what was already customary on weekends for José María, Bárbara and their children, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews: One Sunday morning, a week before Christmas 1966, they phoned each other to go on a picnic, this time to some picturesque spot in the cedar and pine forests edging the old road from Mexico City to Cuernavaca, near Parres, the village that marks the highest point along the road. “Let’s see, Eloísa,” Bárbara said on the phone to her sister. “I’m bringing chicken broth; tuna fish and vegetables in aspic; ...

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“Herb Goes Hermit” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #181

Herb Goes Hermit Herb peered over the top of his cubicle, mesmerized by the agonizingly slow movement of the minute hand on the clock at the far side of the room. In his one lone, exhilarating act of defiance, he had tossed his watch into the waste basket in the company cafeteria years ago. Everything else in his life was constraining and suffocating. As illusory as it was, Herb could at least imagine he was freed from the bonds of time.Time. 34 years = 408 months = 1,768 weeks =12,410 days = 297,840 hours = 17,870,400 minutes. The last 20 m...

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“The Audition” by Kathryn Minicozzi

Submitted to Contest #181

Maria Tartaro paced back and forth, checking her watch and shifting the music she held in her tightly folded arms. She wondered if she looked all right, had put on just enough makeup, if her hair looked good, and if her black dress flattered her figure or made her look fat. For the twentieth time, she went over in her mind the words and music of the aria she was prepared to sing, this time in German instead of the aria’s original Italian. You had to sing in German when you auditioned for a provincial German opera theater.&nbsp...

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“The Missing Piece ” by CJ Shutt

Submitted to Contest #181

Staring out the window, she scanned the landscape. The night always played tricks on her mind and tonight was no different. She knew who her pursuers were but she hoped she lost them in the darkness. It would be Dawn soon, and she would lose all of her advantage. Alabaster skin seemed to glisten in the night, silky red hair fell in curls around her shoulders, piercing blue eyes met anyone that looked her way. She momentarily lost herself in the moment she couldn't help to think about the events that ...

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“The Mystery of Floren Woods” by Tamarin Butcher

Submitted to Contest #181

The camera flashed. Jade blinked, even though it wasn't pointed at her. "I asked whether you recognize the victim, Ms. Galloway," the Detective Chief Inspector said impatiently. "The body?" Amy. "No, no, like I told that policewoman, I don't think I do. . ." "Don't think you do or don't?" the DCI prompted. "Well, I haven't' looked closely. . ." Another camera flash. How many pictures of the corpse did they need? "Hm," said the DCI, unimpressed. "And why on earth were you all the way out here?" "I live in the woods--" "The woo...

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“What Happened at Black Bear?” by Rokeia Wheeler

Submitted to Contest #181

“Out of all the dumb ideas you’ve ever came up with Fallon this has got to be the dumbest one yet! This is the shit that white people do in the movies!” Anyone driving by could hear Fallon’s sister Ava fussing at her through the car speakers. “I mean I am part white.” Fallon deadpanned “I’m not playing with you Fallon. I mean who just decides to get in their car and drive up to Black Bear Mountain? In the dead of winter. By themselves!” “I’m not by myself Ava. I’ve got Boxer with me.” Fallon shrugged referring t...

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“Missing pieces” by Ross Dyter

Submitted to Contest #181

The chants of the protestors faded as the door closed behind Harry. His footsteps echoed in the empty space as he approached the desk. The receptionist looked up, her straight, jet black hair cut to a perfect bob, not a strand out of place, her dark suit looked expensive, it probably cost more than Harry’s car. She smiled, that fake, forced smile employed by receptionists everywhere. “Mr Serwatka, how good to see you, your father said you would be dropping by today.” “Yep,” Harry replied absently scratching his ear. “My apologies for the pe...

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“Gyre” by Karen Lethlean

Submitted to Contest #181

Gyre. As in the gold mosaic of a wall Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre. William Butler Yeats 1927 “Let’s go for walk…” I didn’t mean to hurt you, John, I’m sorry – I’m really sorry…. These words were Stewart’s last, after which voice faded into unheard spaces and stopped less abruptly than his determined heart. Last words uttered as an apology were wasted as they were silence to his hapless trail walking companion. But Stewart struggled against this death as an ending; he tried to push onto something more now his physical life v...

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“Trail Cam” by Curtis Genzer

Submitted to Contest #181

(Warning. Foul language.) "Let’s go for a walk.” Bill said to me, he always said those words when we went to go look for deer. Bill grabbed his hunting rifle and the two of us went out his cabin. Out there, I saw Bill’s wife, Julie. She was picking flowers, and as Bill and I walked past, she waved at the both of us, but she blushed at me. Bill had been my best friend since junior high, we both played football together in high school, until an injury forced him to leave the team. I went on to become an outstanding player, I won state, and w...

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“All That Remains” by Cindy Strube

Submitted to Contest #181

All That Remains 🎶 Memory, all alone in the moonlight— I can dream of the old days Life was beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what happiness was… Let the memory live again. 🎵 ©️ I was beautiful once. I had style. Class. Substance. People flocked to my doors, begging to be included in my sphere of influence. That was then. Now, all that remains is a shell of myself. Walls, floors, roof—these form a structure meant for shelter. Shelter I have afforded many, over the years. Those many who have lived within my walls… the...

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“Alone in the woods” by Baxter Renfroe

Submitted to Contest #181

“Suppose you hurt yourself…” Flora started with an awkward hesitation in her voice; she was standing against the kitchen table, a slender hand resting on her throat as though to wrestle the words back. “Who’s going to help you?” There was a silence that followed her question which was only broken when the kettle began to whistle on the stovetop. Flora’s hand fell from her throat and she turned away woefully to the stove; she poured the water into her te...

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$250

Prize money

278

Contest entries

125

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 20, 2023 EST

Won by Aeris Walker 🏆

Title: Out of Place on the Appalachian Trail

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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