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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#182: Feeling Watched

Being self-conscious is one thing; being paranoid is quite another. Feeling eyes on you changes your behavior, simultaneously casting you in a reality TV show and a dystopian horror film. Do you thrive in attention, feel jumpy, or overthink your every move?

Let’s don our trench coats, take a furtive glance around a street corner, and search the unmoving darkness for answers. Don’t forget your torch.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a home alarm system going off.

Dramatic – 49 stories

Set your story in a society where everyone is constantly aware of unwanted surveillance.

Dystopian – 27 stories

Write a story where someone’s paranoia is justified.

Mystery – 78 stories

Write about a character who wishes they could just disappear — and then they do.

Mystery – 50 stories

Start your story with someone entering a taxi and saying ‘follow that car.’

Dramatic – 33 stories

Stories

“And Now, For My Last Act, I Will Disappear” by Jethro Pili

Submitted to Contest #182

The sun rose early on the very first day of summer break and so did Dorian Peters. He freshened up, ate breakfast with his siblings and parents, brushed his teeth after the meal, and went straight to doing his chores. He was an obedient kid but he had an aversion to cleaning up. That’s why it was a surprise to his family to find him doing his chores with zeal and a tune on his lips. He was doing a better job at cleaning than his siblings. And whistling.“What’s with him?” Mr. Peters asked his wife.“He’s just excited,” Mrs. Peters answered. “L...

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“The persimmon tree” by Anna Zanolli

Submitted to Contest #182

The alarm rang. I rushed out of bed to turn it off immediately because it was a nightmare of an alarm clock: my father bought it when I told him I wanted to stop oversleeping, a bad habit I had recently developed due to the fact that I could not hear anything most mornings. My mum was convinced I wouldn’t even hear bombs, if they were ever being dropped over Verona. So dad gave me the one I own now, a kind of diabolical machine which sounds like one of those old wall mounted rotary phones ringing and it doesn’t even allow you to regulate the...

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“In the Seam Between ” by Eric Olson

Submitted to Contest #182

In the Seam Between by Eric Olson Sometimes we wish for things that we do not truly want to happen. But, in the moment, we feel as though that very thing would solve all the problems we may be facing. This is just the way of things, and these thoughts often fade in place of more logical ones that lead us toward thoughtful, informed decision making. But sometimes wishes can come true, and not always in the manner of which they were initially conceived. A thing like this happened to me once. It was the single most strange and unexplainab...

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“Disappear” by Sylvie Cusick

Submitted to Contest #182

The vase exploded as it hit the wall beside Kaitlyn, and a piece of the debris sliced her ear. The actual cut was gone almost immediately, but Darren smirked at the blood that was left. She breathed in steadily as she made an effort to stay still, as she tried to convince him that it didn’t bother her. But beneath the hard wall she put up, she nearly shook with the need to attack it with both hands. All she wanted was to scrub at it with a rough washcloth and some fucking acid, because it was blood, it was blood and blood meant pain, blood m...

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“In the Blink of an Eye” by Karin Cavanagh

Submitted to Contest #182

“What the hell were you thinking, Commander?” General Haricort yelled. I stood at attention, holding every muscle as stiff as I could, the wound in my thigh aching to be released. Not daring to break my gaze at the picture of the president on the wall directly in front of me, I replied, “Sir, I was taken prisoner. There was nothing else I could do.” “You thought surrendering to the enemy was the best course of action?” the General asked, approaching me from behind his desk. “It wasn’t by choice, Sir.” The General stood before me, hi...

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“The Red Haired Lady” by Dash Williams

Submitted to Contest #182

I ran to get a taxi waving my arms as hard as I could to get one “FOLLOW THAT CAR” I shouted at that taxi driver while getting in. This was my last chance...my one last chance I was ready to do anything to get to the woman in that car no matter what it took. Let us go back to explain how this all started, my name is Victoria. I am a 26-year-old artist. I am extremely proud of what I do. My art has been put into galleries and I have been praised for my art ever since I was a kid by my family, friends, strangers, teachers, and even some f...

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“A Reckless Chase to Regret” by Josh E

Submitted to Contest #182

The sirens grew closer. Even now, amidst the chaos, Luke was calm. A police car had stopped in front of the building with the officer inside calling to him.“Sergeant Myers!” Luke shouted, a smile on his face. The officer was a childhood friend of his. They had gone to high school together, best friends, two troublemakers in the back of Mr Schultz’s international studies class.“What’s happened, Luke?”“It was them again.”Fear fell over Myers’ face. The people Luke was talking about had been terrorising the city for months, leaving the police d...

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“Final Weekend Fare” by Steve Uppendahl

Submitted to Contest #182

Just four minutes shy of ending my shift, a fare slides into the backseat of my cab, slams the door shut, and says, “Follow that car.” A rapid flood of emotions and thoughts cascade through my brain at lightning speed. Most of them are positive because this is my favorite kind of fare. No matter what happens, I enjoy myself and still make some money. Being a cabbie means dealing with all kinds of people in different parts of their day, in a full spectrum of moods, and wearing various levels of deodorant and perfume from non-exi...

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“My girlfriend stole my dog” by Richard Kroyer

Submitted to Contest #182

My girlfriend stole my dog “Follow that car,” I yelled in the taxi driver’s window, pointing to the maroon mustang driven by my now ex-girlfriend. I jumped in the back and explained to the driver as we pursued. “That’s my ex-girlfriend, she came to the house to collect some of her things, but she left with my dog.” I pointed to the back window of her car and said to the driver, “See the dog in the back seat? He’s mine.” Nodding, the driver said, “Do you want me to try and cut her off?” The driver was probably hoping for a bigger tip, but ant...

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“The final mission” by Shamekia Rodney

Submitted to Contest #182

The shattering of glass, in the far corner of the restaurant, was enough to tell me that my position had been compromised. My eyes darted to the woman I had been observing the entire night, dashing towards the front door and shoving people out of her way. I quickly jumped to my feet and chased after her. The blonde female struggled to carry the suitcase and often staggered as she ran. My mission was to get the suitcase and leave but this all turned into one exciting chase. She opened the door of the restaurant and ran into the rain, ...

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“FOLLOW THAT CAR” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #182

I knew it. It was that guy on the same flight. He was barreling his way once again through the crowd of passengers headed for the exit. Was that a gun strapped on his waist? I had to do this. No excuses. If not me, then who? What I heard onboard was enough to put any questions into action. Following him out into the dark I watched as he got into an unmarked black Tahoe. My gut was telling me 'GO' so I flagged a taxi, opened the door, fell in sideways gashing my leg. Seriously? The driver was concerned and paused a moment, but I just waved it...

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“Pseudo-Mother” by L.J Sunwing

Submitted to Contest #182

An alarming buzz carries throughout the house, Thomas walks down the corridor to turn off the security system. Their house was modest but required some form of protection, still, this was often triggered by a slippery young adult. Alison’s nephew and their adoptive son had the habit of coming back in the early hours of the morning. Thomas grunted as he flipped off the alarm and heard a window slam shut in the house. “Is everything okay?” Alison makes her way down the steps, gathering her sense as to what happened. Thomas looks up to smile ...

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“Ernie’s Alarm” by David B Fraser

Submitted to Contest #182

The house’s home alarm system went off. Outdoor lights flashed on, even though it was the middle of the day. Ernie punched down on the van’s steering wheel in frustration. How far had the kid gotten into the house? Was he going to come out the front door, or back out through the basement window? Ernie wanted to go to house and call the kid out, but he knew better. He even thought of holding the passenger door open for the kid, but figured the neighbors might already be looking. He wasn’t directly in front of the ...

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“A Cause for Alarm” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #182

A young couple and their five-year old daughter are standing at the front of a house that that had just become their new home. It was a beautiful place with a big back yard graced by willows and maples. All three of them are smiling at each other, pleased by what they are looking at. Martha, the wife and mother then speaks:“I can’t believe the low price of this place. They were practically giving i...

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“The story of Kassidy Green” by Adelia Whistleton

Submitted to Contest #182

The constant beeping pulled me from my sleep, my room was pitch black, the moon hidden from view by the clouds. I reached to check my phone to see the security feed, but after feeling around my bedside table I remembered I left it charging in the kitchen. The earlier events of tonight were foggy, I remember having a few drinks with friends for a movie night we had planned. I must've forgotten to bring my phone upstairs with me after they left. I began to creep to my door, I listened for any sounds of an intruder, but it was deadly silent apa...

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$250

Prize money

237

Contest entries

154

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 27, 2023 EST

Won by Liv Chocolate 🏆

Title: Careful—You’ll Slip, Fall, and Die on Those Slippery Slopes

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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