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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#189: Remastered, Retold

Books, as a medium, have remained virtually unchanged over centuries, even with the advent of ebooks and audiobooks. Our way to enjoy music, on the other hand, has gone from live troubadours and symphonies, to gramophones and vinyl records, CDs and MP3s, and, most recently, streaming apps. To build these virtual libraries, sound engineers have been hard at work remastering older tracks to improve the sound quality to fit our modern standards, preserving and bringing classic albums to the ears of new generations.

Whether you’re a purist who prefers the scratch of an old record or someone constantly looking for rejuvenation, this week’s prompts build on the idea of remastering, asking you to take inspiration from tales old as time and put your (modern) spin on them.

This week's prompts

Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.

Dramatic – 41 stories

Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Fiction – 66 stories

Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Fiction – 41 stories

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

Fiction – 21 stories

Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Winter – 112 stories

Stories

“Out of the Woods on Mt Tateshina” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #189

Sayako waves goodbye from our apartment window as I pull the car out of the driveway. With one hand, I wave back, feeling slightly guilty about leaving her for the day. But her broad smile transmits an assurance that it’s ok to go on the hike today, she’ll be there waiting when I return.On Sundays, we have an agreement I can take the day to recharge by hiking alone in the mountains of Nagano. Getting out of the car in the empty parking lot at the trailhead, I pack light: 2 liters of water, mobile phone, an extra jacket, a survival bag a...

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“Atlas Rises” by Mike Panasitti

Submitted to Contest #189

It was December 2066. It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. I was 14 years old and my mother was driving me to my father’s house in rural Wisconsin, outside of Madison. There was no way I was going to spend the obligatory Gift Exchange and New Year’s holidays with him again. Last year instead of getting me presents, he smashed my guitar against the fireplace then put the mangled remains of it as well as the notebook where I kept my musical scribblings into the burning hearth. “That’s abou...

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“The White Siren” by Basil McCulloch

Submitted to Contest #189

The White SirenIIt was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. The fiery light of the setting sun set the snowflakes ablaze in a swirling storm of rose colored ice. There was something so dangerously beautiful about that perilous storm; my fingers went numb, my head throbbed from the howling winds, my face bruised by the endless torrent of falling ice. How could something as elegant as snow turn into a raging beast, ready to devour me. I trudged forward, my legs aching, lungs screaming for air. When the sun finally vanish...

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“Mom, Dad, and the Devil” by V. S. Rose

Submitted to Contest #189

CW: mental health, mentions of suicide, physical violence, goreIt’s a short walk to my car from St. John’s Mental Health Clinic. At the end of my shift, I take the same route every night down Renforth Street. The distressed bulbs in the street lights cast a dim glow over the hopeful drunk homeless, their hands outstretched like kids on Halloween vying for their nightly sugar rush.I always give them whatever loose coins I have. Sometimes it’s a few dimes, a couple of quarters, a dollar. You never knew their situation — how they got to where t...

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“The Tale of The Two-Headed Whale” by Chris Campbell

Submitted to Contest #189

“I am Cap’n Cutlass of the ship Golden Plunderer, an’ I’m in the mood for mischief.” The ale house fell suddenly silent at the large, bearded pirate blocking the only exit from the building. “I have conquered the seven seas, outfought the English Navy, and outrun the fastest of Spanish galleons. Who here can challenge my prowess of the sea?” Drinking, eating, cavorting suddenly ground to a nervous halt. Cutlass was notoriously unpredictable. Rumoured to have once cut a man’s ear off for not listening to what he had to say, added to the pira...

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“Father Fox” by Graham Kinross

Submitted to Contest #189

Snowflakes caught amber beams of twilight. The fox called Father shivered on its trail through the woods. Stuttering wails echoed off trees as the vulpine wanderer felt the deep night wrap its clawing hand around the world. Infantile cries led the fox to two shivering forms intertwined. Bald little things looked into the sunset orange eyes of their savior. “Who are you?” asked Father as the children cowered away in the shadow of a banyan tree. Twined teeth chattered in the frost. “Unfinished creations of the gods? Where is your fur? No won...

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“Patrenkov's Folly” by Josephine Harris

Submitted to Contest #189

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Ivan Patrenkov laid down his bundle to rest and scan the horizon. City lights appeared and reappeared behind the distant trees and wind. The city was far, but he could not stay. The coming dark and cold would consume him. He planted the stick in the ground to propel himself forward a step. If he could repeat that motion many times, he told himself, he would arrive. The makeshift cane found purchase on the frozen ground. He moved forward, his footstep obliterated by the keenin...

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“Love, and other Deadly Sins” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #189

Someone invented romantic love. Probably a woman. I hope she contracted syphilis and was drawn and quartered for her sins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Well, it’s ugly and depressing and oppressive,” Talia said, touching a countertop and then wiping the dust from her fingers. “It has some good qualities, dear.” Layla drifted through the old country house, pausing beside a window and looking out. “Those were the good qualities, Lay.” Talia grimaced at the picture hanging in the living area. A richly-colored, fat bull gazed indifferently forw...

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“It's a Gamble by 'She-Who-Shamelessly-Shucks-Chips'” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #189

It's a Gamble by 'She-Who-Shamelessly-Shucks-Chips'It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. Typical January in the American mid-west. But I felt left out in the freezing, biting cold. And my future certainly looked dark, indelibly black, to tell the truth. I had boldly issued an ultimatum. A poorly thought out ultimatum, obviously. The hand had been dealt. I took a gamble and lost. Lost big time. Lost not only for myself but for my young family. Oh, yes, I knew gambler's grief. How had it boiled down to this bluster...

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“DANNI'S FRESH HELL” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #189

She went somewhere outside herself after she’d landed the first thrust of the knife, as the blade sank deep into his stomach. After that, there wasn’t much she could remember clearly. She remembered what it felt like to hit bone, the sound it made when the blade could go no further. Like the thud of a dead body, the muted tone of a final utterance. She saw him as a wild boar that needed slaughtering before he could rise and attack her again. She was careful to mind the blood that accumulated on the knife handle and n...

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“AN ATHEIST AND A RELIGIOUS ZEALOT GO PARASAILING” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #189

Allan Rivers had always dreamed of visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Several of his friends had been there and raved about the wonderful hotels, lavish dining, and excellent water activities. Most of all, Allan wanted to try his hand at parasailing, and the main resort specialized in that. Arrangements were made, and Allan and his wife flew in for a week of relaxation and fun. Allan made sure to register for parasailing at the hotel concierge desk, while his wife signed up for an afternoon of spa treatment. The following mor...

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“Terminus” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #189

“Have a good night now.”All the passengers loved him. The driver said the exact same thing to everyone leaving the bus on Dark Wood Road, no matter who they were: young high school students; older women with shopping strollers; surly men looking for something they could not find; endless parents and their children trying to get through the day. They all heard the same thing. He would look up at the rear-view mirror or look over to his right and smile if they left out the front. And he did it for all of them, every single ...

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“The Fox and the Flower” by Joanna Smart

Submitted to Contest #189

“What are you doing?” Hana jerked her trekking pole away from the wolf pup she had found, swinging it blindly in the direction of the voice. A strong hand closed around the shaft of the pole. A young man was attached to that hand, making no attempt to move other than to prevent it from hitting him. He may have been her age, mid-twenties, with high cheekbones and narrow features. His hair was hidden under his dark hood, but the shaggy locks that framed his face were so blond they were practically white. He was talle...

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“An Unlikely Encounter” by Fiona Sailman

Submitted to Contest #189

The fox stared at him with wide yellow eyes, asking questions that the man could never begin to answer. It tilted its head, studying him. He swallowed, then spoke. “H…hello.” It did not respond. He didn’t really expect it to. But kitsunes were rare to spot, and even rarer to interact with. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Of course, he had to choose his words carefully. Some kitsunes were kind, gentle spirits that, if befriended, would protect you from evil spirits. However, others were bringers of chaos and misch...

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“ The Politician, the Voter, and the Media: A Modern Tragedy” by Richard E. Gower

Submitted to Contest #189

Sensitive content: This story may offend some people. It fractures a fairy tale, kills a sacred cow or two and stacks a shelf with rampant cynicism, on display for all to see. However, it is a work of fiction. Any resemblance or similarities to persons living or dead, as well as to events, incidents or other circumstances, are pure coincidence. --Don't follow leadersWatch the parkin' meters Bob DylanOnce upon a time in the very recent past, an aspiring politician was contemplating running for high public office. But he was frustrated b...

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$250

Prize money

281

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 17, 2023 EST

Won by Fabi M 🏆

Title: Decomposition Sits with You

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.

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