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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#206: Phobias

Have you ever had that nightmare where someone is chasing you, but you can’t scream or run away? It’s a pretty common (and terrifying) bad dream, and it always makes me wonder how I’d respond in a scary moment of crisis.

Fight, flight, or freeze? You never really know what you’re going to get until you’re in that moment, staring down the object of your fear — whether that’s losing someone you love, getting stuck in an enclosed space, being surrounded by a massive crowd, or just finding a cockroach in your bathroom.

Fear is a powerful feeling to capture in writing, so this week, join me to study this lightning-bolt emotion as it illuminates the actions of your characters.

🥇 Winner

“Shameless” by Parul Shah

🏆 Winner of Contest #206

We stopped leaving the garage door open when we were cooking because I told my mom the police were saying criminals had been stealing equipment from garages. My dad was away on an engineering work contract in Dubai like half the Uncles I knew, so we kids were left to help our moms with everything from house maintenance to legal compliance. Back then there was no internet and overseas phone calls to Dubai were expensive, so there were a great many things left unreported to the dads. To compensate for this lack of communication, my mom and all...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Devil is in the Details” by Victoria Shellady

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

I was sixteen years old when they found the six bodies underneath our living room floor. I’m not one to share personal details – mostly because I have a tendency to run my mouth and say too much – but I think about that night often. Usually as I’m just crawling into bed, in that time between hazy wakefulness and deep rest. Which, if I’m being honest, I’ve never been the greatest sleeper anyway. I’m at my most productive at night. And as a result, I spend a lot of time staring up at the ceiling, contemplating if it will be the night I spill a...

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“Despair is also a Thing with Feathers” by Angela Ginsburg

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains themes of suicide and self harm which some readers may find confronting.“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -And sore must be the storm -That could abash the little BirdThat kept so many warm -I’ve heard it in the chillest land -And on the strangest Sea -Yet - never - in Extremity,It asked a crumb - of me.--Emily Dickinson“Elodie, baby, I’m just going to hide the knives. I’m not j...

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“Obsolescence ” by Ellen Neuborne

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

I moved the coffee pot back to its place three days in a row before Adam called me on it.“Erica, what is with the appliance musical chairs?”“That’s where the coffee pot belongs.”“That’s not an immutable truth.”Nothing was, apparently.I was cool when the kids nixed the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner. I smiled and agreed to replace them with roasted cauliflower and shredded brussels sprouts. And thanked my lucky stars they hadn’t demanded we invite a live turkey and apologize to it for years of eating its ance...

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“The Bourne” by RJ Holmquist

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

The BourneBOURNE: (noun) 1. a limit or boundary 2. a goal or destinationExcerpt from the personal log of Commander Alfred Livingstone Earth Year 2492—“I have always been afraid of death. The fear has driven me, kept me moving, forced me to explore. I have always felt that if I stop searching, stop pushing the boundaries, stop discovering, death will catch me.Earthside, death feels so near. The ground I walk on is made from bodies decayed eons before, the greenery and breathing things all around me rely on the death of something else to ...

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“Peace: The Soldier’s Dream” by Kai Moon

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

My older brother Dalton had a set of rules I needed to follow so that he could live in peace. I was not to give him forks and knives. The only utensil he could use was a spoon, but it had to be a wooden one. He couldn’t handle metal objects. I was not to cook any dishes involving meat while he was around. He would throw up if he saw even a tiny piece of meat. I was not to leave him alone. I was not to turn the light off. Dalton would scream if his surroundings suddenly became dark. I was not to make loud noises. I would have to giv...

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This week's prompts

Write about someone facing their greatest fear.

Dramatic – 110 stories

Write a story that contains a flashback of a nightmare.

Horror – 63 stories

Start your story with a character seeing something terrifying.

Horror – 54 stories

Write about a character in a situation where they have to be brave for someone else’s sake.

Character – 63 stories

Set your story in an eerie, surreal setting.

Dark – 87 stories

Stories

“Shameless” by Parul Shah

🏆 Winner of Contest #206

We stopped leaving the garage door open when we were cooking because I told my mom the police were saying criminals had been stealing equipment from garages. My dad was away on an engineering work contract in Dubai like half the Uncles I knew, so we kids were left to help our moms with everything from house maintenance to legal compliance. Back then there was no internet and overseas phone calls to Dubai were expensive, so there were a great many things left unreported to the dads. To compensate for this lack of communication, my mom and all...

Read story

“The Devil is in the Details” by Victoria Shellady

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

I was sixteen years old when they found the six bodies underneath our living room floor. I’m not one to share personal details – mostly because I have a tendency to run my mouth and say too much – but I think about that night often. Usually as I’m just crawling into bed, in that time between hazy wakefulness and deep rest. Which, if I’m being honest, I’ve never been the greatest sleeper anyway. I’m at my most productive at night. And as a result, I spend a lot of time staring up at the ceiling, contemplating if it will be the night I spill a...

Read story

“The Belly of the Fish” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #206

Biting down forcefully on her lower lip, Dinah stepped the ball of her foot onto the cold, wet sand. The touch of the small grains under her feet for the first time in forty years made her catch her breath. She could feel the deep-seated memories trying to push their way out. Push their way, not out of her mind, but out of her heart.A seagull made a long call above her and she peeked up for the first time, trying to avoid the vast body of water in front of her. Focus on the bird. Focus on the bird. Squinting, she looked up at the gull flappi...

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“Despair is also a Thing with Feathers” by Angela Ginsburg

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains themes of suicide and self harm which some readers may find confronting.“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul -And sings the tune without the words -And never stops - at all -And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -And sore must be the storm -That could abash the little BirdThat kept so many warm -I’ve heard it in the chillest land -And on the strangest Sea -Yet - never - in Extremity,It asked a crumb - of me.--Emily Dickinson“Elodie, baby, I’m just going to hide the knives. I’m not j...

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“The Care and Feeding of Monsters” by Delbert Griffith

Submitted to Contest #206

Viya Sol looked around the mansion with distaste. She didn’t like being here, and she certainly didn’t like what she had heard about the monster who used to live here. Not that she put much credence in the old tales that some of the more senior members of the Lollipop Guild talked about. Those wizened relics of the past had many tales to tell, all the stories outrageous and all the events sounding just a little too fantastic to believe. Viya poked around the foyer and the living area, marveling at the size of the place and grimacing at the t...

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“Fair Wages for a Job Well Done” by Michał Przywara

Submitted to Contest #206

Content warning: spoilers for folk tales.The woods did not want them there. Dead leaves cracked beneath their feet and silent crows sat in judgement above. The wet reek of rotting autumn was falsely sweet, and the black mud clung to their clothes and dragged them down. The sun never reached the trails on even the brightest day, and when it set, the shadows choked the paths.Albrecht raised his torch high. The flickering orange teased the darkness and little more. It provided no warmth against the winds that promised winter.“Conrad!” he called...

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“As Big as the Sky” by Aeris Walker

Submitted to Contest #206

The mirror is no longer my friend. I can’t hide the grays, the lines, the weariness anymore–the signs that I am becoming what I always feared: old. I am not so shallow, so vain as to believe that without youth and beauty I am any less–if anything, I am more: stronger, wiser, braver. But you do not see me that way, and I can only hope someday you will. When you were young, my greatest fear was losing you–that I’d put you to sleep and you’d never wake up. That you’d choke on your food. That you’d be swept away in a riptide and I wasn’t fast en...

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“The Croak Lizard Affair” by Howard Halsall

Submitted to Contest #206

Aaaakk! Aaaakk!Wake up, Ricky! Huh! Angie, what’s—-?Shush, said Angie, fumbling for her bedside lamp. Didn’t you hear that? Hear what—-?Listen, Angie hissed, as her striped lampshade cast streaks of bright orange around their bedroom. Up there!Aaaakk! Aaaakk! croaked the lizard from its vantage point above the window.Don’t just lie there, she said, shoving her husband. Kill it!The startled creature cast a brief but dramatic shadow in the low angled light like a pantomime villain making an untimely appearance, hoping in vain that&nb...

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“Public Speaking... In Fuzzy Bedroom Slippers” by Mary Bendickson

Submitted to Contest #206

Public Speaking...In Fuzzy Bedroom SlippersAnd the honor goes to...“Why? How? That's what I want to know. Who's great idea was it to make me the emcee.“I, I c-can't do it. I, I can't stand in front of a large room of people and, and t-talk. No way, no freakin' way. I w-would freak out. I, I w-would st-stumble all over the w-words. I, I w-would m-make a f-fool of myself. Who, who would want to listen to me. I c-can't w-write a speech. I, I'm not witty or f-funny. I'll only embarrass myself and ruin the whole affair for everyone. D-don't make ...

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“Straitjacket” by Oskar Reiss

Submitted to Contest #206

TW: Violence, mentions of suicidal thoughts, abuse and self-harmClick. Krissi Yates pocketed the last of her equipment and squinted her eyes, the way a predator zeroes in on its prey. Oh, come on, she thought, her nervous gaze darting between her watch and the sanatorium door. Impatient, she stood herself at the entrance, which was one of corrugated iron; it was an almost baleful presence, and one that only chose to admit the most intrepid of investigators. Beware ye who enter. Paranormal investigation was n...

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“Show and Tell ” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #206

Tuesday is my day for drop off, and I was already running late when I rang the doorbell to pick up Janey. We needed to move fast so she could get to school on time, and I could make my 9 AM meeting. I am firm with her, I don’t want her to think she could slack off just because I don’t live with her anymore. And for me, being on time is important. Janey did not like rushing, and was not in a good mood when she climbed into the back seat. Her eyes went wide when I told her I was visiting her classroom later that day. She sh...

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“Her Other Sock” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #206

“There is nothing so lonely as an unmatched sock.”Thomas BrodkinWhen it comes to women, there is no one definition of beauty. Most would agree, however, if there were such a definition, it would not describe Lily.She stood just under six feet tall, had no figure to speak of, and her hair was almost the exact shade between blonde and brown, making it seem as if her hair had no defined color at all. To make matters worse, Lily’s voice had a smoker's raspiness, even though she hadn’t smoked a single cigarette in her entire life. However, a...

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“Shimmering Silver” by Greydon Blight

Submitted to Contest #206

And lo, it rained from the sky; ripples of blue echoed through the air akin to the early morning, as if the sun rent the veil of night. Terror enveloped me, but in wonderment that fear fast diminished. The stars of the night sky dulled in its presence as the horizon was engulfed by billowy white clouds, tinged with fiery wisps at their fringes. As the light faded and the celestial gift plummeted to earth, its descent accompanied by a shrill and discordant whistle, the ephemeral day drew to a close and yielded once more to the night. The star...

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“Obsolescence ” by Ellen Neuborne

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #206

I moved the coffee pot back to its place three days in a row before Adam called me on it.“Erica, what is with the appliance musical chairs?”“That’s where the coffee pot belongs.”“That’s not an immutable truth.”Nothing was, apparently.I was cool when the kids nixed the mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner. I smiled and agreed to replace them with roasted cauliflower and shredded brussels sprouts. And thanked my lucky stars they hadn’t demanded we invite a live turkey and apologize to it for years of eating its ance...

Read story

“Braver Than You Believe ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #206

CW: Forgive the Aussie slang and vernacular swearing.In Australia, everything is out to kill you! It’s a vicious rumour that we Aussies perpetuate to keep you out. Spoiler… Not everything in Australia wants to kill you, just most of it looks like it will. Except crocs. They will kill you without blinking an eye, or kangaroos. They literally tell you with their body language to “F*off or I will F* you up!” They’re mad buggers, hoppin’ mad. A ‘roo will take on a speeding car and live to tell the tale—or not—but death doesn’t scare them. One Ch...

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$250

Prize money

377

Contest entries

130

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 14, 2023 EST

Won by Parul Shah 🏆

Title: Shameless

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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