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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#208: Come On Barbie, Let's Go Party

The wait is finally over: today Greta Gerwig’s Barbie(™) movie hits theaters and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited! Blonde and big-busted, this by-now classic doll has often been associated with negative stereotypes of womanhood. But it’s also true that, when you played with Barbie as a child, she could be anything you liked: a firefighter, a flight attendant, a teacher, or even an astronaut (Barbie went to space 4 years before Armstrong did). The possibilities were endless, allowing young people to envision new futures for themselves.

This week’s prompts take inspiration from Barbie and her pink, plastic world, asking you to play with the idea of puppetry, childhood memories, and shiny surfaces that hide potential darkness.

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone living vicariously through someone else.

Character – 32 stories

Write a story where the characters start to realize that they are, in fact, just characters.

Character – 49 stories

Write a story about a character who finds a childhood toy that brings back memories.

Character – 70 stories

Write a story about someone who is constantly being put into a box by others.

Angst – 40 stories

Set your story in a rosy-pink world where everything is rainbows and unicorns… until it isn’t.

Dramatic – 47 stories

Stories

“Memories in the Attic” by Hannah Austin

Submitted to Contest #208

The attic was stuffy, and Lea could feel the dust in the air with every breath making her mouth dry and throat scratchy. “I really hope we aren’t breathing in asbestos.” “I told you we should’ve worn the face masks,” Lea’s cousin Carol turned, fixing Lea with an I-told-you-so look. “Yeah, you were right. I just needed to get out of that room.” The whole family was together downstairs dressed in black; the welcoming, loving atmosphere that Lea was used to being greeted with when she’d come to visit had been replaced with a col...

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“Lost and Found” by Rose Belle

Submitted to Contest #208

Why do I have to be the one to take lunch to the captain? Sadie groaned, mentally glaring at the first mate in her head. Is this part of hazing the newbie or just outright being mean? The wooden floors creaked as she made her way to the captain’s quarters. She stole a glance over the railing. Though the occasional cloud blocked her view, the overwhelming size of the ocean could not be hidden. It wouldn’t be much longer until they settled into the water to give the dragons a needed break (and a chance to refuel). The crew scrambled around as...

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“My Sister's Closet ” by Lorna Gibson

Submitted to Contest #208

My Sister's Closet Click-whirr. I took secret pictures with the Polaroid camera I had received for making the honor rolI. I didn't take the kind of pictures one typically thinks of when they hear the term secret pictures. I took pictures of myself dressed up in the color pink I had purloined from my sister's closet. I pretended outwardly to hate the color pink though I really liked it. I was the type of kid that went to the complete opposite end of the spectrum when told I had to conform to expected societal norms and live inside of a demo...

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“Welcome to the Party” by Kimberly McAllister

Submitted to Contest #208

Trigger warning: Themes of disturbing sexual content, violence, and mental illness portrayed in the following story.Barbie cocked the trigger of the gun aimed at her husband, Richard, with one long elegant thumb. Her bubblegum pink nails shined in the ambient light of the parlor. She dearly wanted him gone. It was 3 a.m. and he was sitting at the computer in the parlor, looking at pornography. And it wasn't the usual stuff, it was pictures of little boys.Richard was visibly shaking. Good, she thought, he needs to suffer.He raised h...

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“Reprogramming Needed” by Aster Parks

Submitted to Contest #208

My world was perfect. Everything I did was successful. I was popular. I was rich. I was what everyone wanted to be. “Good morning, Dollie!” My neighbors greeted me as I walked down the street with my perfectly groomed poodle, Ollie. “Good morning!” I smiled and waved back. My morning was routine as usual. It was a sunny day, like always, and I had started the day with a healthy breakfast. I was taking Ollie for ...

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“Picture Perfect” by Melodie Fierro

Submitted to Contest #208

In the small town of Oakley, everything was perfect. The place was surrounded by lakes and people would come and go as they would like. Some people would see it as a place to start a family, or a place to settle down after having lived the American Dream. People would stay up watching the stars or the sunset and others would awe as they saw a rainbow form in the sky. It was known as the next silver spoon gated community. The next Beverly Hills. Everything was perfect. Until one day, everything shattered. There had been a murder, and in th...

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“Directly on the Selvage ” by Seauphi Heather

Submitted to Contest #208

V. For all intents & purposes, we will start in the middle.Albeit strange to live alone, it does have it’s promises.A square in the hole, where food & trash may go. I usually let it all go, where the socks disappear into the terra firma,beyond the dryer.My socks are always shell-pink. I save them closely, until I can’t anymore. There’s a far better place for them, where ransacks of things that aren’t lonely, until you leave them alone, go.like I said before, there are dividends, to being alone.I don’t know how many times I...

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“Red River” by Lyndz Yahn

Submitted to Contest #208

Rita woke up to literal rainbows and unicorns every day of her life. The sun shone and it only rained when it needed to. The world was prosperous. There was no war and the once mythical and fairytale creatures peacefully coexisted with the everyday humans. Half-breeds were no longer looked down upon and it was common for species to fall in love with each other. With the help of some of the races that were previously in hiding, the world was rid of trash and pollution and the once crowded world was thinned out with the brief war that occurred...

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“Rainbow Unicorns and Cool-aid” by Aaron Tippit

Submitted to Contest #208

Pike stood at the edge of the sprawling valley, covered in an endless carpet of lush green grass that caressed his bare feet. Romping and prancing in the meadow was a technicolor herd of unicorns. They were prancing, flouncing, and romping together. Binoculars appeared in Pike's hand, and he looked through them to better admire the creatures. There were green, orange, yellow, purple, aqua, and less spectacular colors like gray, roan, white, and black, but their purity made them just as magnificent. A dark blue unicorn, the biggest in th...

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“Rosehearth” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #208

NOTE: Contains depictions of corpses. In the heart of Rosehearth Abbey, where the sun's warm rays bathed the lush green surroundings, lived a young squirrel maid named Hazel. Hazel Runwhistle was a spirited and curious creature, known for her boundless energy and mischievous escapades with her various friends. Rosehearth Abbey was a haven of tranquility, a place where peace reigned and the soft glow of contentment enveloped every corner. The abbey itself was nestled in a serene valley, surrounded by rolling hills and vibrant wild...

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“Painted Yellow” by Steffen Lettau

Submitted to Contest #208

Amongst Tholan's friends, Trentil was the most excited for a "last hunt", albeit the most nervous. He actually came over to Tholan's home and, after knocking until Tholan answered in mild miffiness, Trentil invited him with a few other males for a personal hunt:"Tholan, friend, how are you?"Tholan inhaled, allowing the miffiness to dissipate. "Good.""Nice, nice, is Lindia home?""She is assisting Garrold; they're brainstorming for future festivities."Trentil clapped his hands. "Goody-good! In fact, Garrold had granted my request, a last hunt ...

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“I Know the End Draws Near” by Zach S

Submitted to Contest #208

CW: death, mental illness, climate disaster Every night I lay awake thinking about new disasters in a faraway land - heatwaves, cold snaps, floods, droughts, wars, plagues, famine, death, wildfires - and every day my chest tightens and my breath shortens as I wait for the disasters to reach me. I can’t explain that last part. I really can’t, but I know deep in the pit of my stomach that something in the world has shifted and will break. I don’t know when it will happen but I can’t help but feel it will be far sooner than I can anticipate. Ho...

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“Epic Run” by Shane Cooper

Submitted to Contest #208

Chocking back tears, Aaron watched his little brother walk into the room. Through blurred vision he trailed his siblings silent saunter. Circumnavigating the bed, Clayton plopped into a leather chair, peaked his fingers together and cracked a grin. Straining to see his brothers cocky smirk, he blinked back the wetness wishing he could wipe before his little brother noticed. “Tell me everything!” He stammered.Clayton punched Aaron on his soft muscular shoulder that hand’t lifted from it’s silky prison in years. “Brah, it was epic.”Aaron’...

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“No Jon” by Becky Steele

Submitted to Contest #208

"Are you there?" Nothing. "Nick, if you'd like to discontinue our chat today, please let me know you're safe and we can end the session and follow up later." Nothing for a few more seconds, and then an ellipsis icon appeared in the thread. I exhaled with relief. At least he was still there. "Jon is here. Gotta go. Thx for the chat." The chat window closed. Nick didn't opt to take the survey and in a way, I was glad. Nobody completes the surveys--well, almost nobody--and the few who do have nothing good to say. It wasn't favorable f...

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“The Witness” by S. Gardford

Submitted to Contest #208

And so he takes center stage just as the lights dim throughout the theater. And the spotlight shines like the strange eye of some god, highlighting the strong bones in his face, leaving a ghastly impression. We all hold our collective breath as his eyes harden and he believes deep in his soul that he is Othello himself, in all righteous indignation and insecurity. "IT IS THE CAUSE" he bellows and goosebumps cascade across my neck and arms. The rest of the monologue ripples through the audience with similar fervor and power and we are left wi...

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$250

Prize money

238

Contest entries

85

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 28, 2023 EST

Won by Ian Gonzales 🏆

Title: That All Important First Scene

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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