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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

“Memory” by Caro Cabrera

Submitted to Contest #208

‘I normally wake up this way…With no remembrance of what has happened. As if the light inside me turned off and I woke up again.’ I thought to myself waiting for something. I didn't know exactly what, but I knew that it was time to sit still. Again and again, with the same routine as the man with the brown carpet-colored coat approached her. Behind the bars of hollowness, I felt the need to understand again, but instead of a question I just stared at the odd-looking man and his head ushered her to the beautiful bones covered in silks ...

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“Armed Man Number Three” by Margery Wood

Submitted to Contest #208

Lynn and Annie have wandered into the wrong neighborhood. The two women, sixty-ish, well kept, are on their way to book club. They do not belong in the shadows of a large, ominous building. Lynn nudges Annie but she just prattles on. "Of course I didn't read the book. Who reads the book? We're just there to drink wine and be colorful." Two cars, sirens screaming, swerve around them. The women plaster themselves against the building. Three armed men run out with automatic rifles, blasting at the cars. ...

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“One Eerie Blue Night...” by A Inge

Submitted to Contest #208

Eerie blue shadows danced across the walls of the alleyway. A cat screeched. Cart wheels creaked on Main street. A woman screamed obscenities at a man. The crack of a whip was followed by the helpless whinny of an indignant carriage horse. There were some things, Lugernot decided, he would not miss about his home. And that included most everything. He stuck out his tongue and received a falling snowflake. It turned to salt in his mouth. Scrunching his nose, he spat. “You never know what you’re gonna get out there.” “And that is half the f...

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“The Shade” by Lauren Normac

Submitted to Contest #208

Tanya brought her staff up, blocking the Shade’s blade. “Bad idea,” the Shade said, voice eternally distorted by the mask. Tanya blocked a few more attacks from the Shade’s sword, and even jabbed her staff forward when she could. Metal clanged as the two danced around each other. Tanya had been practicing. The Shade was in a high enough position, they rarely had to do the fighting themselves. But the Shade still had a point. Unlike their sword, Tanya’s weapon was a staff. It was blunt. A sword could do some damage. And even if it didn’t slic...

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“Memory Reboot” by Ryan Ye

Submitted to Contest #208

I was always fascinated by the Codeless. They walked in strange, incomprehensible patterns, as if they could control their movements. They came as chivalrous knights, knowledgeable wizards and shifty rogues. But you could always tell right away if they were Codeless. Though there was a green bar above all Codeless which we did not have, it was more the actions of the Codeless that gave them away. Their behaviours were often unpredictable, nothing like the lives we lived. In our small, quaint village, everyone led quiet, stable lives. We each...

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“Lozen the Poison ” by Diann Nelson

Submitted to Contest #208

Lozen Cooper was the center of attention. She was tall, 5’9” to be exact. Her height matched her poised and slender physique. Lozen at the age of 27 was a Super Model for Vogue Magazine. At present, Vogue was shooting an advertisement in California for the 2019 Super Bowl. It featured Ms. Lozen Cooper at a track meet with other participants. On a very hot day in August, Lozen had to run full speed to get the last coca-cola before her team mates could get it. The ad slogan indicated, “Running that extra mile, Have a Coke and a Smile.” Lozen w...

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“Skittles” by Cliff Pratt

Submitted to Contest #208

I recognised it immediately. Nine small skittles hung limply down, dangling on their strings. I pulled it out from behind the cardboard box and the skittles swung backwards and forward in unison. I set it down and looked at it, remembering. A square wooden board about six hundred millimetres on a side, or two feet in the old measure. Strings emerged from the nine holes arranged in a diamond shape and were threaded through the hollow skittles and tied off at the top. Each skittle was around one hundred millimetres tall, or around four to five...

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“Dolls to London” by David Nutt

Submitted to Contest #208

Dolls to London Monday, with the sun playing hide and seek amongst the white billowing clouds. The phone rang as I picked it up and I looked towards the harbor. “Chef officer Paul Summers speaking.” “Ah! how are you?” “Fine Joe, but busy, we are expecting a large cargo ship arriving from China with a dubious cargo.” “It’s expected when? “ “I think in about four days it was delayed in Gibraltar.” “Good.” “What do you mean good?” “Well I have a favor to ask you. Could you go to London tomorrow for two days. The British have a serious customs...

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“Wanda, The Unaided” by Nicki Nance

Submitted to Contest #208

Strange what people think of when they are dying. My mother was succumbing to cancer. She sat propped up by pillows, and pointed to the bottom drawer of her dresser. “I haven’t balanced the checkbook in months. The insurance policies are in there, too.” She shook her head and sighed. “Daddy won’t even look at it, so you’ll have to take care of it.” “I’ve got it covered.” I tried to sound cheerful. “I know you do.” She attempted a smile, but her eyes glistened. She was not ready to die. “Oh, and I kept Wanda. She’s still in the box. Giv...

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“The Toy In The Attic” by William Flores

Submitted to Contest #208

William Flores, LMSW About 2,300 words 140 Darrow Place, #17E Bronx, NY 10475 347-605-5027 wflores1952@gmail.com The Toy In The Attic By William Flores As we waited for our daughter Tai to arrive with lil Johnny, our six year old grandson, my wife Nancy asked me to look around for something to keep him busy. The house was filled with the aroma of baked turkey, ...

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“Artifacts” by Taylor Alexander

Submitted to Contest #208

TW: Substance Abuse, Implied Suicide, and Child AbuseBaby Talk. It’s all I have heard and all I have known for the past 8 months and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Coos and Waas eventually evolving into Dada and Mama while my son gains soft awareness behind his bright blue eyes. My eyes. Tubbie time is always a surprise with him because instead of tears there is absolute wonder that seems to soak into his skin as he gently touches the bubbles and plays with his bath toys. I say “he plays,” but rea...

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“G.I. Joe” by Jaime Rubio

Submitted to Contest #208

G.I. JOE He was the only one left alive. The rest of his platoon were killed. Their bodies strewn throughout the building. It was an all-night battle. The fight took its toll on both sides. Since the enemy was on the offensive, they lost more men. Unfortunately, they had more soldiers to spare than he did. There was a pause in the battle now. The enemy replanning, regrouping, reloading. They also had time to spare. The radio was out. A .50 caliber round had punched a hole right through both the radioman and his equipment. There was now no wa...

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“Little Guy” by Ralph Emery Barhydt

Submitted to Contest #208

Little Guy Ralph Barhydt “C’mon Aaron, give the kid a chance. He’s little but I seen him run and there is no one faster on this team.” “Look Matt, I just don’t like shrimps. The kid is a shrimp. He’ll get hurt, his parents will be a problem and he will always be whining about something. Plus, frankly, I just don’t like little people. They are worse than blacks and blacks are bad enough, although that one boy can sure throw the ball.” “Aaron, man, you are way out of line. This is little league baseball. These kids are in the seventh gr...

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“The Pop in Greyscale” by Ijana Loss

Submitted to Contest #208

“Have a great first day of being 14 Dylan!” Amma called after me as I walked out the sparkly pink door. It was the Monday morning after my birthday, and I was to walk to the bus stop at the end of my colorful block to be picked up by the school bus. Our pink house sat next to a purple house, which sat next to a yellow house, on the other side of which was my stop. “Just think, high school is coming soon!” added Mam, her blue eyes sparking as she turned to wink at Amma. I cringed and turned to look at them before splitting off from my sib...

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“Dick and Dora” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #208

Warning Sensitive information, sexual references, physical abuse, subtle question defaming racismI would like to tell you an elementary reading book I and others learnt how to read, in grade one, Australian primary school, over 50 years ago.Dick, the boy, and Dora, the girl, mostly ran, and Nick, their dog, mostly fetched their ball.****************************************See Dick run. See Dora run. See Dora throw the ball. See Nick run. See Nick fetch the ball.I was four years old when I mouthed the letter sounds of those above se...

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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.

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