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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

“Landed On Freespace” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #208

I got the call when my sister Marsha passed away. “Daryl, I hate to bring you bad news…” My mother’s voice faded. “What is it, mom? I’ve got a meeting in fifteen minutes.” I looked at my wristwatch. “Your sister has passed away.” She sounded as if she had been crying. “Marsha?” I gasped. “You have another sister?” She said with an edge to her voice. “Oh God, this is horrible.” I shook my head. “She was having trouble with her sobriety since Brian left a few months ago.” She said with a sniff, “I have the ...

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“The Sins We Keep” by Molly Kelash

Submitted to Contest #208

She perches demurely on my desk. Her impossibly long legs are bent at the hip socket and slightly at the knee—shapely, Caucasian-flesh-toned rubber sticks protruding from too a narrow pelvis and a wasp waist any Victorian woman might have died for. Literally.She still confuses me, my 50-year-old Kelly doll in a prim green and white polka dot dress. Maybe that’s why I rescued her from my parents’ house clean-out, why she sits gazing vacuously toward some point behind me while I work. I can’t help but wonder: why did my feminist mother give me...

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“Finding my Peace” by Sonya Noor

Submitted to Contest #208

His hand on top of mine evokes feelings in me that I truly believe only he can make me feel. Our legs spread out on the couch as the sounds on the TV capture all our attention. That is until the buzzing sound of my phone begins. “Do you want me to pause it?” he asks. “Yeah, thanks hun.” I smile at him until I read the name of the caller. What the hell? Why is Jen calling me? The sister I haven’t spoken to in years. The one who chose to defend our dad over me. Her supposedly “best friend”. Unfortunately, my intense curiosity to find out ...

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“Normal, as Defined by Her” by Sierra Wilson

Submitted to Contest #208

My dad always told me, “Jessie, no matter what people tell you or how you are judged, you are normal.” I was his perfect little daughter, the star student, faultless. The first time I felt different, I was in middle school. Her name was Claire, a new girl. She was beautiful. Short, a round face, the perfect image of someone who could break my heart. When I came home and told my dad, he shrugged it off. “Jessie, it’s just a silly school crush, you’ll grow out of it.” But the next day, the first time Claire held my hand, I tingled. I f...

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““Pretty; Not Smart”” by A. M. Conger

Submitted to Contest #208

I was born April 5th, 1971, I think. Akin to Barbie, I was “well-proportioned with blue eyes and a blank look.” Like my mother, I was “a fair-haired girl with a vacant stare.” This was my beginning, at least that is what I was told. On the rare occasion that my father spoke to me, I was informed that my mother “must have screwed around” because I looked nothing like him, and “it’s a good thing you’re cute because you sure are dumb.” My memories of him were an empty spot in the bed each morning, a dirty breakfast dish in the sink, and a roy...

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“sourdough” by Victoria Shellady

Submitted to Contest #208

Elizabeth Moore had dinner on the table at 5pm, like she did every other weeknight. That night's creation was a new recipe torn from the pages of the latest edition of Better Homes and Gardens. The Best Pot Roast You Will Ever Have, the article claimed. Elizabeth bought a chuck roast, potatoes, celery, and carrots the night before. She set the chuck in a bag of mysterious but delicious juices so it would be at its most flavorful. When the dish hit the table, a cloud of fragrant steam created a fat plume of smoke in the cool air. Her husband,...

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“Rare Meat” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #208

***Language, Violence, and Gore*** When Nick arrived at table six sweat had dripped and dried on the back of his pressed white button-down shirt, and he was only one customer complaint away from getting fired. Chandeliers lit up the dining room. Voices of the other customers echoed behind him, the exhaustive conversations about New York City politics and the desire to help those less fortunate, spoken over steaks and wine and liquor that neither Nick nor any of his fellow servers could afford after weeks of working at this pretentious and po...

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“Thwwaacckk!” by L J

Submitted to Contest #208

TTHHWWAACCKK! RRRRRRRR pop! the familiar sound of Mademoiselle le Guillotine when her blades land on her intended target. The basket always at the ready to catch the thief. These are my days now. Watching the executioner clean the blade, sharpening it until it gleams in the sun, like a diamond on the Kings crown. He slowly moves the blade back into its home, making sure the bindings flow smoothly. "We do not want an accident", he says, "It is important that everyone who is sentenced to Mademoiselle live their last day in dignity." Ay...

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“Retro” by Raven West

Submitted to Contest #208

Jenny Reed and Johnny King had once been the top radio personalities at KKTM in Los Angeles. For four decades their on-air partnership and eventual marriage were the talk of the industry. But what was the top 100 hits in the 70’s had become a faded nostalgic memory to their ever decreasing listening audience, so when the network offered to buy them out, they both agreed it was time. After collecting all her memorabilia from more than forty years co-hosting Red Wine for Breakfast, Jenny took one last soulful look around the control room and ...

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“Sugar Dreams ” by Adrianna Pizza

Submitted to Contest #208

The sun spread its golden lashes down upon the gummy hills of Candy Island. The tips of the frosted cream puff mountains stood as mystical sentries to the weaving sugar forests below, casting a blanket of shade over the sleepy woods. A chocolate cottage, sat in the clearing of the great marshmallow highlands at the edge of the forest, festooned vines of jelly bean lights. Soft vapors of chocolate smoke spouted from out of its bricked chimney and high into the morning sky. Inside the cozy shack, delightfully carved caramel colored furni...

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“What Do You Wear To An Affair?” by Ken Cartisano

Submitted to Contest #208

The tiny little plastic phone rang. He picked it up. “Ken?” “Speaking.” “It’s me, Barbie.” “Oh. Hi Barbie. What’s up?” “Have you got a minute? It—it sounds noisy. I called at a bad time, didn’t I? I should just…” “No, no, no. Don’t be silly. Hold on a sec.” After a minute of mumbled confusion he came back on the line. “Okay, that’s better.” “Really Ken, if this is a bad time…” “No, no. It’s just, I’m, I volunteered to help coach the Lego team in the upcoming Toy-Olympics, and…” “Really! That’s wonderful Ken. What are they c...

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“Cupboard Love” by Jane Andrews

Submitted to Contest #208

Trigger warning: references to abuse Lucy was six when she first discovered the secret of the cupboard under the stairs She had been trying to hide from her father when it happened – Daddy always said he didn’t mean to get angry, but he still hit her anyway. She stumbled into the cupboard, hoping to squeeze herself behind the vacuum cleaner, and found herself in a world of rainbows and unicorns. Everything glittered and sparkled – including Lucy herself; and after a while, she realised that she could unfold the gauzy wings that grew on her...

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“The Magical Kiss” by Karen Corr

Submitted to Contest #208

Callie thought she should have been happy. She was at a party with all her friends. Robert was here. He winked when he caught her looking his way. Her best friend Taylor was floating across the white carpet, bringing her a drink the same lemon color as her dress, and most importantly, she had recently defeated her enemy. What?"What's wrong, girl? I'm not seeing your smile. You're always smiling," Taylor told her."Am I? That doesn't seem quite normal. Even the happiest of people don't smile all of the time."Taylor laughed and turned to w...

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“Dolly” by Heather S

Submitted to Contest #208

Chapter 1 Bitter, cold rain? Seriously? Walking to my mother’s front door from my car in her gravel driveway, I was met with a torrential downpour, soaking me to the bone immediately. I was not dressed for this weather, considering ten minutes ago it was 85℉ with bright, clear skies, nor did I have an umbrella. Such unpredictable weather here. I wonder how much a meteorologist gets paid around here. The only job in life where you can be 100% wrong and still get paid! Is this why you loved Colorado so much, Mom? Sure, she’s got a nice view,...

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“Barbie's Secret World” by Patricia Merewether

Submitted to Contest #208

Mrs. Baker took care of Barbie five days a week while her parents worked. She talked on the phone to her sister, Helen every day and Barbie listened. “She's such a strange little girl, Helen. She sits cross-legged in my flower garden and just stares, but seems to listen to something. I watched her as I washed dishes and the child began talking to thin air! She never talks to any of us, not a peep to anyone. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was a lengthy, serious conversation! There's something wrong with that child. I wouldn't h...

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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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