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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#220: Out of Place

The air’s beginning to chill and goosebumps are rising on your skin like mushrooms on a log. With Halloween not far off, everything’s beginning to feel a little… strange. It’s got me thinking about all things odd, and one of the most unsettling sensations of all — noticing something that’s out of place.

From things that shouldn’t be where they are, to protagonists far from home, this week’s prompts explore the bizarre, and the uncanny feeling of things being where they don’t belong.

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character walking through a desert landscape, when they stumble across something unexpected. “That shouldn’t be there,” they muse.

Dialogue – 50 stories

You arrive at a destination you promised an old friend you’d visit after they passed, only to find them there too.

Mystery – 65 stories

As a child you’re helping your grandparent bake. When you’re sent to the pantry to fetch an ingredient, you discover something odd.

Mystery – 41 stories

Begin your story with a protagonist taking shelter under a bridge during a thunderstorm. An animal scurries past which shouldn’t exist. Against their better judgment, they decide to follow it out.

Fantasy – 50 stories

You’re awakened from your nap by someone asking, “Are you hungry?”. You fell asleep somewhere else entirely.

Mystery – 45 stories

Stories

“FUNNY GUY” by Charles Corkery

Submitted to Contest #220

FUNNY GUY When I was a boy, I didn’t have any friends. It never really concerned me because I was quite content with my own company. Also, the fact that I was a sickly boy probably had a lot to do with it; no, definitely, had a great deal to do with it.We lived at the top of a three family house; an Irish three family house on 5th and San Pedro. Times were hard, not that I really knew what that meant but I heard my parents saying it all the time, so I figured they had to know what they were talking about. We were considered fortunate by the ...

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“Dream of Reality” by Luciano Cortese

Submitted to Contest #220

Tw: heavy themes of unreality, existential dread/horror, heavy mentions of depressing real-world topicsTWEE TWEE TWEE. Anna slams her hand on the alarm multiple times, amidst it’s shrieking, and finally it shuts up. As she sits up and stretches, she thinks about the extremely weird dream she was just having. Maybe she took much Tylenol last night. She shrugs it off.She checks the TV for the weather. It’s going to lightly rain today, it says. So as she gets ready for her morning walk, she puts on her bright blue raincoat.Everything goes well ...

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“Closure” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #220

“Are you hungry, John?” His mother’s voice was soft and comforting. John could picture her standing in his doorway holding a plate of food and a glass of water. She liked to make sandwiches, usually tuna salad, filled with more good intentions than flavor. “Not right now, I’m sleeping. I’ll eat it later.” He mumbled into his pillow, which was oddly hard and sharp. How can a pillow be sharp? He felt for the covers and grabbed only air. Why is it so cold in here? Did I forget to turn the air off? Why is Mom in my house? Mom is dead. H...

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“I'm where?” by Rachel Powers

Submitted to Contest #220

Are you hungry? Says a female voice familiar to me. I open my eyes and look around. Its familiar but I am not where I'm supposed to be. Its breakfast time, this familiar voice says. I look toward the voice and its Casey my coworker in the nursing home I work at. I look around now and I am in complete confusion at what I see. As Casey puts the tray off food down on my bedside rolling table I recognize it as well. I also recognize maroon round cover they use in the kitchen to cover the plates of food for the residents. I also recognize the br...

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“Lunch” by Brandon Oliver

Submitted to Contest #220

“Are you hungry?”I squinted after rubbing my eyes for a few seconds but the image in front of me was still all blurry and I didn’t recognise the voice.“Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”A young woman with big pitiful eyes leaned down in front of me asked again.My mouth was too dry to speak and when I tried to talk my tongue flopped out. I moved my lips around frantically attempting to undo the stickiness and to fight off the sour taste. The young woman forced a smile and laid a bologna sandwich on white bread in plastic wrap i...

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“The False Tree” by Jack Brooks

Submitted to Contest #220

Mik did not wish to leave the confines of this once great and prosperous castle, now a cold and dead crypt. He assumed that this castle, and the lands it claimed dominion, were once prosperous due to its sheer size and grandeur. Mik did not know truly though; he was not from these lands, after all. “That shouldn’t be there…” he muttered, his mind lost in the past, eyes unfocused. “They shouldn’t be here we… we shouldn’t be here.” Mik was a natural survivalist, spritely with the eyes of a hawk. It was these skills that landed him a spot on ...

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“Reasonable Answers” by Falynn Almeda

Submitted to Contest #220

I barely heard the words the first time; they were faint and warbled. I took in a sharp snort-like inhale as my eyes batted open. I leaned all my weight on my elbow. Everything was warped and blurry for a few seconds. I squeezed my eyes shut hard to clear them as I yawned out my words. “Wha di you sah?” “Are you hungry?” the other voice repeated more clearly. I was still half-asleep and just processing waking up to determine any level of hunger or fullness. I sat up more and lifted my arms to stretch them out of their ...

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“Strange Days” by Jeanine Rogers

Submitted to Contest #220

Willow sat in a chair beside Santiago in front of a fire pit. They had been married for one month. Willow and Santiago met in College. Willow was a Freshman, and Santiago was a Senior. She fell for Santiago instantly. Santiago thought she was too young for him to date her. Santiago thought of her like a little sister who followed him around. Sometimes, Santiago would hold her hand, but that was as far as it ever went. Santiago graduated and started his career in clean energy technology on the West Coast. They didn't see each other for years ...

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“Me, Myselves, and Murder” by Geir Westrul

Submitted to Contest #220

“Are you hungry?”I open my eyes and see … me.Well, it’s me, but a me that’s a bit older. This version of me is a very distinguished me, slim, dressed in a three piece suit, with gray thinning hair and a trim gray beard and mustache.I’m in a recliner chair, upholstered in the softest leather I’ve ever felt.I press the button on the side armrest and sit up straight. Where am I?The last thing I remember is taking a nap in my hand crafted wood rocking chair on the back porch, overlooking the lake behind my house.Now, I’m … in the state...

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“Steel Tomb” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #220

Marcus was going to be late. He couldn’t afford that, he would have to wait until sunset to get the picture he wanted. He didn’t have that long, the pilot told him to get back as soon as the sunrise ended or it’s an extra charge. Since he doesn’t make near enough money to warrant that, he runs. The desert is draped in thick, dull orange and the long shadows cast by cacti and boulders over sand smooth hills. The sun isn’t yet peaking over the horizon, but it will soon, and he needs to be in just the right spot. Dead centre of where it will ri...

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“The Huddle” by Keith Geaney

Submitted to Contest #220

The GPS coverage was starting to get patchy. Arnold slowed down to a crawl and squinted through the windshield at the trees. If any of the blotchy shapes blurred by the weight of the rain resembled three ancient oaks standing in line, with two others facing them, that meant he had arrived. Martin had described the location for him so many times and in such detail that Arnold almost thought of it as a childhood memory. It was a curious feeling, pulling up to a remote location in a region of the country he had never visited and finding the lan...

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“A Tunnel Wish” by J. Logwood

Submitted to Contest #220

I suck a breath in and hold it, half nostalgic force of habit, half superstitious ritual, as my rental car enters the tunnel leading away from the Golden Gate bridge. The Rainbow Tunnel to me, although it has been renamed since I was last here. Now it's the Robin Williams Tunnel, an apt guardian for this place of duality, where love and tragedy are not so strange bedfellows. Hold your breath until you get to the end and you can make a wish. I can almost hear you whisper these words from the passenger seat, the way you had eve...

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“Daughter Of The Baskervilles” by Khadija S. Mohammad

Submitted to Contest #220

"This is the house where he wrote 'Hound of the Baskervilles',” Samara's mother said as they stepped through the door. How the mighty are fallen, Samara thought. The house was now a visitor's centre, selling pencils inscribed with the town's name that broke within minutes of buying, along with leaflets of local history, walks, and the prison that cast a shadow over the town from its outskirts. Samara was pulled instantly to the shelf where copies of 'Hound of the Baskervilles' were displayed in multiple languages. She picked up a German co...

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“Cursed Confection” by Jennifer Jones

Submitted to Contest #220

It started with a drop on her nose that rapidly evolved into a deluge. Running along the side of the road, she aimed for the overpass she knew would provide shelter. The pelting of rain became a roar loud enough to drown out the sound of the river flowing beneath the bridge.Thunder cracked and Caitlin yelped, tripping over a root. She barely caught herself. Stumbling, still running. Lightning split the night sky above. The thunder that followed was instantaneous. It sounded like the world might crack in two.She sat on the dry dirt beneath th...

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“A little bit of good.” by DH Irving

Submitted to Contest #220

“A little bit of good.” D.H. Irving The old train trestle was in the middle of nowhere, and had been out of use years before we had discovered it. My best friend Mike and I had stumbled upon it when we were just kids, riding our bikes on some grand, pointless adventure that only youth seem to have the ability to embark on. It became our spot and our place to hang out; a secret fort of rusty nails and warped wood. We’d go there to get away from our parents, siblings, school, and above all else, any and all adult supervision. It was our oa...

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$250

Prize money

251

Contest entries

129

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 20, 2023 EST

Won by D. Grimes 🏆

Title: Fae Touched

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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