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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#224: Night Owls and Early Birds

I’ve never been much of a night owl. I can stay up late, but always live to regret it the next day, and you’re unlikely to ever find me burning the midnight oil. Instead, if there’s something urgent to attend to, I’d rather do it in the quiet calm of a pre-dawn morning.

It’s interesting how, as a species, our preferences vary so wildly in this regard. Some of us are up and moving before the rest of the world has even rubbed the sleep from their eyes, while some of us rarely are awake during daylight hours. Two people’s waking windows may only overlap at dawn and dusk, before going their separate ways. This week’s prompts are a celebration of the night owls, the early birds, and anything in between.

This week's prompts

Set your story before dawn. Your character has woken up early for a particular reason.

Fiction – 94 stories

Write a story about two people living together who have opposing sleep cycles, and only cross paths at dawn and dusk.

Character – 49 stories

Start your story with someone saying “I can’t sleep.”

Dramatic – 87 stories

Write a story about someone pulling an all nighter.

Fiction – 35 stories

Write about someone who can’t sleep due to jet lag, and decides to set out and explore their new city at night instead.

Adventure – 20 stories

Stories

“Pippin And Tog” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #224

PIPPIN AND TOG. Pippin the thrush and Tog a red squirrel, decided to visit Henry and Sarah at Mill Cottage. When they arrived, Sarah was hanging out the washing. Tog decided to throw acorns at the sheets. While Pippin flew around the garden. Sarah decided to chase Pippin and Tog into the...

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“Cosmopolitan ” by Faith Augustine

Submitted to Contest #224

Cosmopolitan says the way to a man’s heart is, “Two sunny-side-up eggs, greasy bacon, and a Cup O’ Joe. You will be his forever if you bring it to him in bed!” Elaine knocked over spices in the cabinet while searching for the instant coffee she swore she brought home months ago. She stood on her heeled tiptoes and felt around with her hand, her nails recently manicured, and let out a bit of laughter when she came in contact with a glass bottle. She read the label, recognizing the brand Sanka from an “I Love Lucy” episode. Often, she would tu...

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“Rose's Room” by Elizabeth Beising

Submitted to Contest #224

“I can't sleep,” the frail old woman whispered to the figure on the hospital bed. When she got no response, the woman stood up as tall as she could with her hands still on the walker in front of her as if gathering strength or pride or both. “Excuse me, mister. I said I can't sleep because you're in my bed. You're in my room. This is my room,” she tried again in a louder, more forceful voice that caused Mr. Putnam’s eyes to jolt open immediately. Joe Putnam was instantly alert, yet calm, in the way that only those accustomed to life and deat...

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“Not Home” by Sunny Li

Submitted to Contest #224

The clock strikes two.My cousin's sleeping soundly beside me, unstirring, but I'm still awake and hungry. I would wake her if not for the fact that she had work early the next morning. The stove shouldn't be too hard to figure out; I'll manage.The clock strikes three.I'm back in bed, belly stuffed with some concoction of noodles and vegetable scraps—not the greatest, but it would do. At least I thought it would. My stomach's rumbles no longer keep me awake, yet my eyes refuse to stay shut.The clock strikes four.We have a popcorn ceiling. Lum...

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“The apartment of two rivals ” by Bailey Poirrier

Submitted to Contest #224

When you've been living together for two years but you never catch a glimpse of each other, When you only see each other in the passing of dusk and dawn in that crazy cycle, what is the story of Adrian and Ethan. Well Adrian goes back a very long time his dad and then his grandfather and then his great grandfather and then you get where those pictures going it's part of the gang and when I say part, I mean the boss their called the Valencian and have been at war with Kamandag. While Adrian, the son of Marcus, has recently passed after what's...

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“Where Night Meets Day” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #224

“Tell us the story of the sun and moon, Grandpa!” Shell smiled her best smile at the old man and he returned her smile warmly. Faun, her older brother looked up from his play and scowled, “that isn’t right. It is the tale of day and night, not the sun and moon.” Grandpa smiled again, the same smile for the boy as he had had for the little girl, “both are right in their own way. After all, you cannot have day without the sun and the moon lives in the night.” “Please tell the story, Grandpa!” she tugged the leg of his trousers as thoug...

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“A Cup of Creativity” by Sophie Parmaby

Submitted to Contest #224

One glance at the clock told me it was way too early to be awake. That’s what I get for falling asleep when I really should have been trying to fight the jet lag that overtook my body the second I collapsed on my pillow. The city of Paris had been bustling with workers returning to their families and children chattering animatedly with peers when I finally made it to my hotel room after a long excruciating flight where the agitated screams of a baby kept me awake for its entirety.Now, the city was asleep. The only sounds audible were the rus...

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“Meetings at the Threshold” by Ashley Huls

Submitted to Contest #224

My roommate and I have this simple thing we unintentionally do every day. We pass each other in the living room at 6 am. He’s going to bed and I'm getting ready for work. Soon we nicknamed each other little night owl and early bird. Completely as a joke because why not. This simple action is how we make sure we both are still alive. Seeing as we live life at opposite times of the day. I work during the day as a secretary to a random CEO of a prestigious company. My roommate, Jerald, is a complete night owl. He plays games all night and...

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“Twilight's Embrace at Dawn” by Kilala Benson

Submitted to Contest #224

Harold and Jase were an odd pair living under the same roof. Harold was a morning lark, rising with the first light of dawn, while Jase was a night owl, thriving in the deep, mysterious hours of the night. They were like two ships passing in the night, or more accurately, ships passing at dawn and dusk. Their encounters were rare but special. Harold would brew his morning coffee just as Jase was wrapping up his nightly gaming marathon. It became a routine: the clinking of Harold's coffee mugs coincided perfectly with the sound of Jase yaw...

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“Living In A Dream” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #224

Alec Rutchman jumps up in bed, surveying his surroundings. “Uh… I can’t sleep. Where am I?” The tail of the Felix the Cat clock swishes happily back and forth. The white floral tapestry Angelique worked on for six months hangs on the opposite side of the wall, framing the perfume bottles, lotions, and makeup on her dressing table. Home. He’s home. Angelique reaches down, stroking his hair. She worries about the dark circles under her husband’s eyes, and that their once bright blue hue has turned cloudy. Most of all, she fears Alec’s lack...

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“itch” by Paul Littler

Submitted to Contest #224

As the helicopter circled the island on its second approach Astrid placed her phone face down on her lap. Too many uploaded videos of people erupting in a painful spiky death, spines tearing through bruised swollen skin. She must have watched hundreds as the pandemic raged, death rate soaring. “If I can’t land this time we’ll have to try tomorrow,” the pilot yelled over th...

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“Early mornings at the Condo” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #224

Early mornings at the CondoThe compound where her condominium was located was only a five-minute walk to the nearest shopping mall in an area that housed many cafes and international restaurants. It was a lively, enjoyable place in which to live. The pavements were squeezed tight with innumerable tourists from around the globe, and the cacophony of the various mother tongues could be heard in ebullient, loud tones. It was a happy, vibrant place, full of life—a blissful haven for Sofia as her encroaching sunset years began to b...

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“Hunger” by Rose Sultan

Submitted to Contest #224

Golden sunlight bled through the gap in the curtains, and with it, there was a harsh knock at my bedroom door. “Thanks, Morpheus, I’m up,” I muttered, voice gruff with the remnants of sleep. Five minutes later, I was dragging myself out into the cold, stale air. Wearing slippers softened the sound of my feet padding against the wooden floor with every step I took towards the living room. Cereal? Outside the window, a performance of delicate birdsong was ongoing. Early, early enough to make french toast, perhaps some eggs… A corpse lay in the...

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“I can’t sleep ” by Julie Hernandez

Submitted to Contest #224

I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep, but I can cry. I can’t sleep, but I can still breathe. I can’t sleep, but I can still worry. I can’t sleep, but somehow I still have visions in my head, some lighthearted and others just plain confusing. I can’t sleep, so I roll around in my bed, I toss and turn, this way and that. I flip my pillow over and over. I look at the clock and I give up. I get up, and I go to the bathroom. An easy feat after birthing a few babies. I look at the clock, and I go back to my bed. I no longer reach out or look over because ...

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“The Procrastinator's Paradox” by J. I. MumfoRD

Submitted to Contest #224

Jonah stared at the open textbook on his desk, the words blurring together into an incomprehensible jumble. He blinked hard, trying to force his exhausted brain to focus. 2:37 AM. He had been at this for hours, desperately reviewing material for his Practical Interpretation final exam tomorrow morning. With a heavy sigh, Jonah leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He should've started studying days ago, but he had put it off again and again, convinced he could cram it all in at the last minute. Now the moment of truth was fast appro...

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$250

Prize money

285

Contest entries

135

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 17, 2023 EST

Won by Mallory Jones 🏆

Title: Goldfish

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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