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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#225: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

From Narcissus falling in love with his own reflection to the speaking mirror in Snow White, mirror images have always been a popular motif in literature, commonly used to introduce questions of identity or self-consciousness. But they can also be used to create a split between reality and illusion: is what we see really the truth, or are our eyes — or indeed minds — playing tricks on us? Taken one step further, one might even argue that texts themselves are a reflection of their author and the world they inhabit.

This week’s prompts invite you to reflect (pardon the pun) on topics of self-image, twisted realities, and outer appearance that may or may not capture what’s going on beneath the surface.

This week's prompts

Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Fantasy – 74 stories

Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Character – 66 stories

Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.

Mystery – 48 stories

Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Fantasy – 50 stories

Set your story in a house of mirrors and make the atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Horror – 42 stories

Stories

“The Doppelgänger” by Lamar Wiggins

Submitted to Contest #225

The Doppelgänger Twist of Fate: A Psychological Horror Written By Lamar Wiggins. The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Marcus jumped over logs and ducked under branches as he ran through the moonlit forest. He needed to find his way out of this nightmarish trap. His thoughts of guilt tried to distract him from the task at hand. Only his determination to escape superseded the freshly engraved images of terror circulating in his mind. They say the choices we make create our reality...

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“Stardust High” by Patricia Parent

Submitted to Contest #225

Everybody wants to be somebody. Cecilia Sterling was definitely someone special. As we could say, she made it. She was a thirty-something actress famous for her roles in a lot of romantic comedies from the 90’s. She was the golden teen back then, and one of the most popular Hollywood socialite now. Everyone wanted, and still wants, to be her. If the word cool could be personified, it would be Cecilia. Her trademark sideswept long wavy blonde hair, her heart-shaped little mouth and cartoon-like round blue eyes made her a timeless beauty. She ...

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“Eyes of Void ” by Space Corn

Submitted to Contest #225

TW: Mentions of suicide and mental health topics, profane language, and death “We left the house at 2:30.” I looked up at my therapist, and seeing her gaze was still locked on me, I continued, “2:30 in the afternoon. That was when we got in the car and left the house.” “Where was your family going that day, Myron?” she asked. Her face still held the same concentration. “An…a-amusement park, I think,” I paused for a moment, reviewing the information in my mind, “forgiv...

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“"My Doppelganger"” by Nomcebo Phungwayo

Submitted to Contest #225

"Ma'am why is it that you are not in your usual room on the tenth floor", murmured a senior hotel attendant when he saw Lucy's doppelganger leaving a room on the seventh floor. Nancy is a middle-aged black woman, attending a science conference in Abuja, Nigeria. The day had earlier turned into a series of unbelievable events. Firstly, Nancy met a man who told her she was really fast in changing from her wet tracking clothes to a lovely formal floral dress, he also asked with a smile, if she took a shower before coming to the restaurant as it...

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“Me and My Shadow” by Jacqueline Monty

Submitted to Contest #225

After a long, grueling day, I was looking forward to grabbing a cocktail with some friends. It didn’t turn out that way. He was AOL as usual, and the rest were already off from the job hours ago, and they were too hammered to stay and wait for me. Screw it. I’ll Uber Eats and raise the heat. My backpack, the quirky cork one from Laflore Paris, has my housekey at the ready. This brownstone FBI chose for me is a bit stark, mostly painted white, white appliances, but not sexy white with cool accessories like that my Park Slope neighbors...

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“Mirror, Mirror... I trusted you.” by Pryor Rose

Submitted to Contest #225

Staring at the mirror hanging in her bedroom the girl allowed a soft sigh to spill forth from the depths of her diaphragm and escape forth into the cool air which wafted in from her open window. The fancy ornate scrying glass was a decoration of Victorian luxury gifted to her by a person so near to her heart she could near feel the palpation of his heart when she neared what was meant to be her reflection. With him here they used to stand before the floor length pool and admire how perfectly they fit together. How well their bo...

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“Ethereal Reflections: Seraphina's Tale” by Stephanie Renee Love

Submitted to Contest #225

In the lofty realm of Etherealis, where the fabric of reality intertwined with the threads of dreams, lived an exquisite woman named Seraphina. Blessed with external beauty that mirrored the enchanting landscapes of her mystical world, Seraphina's soul harbored turbulence unseen. Her existence, initially shrouded in the shadows of a troubled past, held the key to a magical transformation waiting to unfold.Seraphina, once confined within the walls of her own inner prison, found herself in a desolate place known as the Enigma Hollow. Here, the...

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“Reflection” by Teigen Bond

Submitted to Contest #225

She pops into view as quickly as she left last time. She’s young and small, blonde hair and brown eyes. She twirls in front of me and I spin too, both admiring her polka-dot sundress and white hair ribbon. She twists her hips, sending the skirt swishing, and smiles. I smile back. Then someone must call her because her head turns and her eyes light up and she runs away. I vanish too. I don’t see her for days, and the next time I do, she is wearing her green pajamas. Then my view changes to look up some stairs. The girl seems to ne...

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“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...” by Valentina Bondarenko

Submitted to Contest #225

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall "Mirror, mirror on the wall! Are you an object of mystery, power, fear, justice, and inspiration?" "Archimedes' soldiers could have used mirrors to burn the Romans' ships. So, mirrors are an object of victories, too!" I am an ancient mirror! I was new hundreds of years ago, and tsars, queens, princes, slaves, and servants admired themselves or shed tears of unrequited love before me! Henry VIII, the biggest narcissist of all times and nations, swore to himself, great, handsome, and glorious. James I, the son of Mar...

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“From The Void Of The Other Side” by J.C. Vayda

Submitted to Contest #225

The sun dipped behind the mountain, and a blood-red aura swept across the late blue sky. This began the usual transition of day to night. The valley below turned grey, and the streetlamps began to flicker on. A few spiders had already set up their webs and awaited the first moth to fly into its trap. (You have to wait for the streetlamps to come on before you go outside, dear. It seems the ghouls don’t like the light very much.) Her car rolled to a stop sign, and she paused for a moment. She could turn around right now. Head back home—...

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“Reflections of the Past” by Gerald Fogarty

Submitted to Contest #225

Reflections of the Past by Logan Atwater The headlights from a Plymouth shined brightly as it followed the windy road leading up to Mysteries Amusement Park named for the mysterious wonders that awaited the people who visited it. The park closed in the early 1980s due to the openings of much larger amusement parks which they couldn’t compete against. Slowly the Plymouth came to a stop as it approached the rusted gates to the amusement park. The old doors of the Plymouth squeaked as the opened, a middle-aged couple gracefully stepped out o...

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“What Alice didn't see” by Edward Savage

Submitted to Contest #225

The squeaking wipers cleared the rain without improving the view, mainly due to my breath fogging the glass. Sighing I got out into the drearily dismal day, where the rain, more of a mist, settled on my hair and shoulders in tiny beads. The house wasn’t new, nor was it ancient, or a gothic pile of masonry and tile, boasting turrets, towers and leering gargoyles. It was a well proportioned, rectangular Victorian, tacked onto a smaller late Georgian with a large bay windowed room on its first floor. Grey stone-work, streaked by grime and wate...

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“House of Mirrors” by William Duke

Submitted to Contest #225

Starla has been holding my hand, my wrist, my elbow. She has even been brushing against my arm. Twice I got a squishy arm hug, which was amazing. I’m working up to making my move on the Terror Ride, but first, she wants to go to the House of Mirrors. We have to split up to go in, but I am confident I will find her inside. She laughs and steps in, turns and gives me a wink, then crooks her finger as she moves left and out of sight. I’m practically frothing at the mouth waiting for the attendant to let me follow her in. I final...

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“Home Decorating” by Philip Coxon

Submitted to Contest #225

“No, no way, it’s not worth that, I’ll give you fifty.” The tiny shop was so low that I had to duck periodically to fit under the wooden beams in the ceiling. It was poorly lit by one lamp covered by a very worn shade in the corner, which was making an irritating buzzing sound. There were a great many lavender-scented car fresheners hanging off bits of old furniture, very ineffectually covering a thick musty smell which made my nose wrinkle. “Fifty and I’m losing money! It’s got to be seventy-five.” The old shopkeeper grovelled, his voice s...

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“THE ANTIQUE MIRROR” by Glenna Agnew

Submitted to Contest #225

THE ANTIQUE MIRROR The elaborate sign read ‘Victorian Vintage Village.’ It was an old Victorian house on the main drag not far from the quaint country village of Victoria. There was a wide wrap-around porch and the house was flourishing in architectural design from the Victorian Architectural Revival Period that swept through the nation years ago. The roof was steeply pitched, boasted several gables, and was crowned by a small widow's walk at the very top. The widow's walk was ornately decorated with a wrought iron railing. White...

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$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

106

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 24, 2023 EST

Won by Olivier Breuleux 🏆

Title: The Day Alfred Googled Himself

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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