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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

“Your Secret Is Safe With Me” by Edward Roberts

Submitted to Contest #225

Karen held the artifact with two hands, turning it over to inspect every inch. The pewter hand mirror had impressions of the Romani Chakra symbol on its backside with interwoven vines and thorns along its sturdy handle. She remembered playing with her great grandmother’s hand mirror for hours, imagining some magic within revealing far away, mystical forests or foretelling her future. When she mentioned to the shopkeeper that it bore an uncanny resemblance to her great grandmother’s hand mirror, the shopkeeper said, “Perhaps this mi...

2 comments 2
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“The Artist” by Helen A Smith

Submitted to Contest #225

TW: mention of gore.His motley crew – that was how Mike thought of his students, would be joining him shortly. He turned the radiator up two notches in the attic room studio and covered over his most recent work, the one with the pet alligator swimming in the blue tiled pool. Nor exactly his best piece perhaps, but more than adequate for clients with a reptilian menagerie on the Costa de Sol, who in his opinion had more money than sense.The white sheets Mike had spread over the canvasses he’d been working on most recently, gave a faintly sur...

19 comments 19
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“Veil of Destiny” by Frank Amaya

Submitted to Contest #225

In the heart of a quaint town stood an antiques store, its weathered sign creaking softly in the breeze. The narrow aisles were lined with forgotten treasures, each with a story to tell. Among the dusty shelves and faded tapestries, a mysterious mirror awaited its next owner. Margaret, an adventurous soul with an affinity for the unusual, entered the store on a rainy afternoon. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and memories, drawing her further into the dimly lit space. She meandered through the aisles, tracing her fingers along ...

4 comments 4
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“The World Inside” by Amanda Sessions

Submitted to Contest #225

Tink, tink, tink.The tin can Addy had just kicked skittered down the broken pavement in front of her. Broken, just like everything else in what was left of her hometown. As she walked toward the old fairgrounds, she passed houses in different stages of disrepair. They all had a common theme though; it looked as if whoever had lived there had left in a hurry. There were old drink cans tipped over on the front lawns, a garage door was left open with children's toys rusting in the elements, and a sweet Raggedy Ann doll slumped over in a pink ch...

3 comments 3
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“The Replica” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #225

Martha raced down the lengthy deserted corridor that stretched along the Relaxation floor of the Starship Enterprise. Usually reserved, she would timidly shuffle along, keeping her eyes glued to the floor to avoid any potential eye contact or smiles. As a Yeoman on the Enterprise, she was initially assigned administrative duties in the Canteen and Restaurant. However, seeking alleviation from the solitude of her cabin, she had taken on volunteer shifts in the Lounge Bar and the Karaoke Room in the evenings.  At 26 years old, a sl...

12 comments 12
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“Mirror of Truth” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #225

Antique stores trigger memories of my grandparents’ kitchen. There was that white cabinet in the corner of the room that held my curiosity but never allowed me entry. Had I been older or less of an introvert I would have asked to see inside rather than just looking at it wistfully. I suddenly felt a sadness at the missed opportunity of my grandfather sharing with me stories of his antiques and how he bought and sold them.The bells jingled as I pushed my way in the day before Thanksgiving. Would the shop be crowded with cu...

5 comments 5
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“Duped” by Cole Oost

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #225

I always hated the Franktown Mall. The food court took up the entire top floor, but there was still nowhere to sit. Too many high school kids set up residence there during summer break when there was nothing better to do. I watched them all, sipping on their burnt, overpriced drinks from a chain coffee shop that had three identical locations across the mall. What was the use in having so many of the same thing? The food court also had a corn dog place that I used to work at. Well, not at the one in the Franktown Mall. The location I worked a...

8 comments 8
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“Seen: A Mike Dodge Mystery” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #225

After my dad passed, I attended my first and only art auction. In my little sister’s living room. Nine pieces in all, staged on the couch, the maple hearth over the faux-birch faux-fireplace, the guest chairs, Grandma Kendricks’ old rolltop desk.It was a round-robin process, the spoils divided evenly between the three Dodge siblings. I came away with a landscape of hazy western hills and narrow pines, a study of the Alamo, and a still of two lemons and a teapot. Oil on sturdy eighth-inch boarding of the type used to ship provisions in and pr...

21 comments 21
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“László's Mirror” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #225

It wasn’t much more than a junk-shop, though it had a dusty sign that read RÉGISÉGEK, or ‘antiques’, hanging precariously above the door.Dust appeared to be a theme of the shop; the whole place was coated in thick layers of the stuff. It looked like it hadn’t seen a customer in a very long time. It was a minor miracle that Haine had found it at all, in fact, tucked away as it was in a narrow alley off one of the main streets of Budapest.He’d come out of the hotel, on the last day of his business trip, to scout the antique shops for a birthda...

9 comments 9
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“Good Company” by Raquel Belury Rosenberg

Submitted to Contest #225

My cheeks stung. My body burned with open wounds and admonishment. The very follicles of my hair rebelled in their purgatory of being partially ripped out. When I reached the creek, I fell to my knees. Water cooled my burning skin and camouflaged my tears, but nothing could be done for my broken voice asking nobody for everything. “Please,” I begged the earth, “I can’t do this anymore.” She did not reply and the loneliness wrought a desire to confess the foul thought that festered in my young soul - a wish steeped in cruelty. It was not in m...

6 comments 6
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“Multiple Jack” by Chad Eastwood

Submitted to Contest #225

Jack Joseph Cooper would never have known any different if he hadn’t spilled the balsamic vinegar that morning. “Damn it!” he said as it spilled all over the cupboard and the worktop and down onto the floor. Finding no sentient being to blame save himself, he cursed the balsamic vinegar. “Stupid vinegar,” he mumbled. He carried on mumbling minor expletives as he wiped up the mess. He started removing various dripping bottles and tins from the cupboard. A bottle of oyster sauce slipped through his fingers and smashed onto the floor. ...

17 comments 17
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“Who Am I?” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #225

I have to admit to noticing him a number of times before taking the time to attend to his existence. Fleeting glimpses in the midst of a crowd. A chance sighting as I sped past in my car. The blurred reflection in the train window. I dismissed each and every occurrence as a waking cheese dream. You see, I have a pet theory, a half-baked hypothesis that I concocted on the hoof as it were. My musings centred around the simplicity of faces. There are only so many combinations of features and this helps explain my regular encounters with the f...

4 comments 4
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“Mirror Mirror on the Wall…” by Joan Of Arc

Submitted to Contest #225

They told me. I cannot say they did not tell me. But did I listen? No. Substances are not the only form of addiction. And addicted people never listen, why should I have?The daylight had slowly started to fade as the sun tucked in the horizon, hopping away in fear of the dark night that had just started to spread its veil across the sky. Contrary to most of the people I know, I have always had a special place for the night in my mind. Stillness and quiet give the perfect opportunity for reflection and thought, it is the only time when you ca...

5 comments 5
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“Portrait of a Shrew” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #225

Marcus Trent entered the door of the gallery. He mingled with the people while furtively looking for his daughter, Victoria. He spotted her but tried to appear like a viewer of the artwork displayed on the walls.It had been very kind for Uncle Jack and Auntie Ruth to invite him to see Victoria's first exhibition. She had become well known for her fantastic abstract and still-life paintings. Both styles she does equally well. It puzzled him that anyone would choose something from real life and, with lines and splashes of color, render it unre...

18 comments 18
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“Reflections of Motherhood” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #225

“Happy Birthday, Mommy!” Startled out of a deep sleep, Julia woke to the twins jumping on the bed like two little monkeys. “Get over here.”  She smiled, reaching out for the children. As they tumbled on top of her with their hugs and kisses, she had to laugh. It was a good way to start her birthday. “Are we going to the carnival, Mommy?” “Did you think about it? Can we go?” “Can we, Mommy, can we?” The questions came at her in rapid fire succession. She felt the exhaustion and slight headache lingering fr...

8 comments 8
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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