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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

“Reflect and Refract” by Sheena Singh

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #225

In another life, I was a whip-smart, no-nonsense corporate lawyer who worked 70 hour weeks without flinching. In this one, I was struggling to complete the simplest of tasks. “Give it a shot. No judgment, no overthinking, just a simple drawing or painting or representation of yourself”, Ranjana, my therapist, had said not-so-convincingly. Her lilting, soft voice, typically a comfort to me, had irked me that day. I thought the assignment was a waste of time, and I was artistically challenged. That didn’t seem to matter to her though. On day...

6 comments 6
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“The Edge of Reality” by Tyler Porter

Submitted to Contest #225

Leo’s footsteps echoed faintly as he approached the old carnival, the sounds mingling with distant laughter and the creaking of rusted rides swaying in the gentle night breeze. The place had an air of forgotten joy, like a melody from an era that had long since gone. It was the first weekend of October, and the carnival had sprung up on the outskirts of town, a temporary world of wonder in the midst of mundane life. As he wandered past the candy-striped booths and flickering lights, Leo's gaze was drawn to an attraction set awkwardly apart f...

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“Marbles” by Hilary Yelvington

Submitted to Contest #225

Marley loved marbles. Four-year-olds are simple that way, tickled by things they can hold and collect. The promise of marbles was enough to get Marley to tag along with her parents on a never ending quest to fill their old Victorian home with period furniture.  Once, at her mother’s favorite shop in Sandusky, the old woman working the cash register noticed Marley crawling on her hands and knees, reaching under an old dresser for something out of reach. “What’s down there?” The woman asked. “Marble,” Marley said. The woman reache...

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“The Resplendent Quetzal” by James Lane

Submitted to Contest #225

Brielle Noonypill hurried to stitch her sister’s spangled cotinga costume. Fredericka, the elder Noonypill sister, tore the gown’s train by tangling herself mid-pirouette, while rehearsing her Passage Day dance. “Hurry,” said Fredericka, entering Brielle’s room. “The Cotters are already here, and oh no….” Freddy peeked out the door. “Miss Brightly comes with the class.”Brielle poked herself twice with the needle in the rush to have it ready, and her sister’s impatience was not helping. If her mother were still alive, she’d have it all d...

5 comments 5
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“Self(ie) Portrait” by Nina H

Submitted to Contest #225

For the third time, Reilly’s phone slipped off the table and hit the floor, with a dramatic thud that seemed to say “you failed!” once again. She sighed, picked up the phone, repositioned the selfie circle light attached to it, and checked the timer on the photo setting. Carefully this time, she leaned her phone at an angle she thought would make her face look skinny.  She swiped the mode to “Portrait” setting, and mentally prepared herself for her best smile in 3,2,1….. Finally! A picture she can work with. She had been setting up he...

13 comments 13
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“Parallel” by Sophie Irish

Submitted to Contest #225

I awoke suddenly, jolting in the hard and creaky bed I had crashed the night before, in a wine fuelled haze, with a feeling like I had been plunged into darkness. I was unsure if my eyes were open or closed and my temple throbbed at last night’s poor decision to finish a bottle and a half. I fumbled for my phone under my pillow and groaned at the blinding brightness. It was only five in the morning but I had work to do, so rolled myself off the bed; agonisingly sluggish. I looked around with only one eye open, perched on the end of the bed, ...

2 comments 2
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“The Other Tim” by David Lund

Submitted to Contest #225

        Tim Badson walked through the park on a nice Sunday evening. He was whistling to himself. It had been a good day. He remembered fondly the time he had spent with Lucy by the lake. They had talked and laughed for hours. He’d even fed the ducks that had been circling around them, looking for scraps of unfinished bread. It had been an idyllic setting. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he still had his English paper to write. Why was he even studying English? Stupid subject, he muttered under his brea...

4 comments 4
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“Secret Santa” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #225

Bill Turner woke to his alarm and quickly shot a hand out to silence it. This was not the time to wake his boy. Not when the sun was away and the snow outside fluttered down in barley illuminated spirals. Bill Turner had one thought as he heaved himself onto the edge of his bed, and it was not of the fatigue he felt waking at an ungodly hour like this. “Make this one special.” He muttered to himself. Christmas was a lonely time. Not for one or the other but for both, which Bill felt was worse than if it were just the one of them feeli...

2 comments 2
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“Yellows and Blues ” by Smriti Sudhakar

Submitted to Contest #225

cw: implied previous SA It’s just a stupid fucking therapy assignment.  One that I’ve specifically gotten a myriad of times. One that I’ve half-assed or full-on ignored.  I’m well aware that I need therapy, and I do my best to go into every session with an open mind and do every assignment with sincerity. But this one goddamn prompt never fails to come up whether it be from previous therapists, self-help books, or internet scrounges; it never fails to frustrate me. However, I respect Laura, and that respect inside of me be...

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“Glass House” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #225

John’s mum used to say that you ended up with the house that was meant for you. When he was younger, he was uncharitable towards his mother’s sayings. He found them to be twee and ultimately irrelevant, but as he calmed down and relaxed into his life, he found merit in what she said understanding that she’d done a fair amount of living, mostly before he came along and changed her into a parent and mother. She’d been more like him than he had cared to admit. He still struggled with that admission. Finding and securing a house had been a pro...

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“The Monaco Mirror” by Andrea Corwin

Submitted to Contest #225

2001 *** I had passed the boutique antique store many times and decided to go inside today. A bell above the door notified the store owner someone had entered and greeted me. “Please let me know if I can answer questions or show you anything. I’ll be over in the corner pricing some items if you need help.” Smiling, I said, “My name is Sabrina,” to which she replied, “I’m Rhonda Simpson, the shop proprietor.” We shook hands, and I began browsing. My years as a criminal detective had created a detail monster in my head. I approached e...

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“The woman who got lost in her own handbag” by Linda Nicklin

Submitted to Contest #225

It was stifling hot, and the rush hour traffic was gridlocked. A siren wailed in the far distance. I held my breath as I moved through a haze of exhaust fumes that was hanging behind the idling cars. This was a part of town that I knew well, and I was just thinking about a back street detour when something grabbed at my attention. I hardly recognised myself, but there was my reflection in a round brass mirror in the junky antique shop window. My face looked drawn but my body was almost completely obscured by the most beautiful handbag that I...

2 comments 2
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“The Look From the Mirror” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #225

The Look from the Mirror Before I go on a date with someone for the first (sometimes even the second or third) time, I check out how I look in the old fashioned full length mirror that my grandparents left to me the year that they both turned 80. They joked with me about the gift, saying that once you turn 80 you really do not want to look closely in the mirror anymore. You don’t reflect well at that age. They loved that old mirror. My grandfather had inherited it from his own grandparents, and he had begun using it when pre...

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“Turn Back Time” by Lynne Boyd

Submitted to Contest #225

“I like this mirror! Ooh it makes me look thin!” Tammy slowly turned as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t one for shopping, and she certainly didn’t often shop for a dress or a skirt, but they had that reunion coming up so she thought she would look outside her comfort zone. “You are thin Tammy. Mirrors don’t lie.” Sharron browsed through blouses just outside the dressing rooms. “Well get your fat ass in here and see for yourself.” Sharron’s derriere was certainly not fat but Tammy wanted to get a rise out of her. “I don’t like...

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“The Other Version” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #225

She sat on the edge of the bed looking at the sleeping child. Her cheeks were rosy from the summer day, her hair tousled about her face. She looked happy, peaceful. She once again examined her feelings towards this child, her child. She cared for her, perhaps even loved her.  The child would be taken care of, continuing down the path that had been so carefully arranged. With the evidence of high intelligence and increasing self-confidence there was no doubt that she would continue to thrive.  She was ca...

3 comments 3
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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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