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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 Mirror” by Stephen McManus

Submitted to Contest #225

Luther regained consciousness, his mind shocked awake by the jarring sound of a metallic door retracting. It rolled up slowly, creaking and bumbling, into the metal hood above. The salty taste of blood filled his mouth as rain washed across his scalp wound. Vague memories of a meeting at a bar followed by a crack on the head bubbled up.The men held him under each arm, dragging his limp body, toes trailing on the ground behind. Entering the building Luther noticed an oily rainbow flash off a stain on the ground. A single naked light bulb bare...

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“Roswell Crowley Jr.. Part I” by A.J. Williams

Submitted to Contest #225

Meeting my own gaze proved to be a challenging task. The intensity of shame weighed heavily upon me. Shifting my focus away, I directed my attention to the background. The elderly storekeeper's antiquated bookcases housed an assortment of seemingly irrelevant items, characteristic of a bygone era. My gaze fixates on a bubble imperfection, an unmistakable sign of the mirror's advancing age."How much?" I rasp out, my voice roughened by the lingering smoke."For that old mirror? Twenty-five bucks. Hey, throw in something else, and I'll cut you a...

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“I’ll Learn How to Bark” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #225

The blind man and his collie sit passively, waiting for their flight to be called. Hans Gudeguest grins at the Swiss Air service agent as he pays for his ticket and checks his bags. In a little over eight hours, he’ll be back in his villa in Switzerland when his associates release sarin gas into the New York City subway system. He pauses at a souvenir shop, picking up an “I Love New York” cap. Checking out the fit in a mirror on the counter, he sees the blind man steal a glance at him. “You’re supposed to be blind, knucklehead,” the collie...

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“SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE” by Wade Douglas

Submitted to Contest #225

The Magisterium of science argues that the actions of the laws of physics have consequences. These consequences may be good or bad, resulting in blessings or curses. The Magisteria of magic and religion have similar beliefs, but often with different conclusions. Ultimately what we conclude is good or bad, a blessing or a curse, or even reality or illusion depends in large measure upon our Magisterium, our personal point of view, and how much cognitive dissonance we are willing to tolerate before choosing what we want to believ...

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“Do Not Touch It!” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #225

Do Not Touch It! It started off as an ordinary day. That would change. Just around lunch time a man walked into my Antiques Shoppe carrying a long oblong object surrounded by a very large blanket. His first words to me were the usual when someone comes into my shop and not to buy. “Do you pay a good price when you buy an antique?” There was such a seriousness in his asking, that I didn’t respond to him with my usual qualifier “Well, I pay a reasonable price – not anything too high.” Instead, I just said to him, “Yes, I do.&n...

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“The Curse of Uelda Rizzano” by Sam Blair

Submitted to Contest #225

“Oooh. That’s a lovely piece” said the eager salesman of a dilapidated antique store. We were looking at the upper portion of a large frame resting against a hutch. A few smaller frames were resting against the larger pieces. I moved the smaller pictures out of the way and retrieved a large, ornately designed frame. I turned the item around and saw that butcher paper was covering the picture. “Is this real wood” I asked. “Yes. It was made by craftsman who spent years learning how to work with their hands then p...

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“Tat tvam asi - you are it!!” by Nakul Puri

Submitted to Contest #225

Sabina looked closely at her newly capped front tooth in the mirror and smiled to see if it’s color matched the other teeth perfectly. Satisfied she picked up a book and sat on the armchair to read. Her mother had bought the mirror from chandni chawk market after the earlier one broke. The whole family had used the broken mirror for more than a month before she could go to the market for a new one. The broken mirror showed many images of Sabina’s face everytime she combed her hair in front of it. She focussed on the top piece image as it w...

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“Those Who Wander” by Marc Wilks

Submitted to Contest #225

Carol shifted her nearly full shopping basket to her left hand.Annoyed, she looked around for her husband, Glenn.“Figures,” she muttered under her breath. Carol reached out with her free hand and picked up an oval wood-framed mirror. A sun and moon were etched in silver at the top and bottom of the frame. A tree and a sailing ship were on the left and right. “This is beautiful,” she said. “I’m surprised no one has bought it.”“Bought what,” Glenn asked as he approached her from behind.“Where have you been,” Carol asked as she handed...

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“To Infinity and Beyond” by Vesta Bartholomew

Submitted to Contest #225

Bella strutted down picturesque Warren Street, lined with its original 19th century architecture, with long strides in her killer over -the- thigh black boots. A brisk autumn wind ruffled her shoulder length honey-colored hair in a way that attracted attention and reflected the waning afternoon sunlight. Her short black dress was only adorned with a gold belt. Her entire ensemble was put together by an on-line company who shipped outfits based on her surveys. Likewise, her makeup was applied se...

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“Old Things Made New Again” by David O'Mahony

Submitted to Contest #225

Ben’s hair was a mess. Blown about by the gale and four weeks overdue a good trim, it looked like an abandoned bird’s nest. Where had all the grey come from? Christ above, he said to himself, running his fingers through it. When did you get old? “Help you with anything sir?” Ben jumped. At his elbow was a small man with a sun-bronzed face and a half smile dancing around his lips. Stooped by age, his scalp was blotched and scarred from being out in all weathers. With trousers and forest green waistcoat, he looked exactly the kind of man ...

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“Mirror, Mirror, let me out.” by Anuv Ahuja

Submitted to Contest #225

“This one looks good,” I murmured to myself. “I can put it right above the sink in my bathroom.” I was shopping for mirrors and other furniture, just like everyone else. Our town suffered after the earthquake. Many of the houses here were too old to handle it. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a sharp jawline, dark, messy hair, and blue eyes. I was wearing some fitted jeans with a nice sweatshirt on top. The closest place I could get furniture was the antique shop just down the street. Some people say it's cursed, but I know all that i...

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“Reflections of Unforgotten Sight” by Sharon Dorey

Submitted to Contest #225

As she opened the door, the faint tinkling of the bell welcomed her into the realm of old treasures and curiosities. The crisp outdoor air was replaced by the thick scent of aged wood, polished brass, and the faint hint of mustiness that only comes with time. The rich, leathery fragrance of old books and furniture mingled with that of linseed oil and lemon polish. Courtney stepped forward and glanced about in search of the shopkeeper of Westwood Fine and Rare Antiques.As she did so, Serenity, her cat, popped her little black head out of...

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“The Muse” by Logan Baugh

Submitted to Contest #225

"Let me check. Four room two-bathroom. Plenty of space and some original brickwork.", the realtor said, holding an iPad with its screen gleaming beneath a spiderweb of cracks. Bill ran his hand across the exposed studio brick walls and knocked a foot on the creaking hardwood that made a dense thump. A view out the three big-eyed windows in the living room stared at a congested parking lot of a shopping mall. Behind the mall, straddling the edge of a shopping center was a blank strip of dead and dying shrubbery, a godsend for some dog ready t...

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“Captured” by JJ Piggott

Submitted to Contest #225

Note: Mention of death. The camera and lights were set up. I was ready to finally begin and finish this project being my self-portrait. My school’s art program opened up the category in the contest letting us students “create ourselves”. There was a one hundred dollar cash prize involved for each category. The idea sounded so refreshing to me. Art or not, I’d love to create myself—or re-create myself. I had one major flaw that I would like to be set free from. It made me feel incomplete, like there was one piece of the puzzle missing from ...

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“Lan McHugh Lived a Good Life” by Paul Crehan

Submitted to Contest #225

[NOTE: Burn victim imagery] Lan McHugh Lived a Good Life by Paul Crehan Professor Roth said to the class, “For your final, you’re to create a self-portra...

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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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