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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#242: Fine Art

Museums are magical places. There’s something so special about admiring art in sacred, silent spaces, together with complete strangers. In museums, time is suspended; you can forget about the outside world and lose yourself in the paintings, sculptures, and other artwork around you.


This week, let’s write some stories inspired by art and museums. Think about some of your favorite galleries, or consider creating a brand-new museum the world has yet to see. Let your imagination run wild, and maybe even try writing in a new genre. For this contest, the sky’s the limit!

This week's prompts

Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Fantasy – 66 stories

Write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact.

Funny – 31 stories

Write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist.

Adventure – 31 stories

Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum.

Romance – 98 stories

Start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight.

Thriller and Suspense – 38 stories

Stories

“"MUSEUM OF DESTINY"” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #242

In the museum's empty restroom, Jelly Summers gingerly splashed water onto her face, trying to shake off the dizziness that had enveloped her since the crowded room awakened the panic inside. The cold tiles of the restroom floor felt unforgiving beneath her palms as she struggled to regain her balance.“I’m fine. I just need to freshen up a little,” she said calmly, comforting herself.Clad in a simple white blouse and blue jeans, Jelly had chosen her outfit to be casual that evening, hoping to strike the perfect balance between professional a...

13 comments 13
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“Love Amongst the Portraits” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #242

Emma was a single woman in her early 40s who adored art galleries and museums. For her, they represented sanctuaries where she could revel in solitude without succumbing to loneliness. The serene ambience of these spaces allowed her facial muscles to unwind from a week of stress and transformed her into a more radiant version of herself. As an independent soul, she relished mingling with others who shared her passion for art, enjoying the silent camaraderie of fellow gallery-goers. That spring Saturday morning, in bustling Central London, wh...

13 comments 13
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“Fireflies at Night, Art Appreciators' Delight” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #242

Souvenir was coming to the Grand Met. He was the biggest painter in the biggest gallery and it was just down the road from where I lived. How lucky was I? I couldn’t wait to go. I could feel the anticipation building inside me like bubbles rising and popping in cola. I’d heard excellent things. We all had. It was a paying show and it was notoriously hard to get tickets. I’d secured mine months in advance. People were peddling fake ones on street corners to make a quick buck. That’s how popular they were. I was going with my friend, Se Yung....

8 comments 8
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“The Black Tulip” by Sasan Sedighi

Submitted to Contest #242

In the dimly lit museum, the silence was broken only by the faint sound of an infamous art thief's muffled breathing, known to law enforcement agencies as 'The Ghost.' He crouched behind a marble statue, his heart pounding in his chest with the adrenaline surge in his blood and his palms slick with sweat of anticipation. As an adrenaline junky, he was again on a mission, and every nerve in his body was on edge as he observed his target, protected by the museum's state-of-the-art security system. The Interpol had been chasing The Ghost for ye...

10 comments 10
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“A Day With Degas” by Annie Hewitt

Submitted to Contest #242

In an apartment uptown:“Please! Just come with me. I really want to see this exhibit.” “Not interested, Brynn. Go by yourself. You know, it’s okay to do things by yourself sometimes,” said Henry. He had just gotten home from an all-night study session with his study group and was lying on the couch desperate to get to bed. “You might even enjoy it more if you don’t have to explain everything to me,” said Henry. “I like explaining things to you. You’re my little brother, and you need me to enlighten you,” she said laughing. “You. Need. S...

14 comments 14
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“Apparition in Blue, No. 5. ” by Darya Black

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #242

“There is a hidden side to every picture—the conception which was in the artist’s mind and heart. That conception, when he formed it, expressed itself clearly in the astral and mental matter, even though he may have succeeded but partially in bringing his idea down to the physical world.” — C. W. Leadbeater, The Hidden Side of Things, Vol. II, 1913  1: Separation I don’t know much about the man who created me. I feel only threads of him, currents of his energy seeping through the paint in my veins. In my mind, he is a bearded man, ...

17 comments 17
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“Souls of Great Chiefs” by Sirref Pen Name

Submitted to Contest #242

In 1839, fifteen-year-old Cole Jasper Coaler sketched in his Greek and Algebra rule books maps of the United States, beginning east of the Mississippi, he drew the states and their borders green shadings for the wild forests, then finally on its own page, the Republic of Texas: the state itself as big as the entire eastern part of the country he drew, bordered by the shape of repeating rifles and colt revolvers and arrows and lances separating it distinctly from the rest of the world, horses and phantom humans of mythological shape dabbed by...

6 comments 6
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“On the Other Side of the Wall” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #242

Emma's chest felt tight. Even with the wall down, it felt wrong to be crossing over to the other side."This is exciting," her father said, his words landing with a dull thud in the silence of the family car. Sure, it had been exciting when the first reports hit the news. It had been exciting for a moment, but that moment had passed. Now it was weird.Emma's mother smiled and cleared her throat. "When was the last time you visited the other side, dear?" she asked dutifully.Her father glanced over his shoulder into the back seat where Emma sat ...

13 comments 13
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“Where Blue Orchids Bloom” by Pamela Moore

Submitted to Contest #242

She stood gracefully in an old garden, the sun constantly kissing her autumn skin. Behind her, emerald green sycamore trees grew in the middle of the breezy meadow. She gently held onto her snow-white bonnet with one delicate hand, and she clutched a bouquet of orchids ranging in different shades of blue in the other. Her dark, curly hair was tied up into a bun with loose strands hanging beside her darling face.  God, her face.  She had an exquisitely curved nose that was placed perfectly between her sweet, almond eyes. Her smile w...

4 comments 4
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“The Thinker Strikes Again” by Laurie Spellman

Submitted to Contest #242

So, I'm twenty-two and haven't shared a smooch, been on a date, or even held hands with anyone? Well, I'm the one and only Maisie May Jones. I have been too busy slaying at life! Or maybe I was waiting for the perfect moment to sweep someone off their feet (or for them to sweep me off mine). I'm a Texan from Corpus Christi - the land of beautiful beaches and overgrown cowtowns. Who needs a date when you can chill at the beach with a margarita and the sun on your face? As a five-year-old, I fell in love with the art world and dreamed of ...

17 comments 17
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“Look With Your Heart” by McKade Kerr

Submitted to Contest #242

Charles walked into the museum slowly, shuffling with his polished hardwood cane. He looked around and frowned.  Kids? He thought in disgust, looking at a family with three young children. Who on earth brings kids to an art museum!? Those inconsiderate, selfish people. They’ll ruin it for the rest of us! Charles, a longtime fan of the arts, (more accurately, a professional fan of the arts), knew that only the most refined, dignified, educated person could enjoy them. Having two PhD’s on the subject, he knew what art was. He kn...

9 comments 9
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“Legends of the Midnight Gallery” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #242

Joe Klimazawa knew the secrets of the Midnight Gallery. He knew what happened when the clock struck midnight.  He knew because he had been the night watchman for over ten months.  While the De Young Museum was the most popular in the city, Zaroff’s Museum of the Occult attracted many patrons who were curious and fascinated with the bizarre displays of ornamentation from all over the world such as head hunters’ trophies and voodoo dolls left dangling from the rafters of the Dark Arts Wing. Joe knew that strange things happened at mi...

4 comments 4
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“Night Bird” by Martin Marriott

Submitted to Contest #242

Paris, 1954 There are things in the world that can’t be explained with rational thinking or scientific logic. Sometimes, there are phenomena that baffle the mind, and no matter how hard we try to rationalise the irrational, we will never arrive at a rational conclusion. That is precisely what happened to Étienne Dubois in the spring of 1954 when he secured a part-time job as a security guard at the Louvre.Étienne Dubois was a man of scientific reasoning. He took the part-time job as a security guard to help fund his final year at the Univers...

5 comments 5
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“The Poor Poet” by Renate Buchner

Submitted to Contest #242

The walls of an ancient Scottish castle arranged with paintings of people, animals, and abstract figures began to come to life as darkness fell and froze as daylight returned. My aunt used to tell me this fairy tale all the time. Yes, it was a long time ago, and I have since gone to the museum several times at night to write down my thoughts. I even pursued it as a career. You could think I'm a loser. But I'm telling you, it's all true. Do not give me this look. I noticed you staring at me with your enlarged, weary eyes. The art historian's ...

2 comments 2
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“ECHOES OF SOLITUDE: A NIGHT IN THE MUSEUM” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #242

"Hey! Can anyone hear me?" Dave pounded the door with all his might, his blows echoing through the museum's empty restroom. All attempts to escape the awkward situation were in vain. The silence in the restroom only heightened the anxiety he felt at being unable to exit. The intense sensation of fear gnawed at his nerves, with no way out. To exacerbate matters, there seemed to be no reason for the restroom door to be locked; it was a public facility accessible at all times.The museum's restroom sprawled out expansively, its spaciousness echo...

6 comments 6
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$250

Prize money

264

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 22, 2024 EST

Won by Niamh O'Dea 🏆

Title: Do Not Touch

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 | Many Hands | 2024-09

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