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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#244: Oh Snap!

Photography is the art of capturing light, and moments; a way to freeze time and observe the ever-changing nature of life, if only in a small way. Pictures serve as a testament to our experience, helping us remember, understand, and share it. From cherished childhood snapshots to historical photographs, artistic compositions, and even selfies, some pictures truly are worth a thousand words.

This week’s prompts are all about photographs and the stories and meanings behind them — just remember that, in this case, a picture is worth between 1 and 3 thousand words.

This week's prompts

Center your story around a photo that goes viral.

Funny – 29 stories

Start your story with a character staring at a picture they don’t remember taking.

Mystery – 73 stories

Write a story about a character who risks their life to take a photo.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write about a character who sees a photo they shouldn’t have seen.

Dramatic – 66 stories

Begin or end your story with a character taking a selfie.

Fluff – 33 stories

Stories

“Hard Reality” by Yossi Katzin

Submitted to Contest #244

Is there anything in this world more unwanted than an unsolicited dick pic?“What the fuck, Richard?” My girlfriend was fuming. She stormed up to me and thrust her phone into my face. It bore an unmistakably erect penis.I winced at the photo and glanced around the outdoor cafe we frequented. “What the fuck, Elaine?” I murmured. “Look familiar?”“I’m not looking at some dude’s cock. Why would you show me this?”“It’s not some dude’s, Richard. It’s yours.” She was berating me at full volume. I glanced around again. We were getting looks.“Kee...

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“Seeking” by Brittaney Gambrell

Submitted to Contest #244

The tree whispers what are you doing here? The wind howls you don’t belong. Yet here I am, high in the canopy. Why, the bird asks, perching on a branch above me. Why would a ground-dweller place itself high in a tree where only winged creatures should be. I cling to the thin portion of the tree’s sturdy center as the questions run through my mind. My decision to climb now feels foolish as the winds long to send me back to the ground. But I know my reason...

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“Tommy” by Anna Popnikolova

Submitted to Contest #244

The house hadn’t been warm in all the years I’d been there. We went once a month, every month, since I was young enough to remember, and it was always the same.It wasn’t that the heat was broken — Mom had sent electricians, a heating-and-cooling-expert to the house, taught her how to use the thermostat, and tried anything else under the sun. One month, Mom was so inspired as to load up the back of the minivan with grocery store firewood and hand deliver it once a week. She gave up when she realized Grandma was just carrying it and stacking i...

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“Reflective” by Maximilian Gunnarsson

Submitted to Contest #244

When I moved into the wreck called a charming cabin which only needed a few renovations by the realtor I was met by the stale air and the intensive odour of the ageing furniture and flaking wallpaper. The realtor who had shown me the cabin had made few efforts to bear a positive perspective of the decaying wood and the moss which grew over the croft, since he considered me a hermit and a loner who only wanted an escape from the suffocating air of community with no regard for quality of living. He considered me a deal already made and gave me...

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“Negative feelings” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #244

It was a photo that I was never supposed to see. I think it was a photo that nobody was supposed to see. It was the photo that solved the mystery that started with the letter which I found in a book completely by accident. Finding the photo was a bit harder!I looked closely at this letter and realised that it was actually a love letter. Did people write love letters anymore? Surely everyone communicated by email or by what’s app message. Maybe it was older than it looked and had been stuck between the pages of the book for many years.I shoul...

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“Brave, Bold, and Fearless ” by AJ Diaz

Submitted to Contest #244

“She’s brave, bold and fearless.” “And so are we.” “But she is different. She must become brave, bold and fearless like us.” “But how?” “Don’t you know? We corrupt her mind.” “How?” “It’s very easy, actually. You’ve forgotten about the vault.” That was what they were saying, but those weren’t the words they were saying ^^^ those were the words that they thought they were saying. Here is the *actual* conversation word for word: “She’s a natural beauty.” “And so are we,” but she’d said it like a question. “For the most pa...

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“Thank God I Got My Boating License” by Hannah Deegan

Submitted to Contest #244

Blood is thicker than water, they say. Meaning that the bond of family is stronger than any other relationship you have in your life. Whether that be a marriage, or a 20-year friendship is irrelevant. Still, a pretty intense phrase. As if the moment you pop out of the womb, every person you’re related to takes this oath to solemnly and truthfully swear to protect you until their dying breath. In all honesty, when each of my siblings was born, I made that very vow. That no person would hurt them. Till death do us part, if you will. With only ...

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“The Secret In the Attic” by Annabella Obasi

Submitted to Contest #244

The rain was falling heavily on the foggy window, and the wind was blowing dangerously. The sky was getting darker and darker by the minute. Meanwhile, a little girl named Amelia was in her cottage with her grandfather. Her grandfather appeared to be sweet and innocent, but Amelia soon discovered that things were not as they seemed. Amelia’s parents died when she was two years old. She vividly remembers it. Her parents left her with her babysitter and told her they would be at her grandparents’ house. Thirty minutes later, she found out that...

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“The Modern American Home” by Kevin O'Connor

Submitted to Contest #244

Trigger warning: Violent images. They had just installed the new fridge. The boy’s father grunted and cussed as he jammed it into place, sweat soaking his collar. The Philco V Handle, the finest refrigerator money can buy. Silver chrome, knock ‘em dead. The boy was excited about it, he made a big fuss over the whole affair. He liked the way it could open on either side, depending on how the handle was pressed. “It’s dually-hinged,” the father explained, wearing his classic grin. The boy’s mother said it didn’t have enough room. She stood in...

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“Dude...” by Jeff Macloud

Submitted to Contest #244

"Dude," I said, starting to giggle a little. "What are you doing?"Benji, my compadre since forever - so high on an edible that he couldn't stand still, with his pants and boxers down to his ankles - was taking a selfie at the urinal beside me.We had stopped at a random Safeway, somewhere south of Fresno, at 2am, to grab Takis hot chips for Benji. We'd both been pounding Diet Mountain Dew. And I needed to get the blood pumping. It had been a long day of music festival."Look, look," he was excited and snickering, like he was four and had just ...

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“A Mortician's Journey” by S.A.R.A M.A

Submitted to Contest #244

Hi, my name is Aaron, and I'm a mortician. When people hear that, they make sure to make their opinion clear to me, “ What a strange life choice for a 26-year-old man.” But It feels right to me. I don’t quite remember the day that I chose to study mortuary science. I do, however, easily remember the reason - plenty of deaths in my family. I've been to more funerals than a little bit. I’m one year younger than my brother Elerby. He and I don’t have a lot of cousins within our a...

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“Recollection of Sangin” by Joshua Sulentic

Submitted to Contest #244

[This story contains references to Post-Traumatic Stress, suicide, mental injury, and combat. Reader discretion is advised.] “Who’s that, Daddy?” My daughter looked up at me with big green eyes, full of her typical childlike curiosity. I pulled the slightly faded polaroid out of the picture book we were thumbing through and showed it to her a bit better. “I’m not sure, kiddo.” I studied the picture to try to make out the face, but the quality wasn’t very good. It was me and another guy in desert combat uniforms and plate carriers with our he...

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“Behind the shelf” by A.B. Boatman

Submitted to Contest #244

Grey shadows seemed to move at the edge of my vision, like something was watching me; something I would never be able to catch in the act. Like whispers just behind a curtain. I brought my attention back to the photograph in my hand. It was a vaguely familiar face; large, bright eyes of grey blue, framed by glasses that complimented the shape of her face; stark eyebrows against pale skin. A wide, easy smile. She was undeniably beautiful. And it was undeniably me that was next to her. The problem was, I had no clu...

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“Sunny Days” by Wendy Rappeport

Submitted to Contest #244

Sunny stared at the photo she didn't remember taking. Who was that stick-thin figure with no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes, white as a ghost. She gasped, goodness me, it was her! She dredged her brain and tried to think when the photo had been taken. Maybe Ashley took it. She tried to meditate to escape from her thoughts, but all she could do was to go over the past months. Usually she could focus on her young grandson with his cheery smile, blond wavy hair and deep brown eyes, but today she kept reminiscing, with interjections from that m...

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“Under the Oak Tree” by Tess Allen

Submitted to Contest #244

I stare at the photo held between my thumb and pointer. It’s of her. Face on. As if she’s looking right at me. With those eyes. Swirly pools of green with flecks of brown. Those eyes I used to know. I glance at the little brown suitcase, its open lid marked with the initials ‘EJM’ in scrawly black marker. I tap the photo repeatedly against my other palm, as if in time with the ticking clock on the bedside table. Willing myself to recall. You’d think I’d know when this was taken. And yet, the answer escapes me. As if my memories are held back...

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$250

Prize money

239

Contest entries

91

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 05, 2024 EST

Won by K.A. Murray 🏆

Title: The Party

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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