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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#248: From the Top

Often, one of the most difficult parts of writing a story is giving it a name. I've been known to agonize for days over finding the "perfect" title — because, like it or not, we do judge a story by its title. Those few words at the top of the page set the tone for what follows, and picking the right ones matters.

This week, I'm asking you to approach titles in a different way. Rather than writing your story and then choosing your title, we want you to start "from the top" with a just title and see where it takes you. I've selected some evocative titles from literature to inspire you — but don't worry, you don't need to have read the original works to respond to them.

This week's prompts

Write a story titled 'A Tale of Two Cities'.

Adventure – 33 stories

Write a story titled 'Paradise Lost'.

Angst – 70 stories

Write a story titled 'Desperate Remedies'.

Dark – 65 stories

Write a story titled 'The Wind in the Willows'.

Spring – 48 stories

Write a story titled 'Persuasion'.

Funny – 41 stories

Stories

“The Wind in the Willows” by Rachel Henry

Submitted to Contest #248

The snow and ice had long since melted and the ground was beginning to warm. The spirits that had made their homes along the banks of the Calic Lake had long grown restless. They had been watching the trees planted around the edges for the first signs of life. It was their favorite part of the transition from winter to spring.Selina was the first to see the blue spark of life that resided in the willow to the east of the lake begin to burn brighter. She called to her three sisters who rushed to the base of the tree and sat to watch the flick...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #248

Willow, Montana1889 Hunk Harte lies back on his wife’s lap. Annabelle playfully twists his blonde curls, kissing him on the top of his head. The pair of teens gaze up at the starry sky. Annabelle points at a glowing light streaking across the sky. “Look, Hunk, a shootin’ star!” “Make a wish.” “I wish this moment could last forever.” “Carnsarn-it, Annabelle, you ain’t supposed to tell me, cause then it won’t come true!” An enormous shadow whisks by. “Land sakes! That things movin’ lickety split!” the freckle-faced bride marvels. Flames and ...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by Traci Dietrich

Submitted to Contest #248

Age 4: Anna ran beneath the dreamy, dangling branches of her favorite tree she affectionately called Willa. She loved jumping up to try to grab the willows as the wind blew them around. The sound of her giggles echoed across the prairie grasses surrounding the tree, and the birds happily chirped back at her. Anna had been visiting this tree from the time she could walk. Nearly every day her mom would sit on the back porch and watch her wander down the hill, disappearing beneath the willows. Anna treated the tree like it was her favorit...

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“'The Wind in the Willows'” by Kathy Walsh

Submitted to Contest #248

The air surrounding the fields of the farmhouse was stagnant and still. The blades of grass bent a bit over with the heat and lack of moisture. The weeping willow trees stood like mighty sentry along the drive up to the two-hundred-year-old farmhouse. Their long branches bent over practically touching the ground. No movement could be detected in their branches and stature. Alice being bored, wanted to get out of the house. It seemed as though the atmosphere within was full of tension and this caused ...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by E. Roux

Submitted to Contest #248

Golden Springs, another backwood village that doesn’t make the requirements to be worth a spot on a map, Vania thought as her blue Citroen reached the first sign of civilisation, saying ‘Welcome to Golden Springs’. The GPS had left her in the middle of nowhere about twenty minutes ago, unable to find a signal. The moment Chief Richards stood in front of her desk and announced the news of her temporary assignment to the police force, Vania thought that it was probably one of his usual pranks. Driving blind, Vania was almost certain she got lo...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by Ariella S

Submitted to Contest #248

The island could be lonely at times, but with Grandmother Mimi there and her stories, whispers, and touch, I could never ever be alone. My sisters and I fell in love with her as soon as she first held us in her arms, and I understand why mom could never move away from her. There was a certain stillness, calmness, and persistence of happiness that bubbled around me when I was with her. There was one summer when I had Grandmother Mimi to myself for a whole two weeks, which meant we could do all our favourite activities, with no sisterly ...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by Van Griffin

Submitted to Contest #248

Joran awoke to the late morning sun shining softly across his face. He labored into the bathroom and set his palms on the sink to stare at his reflection. His eyes habitually veered away but he kept bringing them back to look. He did this because he started entertaining the idea of her attraction to him again, hoping she could somehow find it in his shadowy, disproportionate features. He dressed himself and prepared breakfast. The butter was spoiled so he used olive oil to fry the eggs and scooped a dollop of peanut butter into a small dish ...

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“Persuasion ” by Jill Martin

Submitted to Contest #248

“Are you kidding me?” Meg said. “We’ve got to walk that narrow ledge? With that sheer drop-off?” June knew that Meg was afraid of heights. June had been on this hike many times, and had thought that Meg could handle it. That it wouldn’t be too scary. But now Meg had stopped, her eyes huge. “It’s not bad at all, trust me,” said June. “Just go right behind me, keep your eyes on my back. Don’t look down.” ...

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“Persuasion” by Jason Hughes

Submitted to Contest #248

I am a curious skeptic. What this means is that while I am skeptical of a lot of things, I am also curious about the experience. Which is why I agreed to go with my mom when she said she wanted to visit a medium. I had never had a desire to do this before. It isn’t something that even crossed my mind to try. But when my cousin was talking about his experience with it, I could see that my mom was completely enthralled. It didn’t take mu...

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“Persuasion” by Faith Palma

Submitted to Contest #248

“I was warned that you would come,” the old shopkeeper said as he slowly folded the reading glasses he was cleaning and set them in his pocket. “I can’t help you, Hector.”Hector entered into the man’s dim-lit shop and closed the door. Sunlight peaked in from thin windows at the top of the room, barely illuminating the dusty wares. Hector paid them no mind, his gaze fixed on the man before him. “I know what you want,” the shopkeeper continued. “But it wouldn’t help you.”Hector said nothing but stepped closer to the shopkeeper. His heavy ...

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“Persuasion” by Joshua Urrasio

Submitted to Contest #248

"I’m moving to Greece.” That’s the first thing I heard when I woke up that morning.It had been through a voicemail. She had called me when she knew that I would be out cold, too immersed in sleep to wake up to the phone ringing. She had called my home phone, because she knew that I always kept it downstairs, tucked away in its little spot by the outlet on my kitchen counter.I padded downstairs, still yawning. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat down at my kitchen table when I noticed my home phone as I passed it. The small digital scree...

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“Persuasion” by Jay Dotson

Submitted to Contest #248

The red is too informal, Jason Ellis thought as he hastily loosened and tossed the fifth tie he had tried on in the past thirteen minutes. Next up was the black-and-white striped tie, an 18th birthday present from his uncle. She’ll think I’m dull, he silently scowled to himself. Another reject to the pile. His heart rate skyrocketed to a zenith unseen since that one day in Jason’s 9th-grade class that his parents threatened him never to speak of again. At this rate, he may as well just give up and deploy the “nuclear option.” Yet, as soon as...

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“A Tale of Two Cities” by Sumaira Ahmed

Submitted to Contest #248

I stare out the window to the burnt Ficus leaves wilting under the scorching sun as I rock my baby daughter who I have scooped up in my arms. The cooling wind of our ceiling fan blows from its lips and wipes all traces of sweat from our follicles. Once her eye lids comfortably sink into the cushions of her lashes, I gently lay her down onto her cloud-like mattress. I stare at her face for many minutes thereafter as she lies still, peacefully resting her innocent little soul. She squeezes her baby and sprints through the tumbling rubble. Lar...

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“A Tale of Two Cities” by Nathanael Card

Submitted to Contest #248

“Aghhhhh, more blastin’ nothin’!” The troll hurled the crumbling vase across the decaying chamber, shattering upon impact with the old bricks. The young man that sat behind him whipped around as soon as he heard the crash and clatter of the antique. “Delrik, those are ancient artifacts!” He said.“They’re rotten lumps o’ glass, Elias, that’s what they are!” Delrik grumbled, dusting his old tunic off. “You said we would find riches! Instead, we’re diggin’ through garbage!”“No, I said we might find riches,” Elias replied, “but you’ve ...

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“A Tale of Two Cities” by Sadie Poulsen

Submitted to Contest #248

There once were two cities located quite close to one another, a coastal city named Eris and a mountain city named Trops. The fair citizens of the cities could not catch a break, regularly suffering through floods, earthquakes and more. This had to do with the animosity that existed between the cities, who each hated the other. “Whatcha doing there Reed? That doesn’t look like engineering, which I thought was what you were supposed to be studying.” Ink and parchment went tumbling to the floor as Reed jumped up and fell across the table...

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$250

Prize money

257

Contest entries

96

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 03, 2024 EST

Won by Honey Homecroft 🏆

Title: Paradise Lost

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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