Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#250: All Ears

Every now and then, you overhear something you really weren’t supposed to. Whether it’s deliberate eavesdropping or an innocent accident, you must now decide what to do with your ill-gotten information.

This week’s prompts are themed around stolen snippets of conversation. Will your characters understand the gravity of what they’ve heard? What will they do next? It's all up to you.

This week's prompts

Write a story in which someone is afraid of being overheard.

Dialogue – 64 stories

Write a story about a child overhearing something they don’t understand.

Kids – 62 stories

Write a story in which someone can only hear one side of a conversation and must piece together the meaning of what they’ve heard.

Dialogue – 38 stories

A character overhears something at a black-tie event that puts the night in jeopardy.

Mystery – 46 stories

Your teacher tasks you with writing a story based on an eavesdropped conversation. When the story is published, your subject isn’t happy.

Funny – 15 stories

Stories

“ Where are you from? (Raqs sharqi - رقص شرقي)” by John Rutherford

Submitted to Contest #250

The goddess Aphrodite, wearing her magic girdle of love, her bedlah, so desirable, so beautiful, she shimmied in front of my eyes. My eyes were mesmerized by her enticing, swaying body, I imagined they were on extended stalks like a bugs bunny cartoon character. Her snake arm movement accentuated the soft dark olive skin as her long luscious dark hair cascading over her bare shoulders and arched back, her jeweled belly quivered enticingly, the sheen of her lean muscle tone shone under the spotlights overhead, and at the side of the stage. He...

Read story

“Moratorium” by Ross O'Donnell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #250

“And so I told him, he’d have to earn back my trust!” Mort rasped between fits of laughter. “Get it? Urn? Because he’s always harping on about that big stupid urn his sister bought him!” He slapped his thigh with one bony hand and relapsed into cackles, reliving his moment. I shook my head fondly, grinning the stiff, rigor-mortis grin of a wife who’d long since learned to see the punchline coming, and instead mostly focused on admiring the strong cheekbones of the comedian who lay by my side. It was not a bad pastime. For any softness i...

Read story

“My Words” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #250

Flashing cameras created orbs of lights dancing around the lobby. It was not my first time at the Manhattan Club Gala, but the anticipation washed over me as if it were. My novel’s position as number one on the bestseller list was tenuous and hung on for dear life.Standing at the bar, I listened to the conversations floating through the air. Greetings were exchanged with various levels of sincerity, making it difficult to discern between friend and foe. We were, after all, each other’s competition for the coveted award.As...

Read story

“The Secret in Dragon Bones” by Alexandra Caulway

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #250

The walls of the event hall are glass. Transparent panes lead to a curved ceiling decorated with painted dragons, the modern walls a recent installment after a fire forced us to repair them. Instead of reconstructing the ancient style, the architects went for simplicity, clarity. Something different. It feels at odds, though, with the rich warmth of the ceiling and the deep colors of the jewel-toned dragons. The glass lets the night in, and from my spot at the entrance, I watch the guests arrive in glitter and black and finery, paradin...

Read story

“Tennis At Mar-a-Lago” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #250

Ayesha was ambitious, good at school, and now had a real job. When her mom asked her to keep an eye on Dad, the pint-sized first-grader took the assignment to heart. Later that afternoon, on hearing noises in her dad’s study, she tiptoed to the door. The wood felt rough as she pressed her ear against it. Her heart raced in anticipation. From TV, she knew parents usually take drugs or kiss other people behind closed doors.Dad was talking, but the words he used were confusing. “The testicular biopsy results show a stage 3 carcinoma…” He w...

Read story

“ECHOES OF DARKNESS” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #250

As Alex crept further into the abandoned café, the floorboards groaned beneath his cautious footsteps, each creak reverberating through the desolate space like a mournful cry. The air hung heavy with the scent of decay, a musty odor that seemed to seep from every crack and crevice, adding to the foreboding that wrapped around him like a suffocating cloak. The flickering light from his flashlight danced wildly across the walls, casting grotesque shadows that seemed to writhe and twist in the dimness. Every corner of the café held a new terror...

Read story

“Quiet Recognition” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #250

I know you think it isn’t a big deal when you get a phone call from the Secretary. You know, we’ve--I remember coming up at a time when you could hear something unusual, and you would--You would write it off. It was a conspiracy. It sounds crazy. It is crazy. It’s crackpot. You sound like a crackpot. That’s how it was when I first moved here. We used to make fun of people who talked about watching what you say in public. Even people with high clearance. Even people working on--you know--projects that weren’t even verified. If they were in a ...

Read story

“The Queer Black Hand Note” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #250

“Psst”.“Vincento?”He was like a cat, from the back alley to the dimly lit sidewalk beside her, he was suddenly there, holding her hand.“How is my Ethel?” said Vincento.They caressed, her curly blonde locks spilling back from her eager face as she succumbed to his embrace and his exploring hands.“Vincento! Not here. Not now. Someone might see us”.Ethel grabbed his wandering hand and clasped it in hers, and they stood grinning at each other in the dim glow of the gas light at the Italian end of the street where the row houses crammed closely t...

Read story

“Dear Lord” by Robert Egan

Submitted to Contest #250

Lloyd was not one to pray. That's what made the child's sudden prayer all the more terrifying. It came while Lloyd was working the heavy bag. Fists up, he whirled to face the sound's source, but there was only the voice, a little white girl's by the sound of it: "Dear Lord, please tell Rufus to stay out of my room. He can't be in my room because he's dirty. And please make me pretty like Mom, and if you could, have Beth Marie invite me to her birthday. World peace is good, too. Thank you, I love you." Now, one gloved hand paused in front of ...

Read story

“Echoes On The Bayou” by Laurie Spellman

Submitted to Contest #250

At a very young age, I realized I could pick up sound ranges like having the hearing of a canine, so I got the nickname Echo. My friends would tease me, but I knew I could use it for good someday. Army Ranger school was no joke, but I did it, one of a handful of women earning my commission and an assignment in the Military Police. After several tours of duty and over a hundred missions, I returned home and started the "Echo" LeBlanc Private Detective Agency.The transition from military to civilian life was tough, but starting my agency gave ...

Read story

“Lynley Strikes Again” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #250

My name is Lynley. I am eleven years old, and I attend middle school. My teacher, Miss Galloway, asked us to write a story about a conversation we shouldn’t have heard, either by accident or because we deliberately eavesdropped. Eavesdropping means standing below a house’s eaves to overhear a conversation you have no business listening to. Nowadays, it means you can be anywhere unseen, hanging out for private and scandalous snippets of news. It is like being a detective.I had fallen over and sprained my left hand. The bad...

Read story

“ THE WHISPERED CONFESSION” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #250

In the heart of the bustling city, where the cacophony of honking horns and hurried footsteps formed a chaotic symphony, nestled a quaint coffee shop known as "Whisper Brew." With its warm, inviting lights and the comforting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, this charming establishment drew in patrons seeking respite from the relentless hustle and bustle beyond its doors. Inside, the air was thick with the rich scent of coffee beans and the soft murmur of conversation, creating an atmosphere of serenity amidst the urban chaos.On this day, Whis...

Read story

“Booming Dunes” by Glenda Toews

Submitted to Contest #250

I knew the sound vibrating from your throat would pour like sand down mine. I knew my stomach would squeeze hunger when you closed the curtains on the day. I knew the walls would shriek when I saw you staring into your palm. I knew Henry would never fix it. The TV was on, and Barney was singing. The moan was back, and you stared deep into it. It was pressed in the middle of your palm, a red dot punched into skin by the tip of the knife you use to carve turkey on Christmas day. You were master of the blade and you stopped before the we...

Read story

“Diamonds, At Least ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #250

Ben pulled Warren aside. He checked to see if anyone could hear. This was important.“I have to tell you something. But you have to promise you won’t tell anyone else. No one.”“Sure. What’s up?”“I found… a treasure.” Warren’s eyes widened. “What kind…?”“You have to see. Come over after school. I’ll show you.”Thrown together in their seventh-grade home room, Warren became Ben’s best friend. He’d never laughed so much in his life. Some of their teachers had reconfigured their seating charts five times in two months. A record.~A classic latchkey...

Read story

“Animated” by Vid Weeks

Submitted to Contest #250

After the July sun outside my eyes were winding in their lens to acclimatise to the dim hallway. He motioned with a finger toward the dark semi-circular table next to the front door.“I expect your phone needs charging, you can leave it here, put it on this table.” Tony lifted a finger to his lips and glanced quickly back to the house.“Do you have anything else? Laptop, any other phones? Voice recorder, anything?” he asked in a whisper.I guess he didn’t see my shake of the head and shrug in the gloom. He stood waiting for a response.“No, noth...

Read story

Load more stories

$250

Prize money

225

Contest entries

105

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 17, 2024 EST

Won by VJ Hamilton 🏆

Title: Rhymes with Pepsi

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!

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢