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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#252: Obsession

The Netflix series Baby Reindeer, inspired by a real-life stalker story, has garnered millions of views over the past month while receiving both critical acclaim and heavy backlash. In the show, a chance encounter between a barman and a total stranger descends into a chaotic tale of stalking, destruction, and mutual obsession. Delving into themes of personal boundaries, power dynamics, identity struggles, and mental health problems, the show depicts some of the complexities and contradictions inherent in human psychology.

Inspired by Baby Reindeer, this week's prompts are an invitation to explore some of the nuances of human behavior. Whether you write a witty story, a heartwarming tale, or something tense and gripping is up to you!

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character being followed.

Dramatic – 99 stories

Write about a character who struggles to do the right thing.

Character – 35 stories

Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

Character – 39 stories

Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story.

Dramatic – 129 stories

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Character – 55 stories

Stories

“You Can Always Pray” by S.C Sanborn

Submitted to Contest #252

The weather was beautiful, sunny, and there was a slight breeze, so there was absolutely zero chance that I would be headed to the beach that day. That was the thing about living in a beach town. When tourist season hit, everything awesome about living near the ocean was negated by the onrush of the summertime hordes. So instead of heading south to the bleached white sands, my dog and I were headed north, to the bar. Traffic in this direction was no better. The town was simply never meant to contain this many people. Adding a ferry to ...

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“Fateful Night in Akron” by TC Cook

Submitted to Contest #252

The moon is high, the crisp autumn air bracing as it meanders through the, now still, streets of Akron. No cars on the road, just the subtle sounds of wind whistling down the pavement, giving the street a very calming sense of undisturbed peacefulness. Most everyone has already turned in for the evening and drifted off to sleep, ready to resume their lives in the morning. Scattered bits of light spilled into the street from a few windows, indicating some night owls were still awake. The rain drying on asphalt from the recent drizzle formed a...

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“Mr. Fluffy” by Steven Shroyer

Submitted to Contest #252

Warning: This story involves a mother who has just murdered her child and is loosely inspired by a real person who has committed such crimes.“Squeaky. Squeaky.” Jessie Bair turned around and looked behind her. Her daughter’s teddy was sitting on the floor in front of the linen closet. She rubbed her eyes, moving her fingers to her temples massaging them before turning around and heading back down the hall to the stairway. She was obviously a wreck. Her mind was definitely imaging the sound of the plastic squeaker in the teddy bear’s fe...

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“Following Me” by Joy Watts

Submitted to Contest #252

Allen was on his way home at dusk from the grocery store. He started to notice that it seemed someone was following him. The head lights were beaming into his center rear view mirror and side mirrors. He lives in a neighborhood with winding streets and hills. He made a right on Grove Street, and the car kept following him, then he made a left on Spruce Street, and still the same head lights were projecting on to the rear-view mirror.Allen starts to get paranoid thinking who is following me, so he decides to take an alternate route within the...

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“The Touch of Fate” by Megan Chapman

Submitted to Contest #252

21/05/087Dear DiaryIt’s finally happened. My own personal Fate has graced me with her presence. She’s currently 5 metres away, looking like that classic humanoid haze everyone describes. I can’t actually tell if she’s a woman or not, I suppose fate doesn’t really have a gender, but I figure it makes the whole thing a little less terrifying if I can just pretend she’s one of the girls. Maybe I’ll name her, something non-threatening like Alice or Lilly. I’ll have to think about it.Obviously, the first thing I did when she appeared was cal...

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“All Health Breaks Loose” by Ellista Ikenberry

Submitted to Contest #252

I glanced over my shoulder, and there he was, slinking, believing he was out of sight when he wasn’t. I didn’t know what he wanted or why he had chosen to follow me of all people. But there he was, tracking me all the way back to my apartment for the third time that month Stupid cat. He was mangy, his fur knotted in places, missing in others. I could tell his life hadn’t been a stroll through a sunny meadow. I watched him for a while, fascinated by the way he moved with graceful precision. This was a beautiful creature. My brain switch...

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“Bad Luck” by Fredrich TheFrogdrick

Submitted to Contest #252

Tell me, who do dangerous people target? It’s the people who walk slowly, looking at their feet or looking around at the beauty of the world. Or at least that’s what most of them target, but some ignore how you walk or how you look at the world, for some, there is no rhyme or reason, just bad luck.One day you’re walking home. It’s not yet dark, but the sun is setting. There are a few clouds in the purpling sky, but none are threatening to rain on you. You might have something to protect yourself, on your keychain or in your pocket, but ...

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“Breaking Up Is..” by Odile Glatz

Submitted to Contest #252

I stood at the mirror in my bathroom. My thick, dark hair needed taming down. I needed the opposite of a volumizer. My almond shaped eyes had dark circles underneath them. I inherited both my amber eyes and the dark circles from my mom. Makeup solved that problem, but I still wasn’t happy. How did I end up dating Teddy? Now, he was even talking about marriage and it had been less than two months! I needed to have a “talk” with Teddy. Seven wee...

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“Til Dusk Do Us Part (Revisited)” by Samuel Bowen

Submitted to Contest #252

Caul appeared ageless like a painting of nobility, yet his eyes betrayed his flawlessness. For beyond the carved complexion, an ancient weight sunk below his brows. Blood tinted irises separated the void of his pupil from the darkness in the blacks of his eyes. His graceful gaze fell on the smatter of gore at his feet. The remnants of the grey flesh shuddered in the wind, clinging limply to ashen bones. The discordant array of sinew in the field of crimson could not be recognized as having once been human. Bile polished Caul’s shoes as...

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“Angela” by Annabelle Stableford

Submitted to Contest #252

“It’s the right thing to do,” Angela’s best friend Carmen tells me as she sips her matcha. I didn’t order anything, hoping this coffee shop bombardment wouldn’t last long, but now I wish I had a drink to look at instead of Carmen’s pouting face. “It’s the right thing to do,” she repeats. “I know you love her, but she’s starting a new life. Do you really want to tie her down?” Carmen has never liked me, no matter how many times I’ve tried to show her that Angela and I are right for each other. I don’t have anything to say. D...

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“Footsteps in the mud” by Amisha Connor

Submitted to Contest #252

Content Warning:This story contains graphic descriptions of physical suffering, war, violence, death, PTSD, and emotional distress.'I couldn't think straight.'He said looking down at his hands. I said nothing back but could feel that he had to justify himself. 'If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't have either,' I said nothing, for he was probably right..***'I couldn't think straight,' the journalist's gaze shifted down to my hands. 'I was numbed, with the cold and with the fear...' I swallowed, the metallic taste of saliva rolling down my t...

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“The Old Soldier's Dream” by Kenneth Penn

Submitted to Contest #252

Booker stirred restlessly in his sleep, plagued by a familiar nightmare. The wind howled like a banshee. He ran, barefoot and shirtless, unmindful of the marbled gray rocks strewn across patches of dying grass. Snowy curls of kinky hair glistened wetly against the dark skin of his chest. His arms pumped madly, his breathing hitching in and out in short gasps. A warning stitch dug painfully at his side, but he couldn’t afford to stop. He wasn’t going to make it in time. Around him, the darkness seemed to thicken, blotting out all but two pair...

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“The Cynic Clinic” by Alex McColm

Submitted to Contest #252

Silas Romanov , head of pharmaceutical giant Cytech , the world's leading anti-depressant and anti-psychotics manufacturer , took a long draw of his Cuban cigar , exhaled steadily and looked down on the rest of Manhattan , smiling. Ironically , the glossy black of the surrounding tower blocks reminded him of the shiny onyx tombstone he'd picked out for his father. Death was final and fruitless , and more importantly , sickeningly unprofitable. Everything was going according to plan , as long as the human race remained self destructive , Cyte...

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“Reunion” by Tracey Shillito

Submitted to Contest #252

Reunion , It was ten minutes to midnight and I was on my way to bed when the doorbell rang. I should have ignored it – no natural caller appears uninvited at that time of night – but curiosity got the better of me. I hadn’t forgotten the anniversary, how could I? But it wasn’t in the forefront of my mind or I might have acted differently. When I opened the door a ghost stared back at me. I staggered backwards. ‘But ... you can’t be ... I thought you were –’ She responded with a coy little shimmy and a sly smile. ‘Dead?’ A chill trickled thr...

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“'Til Death Do Us Part?” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #252

Somehow, I had settled on marrying a narcissist. It didn’t quite resonate with me until I studied at university and read about behaviours in humans. The similarities I noticed between my husband and the sociological outlook of a narcissist fascinated me. Physically and emotionally, he’s comfortable with me, but he checked out a long time ago. I see, hear, and feel it with everything he does. It’s a level of comfort he’s reached with me. Regardless of the circumstances, I am as dependable as a rock in his life. He’s got me by the ...

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$250

Prize money

357

Contest entries

143

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 31, 2024 EST

Won by Danielle LeBlanc 🏆

Title: Seven Hundred and Thirty Days

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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