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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

“Dielight” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #252

Something fluttered out of the night sky and landed on the road a short distance behind her.Kyla Gilbert let out a tiny yip of excitement. Nobody saw such a dorky response. She had the street to herself. And it was a good thing, too. If anyone had observed her, they’d have likely asked her what she was up to. And how would she have answered them? ‘Oh, don’t mind me; I’m off to lure a vampire into biting me and turning me into an immortal being’? No chance. Kyla zipped up her leather jacket – the zip was on the side, like Bella Cullen’s – and...

6 comments 6
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“Compulsion” by Devon Cano

Submitted to Contest #252

CW/TWs: Obsessive-compulsive thoughts*. There is also a brief depiction of gun violence. It wasn’t always a known factor that set Miriam off.  It would have been much easier if it was; she could have simply posted a sign titled “Words and Phrases to Avoid Around Miriam” on her office door. Or perhaps, “General Topics of Conversation That Are Potential Minefields, and While Miriam Is Aware That It Is Not Your Responsibility to Cater to Her Every Need, It Would be Awfully Nice if You Tried.”  But unfortunately, there were carelessl...

13 comments 13
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“Spilling the tea” by AnneMarie Miles

Submitted to Contest #252

It was dark inside the teapot. Crowded, too. Cast iron walls created a cavernous chamber that was both loud and cold. Around him, Smith sensed an endless sea of sticky flesh. It should have been warm, all those bare bodies, but instead, it felt clammy like a feverish chill. It made Smith's skin crawl; made him retract and contort and twist. No matter how he flinched, there was only more cold, sweating flesh; and without his vision, that was all there was.That, and the screaming.The screaming echoed, vibrated through his teeth, filling his ca...

15 comments 15
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“A Matter of Conscience” by Murray Burns

Submitted to Contest #252

A Matter of ConscienceThe middle child, often struggling for the table scraps of left-over attention lavished on the more accomplished older brother and the oh-so-cute little sister.Average height.Average weight.Average looks.Straight C’s on every report card from First Grade through his Sophomore year in high school, a feat that should have garnered some notice in and of itself but didn’t.Last kid on the bench in every team he ever played on.Even Christened with the most ordinary of names- Bob- frontward and backward the same.Junior year in...

4 comments 4
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“Take Me” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #252

Anabel shifted her weight uncomfortably. A strong ache had been working its way through her fleshy backside while it was crushed between her bones and the wrought iron park bench where she waited. She lifted her left leg and crossed it over her right knee, glancing hopefully up at the bench across the way where a man sat, scanning casually around the park. He didn't seem to notice her, despite her criminally short skirt, low cut crop top, and tight, smooth ponytail. She was sure he'd notice her, but was she sure she wanted him to notice her?...

11 comments 11
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“ELIM CIVOLUDAR'S MEMOIRS - OLD FLAMES” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #252

Three days ago, driven by an overwhelming sense of loneliness, I reached out to an old flame on Facebook. This wasn't just any past relationship; once upon a time, I was deeply and passionately in love with her. The intensity of my feelings made her decision to end our relationship particularly devastating.Her departure shattered me completely, leading to an emotional breakdown that lasted for three agonizing days. I was plunged into a profound emptiness and despair that felt insurmountable during that time. Despite the searing pain of ...

12 comments 12
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“Wish Away” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #252

In the pursuit of success, Dan had found a state where all his needs were taken care of. There was not one need that he could muster that was not already catered for. The identification of a need that required attending to became something of an obsession for him, and in time he began to suspect that he was becoming bored with life itself. That he’d bested the final boss, and there was nothing left to play for. He'd even toyed with an array of wants. Wants however, were substandard needs. Dan was wise to that from the outset, and so this var...

7 comments 7
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“Beyond The Sea ” by Giovanna Ramirez

Submitted to Contest #252

Warning: Language, Stalking, SuicideCredits of Lovefool: Nina Elisabet Persson & Peter Anders Svensson. Ocean waves ravaged inside her mind. It was the thought that soothed her. The trance sunk her deep into her spiral, one spin after the other, over and over until-“One caramel macchiato!” an outside voice boomed and snapped her out of her trance. She glanced around the coffee shop counter to search for the source of the voice. A young man in a barista uniform waved the cup in his hand to catch her attention. “Uh, Julie?” he re...

10 comments 10
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“Twenty One, A Mermaids Tale” by Scott Taylor

Submitted to Contest #252

A young woman named Lily lived in a quaint coastal town. With her long chestnut hair flowing freely in the wind, she walked along the shoreline, capturing the essence of a genuine, free spirit. As if reflecting the calm ocean, her deep blue eyes shimmered with a captivating curiosity, luring everyone in.Lily couldn’t resist whispering her heartfelt wishes to the gentle ocean waves as she strolled along the shore, her heart brimming with dreams.“My greatest desire is to find a lover, a man who can match and return my deep passion, and most im...

4 comments 4
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“One more decision” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #252

My name is Ella. Growing up, I was told to do my best and conquer the world. My duty was to study, focus on important stuff, and not get distracted. No movies, books, friends, or boys were supposed to derail my mother's goal: I would have what she didn't, and I would share the success with her: my sponsor, my promotor, my everything... at least for a while. School was always tough for me, not because I found it challenging to deal with it, but because I was never as good as others thought I could be. The pressure at school was much better ma...

8 comments 8
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“My Story with D” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #252

Sensitive topic warning - references to emotional abuse. This is how it all started: my story with D. I met the most interesting person on a Friday four years ago. They were fascinating enough that I broke my own rules. For one thing, I thought I was a straight cis woman, but when I met this person (let’s for the sake of their privacy, call them “D,”) everything that was previously normal to me went out the window. D was hosting an event I attended. I spent most of that event less engaged in the activity than I’d expected to be. We were maki...

9 comments 9
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“I...t” by Lucia Wei

Submitted to Contest #252

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains depictions of murder being committedNOTE: For clarities sake, It with an uppercase refers to an individual** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **I was scared, the running was getting to me and I could feel my bones ache in desperate need of a break, but I knew I could not stop or It would catch me. It followed me wherever I went, never leaving, its laugh haunting me to the very depth of my core. My once mundane life with no change or excitement was forever altered with It ingrained into every piece, every mem...

3 comments 3
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“Simply The Bestest” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #252

(contains mild swearing)“Mirror, mirror, on the ceiling,” the King breathed, stretching languorously on his black satin sheets. “Who’s the bestest? Tell me with feeling!”The glass of the mirror quivered, the reflection momentarily making the bloated figure below – through the wonders of optical illusion – vaguely acceptable-looking.“Bets are off, none can contest. Thou, Your Highness, art simply the best,” the mirror replied with all the feeling it could muster … which wasn’t much given that it had been at it for decades now. But it was work...

10 comments 10
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“More Gray Than Blue” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #252

CW: Contains themes of substance abuse and suicidal ideation.More Gray Than BlueHe doesn’t really wake up because he never really went to sleep. He just sort of shifts back and forth on the tired old mattress in an ever-increasing state of discomfort for a few hours after he shuts out the lights until the sun is fully up and he knows that any prospect of sleep is gone. Then he rises, and he feels every bit of his 55 years in his lower back, knees and a dozen other places. He grabs a towel and heads for the shower, passing by the room where h...

6 comments 6
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“Parasite” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #252

We meet via friends. Always theirs, never mine. A small knot of misfits and losers desperately clinging to each other as though they aren’t dragging each other down, when that’s all they’re capable of. Sharing a broken camaraderie that strokes the one thing they all have in common, the crushing boredom of their isolating loneliness. I can taste their wounds. Each and every one of them. These inept creatures kid themselves into thinking they have done a good job of hiding their pain and inadequacies. I’ll tell you something for free, the more...

6 comments 6
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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