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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#27: Agatha Christie

It's no secret why one of the most-repeated writing tips is: to read. You can learn endless craft wisdoms by reading the works of literary greats — and also lesser-known authors, too. Reading, in general, is simply a valuable way to improve your skills as a writer.

This week, we're pulling inspiration from the author behind two of crime fiction's most beloved sleuths: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Yes, each of the below prompts relate in some way to themes, symbols, or other common elements in the writings of Agatha Christie.

Want to learn more about the Grand Dame of crime fiction? Check out our Agatha Christie reading guide!

This week's prompts

Write a short story that takes place on a train.

High School – 128 stories

Write a short story about a jury of people tasked with making a decision. (It doesn't necessarily need to be a court jury.)

Adults – 29 stories

Write a short story in which a specialist is called upon to carry out a job.

High School – 36 stories

Write a short story that ends with a twist.

Mystery – 155 stories

Write a short story that takes place in a quaint, idyllic, English village.

Fiction – 31 stories

Stories

“The Engagement Gift” by Teddi Robinson

Submitted to Contest #27

THE ENGAGEMENT GIFTByTeddi Robinson “Anna…. Anna, please, come here at once.” Lady Ashton calls and thinks, I wondered where she can be. “Anna, where are you?” Coming into the library, Anna answers, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I was helping cook and didn’t hear you calling me.” “That’s okay, Anna. I want to make sure everything is ready for the ball. Do you have the list I gave you?” “Yes, ma’am, I do. I’ve checked the first dozen things on it this morning and will check the rest now.” “Good. If there is anything missing or needs to be done, wil...

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“The Sound of Dying” by Amanda Lewis Silva

Submitted to Contest #27

This room has lived a life. The walls were white once, and I’m sure the carpet would be lighter if it were clean. There’s a smell in the air, the kind you can only get over time. It’s not just one smell, but several. It’s the smell of years; the smell of coffee breaks and clandestine cigarettes, of peppermints that sat in a jar on the counter once, and a thousand perfumes and deodorants that came through and left again. It’s a smell of people. It’s a memory. This room has a memory. The woman has lived a life too. Her hair is grey, but s...

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“Parallels” by Nadia Gregoire

Submitted to Contest #27

The immaculate Big Ben clock chimed three times before Christa nudged her friend Quilla to wake her from the drool pool she left on her desk after she fell asleep in the last half hour of Mastering Neurolinguistics. The class gathered their belongings hoping to dust out of the classroom already excited for the weekend. Not before Professor Du Pettey (emphasis on the pronunciation and meaning of petty) gave them a twenty minute long lecture about how they should not waste their weekend drinking, clubbing or doing some heinous act. The student...

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“Rescuing the Dead” by Isabel B

Submitted to Contest #27

My mouth fell open as a wooden coffin floated past my boat. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but nope—there it was! A sudden wave prodded the coffin against the hull with a heavy thump. I hope it didn't scrape my Irony!With no one around for miles, I managed to wrangle the coffin onto the diving platform of my small boat after an exhausting thirty-five minutes of pushing and pulling.I slumped down on the floor, my muscles aching from the strain of rescuing this…what? A stupid coffin? Someone's dead relative? How did it happen? Had ...

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“Improbable Cause” by Vern Bryk

Submitted to Contest #27

“Don’t do it! Don’t go there! Don’t even think about it!” Rob was practically yelling at me. “You will screw up the case, create a mistrial. You could be held in contempt of court. You could be fined. Do time in jail. So don’t do it.”It was good advice. And given that my old pal Rob was a lawyer, it was likely informed advice. Which was why I called him, even though it had been a while since we’d talked. “And furthermore,” Rob said, “You have already committed juror misconduct just by telling me about the case. Do not reveal to anyone that w...

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“In the Clutches of a Sinner” by L. Grey

Submitted to Contest #27

A serial killer's free and roaming about.But not a single soul knows. How'd I know, you ask. It's because I've seen it, of course. The body was tied up and gagged. Lined up in a table were various sharp objects, for the torture, I presumed. When the killer neared, the hostage couldn't stop screaming and crying and kicking around.But a killer's no softie. It didn't stop the cold-blooded murderer from doing what he wants, finishing what he must. At the end of that picture, let me summarize. There was blood everywhere you stepped.Poor soul...

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“The Death of the Third” by Chee Mighty

Submitted to Contest #27

The Death of the Third:By: C. Mighty The sun is right above us, being washed over by a canopy of trees with the soothing sound of the waterfall in the background. Greg keeps walking away from me as if he doesn’t want anymore, it’s bothering me but I’ll get to the bottom of this. I finally get closer to him and I grab his arm, he turns to look at me and I say, “Have you told Noland about us yet?” “No. She’s your best friend, and I’m her boyfriend. Look, it was a one night stand just a one time thing, okay.” Why is he acting as if ...

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“Rebelieve” by Ashlie Harris

Submitted to Contest #27

Sephora and Serenity are perpetually bathed in each other’s shadow. Serenity’s silver beams equivalate Sephora’s fiery rays, but neither outshines her sibling. They watch over mankind, as a shepherd guards his flock. Slowly, the people began forgetting to pay homage to those celestial deities. In the twilight hours, the two carry on an ethereal conversation:“Sephora, you’re too hot-headed,” complained Serenity, “Give humans a break! They’re easily one of the weakest creatures on the planet, yet they’re intelligent enough to understand at lea...

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“Billy” by Augustus Gigous

Submitted to Contest #27

Billy drove silently through the city. It was a cool night. The moon was covered by clouds. Good, he thought, his cover won't be blown by its illuminating beam. Billy turned right onto Green Street. He was in ghetto country. To them, he's just a tourist. A nobody, an outcast. But what a white man doing in this neighborhood, at this time of night, is anyone's guess. His destination isn't far, but it's easy to get lost in a place like this. And Billy isn't taking the chance to ask for directions. He knew that they would send him someplace wors...

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“The Coventry Cloaked Creeper.” by Emily Larkin

Submitted to Contest #27

'Yet Another Victim of the Coventry Cloaked Creeper.' My eyes skimmed the title of the newspaper article. I didn't need to read anymore. I'm the lead detective on the case. I already knew more than what was written. Well, it was The Sun, so there was most likely stuff in there that I'd never heard before. It's been going on for over six months now, last week was the ninth victim of the mysterious killer who murders their victims late at night and covers their bodies in yellow dye. The trademark of some sick individual, a sick individual that...

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“A Walk in His Shoes” by Chelsea Chappelle

Submitted to Contest #27

The cold air whipped in spirals down the snow-covered streets picking up the loose layers of snow and displacing the flakes in separate piles, constantly shifting their structures in the win. Past the mounds of snow, curled in a small mound of himself was a man. He was shifting slowly with the wind himself, his back supported by a white brick layered wall of an older worn building. This man, a man some who some may have called a hero in many years past, now sat passed by as a nobody to many. In his past, he was called Ducky. He earned his t...

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“The Border” by Emma Bolado

Submitted to Contest #27

She shifted to the opening of the cave. The fragrance of fresh air was something she missed throughout the winter- wet but fresh. The frigid air through her nose alone made her want to go back to her babies, but with one last look at the mass of warm bodies, she knew what she had to do and what she had to risk. This winter was especially harsh as the little food she had, gone to her babies. When she glanced down, all she could see and feel was her ribcage. She wasn’t gauntly thin, but thin enough to slightly lack her usual abundance of power...

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“The Fairy Kingdom” by Brielle Newman

Submitted to Contest #27

Tuesday, September 17 As a child, everyone has read tales about fairy kingdoms and secret villages. Of course, they are just tales to get young children to bed, arent they? My mother used to tell me about secret portals that can appear with a spell, portals that will take you to the fairy kingdom. She would always tell me about how I could go there and take back what was lost. I guess she took those stories a little too literal because they found her screaming at a tree to let her in. She was later admitted to a mental hospital, ...

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“Romeo MUST DIE” by Goelnarendra Goel

Submitted to Contest #27

Romeo Must DieRomeo was too proud of himself. It showed in the way he walked, strutted, rock jumped and in the way he barked. He was the apple of the eyes for his masters.his scooting was very laughable and his barking adorable.In fact, he became the pride and joy of the house, the moment he set his paw in. He came to Aryan when he was around 25 days old. The household was quite discordant and fractious, and there seemed to be islands of people with little communication. His father was overworked and used to return from office very late, qui...

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“Without Bridges” by Hailey Cavanagh

Submitted to Contest #27

The sounds of feasting echo through the walls. The joy that comes at this time of year. The Harvest. All agree that it’s a perfect time to celebrate our past toils. Our town is far from struggle. I can hear the cries of gratitude, but I do not partake in it. In my opinion, one should not celebrate the spilled blood of one's neighbors. We have been raised to see the glory in the actions of our ancestors, but when you grow up distanced, it’s much easier to see the faults of the greater image. I shan’t speak these thoughts aloud. I would ...

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$50

Prize money

379

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Feb 07, 2020 EST

Won by Natalie Frank 🏆

Title: Seaglass

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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