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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#273: Locked Away

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsySecrets to share your stories (and potentially be featured on our social accounts)!

Ah, secrets. What is it about the unknown that’s so alluring? Do you relish the implicit power of knowing confidential information? Do you love the feeling of connection and exclusivity that being told a secret brings? Or do you enjoy dissecting other people in your head after you’ve discovered their deepest, darkest secrets?

This week, let’s write some stories that unravel long-buried truths — and maybe even a character’s entire life in the process.

This week's prompts

Write a story in the form of diary/journal entries about a secret or confession.

Short Story – 69 stories

Begin your story with someone either being followed or following someone else.

Dramatic – 53 stories

Write a story with the line “Don’t tell anyone.”

Angst – 80 stories

Your character is invited to a secret meeting. Who invited them, and what do they encounter?

Short Story – 40 stories

Write a story that hides something from the reader until the end.

Dramatic – 113 stories

Stories

“Snuffer” by Greg Benson

Submitted to Contest #273

Larry brought his dog to the coffee shop again. I didn’t want to raise a fuss. But then again, what if I’d brought Tippy? Tippy doesn’t like other dogs. Bares her little teeth and lunges at them. We could have gotten us all thrown out of there. Larry’s dog, Effie, sat right on the table next to his coffee cup, and ate right off his pastry plate. I couldn’t look. Instead, I looked toward the manager, a young fella addicted to his phone. Never even glanced our way; meanwhile, Effie is filling up on bread and custard and god knows what el...

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“Coming Home” by Jane Cantor

Submitted to Contest #273

Early Spring on the hillside. No gambolling lambs and nodding daffodils here: the bitter aftermath of winter had not fully let go its hold, and only the lower, sheltered fields of the scattered farms were occupied. Two people, oblivious to the chill, high on the lookout point, alone with their thoughts. The rocky outcrop flared green-red and purple-grey as the sun flickered through the racing clouds. The howling wind whipped her long red-gold hair into cruel cat-o'-nine-tails, stinging her face and blocking her view. She lifted an absent-min...

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“The Detective” by William Fowler

Submitted to Contest #273

Josh had recently transferred to his new precinct as a homicide detective. He was partnered with an older senior detective that was near the end of his long career.Mark was a twenty five year veteran and had seen more then his fair share of senseless violence in this dark and cold city. He had long ago lost his positive thinking and sense of hope. Now it was just on to the next case.Mark was not happy being assigned a rookie detective in Josh as a partner. As they arrived to the crime scene, Mark lit a cigarette as they exited their unm...

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“A FOREVER SECRET” by Kajsa Ohman

Submitted to Contest #273

A FOREVER SECRET Winter in New York City. 1949, and late day. It had been raining and would no doubt soon rain again. A painter would have been making good use of his Payne’s Grey. He would be eyeing his verticals and dimensional planes. He would wish there weren’t so many cars, and he would paint the street that way—empty, shiny, with a drizzle on all the windows. He would be awaiting the streetlamps because every lamp would have its very paintable halo—but it was still too early for haloes. Winter in New York can be bone-chill...

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“What's my name?” by Melissa YEAGLE

Submitted to Contest #273

Have you heard the kids tale where the evil person steals a baby and he won't give the baby back unless they can guess his name? Well my story will be similar to this I am going to tell you all about myself everything but my name. Your challenge if you choose to accept it is to use the clues that I give you to figure out what my name is . However, don't worry I don't plan on taking your child or anything else of yours besides your time. I am the youngest of three kids. My mother definitely used a theme when she named us. I am not going to co...

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“A fathers confession” by Markus Jonsson

Submitted to Contest #273

“I’m sorry that I have to tell you this way.”So began the first line of his diary. John had found it laying on his fathers bedside table, next to the floral porcelain mug and his fathers reading glasses. Now he was sitting on the neatly made bed holding his fathers thoughts in his hand, flipping through the pages and through a part of his fathers life previously inaccessible to him. Out in the corridor his sister was talking to Ellie, the nurse who had found their father the night before. Thankfully he’d passed away peacefully...

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“The Lonely Shepherd” by Becheru D. Dan

Submitted to Contest #273

The Lonely Shepherd March 3rd The morning air was crisp today, and I watched the sun rise over the horizon, casting a dim, reddish glow over the pasture. My sheep, all twenty-three of them, were scattered across the field, grazing lazily as I tended to the irrigation lines. There is something comforting in the routine—feeding them, watching Sabiha run along the edges, keeping everything in order. Every day feels the same, and that sameness is a blessing. If I can keep the sheep healthy, keep the grass growing, then everything will be alright...

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“Reflections of a Final Girl” by Brigitte Bennet

Submitted to Contest #273

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. The locals old enough to remember the time when the cabin had an owner locked their doors, closed the curtains, and tried their best to pretend there was nothing there. Those old enough to remember the last time this happened did the same, pulling their children indoors and trying to convince older teens and young adults that it wasn't safe.Of course, the candle had been lit by one such teen earlier that day, only noticeable once sunlight faded...

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“The Burglar” by Cliff Hannan

Submitted to Contest #273

The burglar rolled into town like the tumbleweed that drifted across the wide open plains that surrounded River Gulch. There wasn’t a living soul that could now recall how the town had ended up with such a name, as there was neither a river nor a gulch within a days ride, and the few remaining townsfolk even argued whether the ramshackle collection of falling-down buildings and barns could really be called a town anymore. The town had enjoyed a brief flare of notoriety during the gold rush, but that had quickly faded to nothing, like the pee...

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“ Beneath the Spanish Sun ” by Will Bashor

Submitted to Contest #273

The plane’s engines hummed as Logan gazed out the window, watching the rolling waves of the ocean beneath him as the sun set. He’d never been to Europe before, never even thought of Spain until he met Guy. Even in the confined space of the airplane, Logan could already imagine the golden rays of June and the smell of suntan lotion as he lay on the beach. His heart fluttered with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. It could be the adventure of his life. Guy. Just the thought of him sent a rush of warmth through Logan. They had met online right...

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“Replica Boy” by Jack Sanger - Author

Submitted to Contest #273

Replica Boy When my parents died, one shortly after the other, in the early 1990s, I was fifty three years old and pretty content with my life up to then. They’d retired after selling their string of pharmacies so, as sole beneficiary to their wealth, I doubled the already sizable fortune I had accrued from my writing. After the second funeral I had the family accountant sort out the house and effects as I'd been too busy with the deadline for a film script to take time off. He was to collect and file all the documentation he might find, f...

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“For Companionship, Perhaps” by Cicada Gerdes

Submitted to Contest #273

You meet her in her garden, surrounded by brambles and thicket. The flowers have long since died, but the blooms stubbornly cling to their branches. A thick silence shrouds this world, one where the only life is you and her.Your breath is shallow, your legs collapsed under you from the strain of being prey. She finds you, a warm hand grazing your cheek."Hello, poor traveler. You may believe yourself dead, but your body persists. Allow me to tend to these wounds and perhaps your will as well."You find yourself in a glass conservatory, where t...

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“Thunder Riders of Yesterday” by Edward J. McCoul

Submitted to Contest #273

“Thunder Riders of Yesterday” By Edward J. McCoulRoy Rogers squinted as the wind whipped around him. He reached for his hat, pulling it down low against the gust that didn’t feel quite right. This wind smelled strange, tinged with a scent like burning wires and wet concrete. He wasn’t in the desert, that much was clear. No more open skies. No more dust kicking under the hooves of Trigger. When he finally opened his eyes, he wasn’t looking out over the wide plains of Texas. He was looking down.Way down.Roy’s heart skipped a beat. Below h...

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“~ Paranoia ~” by Jim Parker

Submitted to Contest #273

~ Paranoia ~ “It is August 13, 2023.”“I have been sleeping poorly for a quite a while now. I’m either tossing and turning with insomnia or having bizarre dreams night after night. My wife is worried and gave me a smart watch. She says it has a GPS in it so she can find me anytime, anywhere, like a lost poodle I guess. Seems a bit condescending. But the watch is also a recorder. She insisted I start keeping a sleep journal. I think it’s a waste of time, but she’s pretty smart a...

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“Hiring: Cashier.” by Gwen Hey

Submitted to Contest #273

At first it seemed normal. The job posting had been in the newspaper for a few weeks by the time I picked up the phone, and the man who answered had done a great job at sounding like the average uninterested boss interviewing someone he wasn’t going to call back.Even after my first few days I thought it was fine, until I noticed the shuffling of feet behind me late one night. I ran, I’m not ashamed to say, and convinced myself that I was just spooked by the quiet darkness that I was growing to expect at the end of my shift.When I closed the ...

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$250

Prize money

355

Contest entries

162

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 25, 2024 EST

Won by Asia W 🏆

Title: Venus Buried

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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