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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 – 68 stories

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

Dramatic – 52 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

“You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover” by Elaine Monaghan

Submitted to Contest #273

Wanting something or working towards a goal is expected, in fact, it’s what keeps most of us grounded. They say opposites attract. However, I don’t entirely believe that to be true. Sometimes, people are attracted to one another, due to having that same energy that gets things done. That was the case for Sean and Sue who met in high school. He excelled in sports as she did in many academic clubs. She ran for class president and won in a landslide. It was the first time a girl had succeeded in that endeavor for their school.After college, the...

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“Hohenheim Hauntings: Explained” by D. Rohan Rowal

Submitted to Contest #273

Trigger Warning: Mental Health, Self-harm, Gore Ethan von Hohemheim has been a subject of several news articles and conspiracy theories in the past decade. In particular, the circumstances of his death and the surrounding events has been a constant point of interest for the paranormal activity community. Ethan was born the sole heir of Greggery von Hohenheim, the custodian of the Hohenheim estate. From a young age, Ethan showed a great deal of interest in creative pursuits. He moved out of the estate when he was 18 years old in order t...

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“Release” by V. Bowman

Submitted to Contest #273

Mister Livingston was knocking on the thick bulletproof window. He was screaming in the sounds of a wounded animal, as his throat was partially flooded by tears. His legs were shaking, and the whole of his body was galvanized. Yet nobody even bothered to reply to him, in these dirty concrete walls, poorly decorated with a heavy automatic metal door, a disproportional dispense, and the silent window.Nobody except for the intercom – a tiny patch of yellowish white machinery with a tiny red lamp in the top right and a few slits, serving as a sp...

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“How to Take a Picture of a Sad Queen of Spades” by Barbora Jiřincová

Submitted to Contest #273

He took the camera and clicked the shutter just as the swans took to the sky. It was a dreary winter day. It's a winter's day, the kind of winter where toes freeze, but the landscape lacks a comforting blanket of snow. The Vltava flowed no slower than on hot summer days. Swans and ducks flocked to the shore, where tourists and natives scattered crumpled bread across the water's surface for the birds to eat, utterly oblivious that the breadcrumbs poisoned those water birds.The photographer had had enough of ducks, geese, and swans; enough of ...

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“The Man in the Entrance ” by Marlee Seamann

Submitted to Contest #273

The elevator doors slowly screech open, empty. I quickly walked inside before the door closed behind me, a few others following suit. The small light above the door lit up as it closed ever so slowly. A man near the front pressed the close button in quick succession. The door wasn’t going to close any faster, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth closed, suffering the obnoxious clicking noise in silence. The door finally closed, and I already wished it hadn’t. The walls were pale brown, faded at the edges. The singular light bulb stuck ...

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“Storage” by Jonah Buck

Submitted to Contest #273

Derek first became aware that there might be trouble tonight when the enormous man with pages from the Bible duct-taped to his body armor stuck a rifle barrel under Derek’s nose. The man appeared from the nighttime shadows and poked the weapon through the security hut’s open window. “Where is it?” The man’s English was heavily accented with some Eastern European dialect. “Whoa, hey, whoa, I’m not looking for any trouble.” Derek instinctively jerked back and tried to stand up and back away. The cheap plastic lawn chair in the security hut to...

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“The Last Heist” by Winnie Yu

Submitted to Contest #273

10 minutes until I noticed. Sloppy. It was a Wednesday. An ordinary day. It was particularly grey and overcast, with straggly clouds looming above, looking like they had their own agenda. It seemed that the sun had given up and gone home for the day, despite it being rather early in the morning. Walking down Jefferson Street in Carlsbad, California, it wouldn’t have been easy to see somebody tailing you. They could have easily been another member of the crowd, rushing to meet family or friends, or trying to get to work on time. However...

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“Dear Diary” by Mae Hudson

Submitted to Contest #273

Friday 27 October 2012 Dear Diary, Fridays are supposed to be fun, right? Then why was today the worst day ever? They announced my ex-best friend's death today (she died in a car accident), THEN her NEW best friend was giving me shit about it.Like, bro, it's not my fault that little rat died, okay? And yes, she was my best friend, even if she was a little rat. So, you're probably wondering why I think Stacey Clarke is - was - a little rat. Okay, I'm going to stop saying that, because, you know, respect to the dead and whatnot. So, Stacey and...

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“Tick Tock” by Deborah Sanders

Submitted to Contest #273

Sensitive content regarding mental health, grief, and suicide.Dear Diary,I was twelve years old when I last kept a diary. It had a green spine, a flowery cover, and a little lock and key. I found that diary last year, up in the attic. It was in a bag, in a box along with some other remnants of my childhood, including the “Fabulous Five,” also known as my bedtime buddies: Big Teddy, Little Teddy, Black Kitty, Dainty Dolly, and Puffy Penguin. For most of my childhood, they shared my bed. My favourite, Puffy Penguin, had the pillow s...

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“Since Alonzo” by J. R. Cooper

Submitted to Contest #273

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024My closest companions are the guilt and shame that follow me around like a dark cloud, storming over the wreckage of my life. I’ve never had the chance to do more than dream about what everyday experiences would be like if those parasites had never been coded into my DNA. I’m the descendant of generations ravaged by misery, and that same misery claims my peace constantly, never offering a sense of relief. That turmoil consumed the person I used to be, chewed me up, and spit me out. I catch glimpses of...

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“I Loved My Mom” by Vi Bisky

Submitted to Contest #273

September 12th Sometimes I curl up in the bathtub just to feel closer to her. I scrub her down here, once every two days or so, all the humps and knobs of her spine where sickness has spread, gray skin flaying right off the bone. Without any teeth or muscle to speak, her wails are just baby cries, nothing but garbled vowels: Awh-ee, awh-ee, like a door on broken hinges. Sets my damn teeth on edge. She knows it, too. She always knew what her voice did to me. That’s why she screams, even now. Even like this. I don’t think anyone wants to...

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“The Keeper’s Dilemma” by Kelly Howell

Submitted to Contest #273

In Sheila’s 42 years, she’s never had a secret to keep. She’s what some people refer to as a goody-two-shoes. She does everything right, never had a rotten thought about others, and never thought about doing anything wrong to anyone. She’s happy the way she is.“If I tell you something will you promise not to freak out?” her best friend Tory asked.“You shouldn’t start a conversation that way.”“Ok, well, just please don’t tell anyone.”“You know I won’t,” She said as she gave her a reassuring smile.“I think I am polyamory and I have been in aff...

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“The Hidden Truth” by Ayanna Edwards

Submitted to Contest #273

Monica stared at her reflection, the ticking clock echoing in her mind. Ten years with David, and still, no baby. Her 36th birthday loomed, and with it, dwindling hopes.One evening, over coffee, Monica confided in Christine, her best friend since college."I'm running out of time, Christine. What if it's not meant to be?"Christine listened attentively, her expression sympathetic."Have you considered...other options?" Christine asked, her voice hushed.Monica raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"Christine leaned in. "Maybe David's the issue. Y...

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“Waltz of the Bladed Pit” by Dalo Deka

Submitted to Contest #273

The horns beckoned. Young Lord Mikhail felt a tremor vibrate from his chest to his intestines. The masquerade was in full swing and he still had not found a dance partner. Half the crowd had paired off already. The minted couples danced to the tune of the old Russian Waltzes their parents knew. A practiced orchestra with two extra bassoons provided a spirited rhythm that rotated the two dozen active dancers through paced steps across the center floor. At the front of the room, the “royalty” sat indulging their cigars. Wispy vapors of smoke d...

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“KLOVER” by Althea Whyte

Submitted to Contest #273

KLOVER Smiling radiantly with her hair braids bobbing she ran to greet me with the energetic enthusiasm of a four year old. In the same motion she jumped up in my arms. I always prepare for the moment and brace myself for it when I go to visit her at home on Saturdays. She said, “You are late. What took you so long.” I showed her the photographs taken recently that I had stopped to collect. Joyously she took them and went to get her Album to put them in herself. Reviewing and exclaiming about the other pho...

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$250

Prize money

353

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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