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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

“Report From the Bridge” by Empress Jester King

Submitted to Contest #273

++Log Activated, Terminal 23T4: 10.11.2012++Three hours to get here and three hours to get the power working. I wonder, often, what sort of an operation you think you’re running? The subject of my report - my charge, if you will - is the bridge connecting [redacted] to [redacted]. Bridge=Georgian, red brick, wide enough for one car, lit by sort of intricate looking street lamps. Foot traffic minimal so far. But who would ever want to go to [redacted]? I will attempt crossing tonight as instructed. ++11.11.2012++Crossing only marginal success...

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“Journal of a Cake Addict ” by Mariel Renaud

Submitted to Contest #273

Journal of a Cake Addict October 1st – Day 1 of Cake Control Dear Diary,I’ve done it. I’ve decided to face my addiction head-on. I, Geraldine Butterworth, have a confession to make. It’s not what you’re thinking—I’m not addicted to something normal like coffee, Netflix, or online shopping. No, my confession, dear Diary, is far more scandalous. Brace yourself.I am a cake scoffer!Cake, glorious cake, in all its sugar-laden, frosting-covered, spongy perfection. Yes, you read that correctly. I indulge in the delicious, fluffy, frosting-drenched...

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“Ever Out of Reach” by Maxwell Haupt

Submitted to Contest #273

October 18, 1989To General [Redacted] Sir, My name is Sergei [Redacted], a few months ago, you interrogated my father, Anton [Redacted] on his actions during the Revolution and absolved him of all suspicions. I am writing to inform you that he passed away last month and, while remodeling his apartment, I stumbled upon the following journal entries hidden beneath a floorboard. The contents of these entries are greatly disturbing and my mother has gone to pieces over them. After much debate, my siblings and I have decided that your hands are t...

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“My fault” by Moa Holmertz

Submitted to Contest #273

7 of July, 2001 My life is falling apart, and it’s all my fault. I should have just accepted that Markus only wanted to hang out at my place. Even though mom hates him, never leaves us alone and calls him a filthy tramp, I’d rather have that than not have him at all. I always asked him why we couldn’t hang out at his place, as mom was driving me crazy at this point. He only said that his father was a weirdo. His mother wasn’t part of the picture, as she passed away when he was like ten. Markus never told me anything about her, except her abi...

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“Dear Danielle, my lovie Diary,” by Lynne Boyd

Submitted to Contest #273

Dear Danielle my lovie Diary,Danielle! Has someone been reading your pages, putting their dirty fingers on my words? It seemed like you were out of place, perhaps by only an inch or so, but nonetheless, not where I left you last night. I don’t think so anyway. Am I being paranoid?Well, here’s the question: is there really anything in here that I would mind if anyone read? Hell to the yeah! Like, everything! I hate using exclamation points but sometimes they are required.I’ve been feeling off, since the incident. The incident. Not sure ...

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“Locked in the Barn” by K Bee

Submitted to Contest #273

Trigger Warning: some sexual and violent content Dear Dear Diary, Here we are again. Another day of this miserable secret. When I woke up this morning, I thought today was the day. Freedom day. Boy, was I wrong. I don't know how I even got to this point. I guess when looking back, it does make sense, but it has gotten out of hand. When I was a little girl, all I wanted when I grew up was a big family. Then I met Marco, and that is all he wanted as well. But I wouldn't know that for quite a while. Unfortunately, he had that stupid ...

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“I am Victoria's Keeper” by Julianna Lovingood

Submitted to Contest #273

For years I have followed Victoria Donahue. She doesn't know who I am. Doesn't know that for almost half a decade I have incorporated parts of her life into my own. It all started the summer I met her ex my now husband. It was innocent curiosity. I wanted to know who his first love was, the one who got away, his first choice. he told me about her on our fourth date. While eating sushi on his couch. Victoria Donahue. Maybe it was her name, or the way he described her that piqued my interest. I can't remember the exact moment or reason anymore...

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“Among the Cornstalks” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #273

#ReedsySecretsAmong the Cornstalks Ed Josephson wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck as he fought back the 35-mile-per-hour winds and driving snow while trying to navigate his way along Seahawk Lane. As he wound his way past the cornfield across from Berlin, Maryland’s Stephen Decatur High ...

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“Dark Streets, Broken Souls” by Daron Thompson

Submitted to Contest #273

Trigger Warning:This story addresses multiple sensitive themes, including poverty, mental health struggles, child exploitation, physical abuse, and crime. It explores the harsh realities of life in a high-crime neighborhood and the emotional impact of neglect and coercion. Reader discretion is advised. Chapter 1 - The Shadow David’s sneakers slapped against the wet pavement, echoing through the narrow alleyway. The air was thick, and the night felt heavy, almost suffocating. Rain dripped from the cracked rooftops above, tapping a rhythm t...

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“Seeing Red ” by Arianna Noelle

Submitted to Contest #273

“Last one to Dairy Queen’s a rotten egg!” my friend, Justin, shouted through a mouthful of chewing gum as he barreled past me on the sidewalk, red coat flying out behind him like a superhero cape. I chuckled to myself as I watched the coat be brought to life by the unseasonably cold September breeze and pictured Justin on the front cover of a comic book with a Dairy Queen Blizzard in hand, sporting a pink-toothed, Hubba Bubba grin. “Hurry up! Your mom’s coming to pick us up at five and I wan…”. I didn’t hear the rest of his words because all...

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“The Beginning of the Loop” by Ayden Carver

Submitted to Contest #273

I was running from something, I just didn’t know what. It was following me with an intense yellow glow. I could feel all my senses rushing back to me. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to be stuck here all my life, or at least what was left of it. I just didn’t want to be alone. That was what I was thinking after the reality shift, or at least that’s what I and the very few others that were involved called it. It all started a few years ago. I was 15 at the time. I remember sitting in my backyard underneath the patio roof...

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“We follow” by Stephanie Howe

Submitted to Contest #273

We follow The sound of heels beating against the broken sidewalk made him smile. He followed the sound, anticipation inside him. Ready to pop like a balloon. Soon. Soon he’d feel that soft flesh he’d been admiring beneath the warm lighting of a bar near his office for the last hour. Soon he’d see the light dim from her eyes and feel her sweaty skin cool. Soon. The word was a crescendo inside him. Bouncing around his bones like an echo. A sick promise he’d m...

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“Kim's Shadow ” by Ayanna Edwards

Submitted to Contest #273

--- Kim's eyes scanned the grocery store, her heart heavy with secrets. She had been following Vincent for weeks, uncovering lies that shattered their relationship. Six months ago, Kim met Vincent at a coffee shop. Charismatic and charming, he swept her off her feet. Their whirlwind romance left her breathless. Vincent spoke of a difficult past, claiming to be a widower with no children. Kim's empathetic nature drew her to him, and she offered comfort. As their relationship deepened, Kim noticed inconsistencies in Vincent's stories. At first...

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“Deadly Ambitions ” by Jade Lawson

Submitted to Contest #273

The librarian locked the sliding doors with a low click, an emphasis to the glare he was already giving from the other side of the glass. I rolled my eyes. It's his own damn fault for not flickering the lights fifteen minutes prior to closing. And for being too lazy to do the patrol like the other librarian usually does to start cajoling us out of our hiding spots so she can lock up right at midnight. Zipping my bag, maybe a tad aggressively, I swung it back around, letting it create a warm bubble against my back while the rest of me f...

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“Locked Away” by Bertrand Thompson

Submitted to Contest #273

Sitting languidly at my desk, eyes drifting from writing, I look out my window onto the dreary grey street. It’s wet from rain, dark under the autumn evening, low below my window. The street is almost empty, when I see him. He walks down, looking ahead – always ahead – and going somewhere I do not know. I sit up from my desk, put on my coat and leave my apartment, walking down the stairs and out onto the wet footpath outside. I tug my coat closed to keep out the cold air. Scanning down the street, I see him walking, and begin to walk after h...

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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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