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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#277: Something Wicked This Way Comes

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

If you’re a musical lover like me, you’ve probably marked your calendar for the release date of the upcoming Wicked film adaptation. With gorgeous costumes, a superstar cast, and new renditions of beloved songs like “Defying Gravity,” the movie is sure to be a treat for Wicked fans around the world.

I first saw the Wicked musical in my late teens, and although more than a decade has passed since then, I’ll never forget how much it moved me. In addition to its breathtaking special effects and impressive performances, the musical also has heart. It shows the origin story of a notorious fictional character, the Wicked Witch of the West, and explores relatable, resonant themes — from identity and self-acceptance to the notion of “good” versus “evil.”

This week, let’s conjure up some stories inspired by Wicked. Set your story in a fairy tale land, write about a misunderstood, overlooked character, or do something completely unexpected with the prompts… it’s up to you!

This week's prompts

Write a story about an outsider or social outcast who will do anything to fit in.

Angst – 42 stories

Start or end your story with two friends who become enemies/rivals, or vice versa.

Dramatic – 22 stories

Write from the POV of a fairy tale character sharing their side of the story.

Short Story – 110 stories

Center your story around a character who longs for something they’ve lost.

Dramatic – 88 stories

Write a story with the word “wicked” in the title.

Short Story – 66 stories

Stories

“Shortcuts Lead To Dead Ends” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #277

The janitor hit the light switch as he left, leaving the school in darkness before locking the doors. Frank Elliot let out his breath. This bit was always the most anxiety-inducing; would Ol’ Zeph catch him? But Ol’ Zeph had been the caretaker here before God was a student. He performed his duties on autopilot and put in the least effort to not get fired. Ol’ Zeph shuffled about like a zombie, waiting until retirement. Besides, even if he had bothered to do a quick sweep, Frank had hidden himself inside a locker. He discovered it was possibl...

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“The Heroine Who Got Thrown Under the Bus” by Kristy Schnabel

Submitted to Contest #277

So you know the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, right? You’ve probably seen it more than once. Are you one of those who thinks that Dorothy is the heroine? Well, let me set you straight because I starred in that movie, and you’re wrong. Dead wrong. If this reminds you of the musical Wicked and reimagining a character you thought you knew, you’re on the right track. Let’s begin with my first scene when I bit Miss Gulch on the leg. That scene inspired me to take the part. Even Dorothy Gale called Miss Gulch an old witch, so it was my pleasur...

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“Jack Spriggins” by Linda Kenah

Submitted to Contest #277

(This story makes reference to abuse)Once upon a time there lived a poor widow and her son Jack.Well, that’s the way this timeless story has always begun. I’m here to set the record straight. You see, I’m Jack. My story has been told and re-told, incorrectly, since the early 1700’s. And yes, in fairytale land, you can live to be hundreds, even thousands of years old. So forget what you think you know about me and the beanstalk. Start with a blank slate. And let the truth be told. It’s time. Finally.First off, she was...

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“History repeating” by Rebecca Detti

Submitted to Contest #277

There is something so hypnotic about stirring a huge pot of beef chilli. I always love to add a secret ingredient a work colleague shared with me years ago. 'My boyfriend Alex adds a chunky cube of dark chocolate for flavour and it's a game changer.' Not sure its a game changer but there is a richness it certainly adds, and I love serving with fresh coriander, rice and a huge dollop of sour cream. Mwah!I find it so satisfying after a day of work sat at a desk at home to cook for my family. I enjoy everything about the process from visiting t...

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“The Wicked Match in the Powder Barrel” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #277

In a town in a small, rural area in Ontario, a family with a long line of troublemaking taunted and aggravated everyone and anyone they wanted so much that the residents hated them enough to conquer the wicked with wickedness but justified it. "You'll never beat those som'bitches. Whatev'r you got they want, they take it and beat you for having it first," Harley Langford said to the rest of the fellas at the coffee shop. "They need to be dealt with, and nobody needs to discuss how or why, do they?" Charlie Swanson said. "I do...

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“Earth's Quest” by Jack Kimball

Submitted to Contest #277

“Can you lose yourself? Why do I long, a lonely desperation, to find myself again?”“You’re not alone,” my father, Time, answered. “Many feel an emptiness, a search for meaning. Although within your heart you ache, you also aren’t the same as men.” I saw my father as heaven’s strength, but Time was running old. “It’s true, Father, I often lie awake in early hours, my memory’s fingers barely touch the thing. The hound slips its bounds and taunts me in a fog. I know it’s there, but when I grasp the thing firmly, only mist escapes my h...

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“In Absentia” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #277

Beyond the part-demolished, boarded-window disused mills, the weed-strewn patch of land for sale, and the two remaining soot-suffused, red refractory chimneys, the evening clouds are low. They bubble up behind the road-bridge like the mousse of peach champagne. Trees on either side spark the river deep-alive with tall reflections, whilst down the grassy bank on a trail that leads between the heavily scented pines, a man and boy make their way to the water’s edge. The child runs ahead, picks up and skims a stone, its bounce across the surface...

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“Time to Go” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #277

“Time to go.” Those were the reported last words of Mr. Ġefǣr. Adrian Rivera sat at his desk on the 50th floor of the One World Trade Center, fingers resting momentarily over the keyboard as he gazed out at the skyline. The vast panorama of New York City spread before him, yet his thoughts drifted back to a time he could barely remember and to a childhood friend he could never forget. Today was, after all, the anniversary. The day that changed the world and his own life forever. On the fateful day of September 11, 2001, Adrian had been...

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“Someday A Real Rain Will Come” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: Mentions of sexual violence and gun violence“You have to make an effort. You have to try to fit in. You just have to try harder to make some friends.” That, and things like that, are what my parents always told me, and then they would give me my daily dose of Prozac, Xanax and Adderall and whatever else, and then I would just drift off somewhere, trying to make sense of everything. Trying to escape the dark clouds. I was confused and alone. I was always alone. I wanted to get my nose or my eyebrow pierced again. I wanted more black ...

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“The Rehabilitation of Professor Greymane” by Manning Bridges

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #277

The fluorescent lights in Dr. Lamb's office stripped away all shadows, leaving nowhere to hide. Her wool caught their sterile glare like fresh snow, while my grey fur appeared dull, institutional—the same color as the tweed jacket I'd worn for twenty years of faculty meetings. A copy of my latest academic paper, "Predator Narratives in Post-Integration Literature," lay untouched on her desk beside a more recent document: "Incident Report #2847: Unauthorized Pursuit of Content Creator."I shifted in the human-sized chair, my frame too lar...

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“The Infinite Deck” by Mary Butler

Submitted to Contest #277

The throne room pulsed with the Deck’s heartbeat. Velvet curtains fluttered in an invisible wind, and the stained glass—roses, blades, a grinning cat—shifted and rearranged. Cards spun, whispering their secrets. Something's wrong. I felt it: a tremor, a shift in the hum tethering Wonderland. The Deck’s pulse stuttered like a skipped beat. I rose from my throne, the movement as automatic as breathing, my crimson gown trailing behind me like spilled blood. “Silence,” I whispered to the cards. They froze midair, their edges shimmering fai...

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“Mother Earth” by M. Darrow

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: This story contains themes of religious trauma and implied sexual violence/coercion Mother EarthMan has struggled with the serpent from the very moment of Her creation. She has been an enigma, a dual symbol. She represents evil power and chaos from the underworld. But she is also a sign of fertility, of life and healing. They had told her not to. Not to approach the tree. Not to question. They had told her so many things. Eve stares up at shining coils of scales as the creature drapes herself over the branches above her head. She is al...

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“One Step at a Time” by Rudy Greene

Submitted to Contest #277

I don’t remember anything. What happened to me?”“You just came out of surgery. The surgeon says you’ll be just fine.”“Surgery? Why did I need surgery?”You really don’t remember the accident?”“No. The last thing I remember is getting dressed for a run. I wasn’t sure if I needed a jacket. You suggested a light shell. I can’t remember if I listened. Sorry babe, you’re usually right but none of this has anything to do with surgery. Did I fall and break something? My legs feel sort of weird. It’s as if they’ve been wrapped in cotton and restraine...

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“Fitting In ” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #277

He had walked alone for too long.At the end of his life, it never emerged as a thought that flashed before his eyes as he recalled his existence just before crossing the bar.There were no parents in sight, no bright light to guide the way, and a profound sense of not belonging lingered in the air. Her eyes shut, and darkness enveloped her. At that moment, an intense heat enveloped him, accompanied by an insatiable thirst that he had never experienced before.Unbeknownst to them, the only problem lay in the fact that they had crossed the bar a...

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“The Maleficio Benefice” by Claudia Batiuk

Submitted to Contest #277

– Be hopeful all ye who enter. -I know, I know, they call me Maleficent. Nobody in the human empires remembers or reminded humans, that my name is Benefice. However, you all who read this must understand that Maleficent is the name humans gave me. I went from Benefice to Maleficent, after I stood up for myself and helped the fairies stand up together against human oppression. Sadly, I must say, it is humans who surrounded me since I was little, who decided to turn on me and my fairies, humans turned into our enemy. Or did they? Maybe t...

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$250

Prize money

328

Contest entries

121

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Nov 22, 2024 EST

Won by Troy Phillips 🏆

Title: The Three Little Pigs Incident: A Building Inspector’s Report

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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