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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

“The Hum.” by Richard Hall

Submitted to Contest #277

The Hum.I wanna talk to you about ‘The Hum’ and a conversation that happened that made me realize I lost it. You might not be following right away with this whole ‘hum’ business, and I wish I could explain it in a single word what that noise was, but by the end, you’ll know what I mean. Let me talk to you about Peter. Peter. Peter’s got the hum. Peter’s a New England white guy with a big beard and heavy eyelids that makes him look high—and he acted it too. Not that he smoked; he just wasn't cold to the world, wasn't warm to it, jus...

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“The Oath” by Fern Everton

Submitted to Contest #277

CW: This story contains mentions of cult activities (which I do not condone) as well as swearing. Viewer discretion is very much advised. He was short with messy dark hair, clothes that didn’t quite fit him, and he was always clutching a book or video game nobody had heard of. He was quiet, too, sitting in the back of the classroom even when a seat in the midst of the other kids had been offered up to him. He was the last picked for games and group projects— from what I could gather from the kids in his grade, he was “too difficult to work w...

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“The Crumple-Rumpled Thing” by Zelene McBride

Submitted to Contest #277

That blasted thing. There never seemed to be an end to the search for it. I sighed. She had lost it nearly four decades ago, yet still I hunted for it like a golden eagle seeking indefensible prey. I remembered it well. She wore it infrequently. The most common place for it was on the dresser, atop the mirrored vanity tray brought from who knows where. I was too young to know that particular thing’s origin story. For that matter, I was too young to have such a singular focus on something that was surely gone forever… I sank deeper into the ...

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“#ReedsyWicked - Finding Selene” by Esther Ruth Ezra

Submitted to Contest #277

The storm had settled when I reached the edge of the small, forgotten cliff of Black Hollow. Clinging to the very edge of a vast forest, Black Hollow was a place most avoided. Its darkened streets and whispering pines concealed secrets, tales of strange events, and mysterious disappearances. But I had a purpose in coming here, a task I couldn't shake, and one person I needed answers from. The last message from my sister, Selene, had led me here. It was cryptic, chilling, and unlike Selene. The message had read, simply: "They’re watching. Don...

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“Wicked Heart” by Donald Haddix

Submitted to Contest #277

Wicked Heart This story is one we all know. It is a depiction of the Toy Soldier. Let’s not waste anymore of the 3000 words. It was a bloody battlefield at the North Pole. Blood in the form of silver and gold glitter littered the bodies of Jack, the tin soldier, and the gingerbread men and was seeping everywhere. As Jack lie there injured, he saw his fallen comrades. It was a scene that would live in infamy in his mind forever. As the medics lifted him to safety, he began to fade. We begin this story in the land of Jimmy Vanderpool. Jimmy wa...

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“A Wicked Presence” by Michael Taylor

Submitted to Contest #277

The cold air was crisp, snowflakes were falling softly and gracefully on that December night. The Livingstone family were outside, James and Mary hanging the lights on their house, whilst David and Lucy were being as children were at 6 and 8, which was throwing snowballs at each other until their fingers were frozen stiff.Lights covered the front of the house like a curtain, all twinkling in unison, it was a sight to behold as was every house on the street, each for its own personal reason.Everyone except James had gone inside the house, war...

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“Wicked Memories” by Taryn Ariel

Submitted to Contest #277

(Sensitivity Note- This story contains curse words, sexual harassment, and bullying themes)Petunia’s heart raced rapidly as the rhythm of her high heels hit the hard tile floor. “Breathe bitch”, she silently scolded herself as she took another lingering look in the glass window of her old school’s hallway. Her freshly straightened, silky black bob floated playfully over her Ferragamo, form-fitting red dress. It gripped her hourglass hips and stopped just below her knees, accentuating her glistening, freshly fit calves.When she first tried th...

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“Many a Fool” by Penelope Stansfield

Submitted to Contest #277

Over the centuries, many mortals and fools, have attempted to reach the remote village of Whalescliffe, nestled far between the rocks, forest and sea, protected from the kingdom beyond. Memories of the small hamlet, only accessible from land through the ancient forests, are now lost to time and few have heard stories of the tiny community perched beneath the cliffs, looking out across the cold Elfin Sea. The hidden trails, once woven across the forest floor, are now gone, free from uninvited visitors for longer than living memory. ...

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“Small Nose, Big Heart” by Ellise Darwind

Submitted to Contest #277

I live in a two story, mundane blue house with a white picket fence that closes in me and my new puppy brother, Harold, when mom or dad lets us do fetch or chase-and-hide I usually am the one who gets the attention. Mary and Jack are five and seven, they love playing catch with me. They squeal and laugh as I nose the ball toward them to throw it, but recently they have been a victim to two-month-old, Harold. Harold would go off searching for something that ought not to be in the mouth as in a live worm."Harold no! Bad boy! Drop it." Mary cal...

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“The Stepsister ” by Renee Yancey

Submitted to Contest #277

I know. I know I got a bad reputation in the story. Called evil even. I am not. No, just a grieving daughter. They ( the other reporters) forget why I was her stepsister in the first place. It is all about Ella. Is my frustration showing? Forgive me. Let me take you back to the time before. “I am sorry. There is nothing more we can do.” I sat beside my mom and sister in the doctor ‘s office. My father lays in a hospital bed a few doors away. He got weak just six short months before then. Tests and scans finally gave us the answer. Cancer. Ag...

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“My Little Red” by Amanda Wisdom

Submitted to Contest #277

Perhaps you’ve heard stories of glass slippers, sleeping beauties, and candied cottages. Or maybe you’ve read about wicked witches, frogged lips, and happily ever afters. Whatever the case, I’m sure, quite sure, you know my story. Well, a version of my story. But it wasn’t told in its entirety, of that I am certain. It’s time I tell the truth, now that she’s almost grown up and has a mind of her own. Now that she wants to hear the real story. Her story. Let me begin. ***There once was a little girl who wore a ho...

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“The Real Fairy Tale Hero” by Jennifer Burrell

Submitted to Contest #277

“Once upon a time …..” Woah, woah, woah!!!! Are you seriously going to start our interview with the very phrase that haunts my dreams??? How incredibly insensitive of you! Wow, just wow! Have we not learned anything from the side character uprising of 2010??? Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, my story. Hello, my name is Dendrick, your purveyor of the gossip of all things fairy tale from the Enchanted Forest. I’m sorry, what was that you said? You have never heard of m...

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“Bad Hare Day” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #277

They called me ‘The Fox’. Like most of the imaginative names behind fables and fairy tales were wont to do in those days.But we foxes get a bad rep now, don’t we? Skulking round at night. Rifling through bins. Stinking up the place. It seems wildlife illustrators can never get enough of us though. I once saw a woman in the park out walking her dog, then yelling at the poor hound for rolling around in fox shit. After she’d blasted the eardrums of her pet and every other soul trying to soak up the peace and quiet, she reached into her handbag ...

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“The Truth isn't a Page-Turner” by Keelan LaForge

Submitted to Contest #277

A great number of assumptions have been made about my intentions. Since day one, I have been labelled “entitled,” “spoiled” and “intrusive,” but has anyone ever stopped to ask for my version of events? Certainly not. They have depicted me in a multitude of unflattering ways in children’s storybooks. I have become a figure of fun. And did they request my permission to do that? Of course not. I could probably sue someone, if I had the appropriate legal aid. Maybe it isn’t too late for that. Why shouldn’t I get some of the royalties when I’m th...

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“The Sad Princess” by Aimee Lavigne

Submitted to Contest #277

(Note: strong themes of death and grief) Riley was ready to save her sister from the dragon. Even though Riley was younger, and smaller, and scared out of her mind, she knew she had to be brave. The dragon, Onyx, had stolen her sister, Rosalie, from the edge of the castle grounds. It was an act of retaliation because their father, King Richard, had been sending his army farther and farther east into the mountains. He wanted to expand the kingdom and secure passageways to the far ocean. The dragons were angry at the men for encroaching...

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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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