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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#3: Calling All Bookworms

This week, each of our prompts is loosely inspired by some of the most beloved literature of all time. Can you match every prompt to the book it takes its root from? Hint: the five novels are included in this blog post of books to read in your lifetime.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a teenager visiting the place where they grew up.

Dramatic – 31 stories

Write a story about a matchmaker.

Romance – 27 stories

Write a story about a parent putting their child to bed.

Adults – 32 stories

Write a story about an ordinary day in a person's life. Use their internal dialogue to make the story interesting.

Dialogue – 26 stories

Write a story about someone who wins a contest and the prize of their dreams.

High School – 14 stories

Stories

“As Luck Would Have It” by Renee Padmore

Submitted to Contest #3

December 22, 2017“There's never a good time to get murdered. But if it had to happen, December would be the best time for that tragedy."Richard flinches at those words and closes his eyes as though in pain. When he opens them he's still seated in the waiting room at the processing station.He looks at the speaker to his right and tries his best to focus on the man's one good eye. The gaping hole where the man's left orb should reside is as obvious as, well, a gaping hole where an eye should reside.The man grimaces and points to his grotesque ...

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“Pebble in the Pond” by Brianna Pentlin

Submitted to Contest #3

There weren't many who had the gift Anam had. The gift of observation. He could read body language and facial expressions like the person was telling him exactly what they were feeling at the moment.It startled people sometimes, how easily he could gauge someone's intentions, and he gently tried to steer people to someone who fit, who could understand the other. Sometimes all a person needed was a gentle nudge, small push in the right direction, sometimes they needed a literal shove. Anam found his peace when people realized how well they fi...

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“Telling Stories” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #3

TELLING STORIESDiane checked the email, over and over. She sometimes teased her colleague at the insurance office, Monica, who was one of life’s “checkers” and said she was borderline OCD. Monica generally made one of two replies, or at times both – if she were, so were a great many of the icons of the arts and sciences (which was undeniably true) and that it was better to check properly than to face the consequences later (which was also undeniably true, though she had only once sent an email to the wrong recipient – yet!).&n...

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“Matchmaker” by Katy Moffitt

Submitted to Contest #3

“Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…. Peggy hummed the little tune as she wrote down the names of two people she knew from church on her yellow pad. She loved being able to put two people together that didn’t seem like they would even like each other. Peggy thought of Katy and her husband James. She managed to get those two together and it wasn’t easy. James was very stubborn when it came to be willing to be matched. It was, actually, his son Jeremy that helped to get Katy and James together. This all began at a very large Baptist ...

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“Suitor and the Matchmaker” by Hampi Medhi

Submitted to Contest #3

It's been one week since I moved to New York. Megan and Riley took care of the advertisement and promotion of my work and also about the office space. I haven't seen my office space yet but Riley and Megan told me it will be ready soon and I would love it. Can't wait to see the office and starts working. I'm grateful to them. They had done so many things for me. They are the best of best friends of mine.As soon as I will start working I will be able to repay the debts, rent a home and brought Mom here, in New York. Maine is home but I have t...

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“The Nice Boy” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #3

THE NICE BOY “But Ellen, he seems like such a nice boy!” I supposed that Mrs Sullivan (whom I was now allowed to call Sandra which, oddly, seemed less awkwardly intimate than the Auntie Sandra of my childhood – though of course, she was no relation at all). It would be unfair to say that she peppered her speech with the catchphrases of 70s comedians intentionally, but she would not have gone out of her way to avoid them. It would be very easy – and perhaps not entirely inaccurate ...

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“Teenage Mis-dreams” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #3

The car pulled up alongside the curb just as her phone went off. Down at the waterfront for lunch. Come join me when you get in. Mum x The woman driving the groaned and thudded her head against the headrest. “Great. Down at the stupid waterfront. And you don’t need to sign texts- it comes through with your number.” No matter how many times she told her mum that though it never made a difference. Just another backwards little quirk from her stupid home town. Making sure her hair was perfect in the mirror the woman got out the car and adopted ...

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“A Trip To Madame Olga's Matchmaking Services” by Veronica Carr

Submitted to Contest #3

Ray’s hand shook as he reached for the doorknob. His eyes kept going back to the sign in the middle of the door: Madame Olga’s Matchmaking Services. The voice in his head screamed that he was foolish to even consider this, that he should go back and try to “be a normal boy.” The voice sounded an awful lot like his mother’s voice when he told her that he and June had broken up and the reason why. She had screamed and flown into one of her temper tantrums. The sound of laughter from the other side of the door brought Ray back to real...

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“Transitions” by Amy Dear

Submitted to Contest #3

She grew up in a warm inviting home with close to none the worry or pain; but being the imaginative girl she was, piles of clothing could easily morph into terrifying monsters and shadows on the walls effortlessly mimicked creepy crawlies. With such nightmare fueling things dancing about her room, it goes without saying that bedtime could become a dreadful thing for the wide-eyed child. She was seen as the apple of her mother’s eye; the miracle child that wasn’t deemed possible to ever be conceived. So naturally, her mother’s doting affectio...

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“Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match!” by Fae Moran

Submitted to Contest #3

“Please, we need her to marry soon,” the woman before me begged. I sighed. I had already tried to explain to her that matches were made when they need to be, not upon demand.“Listen, Mrs Dennise, I need you to accept that matchmaking takes time” I told her again and her smooth brow furrowed. She was very elegant and intimidated me slightly but I wouldn't let her know that. Her red silk Dahlia was long and fitted and her shoes were expensive. Her brown hair was covered with lace fabric and tied in a low bun.She took three deep breaths, like s...

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“Wingman 101” by Devin Jinadasa

Submitted to Contest #3

“Tash, how long does it take you to get dressed in there?” Chloe’s fist hammered on the door.“One second!” I yelled back. I quickly turned around and checked myself out in the mirror. *Gulp*, I hoped this one would pass Chloe’s eagle eye test…. Or else I was gonna be in hot water! Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.Chloe turned around “It’s about time- Whoa….”Brumby craned his neck around her “Whoa!” He echoed “You look good mate!”I coughed awkwardly; my hands stuffed in my pockets. I wore polished black boots, black jeans, a belt with ...

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“PCH DREAM” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #3

The doorbell rang and my girlfriend groaned. Generally the doorbell ringing meant one of a few bad things: I left the window of her car open, I accidentally left the trunk of her car open, I accidentally pushed the button for the alarm on her car and a friendly neighbor wanted to let her know, some signature was needed for a package I’d ordered, etc. The doorbell rang again. “I’ll get it. Please let me get it,” I said. She rolled her eyes and held the older chihuahua who was barking like a burglar was about ...

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“You Can't Go Home Again” by Dannie Olguin

Submitted to Contest #3

I exhale. The cigarette smoke swirls with the fog of my breath and billows in the wind toward what used to be my home. “Home,” I whisper bitterly as I grind the butt of my last Marlboro under my mud-caked boot. You know what they say: A house doesn’t make a home. Too bad, too, because this is one hell of a house. A real Barbie Dream House. Three stories, not including a finished attic that served as a Mother’s office, a pool complete with a diving board and water slide, and even a pool house. And not just a regular old pool house...

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“The Youngest Matchmaker” by Janie Frank

Submitted to Contest #3

Nora was the youngest matchmaker in her village and in all of the surrounding villages. She was also the youngest person anyone still alive could remember being appointed as a matchmaker. She had passed all of the tests on her first try, completed her internship by the time she was sixteen and been approved and authorized by the king when she was seventeen. She took her job very seriously and no one dared question her when she made a match. Nora decided she wanted to be a matchmaker when she was 5. She and the other neighborhood childre...

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“The Smallest Things” by Tiersa Remisha

Submitted to Contest #3

"Have you finished your food, Olly?" Mom asked."No." She blinked, then sighed slightly, having forgotten. "Are you full, Olly?" She rephrased."Yes." Wide eyes looked at her, simply observing. She smiled."Then we'll put your food in a container for tomorrow, okay?""Okay." Mom grabbed a container and the 5-year-old helped pour his leftover spaghetti and green beans into it."Go brush your teeth, Olly," she said, gently pushing him towards the bathroom as she turned to put the container in the fridge. She hummed to herself as she started the war...

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$50

Prize money

130

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 23, 2019 EST

Won by Joshua G. J. Insole 🏆

Title: The Things That Do Not Float

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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