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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

“Once Upon a Bedtime” by Chandler Branson

Submitted to Contest #3

On a silent street within a silent neighborhood lies a house that is also supposed to be silent. However, inside this very house at the top of the stairs can be heard many tiny giggles long past bedtime. “I can hear you up there!” The mother yelled out to her daughter. “It’s time for you to go to bed.” “But I wanna see papa!” The little girl yells back to her mama. Her tiny hands holding onto the rails as she peeks through them. “Papa had a long day let him rest okay?” The little girl looks down at the carpet by her feet.“Okay” She slowly le...

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“"A Good Night"” by Vanessa R

Submitted to Contest #3

“Mommy, will you read me a bedtime story?”, are words I’ll never hear my daughter say. I reach into the kitchen cabinet and pull out her sippy cup. As I pour her warmed milk into the only cup she’ll drink from, I imagine what I will do when it met its last day. Scrolling through a plethora of websites, only to find OUT OF STOCK displayed across the screen. I know the inevitable will eventually happen and I'll no longer have it, and I don’t have a replacement. I imagine it crushing under the weight of my hands, disintegrating into yello...

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“"Minefields- A Walk with OCD"” by IM SALAZAR

Submitted to Contest #3

I check the lock of the door once on the inside and then again when I step outside. Once I step onto the concrete path, I turn right and walk until I reach the main sidewalk. Turn left to go for either a typical walk, to take the 22 Clark bus or the Metra train, to go to my girlfriend’s house, or to get a donut or ice cream. Turn right to go to either the grocer’s, Warren Park, my best friend’s house, or for an atypical, rearward walk. Today, I think I will take a typical walk. Turn left. Two steps in the first sidewalk square, then thr...

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“An Excursion” by Maitreyee Joshi

Submitted to Contest #3

Opening my eyes in the morning, my body feels like a log. Neither do I enjoy getting up from my lying down position nor do I want to go on lying down. Being a log in the bed is not particularly pleasant. I bring myself up and scratch out of bed, my every muscle and joint creaking. These days, brushing my teeth is never a must, early in the morning. It has become an elective job. A bowl of mushy, semiliquid, yellow masala oats with preserved carrots and hard semi cooked peas is placed in front of me, I feel like throwing it in the bin. Why do...

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“JOURNAL OF A BLACK WOMAN” by Umutu Ikang

Submitted to Contest #3

JOURNAL OF A BLACK WOMANIt’s the second week of my paediatric rotation and my final year in medical school. I’m beside myself with joy as I remember I’ll soon be done with this seemingly endless routine. I’m exhausted. I don’t remember a time I wasn’t. I look at the wall clock above my bed. It is 6’oclock already. I was up till 3am in the morning finishing my research work and final year project. It was due for submission and I was behind schedule. This is one reason I feel elated whenever I think I’ll b...

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“The Office” by Karla Valdez

Submitted to Contest #3

Wednesday afternoon, an hour to quitting time and I was stuck having the most boring conversation with one of my co-workers. His name was Rick and he worked in the accounting department, that is all I knew about him and frankly, that is all I needed to know.All I wanted was some water, that was all. I didn't want to start a conversation about televisions but good ol' Rick decided that he would choose what I wanted this afternoon."The funny thing about owning a TV that large is that everyone wants to watch everything on i...

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“Me, Myself and I” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #3

I looked past the Chatty Kathy’s of the office’s breakroom and pondered getting a cup of coffee. Maybe… This word lingered as I looked at the coffee pot sitting still as a stone on its marble countertop. It seemed to have a staring contest with me as it just, well, sat there on the base of its coffee pot machine. “Having a staring contest with the ...

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“The man of my dreams ” by Candace Taylor

Submitted to Contest #3

Hi! My name is Nicole Wright-Jones and I want to tell you the story of how I met my husband Donnie. It is one of those stories that you read about in books or see in the movies. It was two years ago. I was working at JC’s advertising company. Donald worked across the hall for as a technician at Lowell’s industry company. One day as I was walking in the building, he was walking in as well. We briefly said hello and went about our days. I would see him almost every morning as we made it to work around the same time. It was always hey, how...

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“Dream Come True” by Aurora Alamgir

Submitted to Contest #3

'The Mystique High School', my dream high school which I always wanted to attend especially because of its dance classes. Mystique High School offers the best dance classes in my country and I love to dance, it's my life. I always wanted to learn dance institutionally from the best professional dancers, which only Mystique High School offers. But I can't afford to read in there. Not only that although I love to dance but I never learned it institutionally! My father died in an accident when I was 4. Since then my mother does per time jobs be...

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“The Party That changed my Life” by Rosalia Romero

Submitted to Contest #3

And the winner is..... Luffy!I- I couldn’t believe it, was it true? Was I in a dream? What could I have possibly done to deserve this? All those questions and thoughts were pouring into my head. Not only did I win the contest but I also won the prize of my dreams! And it all started at a silly party at Natasha’s house. The whole school was going so if I didn’t go then i would look like a complete dork! It was on a Friday of course and my parents said ”no” so I had to make a what I call “sneakattackplan” every time I did it my parents never f...

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“Turbocharged Dreams” by Autumn Pense

Submitted to Contest #3

A call from an unknown number, could be anything. In his head, Evan thought nothing of it as he slid his finger across his screen to answer the call. Expecting a telemarketer, or some otherwise unsavory caller, he spoke in the driest tone he could muster. “Hello,” came out as barely more than a bark. He waited a few seconds and nearly found the little red circle to end this encounter when a voice came on the line. “Hi! Hey, is this Evan Summers?” The voice sounded far too upbeat and real to have been a telemarketer, but who would know ...

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“A Contest & a Surprise” by Ashlee Mahadia

Submitted to Contest #3

Attention! Attention! calling all dancers to the stage. Wait? How did we get here? 1 week earlier Alissa seen on Instagram that there will be a dance contest held in New York City. Allissa froze and yelled "Yes! I am so going to join that contest. Monday, "I need to find a dance partner." Allissa thought to herself. She had the perfect song that she wanted to dance to. Whenever Allissa is in the mood to dance she finds that one song and stays focused on it. Allissa turned on her speaker and played King Promise Commando. Allissa started danci...

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“The Win” by Gift Ukay

Submitted to Contest #3

Tapping on the keys, typing the last sentence of the story, she clasped and unclasped her fingers, leaning back into her seat, and staring at the opened laptop before her.“Wow! I really wrote this,” she asked herself, fazed by her written words.Smiling, her eyes scanned through the story once again, and she nodded in approval. “Perfect ending,” she muttered. She hadn’t noticed when the door squeaked open with her elder brother- Pablo peeking into her room.“Aquila, mum’s calling you,” Pablo informed her.Turning in her seat to him, “...

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“Ball 25” by Angela Swearman

Submitted to Contest #3

She never entered contests because she never won contests. Why take the risk, the chance, when she knew, deep down, she never stood a chance? That day she decided to take the chance. Maybe it was the coffee buzzing in her veins or the realization she had that morning that her life bored her. She watched people and read about people living amazing lives. The kind of life she wanted to live. She realized she was tired of waiting so that day she took a chance to grab it.She almost fainted when she won. The tiny ball t...

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“Warton” by Beth Hitchman

Submitted to Contest #3

It feels a bit intimidating, standing in front of that beautiful English country-side cottage. The one where I grew up. I get that sweaty, nervous palm feeling. You know the one. I had hoped to stop and stare at the ghost of my childhood without having to meet the people who live there now. It’s always better to keep memories unoccupied by the people who live now where they did, less messy this way. There is no car in the driveway. I am hoping this means that I can stare for as long as I like. A cool breeze on a medium warm day makes my skin...

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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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