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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#32: This Magic Moment

Last week, we challenged you to write stories about life's ordinary moments. This week, we're thinking along the same lines... but with a twist. And that twist is: magical realism.

Magical realism is a literary style that weaves threads of fantasy into depictions of everyday life. For instance, a story might be about someone sitting on their couch and channel-surfing — that's the "realism." Then they might walk up to their TV and step right through it like a portal into a fantasy land. That's the "magical."

An important distinction of magical realism is that it doesn't explain the fantastical elements or occurrences. The magic that's woven into the story just is: a character turning off the rain with the snap of a finger is as commonplace as another character opening an umbrella.We hope you enjoy the prompts — and if you're looking for a more in-depth explanation of magical realism, as well as some of the genres best reads, check out this blog post!

This week's prompts

Write about someone who works an average job — but incorporate elements of magic into it.

Fantasy – 76 stories

Write about a person who meets with the ghost of an old friend for tea every so often.

Fantasy – 111 stories

Write about two people in a relationship. One of them has special powers, the other does not.

Fantasy – 77 stories

Write a story that includes characters who are aware they are a work of fiction.

Fantasy – 74 stories

Write a story about someone who can pause time or re-live old memories at will.

High School – 65 stories

Stories

“El Gato” by Matt Strempel

Submitted to Contest #32

Three kills tonight. Three vermin neutralised. Three fewer mouths raiding our stores. It was a successful hunt by anyone’s standard but, as always, I will receive no credit for my work.I am El Burro—the donkey—because I didn’t know how to say mule in Spanish. Even though I am in Indonesia's most infamous prison, most of us are learning Spanish because of Ramos ‘Reymos’ Hernández. Reymos is a fellow inmate but he is king. ‘Rey’.That’s Spanish for king.I am El Burro, the donkey. The drug mule.Despite my proficiency, I am not el Cazador, t...

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“Into the Volcano” by Sam Ho

Submitted to Contest #32

We were all sat around the breakfast table, like any other morning. Papa was muttering to someone on his phone while we all not-to-discreetly eavesdropped. Papa hung up, and we all remained silent, waiting for it. My sister moved her headphones off her ears. "Walota thinks there has been a new hatch,"We didn't need to ask of what; papa was the best wrangler on the island. "What breed?" asked mama. "Kura" he said; "and at least five eggs he thinks."I was too excited to stay quiet; "oohhhh that is my favourite kind. Can I have one ...

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“Dragon Slayer” by Karmissa Ariadne

Submitted to Contest #32

It was half-past three on a typical Monday afternoon. Senna had just stepped back into the office after an indulgent afternoon snack of velvety biscuits and a smooth coffee. The assistant executive, Miranda, marched down the centre of the office with a mountain of paperwork in her arms. Her face was stiff and her eyes were sharp. As she passed Senna, she slammed a pile of work onto her desk, causing it to shake quietly for a moment as though it had just been hit by a tsunami. Senna flinched and directed a look of offence at her superior – sh...

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“Saying Good bye” by Mushroom (flammulina Velutipes)

Submitted to Contest #32

The kettle whistles, and I stand up, putting away my phone. I wasn't boiling water before, but it's not surprising - Florence usually stops by at around this time.I wander into my kitchenette, looking around. Sure enough, Florence is hovering just in front of some of my upper cupboards, looking for something.She doesn't look up as I enter the kitchenette."Where do you keep your tea cups?" she asks in her high, rather reedy voice. "One cupboard to your left. Don't use the porcelain ones, they were a gift from my mother," I say. She reaches th...

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“The Ghostest with the Mostest” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #32

The Ghostest with the MostestSuzanne Marsh“The reading of the will of Miss Fanny Draper” the lawyer's boomed loudly. I was the only person there. I had Miss Fanny one summer when I was about sixteen. I had taken a job of house sitting for her. She was a neighbor of ours. She was also very eccentric. I could not understand why I was the only person sitting there, I knew she had relatives that lived in New York. Mr. James, the lawyer, continued, his voice lower. “Miss Charlotte (Fanny Draper) has deeded to you Miss Adeline Hanson all of her wo...

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“You're An Employee, Harry” by Kevin Schenk

Submitted to Contest #32

Harold was already late for the meeting. He had decided to take it slow today, have a nice cup of coffee at the café near work. As usual though, he got caught up in his head and ended up savouring the coffee for far too long."Damn my good taste," he cursed himself under his breath as he relished in the memory of the delicious Brazilian coffee that tantalized his mouth only moments before.He rushed to the elevator and pushed his floor, 23. He sighed and realized he would be late for the meeting if he waited for the elevator. He saw the number...

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“Our differences ” by Summer Pauley

Submitted to Contest #32

Rebecca's ViewThree years...That's how long me and Tony have been together.That's how long I've been keeping a whole other part of my life from him.I use magicI know, your probably thinking how could she keep that from him, but it was kind of easy, like the time we were outside and we couldn't get the sprinkler working, and it just so happen to start working an hour an a half later, I just told him that it was a miracle. And another time, we were walking up main street, when a lady had bent down and lost control of her cart, and the grocery ...

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“A Work of Aura” by Adriana Travisano

Submitted to Contest #32

"What's wrong?""Is there any point trying to deny that anything is?""Not really, no. There's blue all over your aura and, also, you've been chewing that carrot stick for over a minute now."Max wasn't sure he could handle any more of her stiff smiles or reserved posture. Worst of all were the traces she left behind. The usual bright colours in her aura had dimmed and continuously dimmed everything she came in contact with: her toothbrush, her phone, all of her clothes (even after they had gone through a few rounds in the wash), and—worst of a...

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“One of a Kind” by Maria Slager Slager

Submitted to Contest #32

I'm so nervous... When should I do it? I've practiced this a thousand times. Just do it!'Brett had been spiraling for days. Every date we went on he had been nervous. I felt so uncomfortable reading his thoughts. Not that I could help it, but I always felt it was invading other's privacy. I also felt bad that I knew he was planning to propose.Since before I could remember, I could read people's minds, but only when I was looking into their eyes. Some people might like this 'power,' but I did not. I despised it. It made me realize things abou...

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“To Be the Man I Once Was” by Miz Erie

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #32

The years haven’t been gentle. Benjamin’s legs don’t move as quickly as they once did, and his gait falters more often than he cares to admit. He pauses just before the glass front of Déjà Brew to straighten his cinnamon cardigan and comb his fingers through—“Damn it!” Benjamin grimaces at the smart of his old shoulder injury from when—he can’t drown in the helplessness and dejection that paralyzed him for months after the collision again. At least, not right now. His shaggy, white hair will just have to remain wind-tousled.As usual, Ryan is...

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“The Jar of Jealousy” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #32

That nasty little mind-worm wouldn’t stop writhing. Melanie wanted it to go away, but it wouldn’t. It seemed to bore holes, but then not to have bored them, because it needed to do so again. She was jealous. She was jealous of Vivienne, and she couldn’t help it. Vivienne was her best friend, her most steadfast friend, the friend who put up with her moods and her singularities and had, so far as she could recall, never spoken a word in anger to her, but she was jealous of her. For the firs...

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“With Stars in Our Eyes” by Hannah Carter

Submitted to Contest #32

“Arthur, I need to show you something.” I peeked open one eye and saw a familiar freckled face right before me. That wasn’t unusual in itself, but the fact that she was in my room in the middle of the night was. I let out a wild squawk and thrashed about for a moment. The covers tightened around me until they created a cocoon. The harder I tried to kick them off, the more they fought back. The battle raged on until I thudded off the bed and onto my hardwood floor, the cover the clear victor. “Beatrix!” I hissed. “W...

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“Dear Ms. Fox” by Adele Roman

Submitted to Contest #32

Dear Ms. Fox, a sea of strangers flows before me, going back and forth, in and out of the trains that come and go, like waves at the beach. Sat on the cold steel bench at the end of the platform, I’m tempted to get on. No, too many people. A wave of bodies each with their own little black suitcase trailing behind them. They push through and shove aside whoever dares get in their way, locked in an endless battle for more space. Their faces are stoic, might as well be dead. They have somewhere to go and they go there, a job to do and they do i...

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“The Fantastic World of Billy Mattigan” by Suzanne Gallaway

Submitted to Contest #32

Billy sat beside his best friend Jeremy every day on the bus ride home. The two boys had been best friends forever. After school they both went home to do their homework and then met at one of their houses to play. Billy liked Legos the best, and Jeremy liked playing with action figures. Standard stuff, really. The bus rolled along and the boys, 11, talked about which girls were gross and which were cute, without much thought to the world beyond their small sphere. The bus pulled up to a stop light and Jeremy, who had the window seat looked ...

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“Tabitha's Come to Tea” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #32

It was just one of those traditions, one of those little catchphrases that develop over the period of time and become part of the language of a certain environment, and barely comprehensible to anyone outside it. In the computer and mobile phone shop where I worked, if we heard the kind of little noises that you do hear in old buildings, especially when the weather is capricious, and when we were having our tea break (as we still called it, though most of us preferred coffee) then it’s a fair bet ...

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$50

Prize money

403

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 13, 2020 EST

Won by Thiago Loriggio 🏆

Title: The Tragedy of the Trainee

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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