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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

“After you,” by Chandani Holliday

Submitted to Contest #32

It’s Tuesday again! Tuesday is my favourite day of the week. It’s not Monday, so I feel more awake and prepared for what is to come and it’s not Wednesday, the mid-week slog-day. On Tuesdays, I get the day off from work and on Tuesdays, I meet my best friend Stephanie for coffee. We go to the same coffee shop and always meet different people; some are kind and some are rude; some give me funny looks and some give me a strange, sad smile. Apart from the Barista, Jayden, he’s always there and he always smiles when he sees me. I always meet Ste...

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“The jealous girlfriend of the boyfriend with superpowers.” by Jessica Sanders

Submitted to Contest #32

Once upon a time there was a young lady And a man that dated. The young lady became obnoxiously anger with her spouse she got very upset that her boyfriend had extra ordinary super powers and she did not . one day her boyfriend tried to charm her and he wanted to use his superpowers ,so he had roses just falling from the sky and freezing in the sky with snowflakes falling down she became very upset she love that idea and but she knew any girl would dream of that but with her ungrateful ways she became very angry and she told him they need to...

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“Justice For Greg” by Cara H

Submitted to Contest #32

ConfessionOn the night of October 12, 1979, two adolescent girls sat in the basement bedroom of a suburban home in Lawrence, Kansas. Twelve-year-old Pepper Baiij was a painfully shy girl with dishwater-blonde hair and a pronounced overbite with gaps between her top front teeth. Her family hoped that the costly braces she wore would help correct her unattractive smile. Pepper’s companion, Ursula McNamara, was a spirited girl with a pale, freckled face and reddish-brown hair. Ursula had the slender build of a gymnast and there were several tro...

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“The Mexican Arctic” by Sarah Harris

Submitted to Contest #32

“If we’re on some sort of Arctic expedition,” Elizabeth began, “why aren’t we cold?” She looked down at her dirty jeans and short-sleeved shirt. “And why don’t we need lights in this god-forsaken cave?” Alyssa questioned. “This isn’t real,” Lindsey replied.“Yeah, right. We’re really on some beach in Mexico right now,” Elizabeth scoffed. She climbed up a steep slope, cursing as she bumped her knee on a protruding rock. Alyssa sighed. “Mexico sounds nice. Sunlight, not this strange ambient light emanating from nowhere. Sand bene...

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“The First Character to Exit” by Kindra Robinson

Submitted to Contest #32

Henry looked in the mirror and adjusted his tie, just as he did every morning. He sighed. It just isn’t fair he thought to himself. He was in his 40s with brown hair and an average body. He really couldn’t pick out one distinctive trait about himself. Henry went downstairs where his wife had made breakfast. It felt as though he’d lived that moment thousands of times, as he walked into the kitchen and saw her standing there. Her red hair was completely in place and her makeup was already done. She was wea...

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“Alice in Wonderland” by Sam Kirk

Submitted to Contest #32

The second the alarm went off, Alice jumped out of bed. She had never been a morning person before, but now, since she became her own boss, waking up at the crack of dawn no longer posed a problem for the thirty-one-year-old. Dressed in her navy blue pajamas adorned with stars and matching slippers, Alice shuffled into the kitchen and switched on the Smart Light. At first, Alice was skeptical when she heard of this invention, but was now a total believer. The light started off dim and gradually became brighter over a span of five minutes, gi...

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“Reunited ” by Randi W

Submitted to Contest #32

England 1885 11-year-old Abigail rearranged the tea cups on the white lace table cloth; her fingers shook a little as she lit the match and carefully lit the wick. As a soft yellow glow filled the moonlit room steam rose from the teacups. With shaky hands, Abigail smoothed her day dress, waiting anxiously for him to arrive. As soon as the maid helped her into her ni...

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“Dog Doc” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #32

I’m a vet, but no other vet does what I do, which is live animal trance mediumship. My Veterinary Spiritual Dictionary defines trance as, “Being under the direct hypnotic control of an animal Influence,” It defines “Mediumship” as “the process by which an individual veterinarian acts as a channel for the animal spirit influences,” and X-Ray Clairvoyance as “a foyrm of clairvoyance which partakes of the X-Ray and seems to be objective. The vet that possesses this power is able to see the physical inside anim...

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“The Crystal Shop” by Arielle Brill

Submitted to Contest #32

“This one’s very nice,” I said, my pale hands grazing over a large amethyst crystal. “My father found it cave diving in Brazil.” I bit my lip, leaning my hips a bit over the counter. “Have you ever been there?” “No, I haven’t.” The man in front of me didn’t seem too comfortable with my suggestive antics. “Do you have any that look like this but are pink?” I ignored his question. “Neither have I. I would love to go, wouldn’t you? I’ve heard the skies are bluer than Heaven’s walls.” I leaned in just a bit farther over the counter, being able t...

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“Gone for Good” by Ian Gonzales

Submitted to Contest #32

Todd Harmon jumped down from the cab of his truck, landing on the pavement with a wince as his old knees protested the treatment. He straightened with another grimace of pain for his back, permanently griping after more than thirty years of sitting for hours each day. It was a situation as old as modern society, but somebody had to do the job he did, and the compensation for it had helped him to build a very nice life for himself and his family. He could have taken early retirement three years ago, but he ...

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“A Different Kind of Power” by Cody Ell

Submitted to Contest #32

She was at it again. I turned over in bed and tried to get back to sleep as I heard the occasional clunk of something bumping into a wall somewhere in the house. Something else made a bumping sound. You would think a telekinetic would have some better control.As a third bump sounded through the house I sighed and opened my eyes. Clothes were floating across the room, out the door, and down the hall. I sighed again and threw the covers aside before standing and stretching only to have a shirt fly into my face. I pulled it to the side grumpily...

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“The most common question.” by Damian Perry

Submitted to Contest #32

I felt the key pressing into the palm of my hand and I smiled. The house before me was a two-storey terraced house across from an oval in Clifton Hill. It looked small but inviting. Part of that might have been the key in my hand.“I want you to feel at home here,” Ted had told me as he handed it to me over breakfast. “And if you want to move in, well, that would be fine too.” He’d blushed through his beard and I’d held his hand and grinned like a kid.It wasn’t a new relationship, but it felt like it was going somewhere. We’d met at the end o...

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“Couples Therapy” by Rob Lawson

Submitted to Contest #32

The two entered the elevator, joined at the wrist by a shining pair of handcuffs. The two exchanged looks as the door slid shut, neither beaming smiles. “You know this isn’t gonna work.” “Why not?” “Didn’t work for my parents. Ain’t gonna work for us Lewis.” “Sal, we’re not your parents. We’re us.” “Fine.” Sal crosses his arms for a second, pulling Lewis along with him. “But do we really need the cuffs?” Sal asked. Lewis looked into the emerald green of Sal’s eyes and said, “You know why.” Defeated, Sal’s pitiful attempts at grumbled d...

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“Dark Arts And The Gift” by Tom Moser

Submitted to Contest #32

“Beer, cold beer! First call on ice cold beer!” he yelled to the crowd. Spring Training in Arizona had become Larry’s favorite time of year, both because of the weather, and because it commenced the short season of his career as a beer vendor at the baseball stadium. Larry had other jobs to supplement his one-month income in Arizona, but his other jobs did not provide the same allure of MLB baseball, tradition, the fans and seeing new ballplayer prospects. The other jobs also did not involve using the gift. By the end of Spring Training, Lar...

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“A MERMAIDS BEST FRIEND ” by Vickie Culbertson

Submitted to Contest #32

Karen Sue smiled. As her caregiver/companion, I asked her what she would like to eat. Karen Sue's eyes lit up like robin egg blue hue, as she replies "Meatloaf." Karen Sue shows me a notebook of Anna and Elsa on the front cover, the popular characters of the movie, FROZEN. I say outloud, "Sisters," "Yes, Karen Sue, you do have a sister and her name is, Rebecca, right?" Karen Sue is thirty-five years old and has/was born with Downs Syndrome.Each person with Downs Syndrome is an individual. Karen Sue is short in stature, flattened face, always...

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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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