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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

“Single Strand of Silver” by Heera A

Submitted to Contest #32

It was always the same moment where I stand in front of the mirror, wiped away the paint from my face, stripped myself bare of the thick clothing I had to don for the day, and allow my body to be free of constraint, my wings springing with ease after being released from their glamour spell, and when my eyes catch my own sparkling, violet irises in the mirror and my burgundy hair falls neatly behind my pointed ears, that I feel the most vulnerable.Yes, I know it is silly and perhaps downright humiliating that I, who sprung from the loins of a...

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“Here's Looking at You, Kid.” by Lindy Guidry

Submitted to Contest #32

The rain began quickly and unexpectedly, coming in a heavy mist that drifted northward from the river and moved up toward The French Market. Amalie glanced through the foggy window of Café Fleur de Lis at the tables with umbrellas outside on the sidewalk. The ribbed silk canopies danced in the wind, sending rivulets of rainwater cascading into the laps of the customers who had been sitting under them enjoying the café au lait and the view of the Mississippi River. The patrons, many of them visitors to the city of New Orleans, hurri...

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“Last Breath” by Stan Konwiser

Submitted to Contest #32

Carl considered the 12 hour shifts part of his life. Arriving at 8 AM to the home of someone dying a slow death required a very early rise plus the travel time to get there. Once he arrived and did the transfer briefing with the home care aid finishing the shift, he spent a long day mostly sitting and watching. Carl was a hospice aid.This occupation fell naturally to Carl. As a young boy, his aged Nanna had lived in the smallest room of the apartment with his mother and sister. Carl would often sit with Nanna just watching her dozing in fron...

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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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“The Price She Pays” by Julie DaRosa

Submitted to Contest #32

She was very well aware of the price she would pay. She was selfish in all reality, she had two beautiful children and a husband who loved her. But it was worth it. To smell him again, taste his mouth, feel him in every sense of the word. To be so unequivocally herself again, the pureness of it all. Hannah knew that every time she said the words that she was shortening her life by a day, and how do you know how long your life actually spans? Another ten minutes? Ten years? Twenty? Would she be a centennial? Or was she robbing her children of...

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“The Memory Stick” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #32

The Memory Stick It was his favourite memory stick. And it got its information from a chip planted just in the right place in his brain: where senses intersected. The stick could take him back to a time, only a few months ago, when life felt better for him romantically. When he plugged in the stick he could see family members smiling at each other, and at him. He could hear laughter, and he could smell the sizzling aroma of hamburgers fresh from the barbecue. And the feeling of the wind against his bare arms could g...

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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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“See You Soon” by Mellie Alethea

Submitted to Contest #32

You sit at the small table, just waiting. It’s quite sad to see a grown woman sitting alone at a tea table surrounded by stuffed animals with a sad-looking feather boa barely laying on her shoulders. But you do this for me. You do this for me, though you don’t know when I’ll show up. I never show up on time, but you say that’s a good quirk. ‘Makes everything a little more interesting,’ you had said. ‘Keeps me on my toes.’ You sigh to yourself and lightly push a teacup over. I smile at your boredom because even though I’m not here yet, ...

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“On Angel's Wings” by Clara Wilde

Submitted to Contest #32

I avoided looking at the ghost's nearly see-through eyes. No matter how much time had passed since her death, the grief hit me like a tsunami every time I caught her eye.She, on the other hand, was much less bothered. Carefree in life and unchanging in death, she didn't seem to notice that she was a dead thing and I was alive. Or was she dead? I could never decide if the soul of a deceased person could be strictly counted as dead. And Naomi's softly glowing spirit felt so alive. Her hazel eyes glowed and her hands moved animatedly as she tal...

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“Remote Control” by Mica Rossi

Submitted to Contest #32

Remote Control “Hi, Mom.” Eleven-year-old Kevin Schuster flashed a lopsided grin at his mother and then bent back over the model car in his hand. He could feel her eyes on him while he spread glue on the edge of the miniature grille. She stayed quiet until he levered the piece into place with a pair of tweezers, but he knew she was waiting. She asked him the same question every night. “You get your homework done?” “It’s Saturday. I did it last night.” “All of it, Kevin?” “Yeah, all of it. Honest, Mom.” “Okay.&nb...

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“Secrets and Relationships” by Janie Cruz

Submitted to Contest #32

Someone came up behind me and covered my eyes. "Guess who?" Luca whispered. I laughed, "Gee, let's see..." He came around and kissed my cheek. "Oh come on, you could at least pretend." He sat on the table next to me. "Whatcha doin' there?" he asked. I quickly shut my notebook. "Just some class notes." He gave me a quizzical look. "Mm Hm." "What?" "You know, we've been dating for what,-" "Two years." He laughed, "Right. Two years. In two years not once have you ever let me look in that notebook." "I've let you look in my notebooks." "No I me...

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“Forever Young” by Steve Kaye

Submitted to Contest #32

“So, what are you gonna do?”“About what?”“Your marriage.”“I don’t know.”“You’re miserable. She checks up on you at work. She reads your e-mails when you’re not home. She even reads your texts when you're sleeping.”He was right. His little cousin, who wasn’t so little anymore, was right. Benny Cohen was fifteen years younger than Dean. The relationship was more than two family members. Dean Gibbs thought of his cousin as the little brother he never had. Benny learned to appreciate his cousin’s guidance. Upon entering high schoo...

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“The Memory” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #32

Michele skated along the sidewalk. “Come on Pauline, hurry up! They need us in Parnasus!” Pauline skated along with her, looking about. It was all familiar. The alley ran the length of a block and separated houses from the furniture factory on the other side. No one ever used it. Indeed, the only one who ever saw them was Mrs. Ramsey, whose house was next to the factory. Sometimes she spoke to Michele to say hello or be careful. She was elderly, stiff, and quite formal. The last time had been to tell her off. Michele had wandered ...

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“In Fiction” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #32

In FictionHe is a merciless God. He is a tyrannical God. It’s because of him that I endure this endless torture. I’ve lived a thousand lives and I’m poised to live a thousand more. Some last for minutes. Some last for centuries. Some lives I remember. Some I forget. And then, some I wish I could forget. I’m beyond control of my actions. I’m nothing but a series of ones and zeroes. Some guy In his mom’s basement crafted the brilliant script that resulted in me, the endless source of entertainment for an entire generation of ot...

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“I CAN'T DIE BUT I CAN'T LIVE EITHER” by RADIUS HAVWAALA

Submitted to Contest #32

Kabwe has been transformed from a ghost town into a sprawling metropolis by the status of Mulungushi University. This has been further augmented by the mushrooming of big shopping malls like Choppies, Kabwe Mall, name them. But what has catapulted Kabwe out of the shadows of humiliating poverty into the glorious light of a big thriving metropolitan city are Guest Houses. Out of need rather than curiosity I visited SAFE guest house in mine area to spend a night away from the merciless cold in the streets. A tall dark la...

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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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