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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#34: Staying Inside

These days, we’re all being urged to stay home as much as possible... which means you might find yourself with more time to write. So in the spirit of art imitating life, this week’s prompts all revolve around the notion of staying in!

On that note, we wanted to make a special announcement: today, Reedsy is hosting a live writing sprint on YouTube. Bite-sized writing bursts are a proven way to make progress on a project, and we figured there’s no time like the present to virtually connect and support one another.

The writing sprint will take place today at 1pm EST. You can register for the event using this link, or subscribe to our YouTube channel and simply join us at 1pm EST. We hope to see you there!

Most of all, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a family game night.

Fiction – 70 stories

Write a story from the perspective of a dog, thrilled to find their owner has been spending so much time at home.

Fluff – 73 stories

Write a story told entirely through text messages or emails.

Dialogue – 104 stories

Write a story about a rainy day spent indoors.

Spring – 146 stories

Write a story about someone who finds a secret passageway in their house.

Short Story – 147 stories

Stories

“Catan” by Charlie Larson

Submitted to Contest #34

It seemed ironic that this was the first beautiful day in months. Days after days of lashing rain had kept every one of us indoors, hiding from the elements. Of course it was only when we were forced inside by quarantine that the sun decided to show it’s face again. The sky was a brilliant blue, a gentle breeze shifted the tree leaves on the street outside; you could practically hear the Disney Princess singing to the birds. From a fourth floor apartment, however, we could only watch with envy. It was as though spring had arrived simply to l...

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“My Confusion” by Shirley Medhurst

Submitted to Contest #34

I am a little confused, I must say, with what has been going on around here recently. My daily routine seems to have gone to pot. A typical day in my life always used to start with a very hasty, brisk trot around the block, just to get the old morning ablutions over with, so to speak. We would usually time it so I could pal up with Lola and her man for a brief tail and chinwag as they take the same route as us. When we got home, I would then be left to my own devices for most of the daylight hours, which suited me down to the ground really. ...

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“Taking Control” by Elizabeth Voll

Submitted to Contest #34

This new life of Charli’s seemed to continuously linger behind every corner she walked by, each time taking a part of her. She tried her best to keep it in that corner— away from the world.Away from her. Yet, it would overcome her, more often than she would like to admit. The closer it got to the day a piece of her would die, the more her walls would deteriorate, waiting for her downfall. Perhaps she could learn to love this life as much as she could if it weren’t trapping her, hands clasped around her throat, squeezing the air out...

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“To Escape ” by Kate Rucker

Submitted to Contest #34

Emily stared tragically out the window. She was beginning to feel a consuming pull of depression drag her down to its abject depths. From which, she was certain she would never return. Somehow, her chest hurt even more at that thought, and a pointlessness seemed to emerge to claim her. This quarantine, this social-distancing, it was more painful than she ever expected. She didn’t necessarily consider herself an extrovert but the need to be around people and feel the love of others was a strong motive to leave her home.Her home, whe...

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“The Old Carpet” by Devestation M

Submitted to Contest #34

“Anne? Anne!” were the last words she heard as she fell down, deep into the dark abyss as if nothing would ever break her fall. She just kept falling feeling quite like Alice falling through the rabbit hole. But suddenly she felt the cold floor, damp and hard, all most slippery. She looked up, seeing a light, it was the living room light. She saw her brothers round face looking down, with a very apparent concern on his face, “Anne, are you okay?” is all he could barely mumble out. “Yes, I think so, what is this place?” She replied very curio...

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“'The secret world of dinosaurs in my close'” by Tyra Johnson

Submitted to Contest #34

In the month of May. The sun was so hot it could fry a fish alive and the green grass, as the hot sun reflected on it; was shining like a diamond.My parents and I emigrated to London. In a small, peaceful and beautiful neighbourhood name Charlotte.I could still smell as if it was just yesterday; the smell of the fresh, orange coloured paint.I could remember the amazing appearance and my thoughts about our great mansion at first sight.The mansion was owned by a famous, old and powerful wizard named Marlock but he died, or so we were informed ...

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“The Attic” by Silverfang Potato

Submitted to Contest #34

“Rin c’mon, help me carry the TV inside.” Corey snapped me out of my thoughts as I was staring at our newly purchased living space. In other words we just bought our very first house! “Coming!” I squealed excitedly. He shook his head as he watched me run to the truck to help. We carried the TV in and set it down on the table in the living room. “Looks like that’s everything.” Lian wiped the sweat from his forehead as he came in from the back. “It’s hot in here, let's turn on the air.” “Who wants pizza?” I asked sitting down on th...

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“Hole in the Sky” by Tolu Odel

Submitted to Contest #34

I am very smart. My mother said so, so it must be real. Yesterday I said to her that I was born in the year 2209, because 2213 minus four is 2209. My mother applauded me, and said I was practically a genius. My father said I don’t even need to go to school, because I know everything there is to know. I live in Louisville, and I am very lucky because it is the end of a long string of cities, meaning I live near the sky. A few months ago, I discovered that if I sneak out of Louisville and walk through some scary electric lines and stuff f...

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“Killing Words” by Diana Black

Submitted to Contest #34

It's Sunday, and I hate my wife. It's an odd thing to say since I proposed and married her, but I hate her with every bone in my body. We're playing Scrabble for Sunday Night Game Night, which she thinks will improve our relationship, but it only makes me hate her more. She always wins. Every single time we play Scrabble, or Scatergories or anything else with words, she wins. She just sits there, sipping her tea and making words. She's an author for god's sake. Of course, she would be able to make words from the letters KSRQATT. Nonethe...

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“The Game” by Gabrielle Gerstley

Submitted to Contest #34

“I bought a game,” dad says. We’re all sitting in mom and dad’s den. The fireplace roars in front of us, striping our faces in an orange glow. I stare into my brother’s eyes and trace the path inside his pupil to where the mirrored image of the fireplace crackles and burns. He stares back at me and takes a sip of his drink—whiskey, dry, just like dad likes his. I give mom a look who sits on the recliner across the room like a small raisin, her feet tucked under her legs trying to warm them. She raises her shoulders up and lets them drop back...

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“The Author and the Reader” by Isis Hess

Submitted to Contest #34

Outside, the rain poured down in endless sheets, a stark contrast to the sound inside the room. A rustle of papers and the steady clicking of a beautiful and classic typewriter was the only sound aside from two people breathing, one slow and even while the other sighed in drowsiness. The pristine typewriter sat in a clear space near its modern descendant, a sleek silver laptop that, although new, was covered in a light film of dust from months of neglect. “Have you even turned that on since the holidays?” the one with the papers asked,...

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“The Door to Destiny” by Lilly Blossom

Submitted to Contest #34

They rarely talked anymore. Ally and DJ were twins and had grown up close. They'd done everything together, mostly getting in trouble. Both natural explorers, they spent more time in the woods behind their grandparents’ old mansion than they did in school. “I’m sorry to inform you that your Grandmother Kay has passed away. However, I am pleased to inform you that she left all of her EastWood Estate to you and your brother, as well as all of the belongings.” The voice on the other end of the line was proper and formal, a well-to-d...

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“Plague” by Caroline Ryder

Submitted to Contest #34

Loneliness has the ability to eat a person up. It has the ability to devour the mind whole and breech any sense of control and power. It is a disease. Ivy understood this. Curtains drawn and surrendered by blankets and pillows, the room seemed like a haven to her. However, the room could not shut out every distressing situation. Loneliness had made its way past her fortress and crept its way into her thoughts. She had been feeling this way since her parents found it best to move her and her brothers to a new state, new house, and new school....

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“Man in the Clouds” by Courtney Haynes

Submitted to Contest #34

Who is responsible for fate? Zeus? God? El Nino? Much like that Tootsie Pop mystery, the world may never know. But as I stare out the window as the rain pours down, mercilessly, I know at least one thing is sure: he’s a sick, twisted fuck. This is what dawns on me as I watch each droplet cling to the exterior glass. Each individual drop races down, leaving a watery trail only to escape from view, reminding me of a dashed opportunity named Chandler Graves.How can one describe her? Well, to describe her is to put her in a box as if beauty...

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“The Skeletons in Her Closet” by E. Abraham

Submitted to Contest #34

Those first few weeks had been the best. Free from work and my bank account stable, I was left with absolutely nothing to do but relax. I fixed my faucet, reread my favorite books, got around to starting a garden, and finally caught up on my sleep- those dark circles beneath my eyes fading at last. It wasn't until about the third week that I realized the downside to all of this free time: I began to get bored. Yeah, ye...

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$50

Prize money

540

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 27, 2020 EST

Won by R Kon 🏆

Title: Who Speaks to Death

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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