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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#37: The Game is Afoot

The draw of a puzzle — be it a jigsaw, word cross, or Sudoku — is the opportunity to call on our skills of deduction; to start with what seems like disparate pieces of information, and end up with the complete picture.

Mystery novels are the same! They intrigue us by leaving a trail of clues, prompting us to try and work out what's really going on as the story unravels.

Our love of mystery books is what inspired our recent post on the 30 best mystery novels of all time, as well as this week's prompts. Come, writers! The game is afoot.

This week's prompts

Write a story about a valuable object that goes missing.

Mystery – 91 stories

Write a story about someone who keeps coming across the same stranger.

Mystery – 182 stories

Write a story that takes place in the woods.

Mystery – 180 stories

Write a story that starts with the reveal of a long-kept secret.

Mystery – 129 stories

Write a story about a rumor making its way through the grapevine.

Mystery – 47 stories

Stories

“Am I Losing My Mind?” by K. M. Carpenter

Submitted to Contest #37

I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have been as foolish as I was to get into this taxi cab, drive all the way across the city, and come here. Yet I did. I thought perhaps it was only my imagination, seeing that face amidst hundreds of others. I thought that perhaps it was an illusion of some kind, a sadistic trick. I thought, just maybe, it was a sign I needed to get out. Grab a drink or two. Or three. Am I losing my mind? Their face is everywhere. I don't know them. I thought perhaps they knew me. But those violet eyes, tha...

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“WHO'S THE KILLER?” by Norlie Rabino

Submitted to Contest #37

“Si entras, moriras” A sign that will change the happy trip into an unexpected and thrilling moment. In this case, show how a true friend’s response to each other. Will they help, or will they run? Will they die, or will they kill? Hahahahahah!!!!! A happy trip will come because vacation time is travel time, a time to bond with friends on having a camp. Hi, my name is Aki, and I am having a trip with my friends. We’ve selected this mountain because it is very unrecognized and it’s beautiful. I once came here and have such a good experie...

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“Confessions of a Murder” by Samadhee Ismail

Submitted to Contest #37

Hey you, I am going to tell you a deep secret. A deep secret that I have been hiding for so long. Now, is the time to tell you this long kept secret of mine.Do you remember Esha? Of course you do. After all, Esha is your older sister. Do you remember the day Esha mysteriously disappeared into thin air the night of our school spring dance? Esha never disappeared. I killed Esha that night.***You were just a freshman in high school. And Esha was a senior, like me. You would never have thought in your dreams that you will marry the most popular...

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“Susie” by Vicky S

Submitted to Contest #37

Beams of sunlight shone through the blinds hanging at the windows lining the hallways, so that fine particles of dust could be seen floating in the air.Personal care workers dashed in and out of the bedrooms, armfuls of laundry clutched in their arms and occasionally looking around to check that everything remained calm.Glancing up from the open charts balanced precariously on the medication trolley, Maria lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes. All the figures and slanted handwriting scrawled over the charts were starting to blur.Sighing, s...

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“The Kidnapper” by Natalie Dafoe

Submitted to Contest #37

“You don’t know everything, you only see half the picture.” “I know enough to understand what you’re doing is wrong.” I stood shivering in the cold, foggy expanse of trees. My wool sweater barely protected me from the numbing cold, but I could care less. “And what is it you believe I’m doing exactly?” “Kidnapping children!” I struggled to make out his figure in the night, barely seeing a shadow behind the light that pierced through the night and illuminated me. I was deep into the forest “So you thought it would be smart to come here y...

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“The Shoe Tree” by Kira Kloehn

Submitted to Contest #37

Lina wasn’t afraid of ghosts. The townspeople of Geistbury where highly superstitious. To them, ghosts were an everyday part of reality. Some feared the ghosts more that others, but everyone knew of their existence. Lina wasn’t any different. She knew that ghosts haunted the town, but unlike most, she was not afraid. She was cautious, but never, ever afraid. She reminded herself of this as she walked home from school with her little brother, Rodney, one day. She had an eerie feeling that she couldn’t seem to shake. This feeling occurre...

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“The Lopsided Swing” by Jeanne Marceau

Submitted to Contest #37

Life for me had ended here.Between these two swings.On a rainy night.At dark.Alone.The moment I pulled the trigger, we both knew that I was gone for good that no amount of therapy could help suppress this memory. I still see Harrison sometimes, only those times when the dreams of you come back. When those vivid flashes of these woods come back, they come briefly but those that I see are lovely. Of how you danced amongst the trees and the bright red of your hair quickly turning dark as the drops fell, not only on your head but on the soft san...

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“No Bubbles” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #37

1I should have seen what was wrong with the scene sooner than I did. 2That Saturday morning was gorgeous. The sun was strong, there wasn’t a single cloud visible. A gentle breeze delicately rippled the surface of the water, the lazy waves shimmering. The sky above was an ethereal cobalt, stretching on forever. As I looked up into that blue eternity, I felt at home in the universe, experiencing a rare tranquillity. In the chaos of daily life, I cherish these brief moments of euphoria -- the occasional understanding that all will be okay....

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“One Summer Day” by Mustang Patty

Submitted to Contest #37

When I heard the words coming from my mother’s mouth, a sense of vertigo caused me to grab the back of the chair in front of me. From the beginning of the conversation, I had a sense of foreboding.“You’ve always wanted to know why your father went to jail back then, right? Well, since I had to tell the FBI agent who wants you to go to work for them, I think I should tell you, too.”Not knowing what to say, I merely nodded my head.Mom hesitated and took a big breath before she started. “Well, it turns out that while I was at the Bingo or out o...

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“The Possessed Woods ” by Monica D

Submitted to Contest #37

A bell rattled calling all their men to kill me, their trader and murderer but I didn't kill on purpose I was forced, and I’m now running for my life. The only way out is the woods. But this isn’t any other type of woods. It has zombies that come out of the ground, trolls that can crush me with one finger and Wolfs that rule the night. I have no other choice. It’s die now or die later. I ran in knowing that they would stop chasing me here. I need to survive this forest, I need to find the stone of doom to break it. I heard that it is found o...

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“The Last One of Me You'll Ever See” by Kevin Angulo

Submitted to Contest #37

I found it hard to believe that everyone was dead. It had been three weeks, and I still expected to hear someone yell out from behind me, “HEY YOU!” They might say, “There’s another ship taking off from Chelsea Piers! Better not miss it!”But there wasn’t another ship, and there never would be. The last transport to Mars had taken off three weeks ago. I watched it blast off the Hudson, creating a wave that spread out in a 360-degree circle reaching all the way to the shores of New Jersey. I watched the transport ship fly higher than all the s...

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“CORNERED” by Norlie Rabino

Submitted to Contest #37

I can’t breathe, there is so many people around me, looking at me, whispering, I can’t breathe. Help me. Is there someone who can help me? I don’t know because there is no one in my side.“How could you do this to me? What have you done? How can you spread such thing? “Well, I think, to ruined your life. Everyone will gossip on you. That is to make your life miserable. Cut, that was a good job. Hi, my name is Kaylie Rodriguez, an actress. My life flow through acting. I love to be part of the industry, but this job can suffer yo...

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“WHO'S WHO” by Norlie Rabino

Submitted to Contest #37

I lost you, I can’t find you. Where are you? I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. You’re my strength, you’re the reason why I’m still fighting, why I’m not retreating, and if I lost you, I don’t know, what will happen to my life. Mom, where’s my watch? My earrings? My red pajamas? Mom? Mom? Why aren’t you answering? Oh, you’re sleeping even it’s already 7 am. Mom, just give me my allowance and I’m going to school. My mom isn’t answering so I just get some money on her bag. Oh, my boyfriend texted me, he’s looking for me. Mom, ...

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“Hello From Another Time” by Eian Wright

Submitted to Contest #37

Jim walked in through his door and threw himself down on his couch. It had been a long, strange day. As he sat thinking, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw that it was his sister, Mindy. Finally some normalcy in all of this mess. He picked up, “Hey, Mindy. What’s up?”“Hmm, I see. Yea, I’m doing alright. Well, mostly.”“Oh, it’s nothing.”“No, it’s really nothing.”“Okay, fine sis. It’s nothing that you need to worry about anyway. I just had the craziest day today. It started this morning. I went out for my morning run, you know, and as us...

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“LOUIE VOY” by Norlie Rabino

Submitted to Contest #37

Destiny or Coincidence? Whatever it is, there is one thing I know, I love you and that’s love makes me stronger, to fight in this sickness, I want to live, with you. If I am gone and you are listening to this, I want you to know that I have a good time having you with my side. You give a light when I’m trapped on dark, you are my flashlight, my girl, my love. I love you Louie. In a darkness, where you think you are trapped alone, there will be a sun who comes to you, show you the things around you, show light on your way. A good sun.&nb...

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$50

Prize money

629

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 17, 2020 EST

Won by Hayley Igarashi 🏆

Title: Your Move

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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