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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#38: Close to Home

A few weeks ago, our 'Staying Inside'-themed contest received quite a big response from the Reedsy Prompts community. Because this is clearly a relatable theme for so many these days, we've decided to run a second edition of prompts that all revolve around being at home.

But that's not the only popular writing activity we're bringing back: today, we're hosting another LIVE Write-In on YouTube at 3pm Eastern Time! Once again, our guides Shaelin and Jenn will guide you through a series of 20-minute writing sprints. During the breaks, you can share your progress and ask our hosts any questions you may have.

To join, tune in to our YouTube channel at 3pm EST. We hope to see you there!

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone who finds a magical portal in their home.

Fantasy – 240 stories

Write a story about someone who is working from home and constantly getting distracted by their pet.

Nonfiction – 98 stories

Write a story about two neighbors talking from their yards, windows, balconies, etc.

Dialogue – 196 stories

Write a story about someone learning how to play an instrument.

Nonfiction – 75 stories

Write a story about someone posting a video on social media that goes viral.

Teens – 54 stories

Stories

“Ask what you seek.” by Vasundhara S

Submitted to Contest #38

When the winds whirling got a little warmer, people started preparing for summer vacations, and so did Shiva who booked a ticket for Ratnagiri, 20km from there was his grandmother Sumitradevi’s ancestral home surrounded by cashew, jackfruit and mango trees spread around five acres of land. Shiva planned to visit there with his friends from the city to enjoy the season’s best mangoes and beaches this summer, but a pandemic had forced his friends to stay back at their homes. Shiva took the train and came here two weeks ago, he spent his days e...

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“Passage of the Midnight Cry” by Mikyal Martinus

Submitted to Contest #38

Forrest House looked distorted to Kaycee Rego through the rain-splattered windshield of her mother’s Chevy Blazer. Grandma Krissy died and left this pre-civil war home, located in Savannah, Georgia to Kaycee's mother. They parked in front of the colonial house and they proceeded to unload their luggage. Kaycee slung her backpack over her shoulder and thumped her suitcase up the wooden stairs to the veranda. The caretaker, Ms. Doris Cook, greeted them at the front door. “Welcome Mrs. Rego to Forrest House.”&n...

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“My Music Partner.” by Saranglogy R

Submitted to Contest #38

"Where did I keep it?"I was searching through each shelf in my room, to find the instrument that I got as a gift for my birthday, which was few months back."Mom did you see my keyboard?"I shouted and slowly got down from the chair and moved it to the next area for inspection.The door of my bedroom suddenly opened and I looked at my mom, who was keeping her hands on her waist, and giving me a death glare."Then what's this?" She points out to my keyboard and stared the hell out of me.I sighed, and wished I never asked for her help."Mom, that's...

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“Three And A Half Feet” by Sophie McMahon

Submitted to Contest #38

She was too pretty.And it wasn't her hair which caught the light perfectly, or her smile which was too shy to be a laugh, but just wide enough to allow a sliver of white teeth to glint in between her cherry-colored lips, and it wasn't her eyes either, or her legs or chest or whatever guys find attractive about a woman's body.It wasn't even her voice, dammit, which graced our entire building with a semi-pleasant rendition of the latest pop hits.I didn't think I'd ever tolerate Shawn Mendes every Tuesday night, accompanied by the roar of the s...

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“Happenstance” by Eric Hyzer

Submitted to Contest #38

Jason Crawford was fortunate enough to have the entire complex to himself, a situation he would never have envisioned in his wildest dreams. Sure, once the overhyped COVID-19 fiasco ended, people would flock to the recently constructed Robin’s Nest Apartments—LUXURY LIVING IN THE HEART OF BRIER CREEK, according to the oversized banner displayed at the entrance. Nevertheless, for the moment, his third-floor dwelling was the only unit occupied.But between the virus restrictions, the fact that he worked from home, and the highly addictive Uber ...

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“Fairy Grandmother” by Felicity Edwards

Submitted to Contest #38

On the whole, Robert was a good child. Both his parents worked from home, where each had an office in the house. He loved going to his nursery school, where he was a popular child and had a large circle of friends. Normally in the school holidays, his mother would allow him to spend time with each of his friends. But now, unfortunately, that socialising was not an option at the moment and they left him to amuse himself in the house and garden. Bored, he wandered into the garden clutching his teddy bear. He sat on the little wall looki...

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“Piano Man” by Kady Nankivel

Submitted to Contest #38

Before the virus hit and everything changed, we would spend every night at the piano. I couldn’t play--I was never really a musical person--but Aimi was a musical genius with that piano. She could look at a piece of music and suddenly know how to play it almost perfectly. It was a nightly game between her and I: I would find a piece of music I didn’t think she could possibly play, and it was her goal to prove me wrong. I loved our nights on the small piano bench. It was a perfect excuse to enjoy each other’s company while music drowned out a...

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“Jeff, the Organ Guy” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #38

“You what?!”Jeff sighed. “You’ve heard me, honey. I bought an organ.”“Jefferson Ridgley Jones, please tell me this isn’t another one of your ‘projects’, where you spend all our family money on some ridiculous urge you get, and then we have to struggle for months!”“This is nothing of the sort,” said Jeff, though that’s almost exactly what it was.His wife, Mariane, stood in the hallway, arms crossed and eyes locked on target. Her fury could be heard almost bubbling up from inside her. Though that could just be the food that she was cooking in ...

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“April Showers” by Noel Thomas

Submitted to Contest #38

Dia looked out the window watching the rain pour in torrents. The lawn was quickly becoming a lake. She didn’t like the constant rain. April showers bring Mayflowers, thought Dia as she sipped a cup of tea. Sighing quietly to herself, she moved slowly away from the window. She noticed Granny sleeping soundly in the large, comfy chair. She thought she heard someone coming through the back door. Maybe now was a good time to sneak into the Blue Room. Dia swiftly tiptoed over to ...

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“Doggy” by Ndekwoh Ojen

Submitted to Contest #38

The alarm clock goes off and Jide stretches himself off his orthopedic bed, wishing he didn’t have to work again today. He has been the backbone of a newly established ICT Company he is working with, doubling as the Operations Manager and IT Unit Head. “Oh! I thought I would be resting a little today but for that jerk of a boss who had to call to give additional inputs to that damn document!” Jide curses beneath his breath. With the total lockdown within his city, he doesn’t need to bother about commuting to the office. At least that wi...

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“Mentor” by Kavita Rawat

Submitted to Contest #38

"Breaking news" the news anchor announced. "The prime minister had extended the lockdown till 3 May"."He had also appealed to everyone to stay in their homes"." The prime minister personally requested everyone to stay in their homes to come out only when it is necessary". And then Netflix was surfing on the T.V."Suchit yaar, I was watching the news?" I said irritatingly."The news anchor will repeat the same lockdown news for about an hour". He said."And what do you are watching on Netflix? There is no show left to watch". I said as we had li...

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“Wonderful Dog” by Nora R

Submitted to Contest #38

“Stop it!” Kat giggled as her wonderful dog licked her face, “I’m trying to get work done here!” She pushed Jade away and kept at her computer. She was a college student at GVSU and did not want to get bad grades. Kat was taking calculus and she was studying for a project due in three days. Jade tugged on Kat’s pant leg but Kat shook her off. She kept searching and working, trying hard to ignore her dog. “Okay, fine!” Kat said, annoyed, “I’ll take you out, is that what you want?!” Kat walked over to the door and got Jade’s leash out and hook...

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“Pilots” by Stephanie Kaye

Submitted to Contest #38

Day 32 of quarantine. It was funny how measurable time suddenly felt.I just finished a Zoom meeting with my students and slipped on my trainers, stiff from newness. My mother had sent them to me with a note: Now you really don’t have an excuse, her silky cursive bookended with a passive-aggressive smiley face. It was true; even though I was still teaching, albeit remotely, I had at least one free hour now that I was not commuting back and forth to campus. My ex-husband used to casually defend her: You know, she only means well, he would say....

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“A Bud Light at the End of the Tunnel” by Matt Strempel

Submitted to Contest #38

The letter—crisp white paper with officious black text, apart from the jarring red ‘PENALTY’ on the top right corner of the page—sat in stark contrast to Chuck’s weathered, wrinkled hands.“Staring at it isn’t going to help,” said Chuck’s wife, Rosemary.Chuck humphed. Typical of cantankerous old men, Chuck Habberfield humphed a lot. Even more since the nation-wide lockdown. Now he barely uttered a word as the weeks in isolation dragged on.Before, his weekly routine had been a repetitive, yet satisfying schedule of activities. When he was...

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“The Dawn of the Phoenix ” by Charlotte Fell-James

Submitted to Contest #38

There are legends in our world. Muted by the decades, spoken on ancient lips and carried by the ebbing flow of time and curiosity.There are legends of magic in our world. Tales woven by silver-tongues, oozing from the minds of storytellers and carried on the breath of ancestors. Stories weaved so deep in stories people forget that legends are born of truth.There is magic in our world. Dormant in the earth, its once sharp blade dull with years of disregard. There is magic in our world, so small, so subtle that people have long since forgotten...

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$50

Prize money

663

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 24, 2020 EST

Won by Clyde Roan 🏆

Title: The Paper Airplane

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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