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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

“Little Sadie Perdita ” by Carlie Beth

Submitted to Contest #38

“He’s probably dead!” Auntie Greta shouted up the stairs. Little Sadie was curled up in a ball in her tiny bed, her long whitish blonde hair stuck to her crying face. Auntie Greta has been taunting her more than usual ever since Leo ran away. Sadie missed Leo, her beloved orange tabby cat. He’s been missing for days and Sadie couldn’t stand another second without him. Especially another second ridiculed by Auntie Greta without his comfort. Leo made everything feel better, Sadie really felt like he listened to her. She looked up at the c...

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“A Hint of the Past” by Sapphire Stone

Submitted to Contest #38

I was alone, once again. My family had gone out during the weekend to visit my aunt on her estate. Their flight was delayed, however, due to the weather. It had been raining all day now, with the grey clouds gravely misted upon the once clear blue skies. The rumbling of thunder only increased and the howling of the storm began to deepen. I was sitting at the table reading a book. In front of me, the glow of the only light source flickered casting the room an illuminating yellow glow. I glanced at the grandfather clock on the wall before...

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“I, Great Cat, Rule My Human” by Patti McQuillen

Submitted to Contest #38

She’s ignoring me. My human. Look at me, I plead in silence. Perhaps if I’m cute. Nope, not even being part of the Ragdoll breed works. Time for a new plan.“Lucy! I’m typing an email to my boss. Hold on,” Emily, my human says.Her voice is not as sweet as I like. She stares at the bright shape in front of her. I don’t like its light. Too bright for me. Only the sun can be bright because it’s warm. I like to lie down in the coziness. Not this box she pecks at. What are those squares with lines and curves on them? Does she need them? Am I not e...

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“The Southpaw Guitarist ” by Natasha Arnold

Submitted to Contest #38

Dashed by the heavy rainfall, a chestnut-haired boy boy made his way inside before being trampled by the hail. He slammed the door behind him, which would have been much to his Mum’s disapproval. Completely soaked, he ran his fingers through his hair and shook it, although leaving his soggy boots on.There was mischief in his eyes, a smirk growing underneath his lips like moss grows underneath a window pane.Scurrying through the corridor, the child ran around with water dripping behind him, leaving a trail. A sweet giggle laid underneath his ...

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“Ginger” by Roxie ...

Submitted to Contest #38

She stares at me, her big brown eyes now fluttering in the sunlight. Outstretched her paws lay on the warm carpet. Opposite me in a small cramped room, she lays grooming herself on the spot as the blue walls surrounding her are set light by the sun. The malting fur floats in the air, landing on the tip of my nose and the.... Oh, I forgot again. I sigh as I am snapped back into reality. Awaiting on twenty or so emails, barely passing deadlines for different projects. I steadily lift my hand to reach for my pen, resisting the temptation to loo...

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“Quarantine Carpool” by Jonathan Piscitelli

Submitted to Contest #38

Quarantine Carpool“Welcome back to the Today Show! Thank you all for watching this morning! We’ve all been dealing with this lock down in different ways as communities have banded together some people have no choice but to find second jobs, side hustles as they’re called these days. But with the coronavirus closing kitchens and limiting social interaction the number of side jobs available have become few and far between. As unemployment rises we’re seeing how people from all walks of life are trying their best to making ends meet.”“Up next w...

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“The Pianist” by Jill Howard

Submitted to Contest #38

I guess while I was at the open house for the apartment the landlord had cast a silencing charm. I promise, no sound penetrated the walls I now know to be incredibly thin during that half hour. And it was okay, for a couple weeks after I moved in. The pipes groaned and the AC complained, but the neighbors were tame in their little boxes. Nothing kept me awake at night. That is, until the pianist moved in next door. A walking contradiction, his clothes were too big and his personality too small; he apologized just for walking past m...

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“Checkmate to Checkmate” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #38

You know that quote from Robbie Burns about what happens to the best-made plans of mice and men? It can apply just as well to cats and women. Though come to think of it, I’m not sure about that. My plans may well have gone, as Robbie put it, “agley”, but I think so far as Checkmate is concerned things are going entirely to plan. After my much loved tortoiseshell Shelley (okay, it wasn’t original!) fell asleep and didn’t wake up on her favourite place on the armchair, I resisted the idea of ha...

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“When The Lightlings Come” by Courtney Haynes

Submitted to Contest #38

On November 5, 2021, this message was uploaded to Youtube with no visuals and a distorted voice. It quickly went viral:Forget everything that you know for a moment and let’s start from square one. Intelligent life does not exist just in the form of carbon biped organisms. It also exists in the form of energy -- of light. Such beings visited our earth in years past and got mistaken for gods, fairies, and ghosts. Then after The Enlightenment, they felt we were on the right path and left us to our own devices. It was not until the new millenniu...

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“The Ukulele Saves Mori ” by Morgan Douglas

Submitted to Contest #38

Mori had played instruments before. There was her dedication to the clarinet all throughout middle school and high school. Where she played for competitions and learned to play classical and swing music. Then there were a brief few months in the winter of 2012, where she joined the winter percussion program at her school. Mori didn’t try too hard at tryouts and ended up playing the bells and chimes for the program. To her, it didn’t matter if she was the star of the show on the marimba, she just loved to play music and have fun. When sh...

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“On the breeze” by Tim Law

Submitted to Contest #38

I knew she was the one. Sarah Sollustrum. Every time I thought of her I could see a blonde river that splashed playfully across her slender shoulders. Ice blue eyes that caught mine in third grade continued to tease me for the remainder of my primary years. She was the girl that lived at the end of my street and I rode up and down that street regularly hoping to catch even just the briefest glimpse. She was truly beautiful, body mind and soul. Sarah was just the kindest girl in class and a true friend of everybody. She was the friend of ever...

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“The melting sun” by Taskin Hasan

Submitted to Contest #38

The iron shackles bind me. To protect me or maybe as they term it 'to protect themselves from me'. I believe, these clutches will once unentangle to release my soul, but alas I won't be there to see it. I think much, do less. The less I do is better, 'better for the world ' as they term. I have got everything I need except the sunlight, the nature, the fresh air and a beach barbecue party. I don't know what it feels to be in a family, with friends visiting very often, my sister knows (whom I never met) I can see a portrait of the earth ...

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“Summer Ending” by Courtney Haynes

Submitted to Contest #38

There was a special kind of peace that came with living in Newcastle, Colorado. I loved the song the wind played, a lullaby blowing upon my face as I perused the pages of my latest romance novel. I loved the magnificent backdrop of mountains large enough to swallow me and my problems up whole. I liked the long green silence of the fields and the therapeutic shade of the air. I loved the entire panoramic view from the perch of my country home balcony.I loved all the scenery with the exception of one noticeable eyesore: a man, half-naked in th...

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“The Balcony Experiment ” by Eve Naden

Submitted to Contest #38

My friends, they think I’m a barrel. Rolling down a hill, or a canyon, speeding up, accelerating. Absorbing a gown of muddied leaves. Rolling into a river with my eyes clamped shut, failing to open until I’m facing the brow of a waterfall. Ready to tumble. Part of me was grateful that, due to the lockdown order, I was trapped in the one blind-spot for phone signal in the entire village. I’d rushed – or rolled as my friends would have said – into a cadre of routines. Washing the floors every Sunday, ordering a curry every Saturd...

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“Hello Neighbor” by Shakir Abdullah

Submitted to Contest #38

Ethan Bennet moved into his apartment complex in Broadley, PA about a year ago, and for most people that would have been enough time to get to know a good number of people living in the same complex as yourself, but Ethan barely knew anyone, not even the girl who lived right next door from him.Socializing wasn’t exactly one of his strengths; sure he’d attended plenty of parties and gatherings, and talking became easy enough once he got into the flow of thing, but at the end of the day, he valued his alone time more than anything, and his fam...

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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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