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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

“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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“Splendourland” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #38

The town of Tweed didn’t have much to offer; with run-down shacks that they called homes scattered throughout. It was a place where the stray animals outnumbered the human residents. There was one home in the town that had some historic appeal though; it was the old Mayor’s residence from 30 years ago. Nobody knew exactly what happened to him. One day he went home after a busy day at the Town Hall, and nobody had seen him since. Rumors started circulating that Mayor Jackson had been kidnapped and killed, and others say that aliens abducted h...

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“A Man and a Dog in Close Captivity” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #38

A Man and a Dog in Close Captivity I feel like I have been kidnapped and kept in close captivity. I spend pretty much all day in one place, leaving only to walk the dog and buy a few necessities (there is a long lineup at the beer store). Part of it, of course is the covid-19 quarantine. But there is also the matter of in the month of March my being put under witness protection until a trial (I hope it is virtual) a month away. While walking my dog one dark evening, I stopped to pick up his poop on the sidewalk (he likes very pub...

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“Amelia's Secret” by Harken Void

Submitted to Contest #38

Amelia felt a jolt of annoyance and frustration as she noticed yet another tiny corpse in the corner of her living room. Though she wasn’t exactly squeamish, she still hated picking up dead mice. It made her skin crawl on instinct.“Where are you, you murderer?”It was the third time in the last three days that the cat brought a mouse. One each day! Where was he getting them? It was winter, didn’t mice hibernate? She didn’t know. But what she did know was that it was disgusting and very unhealthy for Simon and Alice, her three and four year ol...

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“Alone” by Gloria Salazar

Submitted to Contest #38

"Are you kidding me?" Jacob yelled across his front lawn at the elderly man swinging on the porch opposite him. The man wore a worn-out sweater that had obviously been knitted just for him, some time ago. It was loose in all the right places and tight where it needed to be."No," the man laughed, "when I was your age gasoline was only twenty-five cents a gallon.""I wish I was alive back then," Jacob called out as he finished his cup of morning coffee. "Be right back." He told the man."Sure," the old man looked into his own half-empty coffee c...

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“Quarantine secret” by Britt Michielsen

Submitted to Contest #38

It's been going on since 5 a.m. this morning. He has been screaming swear words at her, and she has been crying out to stop. This happens practically every day now. Screaming, crying, screeching, thumping against the wall, and sometimes I even hear glass breaking. I can't believe she keeps doing it. I can't believe she stays with that asshole.'She', of course, has a name. Jaycee. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life. She moved into the apartment next to mine a few months ago, and it's always been like this. Ever since J...

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“My Handsome Pet” by Saranglogy R

Submitted to Contest #38

I fluttered my eyes open when I felt something wet on my face, and gets greeted by my pet Jinny, licking all over my face."Aghhh Jinny, let me sleep some more time." I groan at him, and pull my bed sheet cover over my face. I could hear his constant barking, and I am damn sure I can never sleep again peacefully."Fine, fine I am up." I sit up on my bed by scratching my hair.That was the best sleep I ever had after a long time. I sigh and grab my phone from the night table. I rub my eyes constantly to make sure what I am seeing was true.8.20 a...

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“Matilda, Pretrina And The Neighbourhood Party” by MaureenJ Poutoa

Submitted to Contest #38

Matilda, Petrina, And The Neighbourhood PartyIt was April the 14th 2020 and it had been announced on one of the social media sites that they were suggesting ways to enjoy having some time with your neighbours, in Lockdown time. Of course there were some ways which made it quite apparent to everyone. Matilda really liked her neighbour Pretrina and decided to talk to her about the neighbourhood party. The theme was that everyone took a chair and put it by their letterbox and with a bottle of their favourite wine and some...

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“These are the Little Things” by Keiran Gorsky

Submitted to Contest #38

Sometimes, it’s the little things that are hardest to deal with. When we’re all inside, looking at our screens, the most glaring of these little things become apparent. When Lily, the cat that (almost) played half of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star has made more people smile than you will in a lifetime, the little things feel like a means to an end that you’ll never reach.In these times, the only thing we can do is accept it - and embrace it. I say this, because I have found it. I know the formula. My cat will do something adorable, and I’m gonn...

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“The Day that went Poof” by Sue Marsh

Submitted to Contest #38

The Day that went PoofSuzanne Marsh“I simply do not understand how two small dogs can create such agitation in a few hours.”Words of prophecy or words of doom? That simple sentence came back to bite me during the day. My husband was complaining about the dogs always pestering him while he was working, normally he goes to work in an office but since the COVID 19 virus and self isolation became words in our vocabulary here we were. It was my turn to watch the destructo demons. We had rescued both small dogs from shelters. They were usually pre...

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“Spring Waltz” by Ananya Roy 🥳🌸

Submitted to Contest #38

Abeer (he loved dragging it long) and I, we used to be good friends back in our childhood days but as ages rolled by and my career-oriented goals came to a sharp focus I fell back, in our friendship. He went ahead, without me. I wouldn’t blame him for that but somewhere deep down there I had felt a tad bit sad, no bitterness though, it was a mixture of sadness and guilt that the vacuum had originated from. We still go to the same school though, we’re still neighbors, the only thing that has changed is that I don’t see Abeer as the same frien...

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“Bring me the Head of the Great Bamberini” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #38

Kevin was a conjuror. Or a magician, depending on his mood and what he thought suitable for his latest gig. He wasn’t a very good one. But that didn’t matter. After all, his idol, Tommy Cooper, had achieved fame and adoration through not being a very good magician. The trouble is, it wasn’t quite that simple, because in the first place, Tommy Cooper was actually a very good magician, and in the second place, his act of being a very bad one was extremely funny. Kevin was neither particular...

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“Off beat” by Mishka Stennett

Submitted to Contest #38

“Darnit!” I exclaimed, exasperated…I just couldn’t get the notes right.I had been practising for hours on my newly bought guitar and hadn’t mastered the song “Minuet” yet. Was it me or the new guitar I wondered? For me playing a new instrument was like learning to play one for the first time. Your hands and fingers had to introduce themselves to the instrument, you had to learn all of the intricacies of its construction, adjust your movements to the “new-ness” of it. Discover what was special about it, and be comforted by what has staye...

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“Tempus” by Alpha Zalfa

Submitted to Contest #38

Thump! Thump! The once silent noises only seemed to get louder and louder, completely pulling her from sleep. She shot out of bed, heart racing and sweat covering her forehead. She heard the noise again, this time louder. “Nikolas.” She called to the man beside her. “Nikolas.” She tried again but her ignored her for the second time, she gave him a little shove. “Nicholas!” Finally, his eyes shot open. Slowly, he sat up, yawning as he looked around the room. The moon illuminated through the glass window to the left of the room, creating ...

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“Our Time of Life” by Heather Laaman

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #38

“That woman better not start with me,” Maureen grumbled as she made her way onto her balcony, glass in hand. Today was her seventy-third birthday, and she was going to celebrate with an Old fashioned. She anticipated some sniffs of disapproval from her neighbor’s balcony, but baiting Peggy was part of the fun. A week ago Maureen had had a beer with her lunch at her little patio table and Peggy had asked if it wasn’t a little early for that sort of thing. She had looked so far down her nose, Maureen wondered if ...

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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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