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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#41: Fuzzy Friends (or Foes?)

Hey, writers! I'm Tracy Gold, an editor, writer, and mom to a toddler, horse, and dog. And this week, I'm taking over Reedsy Prompts!

As an editor, I've enjoyed working on young adult fiction (like Amanda Searcy's Watch You Burn), non-fiction (like Gary Vikan's The Holy Shroud), and sci-fi/fantasy (like Nikki Richard's Demon in the Whitelands). Visit my Reedsy profile to learn more about me and my work!

My theme for this week is "fuzzy friends." From Hedwig in the Harry Potter series to Enzo in the The Art of Racing in the Rain, nothing captures hearts like a beloved animal. Animals can be powerful antagonists, too: just look at Jurassic Park! Perhaps what I love most about books featuring fuzzy friends (or foes) is that they mine the depths of the human heart by exploring how we interact with animals. I hope these prompts help you sniff out a good story!

This week's prompts

Write about an animal who changes a person's life (for better or worse).

Kids – 232 stories

Write about an animal species that doesn't exist in real life — an alien, new discovery, imaginary creature — it's up to your interpretation!

Middle School – 145 stories

Write about an animal who goes on a journey.

Kids – 69 stories

Write a story featuring an animal who subverts expectations (like a snuggly tiger, or something more magical, like a literal fish out of water).

Kids – 69 stories

Write about an animal who causes a huge problem.

Middle School – 99 stories

Stories

“In search of a time capsule” by Alex Nauth

Submitted to Contest #41

Rain thundered against the thin piece of plastic that separated Kathy from the nocturnal elements. Tempestuous waves raged against the inner walls of her consciousness, drowning her thoughts into the maelstrom of memories spent with her son. 28 days ago, Henry had set out to find the town’s fabled time capsule of which he was certain to contain antiquarian relics that would cast an aged light onto his investigation of the town's history. Unfortunately, the capsule was buried in the depths of myth rather than dirt and all Henry ever fou...

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“Mommy” by Sandra Claros

Submitted to Contest #41

I remember that morning .The snow was covering the land with its beautiful transparent ice stones.Those tall pine and eucalyptus trees, along with the roofs of every single house of that steep little prarie were also painted in that white.From the window of the kitchen of our two-floor house, we could appreciate the barn, with some ten or twelve chickens, two cows, the crops and an always absent cat.- Mom ¡ Have you seen Bill ¿ - I asked my mom, knowing beforehand the answer...

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“My Long Journey To Purr-fect.” by Janet Davies

Submitted to Contest #41

When I was a kitten, I remember everything being purr fect. Then suddenly my life changed and everything became cat- astrophic. Meow.I remember being warm, well fed, my mother cat licking me clean and snuggling me up to her, along with my brothers and sisters. A human would come over and feed mother cat and look us over. We lived in a place Mother called a cat shed. She was allowed out at times.There I was cozy, safe, not a care in the world. Then this nasty human came over, looked down at all the kittens, then poked me with his finger.“That...

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“Disobedience brings Distress” by Jhumki R Vincent

Submitted to Contest #41

The Yellowstone Timberland Reserve encompasses 2.4 million acres of natural luxury. It includes snow clad mountains, meadows, forests, lakes, geysers and the dormant super volcano Caldera. The forest is home to wildlife too- grizzly bears, wolves, bison, tigers, lions and the timid deer, zebras and giraffes. These animals move around in their own habitat suitable to their food requirements and climatic conditions. The animals have their own little hamlets- one such happened to be Yolo’s home.Yolo was quite an ambitious and daring tiger cub. ...

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“Harry's New Hat ” by Patricia Alexander

Submitted to Contest #41

This is a hilarious story about a hippotamus named Harry, he lives on a tame, game preserve in Newberry. Harry has an older sister named Sherry, and a younger brother named Garry. Harry's fathers name is Larry, and his mothers name is Mary. Harry the hippo loves to dress up in fancy clothes, he always wears a hat, he wears it where ever he goes, can you imagine that? Harry has a friend that is a toucan, his name is Gerald Gus, every one calls him Jerry for short. Gerald Gus can be seen riding on the back of the hippotamus, when ever Har...

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“Dog Tails” by Lucy Oliver

Submitted to Contest #41

“I almost got it,” I bark in my sleep, I narrowly miss the rabbit. Dang. I wanted that rabbit. Then I hear, “Daisy” I hear. “Breakfast is ready!” I hear Ellie call. I open one eye. Eh, let me sleep I almost got a rabbit. I sniff. Breakfast equals human food and human food equals bacon. There’s dog math for ya. I jump out of bed and trot over to Ellie. She smiles “You actually woke up! Good girl.” She scratches me on the head. I hear, “Ellie, you know better, now wash your hands.” Ellie rolls her eyes. “Okay mom...

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“The Border Terrier” by Brian Haughey

Submitted to Contest #41

Open land engulfed the car. Rocks. Yellow grass. Bunched-up bushes. The window never rolled down. I wanted to stick my head out and smell the breeze. I wanted to taste the world. The window never rolled down. The man was never my favorite. We both knew who my master was. He pulled out his phone and talked into it. I could hear her on the other side. She sounded different since I last saw her. She had come home that day smelling something awful. Like unapologetic lust and beady testo...

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“Another Day in the Neighborhood” by M.D. Smith

Submitted to Contest #41

Dennis walked in the back door of the Newton’s small house. “Morning, Alice, where’s Ralph?”“He might be in the back yard.”“I didn’t see him, and I came in that way.”A sly smile was on Alice’s face. “How deep did you dig.”Dennis looked surprised and then grinned as well. “Oh, come on, having him home all the time can’t be that bad.”“Then you try living with him twenty-four-seven, and you tell me.”“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Ralph strolled in the kitchen, holding his enormous round belly. “I’m hungry, Alice. Any chicken left?”“You ...

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“Somewhere Clean” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #41

The pigs all wriggled and rolled around in the muddy puddles, laughing. All except Henry. He stood far back from the puddle, cringing away and grimacing any time a pig splashed mud near him. Henry hated the mud! The other pigs often teased him about this, and today was no exception. “Hey everyone, make room for Henry!” One called out from the messy mob. “Why bother?” Asked another. “He won’t come in. He’s too scared.” “I’m not scared!” Henry huffed. “I just think mud is gross!” One of the pigs suddenly dove into the puddle, splashing mud eve...

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“REALITY CHANGES THE WORLD” by Aditi Sriram

Submitted to Contest #41

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Charlotte and she was 8 years old. She lived in Los Angeles. One day at night, Charlotte could not sleep so she closed her eyes and opened her eyes then she suddenly disappeared with her fish.Then she saw the world that was pink, Trees were pink, Grass was pink everything was pink. She thought that she was dreaming but she wasn’t so she plucked a flower and kept it inside her pocket.She saw that water near her was in pink color also so she was thirsty so thought to drink some water. Then she saw her ...

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“The snake in the top hat.” by Portal Jumper

Submitted to Contest #41

This story starts with a backpacker in the mountains somewhere in Utah. The girl was running away from society, so to speak. She didn't know if she would return. A week had passed and this girl was far from her city. For her, that was a long time. Her life in the mountains had started as a normal day. Packing up her supplies from her small camp, washing her few clothes in the river, etc. She had just begun to hike up a trail from a stream when a small corn snake slithered in front of her. "Hullo," The girl greeted the snake wi...

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“Reflection” by Nicole Rabkin-Bekker

Submitted to Contest #41

It is still on a smooth lake, the sky oozing over itself in shades of black like poison; not a sign of movement but for a quivering blade of grass by the shore. I lay my light step down to silence its warning, appearing at the water's edge. I have come to face my greatest enemy. He sleeps in the water, lurking through the mud and the murk, eating up every lily that dares rest on the surface of the lake. His eyes, yellow and menacing, are the only color on his gruesome body of grays and blacks, swarming in a tabby apparatus. I peer over the e...

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“Wild At Heart” by Linda Rossi

Submitted to Contest #41

This breathtaking herd of about 110 wild mustangs had been living, grazing and surviving in this canyon near what was now a dry riverbed for more than four decades and they had been largely undisturbed during that time. They had adapted to the climate and its ecosystem and were thriving here. These were a spectacular array of feral horses of every color and shade and type. There were older alpha stallions, young colts, mares, an alpha mare, fillies and foals of various age ranges. Though wild and free, these horses held a deep...

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“My Cat, The Don” by Iman Fatima

Submitted to Contest #41

People always adored my little cat. From the next door neighbor, to my Mom's friend Mrs. Ainsworth and even my dad's grumpy boss Dr. Lancaster, no visitor ever left our house without complimenting the cat. The cat was hugely popular in my class, I sometimes wondered whether I was popular only due to it. With its big, round, sparkling blue eyes and its soft, ginger colored fur, the cat was a winner everywhere. Well, it sure did win the best pet competition we had in our neighborhood. As grandma once said, 'Who, with a human heart, could ever ...

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“THE RATS ARE LOOSE” by Scott Smock

Submitted to Contest #41

The DSV Dundee was sliding through flux, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first. That was, until the ship dropped out of flux quickly and unexpectedly. Commander David Steele awoke with a start as Red Alert began to sound throughout the ship. He quickly raced to the bridge."Report!" he cried as he headed to his chair."Sir," Sub-commander RU-486 replied, "engineering reports that the flux core and bio-crystal reactor have both shut down mysteriously. There appears, at this point, to be no logical reason.""There's always a logical rea...

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$50

Prize money

614

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 15, 2020 EST

Won by Jack Basson 🏆

Title: A Cat of Ganymede

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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