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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

“Bianca's Cat, Bianca” by Josh Ativo

Submitted to Contest #41

“Where should I go now?” I think about the places I’ve wandered off to for the many times I escaped home. It has never occurred to me that I’d be leaving this place for real now. No more looking back. I stroll to wherever my paws bring me.---It was early in the morning in the middle of winter when I decided to sneak into Caleb’s bedroom. I wanted to check up on him as he hadn’t filled up my bowl yet. He always poured my favorite canned tuna before seven and it’s already seven thirty. I was very hungry so I thought I’d better scratch his face...

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“To live Again” by Natasha Cook

Submitted to Contest #41

Our meeting was fleeting. I knew him naught for more than a few minutes. Yet somehow he had impacted my life with all the likeness of a tsunami crashing upon the land. Ever since the accident that stole from me my leg and most of my hearing, I felt as if I was drowning in a bottomless void of misery. No longer could I walk or run or stand. I couldn’t hear most of what people said without them speaking loudly and looking at me as they spoke. I felt broken and lost. What was I supposed to d...

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“A New Buddy ” by P.J. Lowry

Submitted to Contest #41

Peter had been on the highway for a little over ninety minutes and while he felt good being out of the office, he didn’t like where he was going. There was always an air of dread about him whenever he was heading out to Mom and Dad’s house for thanksgiving. The relationship with his parents was on and off, depending on what mood everyone was in by the time the big bird was served. Some years were peaceful, while others felt he was stepping into the octagon for a big fight. When Peter went to college, putting several thousand miles between hi...

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“Coco” by Kuro 909

Submitted to Contest #41

Is been a month since It happened. A month since my life turned into some kind of chaotic mess because of cat. Now, some of you might be asking... How. Me included. and the answer is; I had absolutely no idea, when I went to the animal adoption center, that the cat my friend had 'saved' for me, was a feral cat with a huge feline criminal record. And an incredibly stubborn temperament. Yes. That's not the kind of situation you expect to find yourself in when adopting a cat. Most people must imagine som...

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“Black Bird” by Dom Brillante

Submitted to Contest #41

As the night grew darker, stillness and silence started to replace the usual liveliness of the neighbourhood. Residents headed home. Shop owners packed up. The land ruled by the ones at the top of the food chain is now vacant.Except the usual night owls and drivers that work the night shift, a new set of inhabitants are now coming forth. Birds, bugs, rats... The once lively streets were now draped over by a more primitive culture for the time being. However, it was not only limited by nocturnal animals. It was also the time for wonder, ...

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“Poe (based on a true story)” by Laura Elliott-Blood

Submitted to Contest #41

The first time I met her, she seemed sad. She was picking up the spirit of one that had passed. I heard the vet tech say his name was Mittens. Mittens, along with the others that have passed from this life to the next, let me know how badly she felt the loss. I did my best in the short visit to make her smile. Mittens told me that her smile was beautiful, and he was not wrong. I tried to heal her with my purr and make her laugh by chasing the light fairies as they played in the sunbeams. Her smile was beautiful,...

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“Sonder” by Artemis Q.

Submitted to Contest #41

Wings of velvet. Soft as a feather.Born to the ground, alive to the sky.Light body, heavy heart.Dead to its place of birth, and again the cycle will start. Hal’s wife had written the song when she saw a butterfly hatch from a cocoon, and now his wife and two kids wouldn’t stop singing it in the car. “Maybe we could pick a different song,” Hal suggested, yawning. “No!” his seven year old daughter protested. “We wanna keep singin’.” “What about the turtle song? You love the turtle song. ‘I had a little Turtle, His name was Tiny Tim. ...

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“The Service Dog” by Zach Belyaev

Submitted to Contest #41

“Officer number 46: Guardian class, field ops.” Gabe took pride in hearing his rank and title. He had just graduated from the enforcer academy and now he could finally do something with his life. In the briefings after this ceremony, each of the graduating enforcers would be given their field assignment, either common patrol, or individual assignments like Gabe was hoping for. He was taken to the backroom after all 100 enforcers had been listed and acknowledged. Gabe was one of 14 who were not given a straight patrol assignment. The chi...

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“A little delight.” by Shanedra Smith

Submitted to Contest #41

I first met you in a small fish tank in north Houston. Small and green, red stripes covering skin that took the form of your "ears". You were shy then, hesitant, as my brother took you out of the small container and placed you on the baby seat on the shopping cart. Very unsanitary, but we were children; 14, 13 and 12 at the time, and we didn't pay attention to germs or colds, afraid it would stop us from our fun, and a lot of fun we had. Over the years I watched you grow, your green color becoming darker and less vibrant, and your circular s...

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“A Friendly Reminder” by Jenna Khorshed

Submitted to Contest #41

Ring! "Alright class, that's it for today. Enjoy your lunch." All the students attending Deerhurst Academy got out of their seats and headed for the cafeteria. I was the only one who stayed back. My name is Jennifer Kaiden. I am a senior at Deerhurst Academy, and I hate my life. "Jennifer, will you be heading out for lunch?" My teacher, Mrs. Ortega asked me. I grabbed my stuff and got up. Before leaving through the door, I turned and said, "No." I walked towards the cafeteria. Normally, I don't eat there. In all honesty, I hate the cafeteri...

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“Lucy” by Jaymie R

Submitted to Contest #41

The navy spring coat felt heavy on her shoulders and her sneakers dragged across the concrete. The warm yellow sun mocked her as it beat down on the back of her neck. She looked down at her little brother and wondered if he even understood what was happening. “Hey,” her little brother spoke up, shaking her from her thoughts. “How long would it take to walk all across the world?” “I don’t know, Tyler.” There were a lot of things she didn’t know. Lea didn’t say anything the rest of the way home and just stared down at her laces slowly co...

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“Lone Dove” by Emily Domedion

Submitted to Contest #41

She had been sitting there for hours. In her green plastic lawn chair, at the top of her building. A building dwarfed by the skyscrapers she could see on the other side of the river. The City of Dreams. She heaved herself up with a sigh. Trudged toward the door to go in. Suddenly, behind her was a noise like a dog’s squeaky toy being rapidly squeezed, or the laugh of a dolphin. It was the only warning she got before she felt a brush of feathertips in her hair and the sudden pricks of talons on her scalp. She yelped. Something had landed on h...

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“Late at night” by Stefen Sly

Submitted to Contest #41

Looking up to the stars on each day had become a daily routine since the death of my mother. This was day 31 and it still didn't feel like anything was getting better. I have been referred to some phycologist by family and friends, but my life isn't a story I want to share on a plate to anyone. Every time on the hills, in the forest is one of the only time I feel serenity. The sound of the birds chiming, the wind howling, the gush of the torrent of the water, were all mother Earth way of talking to me. I call her momma, she's more like ...

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“Out and About” by Damian Johnson

Submitted to Contest #41

Black-berries bleed into the air, pungent, ripe, and ready for harvest. They prick her nose, and it bleeds, too, in pleasure of the sweet, almost romantic aroma. Is the window open? From afar an owl voices its own question: who? Wonder where it is. “Who,” it voices again. You. The smoke detector in the hallway blips in regular intervals – a soothing, yet also distant sort-of sound, and a fan far-off whirs on its pedestal, blowing cold air with black mechanical blades. A bee buzzes somewhere close by. Television static? Is it on? Other sounds...

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“The Good in Boy and Bye” by Jennifer Liu

Submitted to Contest #41

“Maddie, please wake up.” I nudged her fingers with my nose. The machine sounded alarmingly. I whimpered and Julie tugged me back. It was a gentle tug. Like that of an infant you’re trying not to break, although I wasn’t sure which of us was the infant. Something was wrong—and had been—for a while. I did not like this new home that had the stench of being over sterilized she had been living in. I did not like to have her so far away from me. “Can you come home now?” I asked quietly. Julie shushed me.I turned back and looked up at her. She sa...

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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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