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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

“I Told You So” by Ananya M

Submitted to Contest #41

"Elise! We've got a new arrival!""Coming, Dad!"I patted Lilly, the tiger that I was tending to. “I’ll be right back,” I whispered. I raced across the field to where my dad and mom were standing, next to the new tiger. It was a baby boy! I came up to him and tickled his fur. He purred and nuzzled into me. “What’s his name?,” I asked my parents. “Actually, he doesn’t have a name. His mother died right when he was born, so the zoo-owners brought him to us. No-one else wanted to take in a baby tiger.”“Poor little baby. Can I ...

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“The River” by Megan Meyerson

Submitted to Contest #41

“We almost there, K?” Samuel’s voice was so weak I could barely make out his words. “Not yet, Sam.” I replied, though I had no idea where he was talking about. We weren’t escaping to anywhere, just escaping. I lowered him onto the sand, and he lay there quietly, pale as death. After a few moments, he let out a low moan and then lay still. His breaths came low and ragged, as though each gasp had to fight to get out. I didn’t need to be a medical expert to know that Samuel would draw his last breath this very night if he didn’t see a doc...

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“Time to Pay” by Karen Avizur

Submitted to Contest #41

It’s the night of the full moon. Which means it’s time to pay for our safety. Mama says the werewolf prefers to make the kill itself. That’s why we tie them up and cut on ‘em, to draw blood, to draw the wolf. It’s always been a hard decision, she says, but it ain’t seem so hard to me. Everyone the sheriff chooses is a wicked person. The type of person that’ll go to Hell anyway, the pastor says. Whoever it is, I ain’t never seen them in church. Mama says there was a time before they’d struck the deal. It’d been horrible. Little kids like me c...

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“Pocketful of Monster” by Nicki Blake

Submitted to Contest #41

I bought the eggs because I wanted to make an omelette. Nothing odd about that. The usual stand at the farmers’ market, a box of a dozen eggs went into my bike-basket with the rest of the groceries. I paid. I took them home. All perfectly normal actions.On opening the egg box, I was noticed one of the eggs was an odd greenish-blue. It was also slighter larger than the other eggs. I wondered if it was a duck egg or, better still, a double yolker. The moment I cracked it I was immediately proven wrong on both points.Into my mixing bowl fe...

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“Eye Between Lampposts” by Sydney Sequeira

Submitted to Contest #41

The path had been dark and tangled for long enough that I was beginning to question whether I was on a path at all. My legs were sore and scratched and flecked with dirt up my ankles from the squelch, squelch, of plodding through what seemed like a lifetime of late autumn night. My fur bristled, as if the anger I felt at my own ineptitude could somehow cow lady Nature herself, so just this once she, not I, would press her ears back and show me mercy. The scent of rain, warm and summery by nature, had been a lure drawing me forward step by st...

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“The Lenovo Alamango” by Harry Makawa

Submitted to Contest #41

The Lenovo Alamango.John Decotex and Jim Kiboko are sea divers and interested in hidden treasures in water. They have been contracted for more than 30years by institutes to unearth treasures underwater. Therefore, they are quite experienced in this work. On their checklist, they carry a camera, tape, batteries, bottled water, and canned food. Sometimes they carry beer to make them brave with deep waters. They do not forget the GPS pocket machine, oxygen packs, and pistols.One morning, they set east of the Indian Ocean by speedboat. After cov...

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“Parallel Pet” by Celeste Kuun

Submitted to Contest #41

Isla recognised nothing around her. The terrain seemed familiar but at the same time wholly strange and foreign.The last thing Isla remember was the captain ordering warp speed, as they entered the wormhole, then everything went squiffy and now she was here. Alone. Looking around, Isla was baffled by the marked absence of debris and wreckage from the craft, that should have been present had the ship crashed. Maybe she was thrown from the ship during the descent.Checking that nothing was broken or dislocated, Isla stood upright. The atmospher...

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“When the World Fell. ” by Jane Loden

Submitted to Contest #41

The world of Aetheria flew high over the heads of the Terrans. It was home to many creatures: the majestic fyrons, the proud dragons, and the simmarins. The most intelligent of all these creatures were the Aethins. They formed a civilization of Aethins on Aetheria, worshipping the wind and waves that made up their home, created festivals of lights and tournaments, even created legends of heroes and villains. Everything was magnificent and glorious in the heavens as they drifted across the skies. Everything was glorious, that is until they fe...

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“Dragon Eyes” by Koi KOAH

Submitted to Contest #41

Each time I stepped forward, It felt like I was falling. Into the depths of those black eyes, which seemed to know the past, the future, and present. The suddenly shifting scenery before me, the rush of blood seeping into my mind. It terrified me. Sand, it was just shifting into endless dunes of sand which slowed down my run. I was running yet I didn't know from what. No matter where my petrified gaze landed, there was only the endless grey desert of ash and fire. While I hurried away from the falling debris of the burnin...

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“Wyverns” by Abby Caines

Submitted to Contest #41

Wyverns, the most repulsive of creatures, at least according to Valencia Darin. She never did like them, despite the history of riders in her family. The thought of their menacing teeth and hot breath being anywhere near her face made her shiver. Their talons were the worst part, always scraping on the stone of their chambers, never silencing. Countless nights Val was kept awake by those strokes and the rustle of their wings as they restlessly paced. But Jay, Val's younger brother, adored the creatures. He practically begged their mother to ...

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“IT'S HIS GUILT” by Vinay Moses

Submitted to Contest #41

DANNIVOLE CENTRAL JAIL.This dungeon has a great legacy for holding the most notorious criminals in this country. It has witnessed so many prisoners, so many sufferings and also few redemptions. This jail has always been that 'devil’s home'; which the mothers usually use as a tale to frighten their children to feed them. It really stands up to the reputation though. The great compound walls have hidden many horrors in its belly.I am a mirror. I’ve been in here for almost three decades. There are mirrors like me, each in every cell. We see the...

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“Fuzzy -Not!” by Marie Bernardin

Submitted to Contest #41

“Mom, look what the man gave me! Can I keep it?”“What man? What is it?”“That man in a long black dress gave it to me. He said it was an egg, a dragon’s egg! Can I keep it?”“Where’s the man? Where is he? Did he touch you?”“No, Mom, he didn’t touch me. He just gave it to me, and said it was a dragon’s egg, and I need to keep it warm until it hatches. Then the dragon will be mine forever.”“What are you talking about? Can you show me who gave it to you?”“He was right there, by the tree. But, he’s gone now. I don’t see him anywhere.”“I don’t see ...

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“Tabatha’s journey” by Michele Stigers

Submitted to Contest #41

PromptAn animal who goes on a journeyTabatha’s Journey Tabatha walked into the house and roamed around. There wasn’t anyone home, just her. Seemed like a nice place to stay. She walked into the bedroom and made herself comfortable on the bed. A snooze seemed like a good idea. An hour later she opened her eyes and looked up at the person who most likely lived there. She stood and smiled. Certainly this person would think she was adorable. “Who are you and how did you get into my house?”Tabatha, stared at her not under...

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“From 10 years of experience” by Harsith Singh

Submitted to Contest #41

It wouldn’t be a lie if I call myself a traveler. I mean, at the beginning I never wanted to become one but now I can’t restrict myself from it. Now my only desire is to complete what I started 10years ago, that is to complete my world tour.Yes you heard it right I am on a mission to explore the entire world. A question might have aroused in your minds that if I was on world tour why it took me 10years, and still I hadn’t completed it. Well, the answer is, try to try what I am doing, once in your life, without any mode of transportation.Yes,...

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“The Oceanic Voyage of Silver Dollar” by Leah Penny

Submitted to Contest #41

There once was a horse named Silver Dollar, who inhabited the city of Belfast on the Emerald Isle in the year 1912. The finest specimen of Irish Draft Horse in the country, he was of great stamina, sheer size, and beautiful anatomical design of muscle, bone, and sinew clothed in a bright fur of shining silver dapples. A local legend, he could haul large stocks of timber, pull carriages full of his family, and tout his owner and saddle of packs for longer than any other horse. The farmer who owned him said he had been blessed with ownership o...

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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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