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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#48: Superpower

The faces of superheroes have long emblazoned everything from our t-shirts to our lunch-boxes. For over a decade, the Marvel movies have dominated box offices, and for almost a century, superhero comics have remained prized possessions.

A Smithsonian article describes the broad appeal of superheroes: "At their best, superhero origin stories inspire us and provide models of coping with adversity, finding meaning in loss and trauma, discovering our strengths and using them for good purpose. (Wearing a cape or tights is optional.)"

This week's prompts are for anyone who's ever wondered, "If you could have one superpower, which one would it be?" And as always, our prompts are open to interpretation! Whether your entry includes familiar superhero tropes, or ends up being a piece of literary fiction about someone who just so happens to move faster than the speed of light is up to you.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who has a superpower.

Middle School – 333 stories

Write about someone who always comes to the aid of others.

Teens – 108 stories

Write the 'origin story' of a person who goes on to achieve great things.

Fiction – 128 stories

Write about a person who collects superhero comics.

Middle School – 89 stories

Write a story that features a protagonist with an archnemesis.

Character – 112 stories

Stories

“Predestination” by Waston Grove

Submitted to Contest #48

It’s a funny thing - death. People say that you are fully aware. The brain remains conscious for seven minutes before the oblivion engulfs you. For Angus, just like so many have speculated, his life replayed itself in a thousand different forms before his eyes. Suddenly he was a baby again, looking up into the soft eyes of a broken woman. She smiled and sang and rocked him in her arms. Warmth and safety seeped through his body like molten chocolate. Then the woman’s face morphed into the rough hewn, bearded image of his father. Now he w...

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“The Healer” by Simon Ward

Submitted to Contest #48

Jake had suffered with severe asthma for years but losing both of his brothers to illnesses had sapped his resolve further. The highlight in his life was Caitlyn, but for four months now she’d been hospital bound, with tubes and sensors making her look like a failing experiment. Jake had been told to steer clear. If he got too close, his health issues would take him down too. His own desire for life was already ebbing away as he faced losing another part of him. The phone rang with an update from the nurse, “Sorry Jake, Caitlyn is unlikely t...

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“A Trash-Changing Fate” by E S

Submitted to Contest #48

My boss crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “Liberty Johnson, late again I see. That’s the last straw.” “I need this job!” I say, “please, one more chance. I’ll never be late again. I promise.” “Fine, don’t blow it. This is your last shot.” He glares at me and walks to the back room. “Teenagers,” he mumbles under his breath. He doesn’t understand my busy schedule. Ever since my dad lost his job as an accountant, my life has never been the same. I knew my parents couldn’t afford to pay rent anymore, and I left them to minimize the ...

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“Wilbur and the Singularity” by JT Burnett II

Submitted to Contest #48

I Billy Paxton’s thick, black-rimmed glasses filled the screen of his MacBook Pro in extreme close-up before he zoomed out. His brown-on-beige plaid pullover with three silver snaps down the collar and his dark-maroon corduroys that almost looked purple matched him if not each other. If anyone were to examine his ankles, they would have found a black dress sock on his left foot and a white, knee-high tube sock with dead elastic on his right. They would also find both of his feet stuffed into a pair of ancient Birkenstocks held togethe...

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“There Goes My Hero” by Matt Jones

Submitted to Contest #48

Trigger warning: substance abuse and child abuse He certainly wasn’t born with secret powers nor superstardom forecast for his future. He wasn’t born into a life built for him – for anyone really – to flourish. And there was nothing early on to suggest that life would turn out any different to those of the kin who came before him. And yet, MacMillan Maxwell might just be the greatest superhero you’ve never heard of. March 17, 2005, unlikely holds much significance for you or I. And, for most other people around the ...

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“Violet Lightning” by Taira Wynde

Submitted to Contest #48

Amanda clutched the bag to her chest. She could have held it in a normal fashion, but the contents were too precious to leave hanging at her side. She hurried down the block, stopping at the corner bus stop. In the moments it took for the bus to arrive she was thankful for two things, one that the bus was running on time, and two that it wasn’t raining. It wasn’t safe for a young woman to be waiting outside after dark, so the bus being on schedule kept that from being a problem. The rain could ruin the comics she had purchased today, o...

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“How did I fell in love with comics? ” by Luca Nemeskéri

Submitted to Contest #48

I can exactly follow my way of not being interested in superheroes to how it's become my favorite subject and one of my biggest passion. It didn't start with comic books, but with animation. We never had Cartoon Network at home, but my grandparents did. We visited them every Saturday, and it was our only time in the week when we could watch shows like Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and most importantly: Teen Titans. It was love at first sight, and when I learned that Robin (who was my first love in my childhood years) was in every...

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“The Martian” by J.S Quail

Submitted to Contest #48

Mrs Flanagan had been here twice this week. The fact poked him somewhere between his ribs, and he peered through the shelves at her, willing her to fall dead that very instant. She didn’t, of course. Mrs Flanagan was probably immortal. Or dead. Either way, as she loomed over the stack of new arrivals, it didn’t seem like she would have dealings with the reaper anytime soon. He resigned himself to hating her face instead of her imaginary gravestone.She had already been here twice this week, and now she was here a third time, and there wa...

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“Peter and Mary Jane” by Mario \

Submitted to Contest #48

MJ cried when it closed down. Shaky sobs that spilled from deep within her out into the narrow alley, echoing around her mockingly. Her favorite store, her only home, smushed between two retailers, had taken its final breaths and died. The various superhero comics had been sold for bargain prices, the collector’s paraphernalia distributed to local charities, and the old man who ran it retired and gone, giving her nothing but an empty apology ringing in her ears. Leaving her, lost, betrayed, and with nowhere to go. Again. So, like a turtle, s...

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“The finding ” by Kurtis Apfel

Submitted to Contest #48

As i rounded the corner i knew it would be there . It has not moved in years from the back of Mr. Kaysons book store. I have been drooling over it since my brother first allowed me to join him on his visits to the book store. There it is the first issue of Barbarian Jack. It was amazing in perfect condition .So worth the fifty dollars Mr.Kayson was asking and today was the day it was mine. I worked all weekend for Mr.Kayson dusting shelves sorting books and my least favorite labeling .Now i finally have it ! Kyle did you find it yet ? My bro...

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“The collector of adventure” by Kendra Evans

Submitted to Contest #48

The long ring of the school bell marked the end of the week for Simon; his spirits began to rise as he strolled along the main street towards what he believed to be the greatest store ever created, the comic book store. The sun reflected off the stores glass exterior revealing to its small audience what it contained behind its warm golden glow. Simon pressed his small body against the handle of a door, swoosh, cool air whipped around him as he stepped over the threshold. The small room housed a strong smell of crisp paper and smooth pl...

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“The Superhuman Ego” by Gauri Shanbhag Wagle

Submitted to Contest #48

John pranced along the streets while twirling his water bottle and humming melodiously. He was in a transport of delight on his way back home and for the first time, he was enjoying the heavy load of his school bag on his slender shoulders. Why was he drifting on cloud nine amid bouncing on the Bourbon Street in New Orleans? Well, his father would soon reward him with new copies of two books- the first one being ‘IRON MAN-Armor wars’ and the second one being ‘Amazing Spider-man Vol. 1: Back To Basics’. The D-day on which ...

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“Holly's Hero” by Lori Svensen

Submitted to Contest #48

Holly Hunter looked at the shop with trepidation. Her brother had said this was the best place in Bristol to find strange and unusual superhero comic books to add to her collection, but it looked more like an art gallery from the pavement. A drop of rain leaked from the grey sky and hit her nose. Holly shrugged and quickly pushed the door to go inside before the rain let loose again, the bell ringing loudly to let the owner know someone had come in. The display in front of her had the typical common superhero comic books. She alrea...

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“Superheroes are real!” by Veena Parmar

Submitted to Contest #48

Amy came home from work after a really bad day. All she wanted to do was to get into the warm, change into her cosy hoodie and veg out on the sofa in front of the TV. That wasn’t going to happen. Harry, her housemate, was home and had already claimed the living room as his territory. His collection of superhero magazines had taken over the room – the sofa, the dining table and the coffee table. Even the floor was not left untouched by the images of some fantastical superhero. “Hey Amy, guess what?” Harry looked really ...

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“Beyond the Pages ” by Daisy V.

Submitted to Contest #48

The world watched in silence as they witnessed their beloved hero collapse to the ground. Chunks of the earth were sent flying in all directions, including towards the cameraman who was recording the terrifying scene from above. Anxious parents covered the eyes of their tearful children after imagining a glimpse of what their lives would be like without Dark Iris, their city's hero. The monstrosity that stood towering over the hero was the embodiment of every citizen's worst nightmare. The incorporeal entity that hovered beyond the city had ...

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$50

Prize money

770

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 03, 2020 EST

Won by Jeff C. Carter 🏆

Title: Primum Nil Nocere

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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