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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

“"Rest is a fine medicine..."” by Chloe Chan

Submitted to Contest #48

I was 12 when my power manifested. My mom had been cutting vegetables for dinner that night and sliced her finger when I accidentally bumped into her. It wasn't a serious cut, probably would've needed a couple stitches at most, but I hated seeing people hurt. When I grasped her finger to check the wound all I could think was that I wished the cut would go away, and it did. My parents were overjoyed, and so was I. A healing ability! I could be helpful! I could help people in ways no one could!Now, I wish that I didn’t have a power at all...

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“You Need To Fly Higher” by Arie Toro

Submitted to Contest #48

“Maia, can you get me the cereal?” “You can reach it Oma. The shelf isn’t even that high,” Maia complains after getting the box anyway, throwing it at Oma, who expertly catches it. Oma’s used to Maia throwing things around, so it isn’t a surprise that she’s mastered catching things by now. If she didn’t, well she wouldn’t survive being Maia’s best friend for this long. Oma doesn’t look up from her Algebra homework, but grins at Maia’s exasperation. “But I’d have to stretch to get the cereal Mai. You, on the other hand, can just fly over ...

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“Love is selfish” by Osagiede Best

Submitted to Contest #48

There is a knock on the door.'Check your hands, look at your palm, it will testify against you on this day. The book of revelation sae And, behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his works shall be." Their father’s radio is still playing.The knock is not stopping, Bola wakes up. She looks to the floor; her brothers are still sleeping. They sleep like they don’t hear the banging on the door that seems to be synchronizing with the beating of her chest. She’s going towards the door; she doesn’t...

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“Celtic Plains” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #48

" You should be honoured to have received the gifts of the royals with your humble origins." " The gods have specially chosen you as one of their representatives, you should be grateful ." " It is a great gift normally bestowed to those higher than you in society, this is unheard of." Angelica had heard it all before...numerous times across the years from various people across many backgrounds and different walks of life. The nuns were the worst offenders though, both the ones she had known since she was a child...

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“Who would have thought......” by Valerie Preston

Submitted to Contest #48

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT? I never knew I had superpowers until the day I had to rescue Major Drummond. I was sitting in my PJ’s on the lounge reading. It was a Saturday morning and my day off and as usual I felt lazy. I usually stayed in my PJ’s for most of the morning, ate my breakfast, read my book, watched TV, and drank copious cups of tea, all in my floral flannels. The only thing that was important to me at this very moment was deciding what I should do with the rest of the day. I could call up a couple of friends and we could wander arou...

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“Elmer” by Robin Isaac Monang

Submitted to Contest #48

The day was very nice, the sun shone so bright like the day never ends, the children are very cheerful playing in the park while their parents are happily chatting with each other however for some this day is just like their other day and chose to do what they always do. Like the 7-year-old boy, who has a wavy hair cut in a bob way with a little bangs covering partial of his almond brown eyes, is sitting facing the window while sitting in the floor with his legs spread. He is Elmer Cuppert and the very noticeable facial feature he has i...

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“The Girl” by Becky Katsaros

Submitted to Contest #48

I followed the guard to the gray door, trying to ignore the “Do Not Engage” sign. My soft-soled shoes were quiet on the broken tile. The guard swiped her ID card in the large lock mechanism on the wall then pressed her thumb against her watch. A glowing code appeared. She entered it into the keypad on the lock. She raised her eyebrows and smirked at me. I looked away from her maroon eyes with deep red flecks and tried to keep from shying away from her. Most of the guards had red undertones in their irises. But many had another color as fleck...

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“Extraction” by Saad Masud

Submitted to Contest #48

The first thing I noticed walking into the house was the bits of porcelain coating the ground like dust. The wobbling steps leading up to the door should have braced me for the worst, but the damage was more than I expected. The chairs in the dining room looked practically dismembered and had their colorful fabric ripped off. If I hadn’t known better, they would have almost looked like festive tapestries strewn across the room like that. I picked up the pace, fearing that I was walking on haunted ground. Kicking aside broken china, I made my...

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“[PRESS X TO START]” by Caroline Jackson

Submitted to Contest #48

[PRESS X TO START]A shrill scream pierces the stillness of a brisk morning in November. A boy is born, all seven pounds of happiness equipped with a healthy set of lungs and kicking legs. He is bathed, wrapped in a soft blue blanket and fed. His mother holds him in her arms with great care as he peacefully sleeps through the day.Little does he know that Fate marked him even before he was born.The parents keep crying. And while there are tears of happiness, there are also tears of great despair. Young woman clings to her husband, shaken and c...

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“Too Little Too Late” by Zane Dickens

Submitted to Contest #48

Pacing the darkened room, I spoke to the gathered crowd at my feet. These everyday people, all together to witness this moment. Late afternoon rain pelted down above us onto the atrium, giving the light a sombre caste. "I didn't just wake up one day with a superpower." My audience sat there huddled together staring up at me. Silent and still. Not even a whisper, the moment drew out a long slow beat or two. There really was nothing like it. "I wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or struck by lighting or blasted with gamma rays." Their pure...

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“Of Shadows and Strawberries” by T.K. Ellory

Submitted to Contest #48

She hadn’t always been Shadow. There had been a much simpler time, growing up in a cramped, one bedroom apartment in the city with her parents. They had always loved the strange baby they’d adopted, even when she’d begun to conjure objects, pets, and eventually a whole person out of the shadows. They’d taken Javier in stride, of course. “Great!” they had laughed upon Hera’s introduction of her new ‘friend.’ “We’ve been saying we needed a babysitter.” But Javier wasn’t really for them: he was for Hera. She had always been a ...

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“Magically Yours, Forever !” by Piya Gajbe

Submitted to Contest #48

“I am not going to stay here for another second.” She stomped out of the dark tunnel and through dimly lighted the staircase, arrived at the underground opening of the neighbourhood backyard.The soft curls playfully fell on her flushed cheeks as she struggled to raise herself on the lawn. The long white skirt and suede boots, all soiled up, added the fuel to her irritation. Her apron appeared loosened at the right shoulder and the black blouse underneath crumpled up. After a few minutes of puffing and pushing, she placed herself on the ...

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“The Debt that Ignites Justice” by Muhammad Fajar Al-fath

Submitted to Contest #48

After the rainbow ends the storm, fallen leaves scattered on the road. With some blood splattered and turns the green into dark brown. Hence, they’re ready for fertilizing. A Janitor put a sour face and tighten his mask, and then brooms the leaves and collect them at the bin. Who the hell fight over here last night? He grumbled. It is not sure if he is annoyed by the dirt or He is afraid of getting a disease with the unsanitary blood. The night before that, Alice was on the way home from the club. She was walking towards the Greenmis...

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“my own hero” by Ally Evans

Submitted to Contest #48

As per usual, my day started off with me waking up at 6:30 on the dot. I got out of bed and threw my curtains open to let the sunlight wash over my room. The warmth on my face and the sound of birds chirping was a lovely wake up call. I quickly got dressed in my favorite, bright green shirt and leggings. I opened my door, quietly, trying not to wake anyone. When I got into the kitchen I was pleasantly surprised to see that the kettle was already on. I grabbed a teabag, put it into a mug and poured some water in, leaving room for honey ...

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“Rider of Styx” by Fumi Ersan

Submitted to Contest #48

“There are only a couple certainties in life; the fact that taxes are listed as one of the certainties is certainly amusing. Somehow, the notion that something created by humanity, becoming such an integral part of their lives that they cannot imagine a world without such a thing; who wouldn’t laugh at such a thought? Wouldn’t you agree?” The black robed girl, sitting across a wooden beam, muttered those thoughts aloud as she gazed down at the figure below her: a bespectacled figure surrounded by stacks of paper was seen working at a desk as...

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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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