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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#55: In On a Little Secret

One of The Hobbit's most memorable scenes is when Bilbo encounters Gollum in the Misty Mountains. We know Bilbo has the ring in his pocket, and that Gollum refers to the ring as his "precious." But Gollum doesn't yet realize it's missing, and Bilbo doesn't know who the ring belongs to.

This scene utilizes dramatic irony by providing readers with key information that the characters are unaware of. It creates suspense, tension, and immediately invests readers as we anxiously await the events we know will eventually unfold.

This week's prompts all revolve around the theme of secrets. We encourage you to get creative with how and when you reveal information to characters — and readers!

This week's prompts

Write a story about a meeting of a secret society.

Mystery – 155 stories

Write a story about an old family secret surfacing generations later.

Adults – 141 stories

Write a story that either starts or ends with someone asking, “Can you keep a secret?”

Kids – 421 stories

Write a story involving a conversation that’s packed with subtext; the characters aren’t quite saying what they mean.

Dialogue – 78 stories

Write a story where the readers are in on a secret that the characters are unaware of.

Novel – 101 stories

Stories

“The Book Lovers” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #55

The Book Lovers Blake Smith walked with purpose down the street on the cold autumn night with his hand in his pockets and the black coat turned full up for added protection. The leaves danced around him practicing some kind of private shuffle. A group of teens nodded his way thinking of causing trouble, but he was gone before they could make a move. He turned the corner and the library building appeared almost jumping in his face. It was an intimidating structure and looked like a castle where Dracula lived or a creepy man...

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“A Spectre in the Sun” by Shea K

Submitted to Contest #55

Spring, 1920 Jane had always thought that strange things were supposed to happen at midnight. Midnight was a time for fairy tales and ghost stories, when phantoms groaned and darkness cloaked the prairies with a tapestry of winking stars. Then again, Jane’s mother was always scolding her for indulging in idle fantasies. They lived in Wellmere, a tiny farming town where the people were bitter to the bones and, apparently, imagination was considered largely impractical. Not even Jane could have imagined what would come, though. In defianc...

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“Mayday, Captain Midnight! (A follow-up to Onward, Captain Midnight!)” by S. Closson

Submitted to Contest #55

Explosions in space, the destruction moons, the murder of gods.These acts, easily perceived as malicious by the less informed, were taking the Lenin System by storm once more. Trapped within the confines of the steel cargo container mounted onto the ventral portion of the Sputnik-class rocket ship, the scoundrel of the skies known as Captain Midnight and his foil, the mighty heroine the Blue Yonder had been sought upon by rouge Soviet forces following their failure to stop the villainous Midnight from activating his supe...

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“The Secret Corridor” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?”, came a voice from the closet. Jeremy jumped onto his bed and threw the covers over his head. “Go away!” Jeremy shouted. “I don’t know who you are, but I want you to go away!” “But Jeremy, don’t you want to know what the secret is? Aren’t you the least bit curious?” the voice replied. &n...

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“My Little Ball Of Pride” by Yaki Lim

Submitted to Contest #55

"Good morning. Oh, it's you, vice president." He strutted in. "Morning President Ren." I walked over to his work desk and hoisted myself onto it. I had been cleaning the student council room for a while, so now I'm exhausted. "You're early again. Did you get breakfast?" "Of course, it's Friday - my turn to do morning shifts. And no, I didn’t eat breakfast. But my question is: why are you always here this early in the morning?" President Ren always arrived early in the student council room whenever it was time to clean. The answer is cl...

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“Honesty is the best policy?” by TheFortuneteller !

Submitted to Contest #55

“I was there the day your parents fell off the bridge…”HUH?Stefan solely decides to bring something as decisive as this 4 or 5 seasons later, completely disregarding the effect of concealing such a huge revelation from Elena. He spends almost all his time snogging her but wouldn’t dare reveal the truth that she so deserves to know. This is the reason why I’m always going to be a Delena fan. I honestly can’t fathom what goes on in these writer’s minds! With every new season are shocking and unexpected twists. Last week, I found out that Stefa...

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“More than a Plant” by Morgan Douglas

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret,” Gabriel asked his son Dane? Dane paused for a moment and scratched his head as he considered what his father had just asked of him. Finally, Dane shook his head in agreement, looking at his father’s intense expression. With a strong inhale, Gabriel proceeded to tell Dane what he needed to know. “Son, you need to know what goes on behind the scenes here at the plant shop,” said Gabriel. Feeling uneasy, Dane looked around the rustic store and wondered what could possibly be happening at a simple plant business. Ignorin...

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“Confessional ” by Bruce Charles

Submitted to Contest #55

Can you keep a secret? Like really keep a secret? Because what I’m about to tell you is something that I’ve been holding in for years, and I feel like I really need to tell someone before I explode. You can? Great, I knew I could count on you.I really don’t enjoy killing. Not at all. That’s not to say I can’t kill, no, I can definitely kill, but I don’t enjoy it. That may seem silly to you considering my profession, but it’s the truth.So why did I become an assassin? Well, I’d like to say that the money was good, or that I used to enjoy kill...

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“You Suck Less” by Tolu Odel

Submitted to Contest #55

[The following is no longer based on actual events]“You know,” Said Numa’s doppelganger, “Your great great grandmother used to suck more than you.”“Harlee? But I heard that she died at twenty-eight,” Original Numa coughed, still feeling the effects of her cold.“Exactly.”Numa II did not offer any further explanation, leaving Numa even more confused than when she first saw her second self. The two Numas were dissecting the source of Numa the First’s suckage.“So maybe, if I wear my black shirt with-” Numa started.“Ney!” Numa II exclaimed, cutti...

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“Do-Gooders Society” by Debbie Ealer

Submitted to Contest #55

Each third Wednesday of every month a group of women met in secret. They said it was to eat and drink and when the men wandered off, the women got down to business. No notes would be taken for fear they would be found. Today the secret society of do-gooders would meet for their first meeting. They were eager to start helping but would accept no recognition for their kindness. It was all to be done under the cloak of darkness. The do-gooders sat down to discuss who they could help and what kind of help they thought would be needed. Sylvia s...

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“Nightingale” by Holland Hall

Submitted to Contest #55

David drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. Evelyn was late for what seemed like the millionth time, and he already knew he would have to cut the date short. “A bottle of Pinot Noir,” he said when the waiter came around again, “and another basket of bread.” He twisted a piece of crust in his fingers as though it owed him money. “Hurry up,” he whispered under his breath. Almost as if on cue, Evelyn floated through the door. David raised his hand to wave her over. “Hey, babe,” she leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey--”...

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“Much worse ” by Lee Doe

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” It was a simple question, innocent enough. It was often accompanied with the usual wide eyes-usually avoiding mine, the whispery voice, barely a breath with the trivial hope that another human wouldn’t hear their next words. There was even the occasional lip-biting, the hair twirling, and other meaningless fidgets that are often associated with anxiety, nerves. So why did this particular instance have to differ so much? Why did this one have to stand out from the crowd? This girl was hardly different from the re...

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“The Metal Box In The Closet!” by P. Jean

Submitted to Contest #55

(Write a story about an old family secret surfacing generations later) The Parker family knew there were things you just didn’t talk about, ever. It was because their father made it clear by totally shutting down, refusing to answer any sort of questions about what was hidden in the metal box he kept on the topmost shelf in his closet. We all knew it contained a secret but of what nature? There were fewer and fewer folks still alive who may have known first hand any of the details and they were of a generation that ...

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“Secrets, Secrets” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #55

Paul shuffled his feet nervously. He did not want to tell his girlfriend this, but he loved her and there could be no secrets between them. He took a deep breath and asked the woman sitting on the couch with fearful interest in her big brown eyes, “Can you keep a secret?” Marie let out a breath that she had been holding in for almost a minute, “Of course, hun,” she replied to him. “Now, I love you and there’s nothing else I want in this world more than you, b...

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“Can you keep a Secret?” by John Del Rio

Submitted to Contest #55

Can you keep a secret? I suspect that you have to be able to do that based on your chosen profession I mean. So I have been hearing voices for as long as I can remember. And that’s not the secret part. It’s one of the first things I told you when we met at your birthday party. And yes I know it’s strange to meet your therapist at their birthday party; but I was seeing your cousin at the time and they brought me along. It was your cousin who recommended that I start seeing you in a professional manner. One of my first ...

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$50

Prize money

896

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 21, 2020 EST

Won by B Easton 🏆

Title: Secrets for the Living

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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