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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

“Can you Keep a Secret” by Osagiede Best

Submitted to Contest #55

The cars that parked in front of Roland’s mother's restaurant always caused traffic along Sako-road. There’s nobody that didn’t know Mama Maggi; her food had no equal.She never brought home food from her restaurant. Her family members never ate in her restaurant.At first when Roland knew the secret, he stopped eating at home. To think of it alone would make someone as dirty as a pig to puke.Her mother had cried the first few times he came visiting and refusing to eat. "So you believe me your mother can poison you. ah… you are calling me a wi...

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“IT'S A CURSE” by Ugwu Tochukwu

Submitted to Contest #55

With sleepy eyes, she turned on her room light. "Oh no!, no, no, not again, this is definitely a curse", she said while staring at the circle patch made on her bed with urine. She just bedwetted. She quickly changed her night dress and bed sheets, before anybody would come to look for her. This has been the normal routine for almost three months now. She didn't really know what the problem was, but she knew it wasn't normal for a girl of 27 to be bedwetting. She stopped bedwetting at the age of three, only for it to begin three months ag...

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“Babble” by Kay O'connell

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” “Nope. Not at all. Why would you even ask me?” “Okay, so- wait, what? You can’t keep a secret? Dude, that’s sad.” “Hey, it’s not sad. I just…. I don’t know. They make me…. itchy.” “As your friend, I have to help you with this. You have to be able to keep a secret. That’s part of life. You keep secrets. You tell little, white lies. You know, that kind of stuff.” “I don’t do that. I don’t like secrets. Lying makes me kinda nauseous. I would rather live a life that didn’t have any secrets or anything in it. I...

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“Raven : A 22nd annual hunger games story (fan-fic)” by Jaymie R

Submitted to Contest #55

The ground was hard and the wind was harsh whipping against my cheeks. I shut my eyes as my lungs gasped for air and my heavy duty boots dug into the dirt. I know it's probably not smart to close my eyes but I had too, my head was spinning. I had come way too close to being stung by a stupid tracker jacker. I just needed a moment to rest before I had to start moving again. On the train, just after the reaping, my mentor told us to never stay in one spot for too long. Hearing those words slip out of her mouth sent a chill up my spine. It...

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“Loose Ends” by Caitlin Meyer

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” Jules lit up a cigarette (without asking permission) while we were staking a possible hide out for a drug kingpin out in my car. I indulge him because he’s my partner and fifteen years my senior, with just the same amount of time on the force to observe and learn from. “Is it that you still hide you haven’t quit smoking from your wife?” Jules smoked as he exhaled slowly through the window cracked open as small droplets of rain made their way in to roll down the inside of the passenger door (also without permis...

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“The ward” by Lee Dohann

Submitted to Contest #55

From the outside, the entrance to the retirement home looked friendly and inviting. The sterile security gate blocked a picturesque driveway. The guard worked mechanically and remained aloof as she introduced herself. Her initial nerves returned as she parked her Datsun in the allotted space. Geriatric care or Pediatrics? She eagerly answered that question with her choice to take up a post at Remstone Care. The cold was tugging at her hair as she hurriedly ascended the stairs. It was 06.15 and the front entrance lights were still ...

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“The Darkest Secret” by Phil Flockton

Submitted to Contest #55

‘I need to tell you a secret. My deep, dark, secret. Will you keep it secret? Can you keep a secret?’ With a freshly manicured fingertip, (a smoothly rounded fingernail, dark blue, high gloss), Harry tipped down her specs just enough to look over their wafer-thin gold frame. Her eyes narrowed, her eyebrows tightened and a short vertical line appeared between them, (the first line I’d ever seen on her perfect face), she leant forward slightly across the table: ‘Dulce! How can you even ask such ...

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“Mémoire” by M. K.

Submitted to Contest #55

"Hey, are you going to pay for that?" I looked up to see the store lady pointing at the apple in my hand. "This one?" I asked before running to the door. I stood outside the entrance and she stopped in front of me, confused. "I will pay for it, but first, can you keep a secret?" She stared at me for a couple of seconds and then she left. I groaned and ate my apple as I strode towards the park. As I was about to take the corner, I stumbled against a man. The apple in my hand flew away. That was my only food. He apologized and muttered, "I did...

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“Petrified Wood” by Max Calvada

Submitted to Contest #55

“Brrrrr, any colder and my nose'll fall off.” Said Frank Standish a cab driver with The Tin Star Cab Co. “And it’s not much better inside, if my son doesn’t fix the heat soon, I’m going to quit.” Said Betty a 70 + year old motherly type. “Quit?” asked Frank “You own this company.” Frank said waving his arm around the building with gusto “Why not just fire him?” “Couldn’t.” responded Betty “Why?” “He’s my son.” “Yeah, you do have a problem. Oh well, will you put me on the clock?” asked Frank “Sure.” Betty responded punching his ticket...

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“The Night” by President Snow

Submitted to Contest #55

"Can you keep a secret?" the whispering sounds persistently ranging on my ear said, which woke me up from my deep sleep.The frosty air outside that fills my room with its unfriendly chill pass through my open window, which I realized I had forgotten to close earlier. The sky that night is kinda spooky. It reminded me of the same night during Halloween. The starless purplish sky. The big yellow moon that gives me the spine chilling gaze. It took me a couple of minutes before I picked myself up from the moment I woke up. I just need a tim...

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“Sorry Chaucer, time does wait for some.” by Nusa Zam

Submitted to Contest #55

It was 7:30 am and Akun lay on his bedroom floor propped up on his elbows, wrapped in the comforting ignorance of youth, having only seen ten years of the world. This was his favourite time of the day; when everything was silent. He could feel the warmth of the boiler pipes underneath him as they whirred gently, waking up the sleeping house. On this particular morning, his short attention span was completely absorbed in the antique train set he had received on his ninth birthday. His granddad had given him that; his granddad always gave him ...

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“Chrissy, Unmistakably” by Rin Sadow

Submitted to Contest #55

She had asked me to meet her at the park where we- Chrissy and I- spent most of our time together. So I went. She was still with her friends when I arrived. I took a seat at the roots of a tree to wait. I looked up at the branches and leaves. It was the biggest tree in the small park, and probably the biggest tree in town. It was beautiful. Just like our love. Or what it was before. ~.~ "You know what?" Chrissy asked after she finished her daily rant to me. "Yeah?" "You know I don't talk much. You must be at least a little bit surp...

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“On-Lookers” by Kathryn D

Submitted to Contest #55

The waves were almost black, this night. His eyes shone against them, the shimmering water catching his eye only momentarily. He held the wad carefully in the sleeve of his coat and walked down the street, turning into an alley that seemed to be lit brightly by the moon, the white gleam like a spotlight between brick walls. There was a man standing there, in the light, but when he walked he seemed to have stepped out of the dark. His coat was black and leather, the sleeves flouncy and untamed, and over his eyes was a dark ribbon, two holes i...

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“The Danger You Don't Know” by Trinity Womack

Submitted to Contest #55

Unknown person: Yesterday on university Able read eggs Ice night Dark animals number ginger every ready, Lettuce encyclopedia answer vase even Not on working Lorraine Avery looked over at the text she was sent at 11:00 at night and blinked. The words made no sense and she wondered if her tiredness was affecting her vision. She looked at the caller ID and noticed that it was an unknown number. She knew that she should block the person and go to bed, but she got curious. Perhaps this was one of her friends playing a trick on her. Lorraine: Who...

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“Dinner and a Runaway Wife. ” by Terri Gower

Submitted to Contest #55

“Pass me the salt please, Sara.” she gripped the salt and her grey eyes flashed. “Oh what, so you can use that up too?” “Sara…” “What? You don’t like being called out, do you? huh?” “I’m sorry about the cookies, Sara. I didn’t realize you were saving them… other times when there are cookies around we just eat them…” “Hmmph!” Sara turned away and looked out the window, brown hair swishing over her face as she moved. “I’ll get you some more cookies, okay? Promise!” her head whipped back around at the word ‘promise’ and steely grey eyes met ...

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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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