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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 Trading Catastrophe” by 𝙑𝖎ⓥα𝓪𝖞 𝓐𝓽𝐚𝕝

Submitted to Contest #55

Author's note: "Market" - a special market where secret organizations trade or barter with each otherMarket Councillors - organize and manage the market “Hi, this is Tony Smith. I am part of a secret organization called I.N.T.E.N.S.E. The full form of I.N.T.E.N.S.E is ‘Villains International Trading of Evil things for Evil’. I do not like the name, but I did not make the name. I ha-” “Wait, Mr. Smith. I need to show the council something better than what you are going to show. Hello, this is doctor Trey Matthew from V.I.T.R.I.F.Y. ...

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“Whodunit? The Greywood Manor Murderer... Part 2” by ♥☪ᙏҽɬσɳყ Ƒɾҽ𝓶σɳԃ☪♥

Submitted to Contest #55

Previously on The Greywood Manor Murderer…Four families receive invitations to attend a dinner party hosted by the Underwoods, the new neighbors. Everything starts out great until two people are murdered, and the killer is unknown. And being that no one else is there beside them, they realize that the killer must be one of them. This sends everyone into a frenzy as they realize time is running out. It is up to Katherine to solve the case, especially after receiving a mysterious note. But the question is will she be able to save everyone in t...

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“A Magical Snowglobe” by <inactive> .

Submitted to Contest #55

I decided to take a walk around our ancestral home. It had been passed down through the Hyacinth family for generations, and was now more than a hundred years old. My family was a powerful one, one that was associated with spring and the ending of winter. The house was situated in the bubblegum mountains of Yoshino. That was one of the reasons the Hyacinth bloodline was thought together with spring. Yoshino is one of the best places in Japan to watch the cherry blossoms bloom, hence earning these cliffs the name ‘bubblegum mountains.’ When ...

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“In on a Little Secret” by Vicky S

Submitted to Contest #55

The smell of melting chocolate filled the house. “Oh yum” Sandy whispered, tugging at her dad’s hand. “It does smell nice, doesn’t it?” he asked, glancing down at her, a twinkle in his eye. She skipped happily into the kitchen not noticing the frown between his eyes. “Oh Auntie Mae, you made my favourite. Chocolate brownies!”, she gasped, clapping her hands together. Mae laughed as she watched her jump up and down. “I don’t know about them being your favourites’ she said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face and leaving a streak of fo...

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“dance like angels do” by Masha Kurbatova

Submitted to Contest #55

Smart people go one of two ways. Take my sister -- she was brilliant. All day, she would run around in her diapers, chasing butterflies in the backyard, putting caterpillars into mason jars with a few leaves of cabbage. She learned to read with butterfly field guides, went to college for biology, studied every night until her eyes nearly bled. She grew up to be a leading lepidopterist, a butterfly scientist, working at a prestigious university, bringing home accolades and publishing in every glossy-paged science magazine. She’s the kind of s...

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“Seacrets” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” The words are tears dripping down her chin.“That depends.”A shout bursts through the trees. The lady tightens her grip on the cloth bundle. “Please. It will keep you safe too, if nobody finds out.”The fisherman gives his beard a contemplative rub, as if they have all the time in Segara, as if there isn’t a band of killers dragging blood and steel through the foliage somewhere too close.“Let’s see his face.”Arms trembling, the lady unwraps a portion of the cloth bundle to reveal soft eyes and all the purity in the rea...

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“Indescribable Like or Love? - Continued” by 𝔘𝔤𝔬𝔠𝔥𝔦 𝔑.

Submitted to Contest #55

"I'm sorry Elle, I lied to you"Why did I have to say that? Ugh whats wrong with me. Now I have to explain. Why am I hugging her too? Ever since I found out about my feelings I've been doing ridiculous things. Its like I have these urges that I just follow subconsciously. Its so hard to hold back, I've never felt this way.Well now I'm holding her to my chest, smelling her hair. How am I going to get out of this one. Elle grips my shirt as she hugs back."What do you mean 'lied'?" she says. I want to say something but- my mouth feels dry and wo...

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“Diemond” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #55

Before we begin, dear reader, allow us to direct your attention to the following proverb:“Diamonds are beautiful and so is life, but only one of these is forever.”We regret to inform you that the origin of this quote has become obscured by the fog of time. Regardless, we deemed it a worthy introduction because it lends a certain measure of poetic elegance to the events to come.Please, don’t let us keep you. Enjoy the story.🔷Today, Leo Weinberg only has enough room in a head normally occupied with scheduling business dinners and piercing hang...

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“The Red Tear” by AISHWARYA MURALIDHAR

Submitted to Contest #55

“ Can you keep a secret”, read the text just received on Tanya’s mobile. She dropped her phone out of shock which fell right next to Noah's dead body, lying in the middle of a forest. “ This body has been dead for months”, yelled a forensic doctor. “ The face is unrecognizable, his driver's license is intact. His face has been burnt by an incalescent heatwave. His skull has melted and is shapeless. This case is the first of its kind ”, he added. Tanya couldn't hear more, the darkness, the rotting smell and the hypnotizing sound of the ambula...

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“Demons: Lonely Together” by Jamela Faye

Submitted to Contest #55

"The more you live, the more you realize that reality is just made of pain, suffering and emptiness"- Madara Uchiha***This place is unlike any other lands. This place has buildings, people and animals, like the place you live in, but aside from those life organisms, a different yet terrifying beasts crawl the streets at midnight...People pry that they're 'Demons'.A demon looks like a normal human being, but they can maul your ass to death. But since they are afraid of the sunlight, they roam through the dark corners of the village. So the to...

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“Jason & Aiden, Always & Forever!” by Sarah Freeman

Submitted to Contest #55

Kaeah heard her phone ringing from across the room. Groaning, she moped over to it and answered. “Can you keep a secret?” The caller asked. “Not if you’re a serial killer,” she quipped. “Who are you?” “It’s Jason! And no, I’m not a serial killer. Why did your mind GO there?!” Kaeah shrugged, knowing full well he couldn’t see. “I dunno. What’s up, and why are you acting like a serial killer?” Jason’s withering glare was so powerful she could see it through the phone. Kaeah laughed. “Don’t make it so easy to troll you all the time.” “Or ...

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“We Are Not A Cult” by B Hall

Submitted to Contest #55

“So what time do they bring out the kool-aid?” “Oh my goodness! Dylan, if you don’t shut up we are turning around right now and you’ll never hear a thing about this again.” Lola is my best friend and the only person that I can honestly stand to even be around. I’m not blind to the fact that I am a total bitch, but at the end of the day I am her bitch, and that is all that matters right? She stops and stares at me to ensure I got how serious is she about this. “Ok ok, don’t go all parent on a road trip on me here, Lolly. You know I am...

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“Rabbit in the Sky” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #55

“George, can you keep a secret?” Elizabeth asked. “Sure.”“My big sister has been crying in her room a lot, I think that could be why there’s a drought, somehow her tears are using up all the water in our city.”It was a ridiculous notion, but Elizabeth delivered it with firm conviction, like a real actress. That’s what she wanted to be when she became an adult. Elizabeth and George lay on the side of a grass hill together. From far enough, they looked like a pair of teenagers in love, even though they were only eleven. This was some...

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“Sapphire Tears” by Maya W.

Submitted to Contest #55

Aimi felt the familiar sensation of a tear rolling down her cheek. She sighed, desperately looking for something, anything, that she could hang on to. The sky was a dark shade of crimson, and Aimi was lost in it’s mysterious void. Where she was, she had no idea. All she remembered was the faint whisper of the wind as she floated farther and farther away from her homeland. All she could think of were the people she was leaving behind, betraying, for better words, and could do nothing to save. For a short period of time, there was noth...

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“The Secret in The Purse” by Rebecca Lee

Submitted to Contest #55

You ever have one of those moments where you just want to stand somewhere and just scream as loud as your lungs and vocal chords would allow you to scream?Yeah, I see those nods … imagine I am giving you a high five you right now.Today at noon was one of those moments for me. I had just left a 10 o’clock meeting with my publisher . and my head was swimming with about a 100 new ideas. It had been a good meeting – really. My second book’s final draft was accepted and being published in two weeks. The book tour will start a week after that.Two ...

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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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