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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 Little Red Door” by Thomas Marston

Submitted to Contest #55

Fine! Fine! Fine. I will say, if you insist it cannot be helped, if you must witness me so. Gods! Fine. If I must.Well, I suppose you might remember from the news, it was some time ago now, but you just might remember… how he died. The basics, at least, a sketch, a tracing of the general outline. You must’ve heard about it! It was all over that summer. Yea, it was a while ago… I can forgive the fog, for you were distant from it– but gods, when an image burns that bright, that dark! it sears, forever, a branding iron upon your soul, if only y...

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“Who the Hell is Frank Mitchell?” by Twylla Johnson

Submitted to Contest #55

Life is good on this beautiful spring day. The birds are singing. My new job as a journeyman meat cutter at the grocery store is going great. But the real reason for my bliss today is that last night Betty and I set a date for our wedding, May 7, 1950. Betty McManis and I have been seeing each other for a couple of years now, but I knew after just a few dates with Betty that she was the one that God had chosen for me to spend my life with. I can’t remember now exactly what I said when I proposed. I was so nervous. I just remember how happy w...

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“Unavailable Mistress” by Nancy Cooper

Submitted to Contest #55

The macaroni and cheese did not taste right to me. It was not like my mom made it. Carol did not rinse the macaroni but used the cooking water as part of the cheese sauce. My mom said the macaroni should be rinsed with cold water after it was cooked. Her cheese sauce was made with milk. Everything about being in this home was strange to me. There were several children here. I was not sure why I was among them. It felt foreign to me, so foreign that the night I was supposed to sleep over I became sick to my stomach and ...

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“Goddess Of Banyan Tree” by Vani Rajh Rajh

Submitted to Contest #55

GODDESS OF THE BANYAN TREE By: Kogilavani Nagarajah I still remember it all clearly. It was a misty night. The whole surroundings looked mystical and eerie. The cold breeze was more of a torture than comfort. Even the bone inside my skin felt the chill. Sounds of teeth chattering in the cold was music to our ears. It was hard to let go the warm comfort of my bed. But my father was as adamant as always. He insisted me following him to his auspicious Banyan Tree. Or should I call it his precious Banyan Tree. Along the way as usual he said, ...

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“The Darkest Secrets Never-Before Told” by Roxie Piatigorski

Submitted to Contest #55

My late grandpa had been hiding a secret forever until he died a few years ago; it was a secret so dark that not even I knew about it until now. Despite having resolved to create a better life for himself with sports, he still continued to get plagued by that secret. His life began when he was born into a once-wealthy family in Chisinau, Moldova (which was Bessarabia back then); his father was a wealthy mechanic who used to buy flowers, designer clothes, boxes of chocolates and even jewelry for his wife until the day the Soviet Communists ...

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“The Path” by Amanda Zieba

Submitted to Contest #55

Gracelyn stood at the bottom of the hill and looked up the winding path to where the party wore on. And on and on, she thought wearily. One guest looking to make polite conversation had asked her how she was related to the event. Gracelyn had to embarrassingly choke out that she was the bride. She could see her fiancé Finn’s dark hair, a golden halo forming on its crest in the tiny twinkling lights. She told herself he was worth it, worth all the glad handing and fake smiles, worth all the corporate jockeying and office politics....

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“Into The Sea” by Esraa Reda

Submitted to Contest #55

The story I am about to tell, today, belongs to a quite different world. It is my story and I warn you, if you find it rather too exotic or foreign, then you probably need to stop reading here for I have put every possible effort to narrate it as realistically and as horrifying as it is. It is that on the shores of the dazzling Mediterranean, there lies a city called Alexandria. You may have heard about Alexandria which is located on the north coast of Egypt, or as Alexandrians call it “Iskendria.” Long ago, in the early 90s, on the saffron ...

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“A family tree” by Sandhya R

Submitted to Contest #55

A FAMILY TREE Mrs. Sudha decided to cut the mustard, come rain or shine. She agreed to join as a music instructor in a nearby college. People in the community were up in arms as if it was a crime. It was like a storm in the teacup. The only person who supported was her neighbor Mr. Yogesh. He too was a professor in the same college. And on his recommendation Sudha had an opportunity to join in for a noble cause. Those were the days when social prejudice was taking a toll on women empowerment in India. The chaos was for two reasons. Reason 1...

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“The Book In The Attic” by Jillian Chaltry

Submitted to Contest #55

Humid air combined with the smell of dust and old books practically choked me, I felt like I was breathing in swamp water. Alas, it is my lot in life as the eldest child in the family to be ‘responsible’ and help clean out the attic. So here I am, sitting amongst mildew covered cardboard boxes and my own self-pity. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear, I pulled another box over to sort through. It was the cleanest of the bunch and wasn’t ...

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“Can You Keep a Secret?” by Chris Leaver

Submitted to Contest #55

Trigger warnings: child death, suicide "Can you keep a secret?" she asked Margaret. The question that always strikes fear into the individual being challenged, as it is asking them to act in a certain manner before being given any catalyst. It is just like being asked to swallow whatever someone has grabbed from the medicine cabinet on the understanding that they will be told what it was once it has hit their digestive tract. Margret thought about it for a second, her mind assessing the two desirable responses of 'no', and 'tel...

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“Our Secret” by Lillian Lewis

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” I hear a voice from inside, and picture wide eyes staring back at me. This little child in me, so innocent, in spite of being the result of my own innocence lost, keeps many a truth from my conscious self. I’m unsure whether or not I am ready to learn what this alter holds. As I begin to doubt that we should even be having this conversation at work, my only thought in response to her is that I have. I have many kept secrets, for all these are locked inside of me, hidden even from myself. This sounds like ...

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“Something’s not right here. ” by Skye Shepard

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” The words rang in my ears. Of course I can but by the way Alex’s voice shook while asking made me hesitate. “Of course.” My curiosity got the better of me as I had to know what she was holding back. I would always keep her secrets. She was in fact the love of my life after all. These past few weeks had been hard on her. She got into an accident and had lost all of her memories, so I’m assuming that she figured something out and I had to find out what it was. “My memories have been coming back slowly but surely. But t...

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“I'll Do You One Better” by Kitlit Productions

Submitted to Contest #55

"Can you keep a secret?" My voice was raspy and vile. A wicked grin spread across my face. I looked at a little boy dressed as Spider-man. Halloween, the perfect night for hunting. I was sat on my rickety old porch, holding a very large bag similar to the one Santa carries, only it was black. The boy nodded hesitantly, "What kind of secret?" He was cautious, but his curiosity was growing stronger, blinding any warning his mother might have told him growing up. "In my bag I have candy that no one has ever tasted before. Brand new candy. No ...

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“Panic” by Briana Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #55

My foot let up a little on the gas pedal and my hands tightened around the steering wheel to better focus on the road. The person speaking on the radio, sounding like a woman, described how bad of a thunderstorm we were going to get tonight. I guess it was supposed to get pretty serious, especially throughout the night. Nothing like some more rain to flood the dirt roads and create more potholes. I squinted my eyes as if that were going to help me see the road better. I sighed, realizing that it was no use. It was already intensely down-pour...

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“The Battlefield's Secret” by Joshua Farrugia

Submitted to Contest #55

Jack’s weary body tumbles submissively, side to side in line with the swaying ship returning back home. Cracking a feeble smile amongst the knowledge of a war reaching its conclusion he sits, gingerly, on an uncomfortable yet welcoming bench. Gusts of wind breathe on his scarred face, tearing at the wound by his left eye like a pack of hyenas among a fresh carcass. The pain, growing in intensity as adrenaline subsides reminds him of his humanity, however, it is numbed rapidly by the hope of arriving to Violet’s wide smile touching the corner...

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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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