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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#63: Autumnal

It’s finally fall in the Northern Hemisphere. While the leaves are being slow to change out my window this year, the air is crisp and the pumpkin spice products are out in full force. Time to break out the sweaters!

 

Beyond all the colorful trappings, though, fall is by definition a season of change. So as you craft your stories this week, try to think about how the events you’re writing will change your characters' lives, whether fundamentally or just a little. After all, even a seemingly mundane afternoon can be the turning point of your entire life…

 

And if you want to drink some apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte while you write, more power to you!

This week's prompts

Set your story in a coffee shop that’s just introduced a new line of autumnal drinks.

Fall – 161 stories

Start your story with the line, “By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire.” (Whether this is a literal fire is up to you.)

Teens – 324 stories

Write about a character making fall decorations out of construction paper.

Kids – 45 stories

Write a story from the perspective of a bird migrating for the winter.

Winter – 128 stories

Write about two characters going apple picking.

Fall – 249 stories

Stories

“His Same Spot” by H.L Whitlock

Submitted to Contest #63

His Same SpotEllie Morganson had attended her father’s funeral three weeks before so she was rather surprised (putting it mildly) to find him sitting in his spot on the couch, reading his car magazine, like he always had.Silence. So much silence. Then she screamed. Loudly.“What’s wrong! What’s wrong!” Her mother hurried in, alerted by Ellie’s shouting.Ellie screamed some more and she began to sob loudly. “D-D-D-Dad! Dad!” she pointed, hand shaking. “It’s Dad!!” her mother came further into the living room (which, at this present moment, seem...

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“Last Page Of Fall” by Jean Mitchell

Submitted to Contest #63

The air was filled with clapping and cheering, the children's excitement echoed in the hall of the orphanage. Annually, a group of kind-hearted locals would pay a visit to the orphans to at least still make them feel loved and valued. Every fall they'd host a party in the small center home to not more than thirty children, giving them early gifts for Christmas too. Brian and Elise enjoyed watching the kids jump up and down in an uncontainable joy, their faces lit like a Christmas tree. It was the couple's first time to take part in this...

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“A bed time story” by Kendra Campos

Submitted to Contest #63

At school we had to make decorations for the class room and we were only allowed to use construction paper. It was ok at first. I started to make leaves for the door and everyone said that there was supposed to be a tree with leaves falling off the tree and I sighed and went to work on the tree for the door. It took forever just to draw the tree and cut it out. But nobody helped so by the time school was over the only thing that was done was the tree and leaves on the door. The teacher came up to me and said that I was working Fantastically ...

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“The Flock” by Chet McHenry

Submitted to Contest #63

“Why is your uncle joining us?”Mildred turned her neck around so she could see her Uncle Milfred behind her.  “He’s family. He lost his son to a hunter last month.”“And?”“You can be so cruel Henry. Besides, he fills in the gap left when Margaret flew off with what’s his name.”“Tony, I think. No wait. His name was Tim. That’s it.”“He was handsome that I must say.” “Handsome and dumb. He talked Margaret into taking the dark route. No one takes the dark route. It may be quicker, but deadlier.”“Now how would you know. Have you tak...

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“Going South for the Winter” by Macey Camp

Submitted to Contest #63

Being reborn as a bird had to have been the most freeing feeling a person could feel, Freya thought to herself. She had died with a broken heart, feeling as if a bird had gotten its wings clipped so it could no longer fly, but now she felt as if she could fly from any of her problems.  She landed on a branch, feeling it bending with her weight but still she chirped with cheerfulness as a song took hold. All of her human problems were gone and now she was a simple finch, yellow feathers glistened in the morning sun as she sang her morn...

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“First flight” by Delene Oosthuizen

Submitted to Contest #63

The autumn winds are blowing, stronger day by day. While the days are still pleasantly warm, the nights are becoming chilly and the mornings are crisp. You can see your breath in the grey dawn. The leaves are falling. There is a deep ache inside me, a yearning. I am restless. I must leave, fly away to – well somewhere else. Others have left already but my flock is still here. We are still feeding and resting but I can feel the same undercurrent of urgency in the others. It is almost time to go. I have grown all this summer, no longer a clums...

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“Forbidden Flight” by Zane Dickens

Submitted to Contest #63

The days are growing shorter, the nights longer and lonelier--more hours without the fellowship of birdsong. The warmth of another summer dwindles, and again a jittery passion charges me throughout. Vibrating through my body, this energy has me beating my winds and testing the limits of my home. Above me, the sun flees and goes about its passage oblivious to my struggles.   To chase down its kindness and fruits, to join with others and become of singular purpose again. To do what I have never done, to rise and soar. To be buffeted ...

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“A Goose With no Wings” by Javon Town

Submitted to Contest #63

The winds is brewing, the air is cool to the touch. The grass is greying. The flowers sink into the ground, waiting for winter to pass.            The spiders and other insects move in with the humans, relying on luck and friendly hands for survival- human hands are rarely friendly to small creatures- maybe one day.                             &nbsp...

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“Swan Song” by Katariina Ruuska

Submitted to Contest #63

My name is Swan-Swan. Before you say anything, yes, I know, it might be a little too on the nose, with me being a swan and all, but I was given that name by some human children several years ago and it sort of stuck, so what can you do? My life partner is called Luk-Luk. In case you were wondering, he was named by the same children just a couple of seconds before I was. I suppose we are lucky that way. Most swans go through their whole lives without any kind of a name at all. You can imagine that there are a lot of Hey-Yous in the swan commu...

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“It all happened because Carson rammed into a tree” by Wei Hello!

Submitted to Contest #63

(This is a collaborative story with my friend NabilaTheGreat InTheCorner, it’s the same story told from two different perspectives.) Today was a lovely day, and so it was! Because today I was going to pick apples with Carson. I got up in the morning and did the usual, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and put on a grey shirt with overalls. I prepared a water bottle, and I was ready to go. Well, ready to wait for Carson that was. We had set a time of nine o’clock but the guy came at two past nine! After a quick chastising, I hopped in ...

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“Point of View Part Two: In her Eyes” by Gie Garcia

Submitted to Contest #63

Trigger warning: rape, domestic violence   The kids and I are currently picking apples in the market. It was all red and looks tasty making us get excited over Halloween. We are also picking some materials to make their Halloween costumes for tomorrow. "Ms. Maria!!" The kids screamed as they run towards me with their apples and costumes for tomorrow's Halloween. "Getting excited aren't we?" I said and smile at them. "Yes, Ms. Maria. We are very excited for tomorrow's Halloween." Rafael said. "Yes, Ms. Maria! We hope we'll have more cand...

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“Apples With a Dash of Monsters” by NabilatheGreat IntheCorner

Submitted to Contest #63

(This is a collaborative story with my friend Wei Hello!, it’s the same story told from two different perspectives. They aren’t exactly the same, but they follow the same storyline.) My hands were shaking on the wheel. Although I’ve driven a golf cart countless times before, it still terrified me. Nobody else knew this, of course. Like I was going to tell Jerry that I was afraid of driving. He was practically getting driving lessons already. I pulled up very carefully in front of Jerry’s front door, and he was sitting on the steps waiting ...

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“A Picking of Your Choice ” by Taylor Fuller

Submitted to Contest #63

It was a crisp fall afternoon here in Brick County. The air smelled fresh and the sky was an array of colors from orange, pink, and yellow. The birds had gone back their nests and the animals were quietly settling down. I was exhausted from all of the morning chores and needed a break to ease my mind. Working on a farm can get to you from time to time if you let it.  I looked across the fence and saw my next-door neighbor, Tyler. Tyler was the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. She was like a doll. Her rich chocolate skin, curly big...

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“Lou” by Louis Lyman

Submitted to Contest #63

This story is most unusual; it starts with two birds one is Blue Jay Jane and the other is Robin Ruby. Now these birds are like no other birds they are seed farmers and they have a problem."What kind of seeds should we plant this season Ruby?" asked Jane. "Hmm lets do Sunflowers this year." "But what about those nasty crow brothers Crip and Crop surely they will try to steal their favorite seeds from us." Jane was right that the crow brother's would come but Ruby was determined to grow sunflower seeds that year."Then how about we plant ...

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“The Grandfather Tree” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #63

The two boys walked towards the remains of a once much bigger orchard. Only a few of the trees still produced apples. One of those fruitful trees was the one they were headed for. One of the boys, Tim, called it the grandfather tree. His friend, Emerson wanted to learn all about it, and why he had given it that name The field and the farmhouse beside it had been in Tim’s family for generations. It would soon be so no longer. Emerson’s family had just purchased farmhouse and field. For Tim’s grandfather, wh...

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$50

Prize money

907

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 16, 2020 EST

Won by Masha Kurbatova 🏆

Title: come to atlanta!

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!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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