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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#64: Out on the Moor

This week marks 173 years since the original publication of the classic novel Jane Eyre. In the nearly two centuries since then, the novel has served as social critique, deep character study, sweeping romance, and so much more. Its atmosphere has inspired reams of Gothic literature and ghost stories, while its in-depth handling of Jane’s perspective set a whole new path for the way characters are written.

In honor of this achievement, this week’s prompts have been drawn from facets of Jane Eyre. We can’t promise that your story will be remembered for centuries — but you never know!

This week's prompts

Set your story in a Gothic manor house.

Horror – 133 stories

Write a ghost story where there’s more going on than it first appears.

Mystery – 225 stories

Write about someone who’s been sent to boarding school.

Novel – 120 stories

Write about a family attempting to hide their secrets from someone new.

Dramatic – 121 stories

Write a romance that involves one partner saving the other from a fire.

Romance – 154 stories

Stories

“Fire! Fire!” by Lily Rebecca 🐰🐾

Submitted to Contest #64

"Just leave me be, you're better off without me anyway," "What?! That is not true! And I am not leaving you here! I love you too much to let you die. Come quick. Now!" He holds his hand towards you. You look at it and then at him. Did he really love you? You begrudgingly get up. He grips you tight and holds you close to his chest. You can feel his heart pounding and him panting. It was getting really smokey. The exit is only a few metres ahead. But from where you are it could be a kilometre away. You run toward it gripping onto each other fo...

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“An All-Girls Boarding School” by Ry G

Submitted to Contest #64

My parents are very overprotective. And that is an understatement. They think they have to protect me from the world. They believe that school is the only thing that is important, and that’s that. I think their greatest fear was me getting a boyfriend. I know this because they have lectured me about it countless times. “Boys are just a distraction,” they said. “Boys will keep you from getting a good education,” they said. These lectures never really bothered me because I was never really interested in boys. I told them this many times, but t...

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“Exactly What You Run From, You End Up Chasing.” by 𝔞𝔰𝔥🤍 𝖔.

Submitted to Contest #64

My mouth had run dry, my heart running at rapid speed, my hands were shaking, and it felt like my hair was being pulled out of my scalp, nevertheless, I had to give an answer, whether I had one or not. No, I'm not presenting a thesis in front of the school. No, I'm not talking to my crush. Yes, Jess asked if she could come over for a group project. As in, come over to my house. **** "When your father and I decided to buy you a phone THIS isn't what we expected you to use it for! When will you learn to keep your...

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“What Happened That Night at Greymouth Manor” by R. E. Rule

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #64

It was a dark night, and I was motoring home, rumbling along the twin ruts that led past Greymouth Manor. Masses of inky cloud had banished the moon from the sky. My headlamps dimly lit the trees lining the thin lane, casting a thicket of shadows across the road. I watched eagerly for the golden glow from the rows of stately windows, a beacon of prosperity and tradition in an ever-uncertain world, but through the gap in the hedges guarding the main entr...

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“It Took A Fire To Realize My Love for You” by Phoebe DeNeve

Submitted to Contest #64

Lana woke with a start. "What was that strange smell?" She sniffed the air again; Smoke! Lana jumped from bed and ran to the door of her apartment. She unlocked the door and opened it; she looked at the blazing inferno in front of her and felt the heat radiating from it. Closing the door, Lana knew she was trapped. There was no way out of her room unless she wanted to fall from three stories, and the stair case was completely engulfed in flames. Seeing no other choice, Lana picked up her phone and dialed 9-1-1. "9-1-1 what's your emergency?"...

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“Love, Secrets, and Rock 'n Roll” by Madison Smith

Submitted to Contest #64

The Olsons were known far and wide for one thing and one thing only: rock music. This family produced some of the biggest legends in rock history and every member wore that fact like a badge of honor. Yet, for as much time as they spent in the blinding flashes of the paparazzi and the constant interviews, for as known as their names were in every house, rock-loving or otherwise, for as documented as their lives were, there was one secret that none of them were ever willing to talk about. A secret that was buried so deep that you would need a...

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“the Ghoths” by Molly Leasure

Submitted to Contest #64

“Tourists,” I grit the words between puffs of smoke. Even though it’s pitch black out, there’s a family giggling and taking pictures next to the statue in the park. Here I thought we’d be alone.“You’re a tourist,” Ricky reminds me, laughing. I lean in through the driver’s window, stretching the seams of my jacket, and glare at him. He ignores me, the way he always does, too focused on the babe lounging in the back seat. His words, not mine. To me, she’s always just been Gretch. Gretch the grouch. It’s the kind of nickname only I ca...

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“The Wanderer” by An Echo

Submitted to Contest #64

I moved again.Contrary to what my mum might think, I'm not running, again. At least, I think I'm not. I'm searching. What I'm searching for? I have no idea. I believe I'll know, when I see it. There are advantages of moving a lot, you get to meet new people, new cultures. There's also a down side- saying goodbye. You'd think I would know by now and not form close relationships; but I do anyways. When I get comfortable, I leave, never getting to say goodbye. The E-mailed read, Moved to Alabama.... Love you mum. Only so she does...

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“Dump No Allegations” by Madhuleka Iyer

Submitted to Contest #64

Varuni saw a herd of cows, walking along the moonlit path, towards their shed. The brown patches on the milk white skin of the cows, made them look like small pastures of land on earth. Varuni had always found pleasure in giving shape to the patches. She always saw rabbits, trains or an inverted Australia in the patches on the skin of the cows. It was her job to milk two of the five cows they owned, at the break of dawn. She would talk to them about miscellaneous things. She would tell them how her teacher had scolded her, how she had a huge...

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“Elaine Lee” by Amy Utami

Submitted to Contest #64

If I was killed by my biological father. At least I was successful in making him live the rest of his life as a killer, a killer that killed his own daughter. Then, my life will be nothing but a victory. My father is a patriarch. He was the first person I witnessed as the one with no ability to see his own flaws. Most of the people in nowadays society have a problem with seeing too much flaw in themselves, causing them to live with insecurity. My father, therefore, was and is a troublemaker. One of us, the three siblings, had the greatest sc...

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“Kingsford’s Academy for the Elite” by He!do I.A.P.N

Submitted to Contest #64

Michael Cavendish liked to think of himself as a simple person. Not simple as in dumb, but simple as in easy to figure out. A young man with few wants, and relatively easy to please. Almost like a linear function; you plug in different numbers to the input, and get one output for each. Just a straight line. Michael was the same. On the inside at least. Just because he happened to be “popular” at his school and his father was the creator of InstaTravel, the first teleportation device that was made widely available and affordable. Becau...

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“Between the Flames ” by Dibsysgsvn Dibwyshv

Submitted to Contest #64

Beautiful...That’s the only thought comes to my mind every time I see the amazing diamond ring in my finger. The moment when Noah bend on his knees a week ago to propose me was magical. As soon as I entered the ball room he was on his knees and proposed me in front of hundreds of people. The beautiful music playing in the background and me in the spotlight was awesome.And ofcourse I said yes to him, we were dating for over 5 years now. I was always dreaming about how and when Noah will propose me and finally last week he did. As I ...

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“SECRETS REVEALED” by Agbesanwa Ayomide

Submitted to Contest #64

Dear mother and father, I know it looks and feels stupid to write letters to you since I do not know you and I'm even supposed to hate you for leaving me in an orphanage but I just want a connection with you two and since I don't know if I will ever know you, I guess in a way I am connecting with you through my letters. In my previous letters, I have always asked about you two but in this one I want to write about myself. I hope you will begrudge me this opportunity. Okay here goes nothing. I've never been in a place so war...

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“666” by Ayushi Agarwal

Submitted to Contest #64

A glint,some distorted images and an impenetrable ache. My eyelids gradually opened up, with the melancholy sound of raindrops crashing the window pane. My head was still in a daze,while I stared the ceiling,nonchalantly.Sicily is accustomed to receive scorching heat during the months of July, the sudden arrival of rainfall was both unorthodox and eerily haunting.With an unsure state of mind, I peeped towards my left. '11 July 2011, 06:06 PM', flashed the clock on the side of the table. I let out a sigh and turned by head to the other side. ...

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“1241 Drummond St” by Pratheeksha R

Submitted to Contest #64

The headlines read “48 year old man arrested for misbehaving with a female tenant.” On further reading, the address read “1241 Drummond St”. That was just down the road of my apartment. It’s a mansion on a really big fenced lawn. There’s no front yard or back yard or garage. It’s just a house with grass all around. It’s painted in light green color & has a brown color roof. The interiors are pale. If you’re wondering, how I’d know the interiors, well, my roommates and I had gone for its viewing 4 months before. We had rejected that pla...

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$50

Prize money

753

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 23, 2020 EST

Won by Mollie Rodgers 🏆

Title: The Girl in the Goethe House

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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