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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#7: Scrumdiddlyumptious

Did you know: September 13th is Roald Dahl's birthday — so a "gloriumptious" Roald Dahl Day to you!

Roald Dahl was a children's book author, best known for classics like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Gian Peach, and, well, the list of his beloved children's books goes on and on.

Dahl not only created whimsical worlds within his stories, he also created new diction, inventing words such as "gloriumptious" (pure marvelousness), "biffsquiggled" (being confused or puzzled), "churgle" (gurgling with laughter), and "ringbeller" (a really good dream).

This week, our prompts are all elements pulled from Roald Dahl's phizz-whizzing (splendid) books.

This week's prompts

Write a story with a child narrator.

Kids – 37 stories

Write a story that mixes everyday situations with surreal surroundings.

High School – 26 stories

Write a story where a chocolate cake plays a significant role.

Funny – 34 stories

Write a story about a person longing for family.

Angst – 44 stories

Write a story infused with dark humor.

Funny – 15 stories

Stories

“Together” by Nia Chase

Submitted to Contest #7

Ellie waited with the nurse for Lander and Nick to come home with her brother or sister. Ellie chose that than niece or nephew because it made her seem old. An Aunt? She's too young to be an aunt. Lander did tell her age doesn't matter about that but she was going to stick by what she thinks.Besides, being a big sister is an important job than being an aunt. Lander only smiled at her when she told him that. Nick chuckled and ruffled her hair. But now, she was nervous. A baby will be very noisy and Lander told her how babies need a lot of att...

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“Playing Hide and Seek - For Real” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #7

Playing Hide and Seek – For Real My name is Mia and I am seven years old. I really like that my parents let me have the freedom to play without constant supervision. Most of my friends don’t have that freedom. A boy my age was kidnapped last week, and that has many parents scared. My favourite game is virtual hide and go seek. The device that I have hides different virtual players around my neighbourhood. My dad is a programmer, so the device is a very sophisticated one. It makes me aware of the virtual players once ...

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“A Family Again” by Morey Guntz

Submitted to Contest #7

I am sitting on a bench in the train station, watching people go by. I see hundreds of men and women in fancy clothes with briefcases, several boys and girls hugging their moms and dads after coming back from school, and so, so many families that are more perfect than mine. Miss Katie squeezes my shoulder. "They'll be here any minute, sweetie. Don't worry." "I'm not," I say, except I am, I just don't want Miss Katie, Mr. Jack, and Ellie to worry. I scan all the faces entering the train station. Somewhere in there, Momma and Clementine are ...

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“Traitors Of The Sea” by Traven Garcia

Submitted to Contest #7

Xylon was walking down the streets of the market thinking to himself I wonder what Dakota needs today. While walking down the street, he felt himself bump into something hard, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked down before him and saw there was a guy kneeling at his feet trying to gather stuff he dropped. Sparrow was looking at fruit to buy while thinking about prices and how much he could spend someone bumped into him making him drop all of the stuff in his hand. He sighed exasperatedly as he knee...

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“InterCorpT” by Robert Moore

Submitted to Contest #7

Jiing. Jiing. Jiing. This little unreal noise seems to begin from far away, but it comes to closer every second. I try to leave the arms of Morpheus, driven by the shrill cry of my alarm. I try to crush the imposing button, I miss it, the day starts well (-1). Quick rise, opening shutters, contemplation of the green wall of the building opposite, I'm still in the housing area for low middle class. I look up at the sky, always gray, bad luck. The morning routine begins, a coffee, a shower, I put on my clothes and I'm ready to fight with the w...

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“The Elf's Breakfast” by S Clare

Submitted to Contest #7

The warm, cozy kitchen was like any other found in every small cottage resting in any forest, thick and teeming of life and magic. Just as in any enchanted woodland, there were deer who would help you build your barn and birds who hang your laundry up to dry in the sweet summer breeze. Much like in the world that you surely grew up in, this forest was on the edge of a brightly shining kingdom, reigned over by two benevolent rulers: a king and a queen who were very much in love with a princess at their side, lovely and sweet as the summer day...

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“Not Having Your Cake but Still Eating it” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #7

NOT HAVING YOUR CAKE BUT STILL EATING ITWhen Judith inherited her Auntie Lily’s cottage she was touched but not entirely surprised (Auntie Lily, who was really her great-aunt had told her she was considering leaving it to her twenty years ago when she was only seventy) and Auntie Lily had made it plain in her will that though she quite liked the idea of her (great) niece living in it she was also absolutely fine about her selling it if she chose. Judith still wasn’t sure in her own mind what she wanted to do.&nbsp...

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“Different Rules” by Judith Duvall

Submitted to Contest #7

On a hot, sticky August afternoon in 1946, the heat from the sidewalk burned through my sandals as I walked the long blocks to my piano lesson. My satchel, loaded with practice books, sheet music and a one dollar fifty cent lesson fee, thumped against my bare leg. Sweat covered my skinny, nine-year-old body. Each week I dragged myself the ten blocks from our home in Highland Park to Oak Street, where I played scales and learned simplified classical music pieces from Miss Ruth Graves. I didn’t look forward to these lessons, and today I w...

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“RUNT” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #7

RUNTBy Andrew Paul GrellNobody knew what to do with me, except to keep me from getting underfoot. I was too young to shear, but I was pretty handy with a currycomb. Someone might hand me some canvas, a handful of grommets, and a hammer just to see if I could make or repair tents; a very useful skill for desert nomads. What I really wanted was to sail ships. Once on a journey from here to there I saw Lake Lashon and the boats on the calm surface, men pulling in nets of fish. I wanted to be the Captain, not the net peo...

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“Lack Of Context” by Sashank Kanchustambam

Submitted to Contest #7

I never honestly prayed before, but I always had this small belief that someone existed up there, someone who controlled us or at least could control us; that thought lead me to have my first conversation with GOD. I mean I did all the talking, I wouldn't know if he responded. Anirudh texted me after a week. I'm surprised how he texts me even after I repeatedly ignore him. I mean.....I love him, I want to talk to him, I want to meet him, and I probably can but I choose not to because 12th grade is really crucial...

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“My Guitar is still weeping...and it's annoying” by Daniel Brown

Submitted to Contest #7

I leap out of bed onto a glass floor surrounded by the boundless universe with shooting stars, planets, and other outer heaven sights I dreamt of admiring through telescopes. The rest of my room is dry concrete painted a rainbow of colors and dressed in ribbons, streamers, confetti, and silly string. I shrug and balance on the balls of my feet towards my closet and two ballet dancers in oversized black denim overalls sashay and pirouette out of it to reveal that all my outfits are winged. “Good morning, Keith.”, they beam and twirl out ...

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“Lolly's Story” by Ina Solum

Submitted to Contest #7

Lolly’s Story As a young child, I had three fictional best friends, young children, my age, almost seven, two girls and one boy. Annie Doonie and Doonie Annie, the sisters, wore white, and yellow pinafores with black Mary Jane shoes. Oh, those shoes! That glossy surface made it seem as if the girls danced through life. And that they did, they laughed and capered until they wore me out. &nbs...

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“Brewing Trouble” by Stephanie Holliday

Submitted to Contest #7

BREWING TROUBLE I was struggling to get the cauldron out of the shed when Leila burst in through the back door looking very dishevelled – grey hair like a fuzzy halo around her head and duffle coat done up on the wrong toggles. ‘Got it’ she cried ‘got it all’. ‘Shhh - the neighbours!’ I was trying to quieten her down knowing that when she was hyped up like this she was liable to screech out anything. Next door had been very funny with us since last ye...

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“The Brook” by Claire Gee

Submitted to Contest #7

War has always been an 'everyday' possibility, as has Peace but sometimes an everyday thing can be one of the worst.The conflict has been the norm for generations- seldom remain of the time before when the height of excitement wasn’t getting a non-fatal wound rather than one that killed. Not all are sure that’s a good thing anymore. Those who were born before this all started are now withered by age, hardened by circumstance and broken from trauma. Feeling safe, a proper childhood and dreaming in bed are all moments of the past and stories f...

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“Angelo the Angel” by Olivia Fairfax

Submitted to Contest #7

Hello, I'm Angelo. Well I was, until a few weeks ago that is. I don't think we've met and of course we never will now, but I can see you're reading about me and that's kind of you to show an interest. I hope it doesn't make you sad. I find it all rather jolly but I'm sorry to see my family taking it so badly, my friends looking shifty, probably embarrassed, and my poor girlfriend, Yasmin, I hate to see her cry. From here I can notice things I just didn't see when I was down there among you all. I seem to have got more insight into my family ...

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$50

Prize money

156

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Sep 20, 2019 EST

Won by Adriana K. Maxwell 🏆

Title: Don't Drink The Stars

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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