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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#73: My True Love Gave to Me

In years past, we’ve themed our seasonal prompts around a favorite Christmas movie… This year, we’re going to mix things up and base them off a Christmas song! And since this week’s contest runs through December 25th, what better song to pick than The 12 Days of Christmas?

If you need a little inspiration to get you in the holiday spirit, check out the Christmas and Holiday sections in our Stories directory to see what members of your community have come up with! With all these marvelously festive tales to choose from, we know you’ll find something to get you feeling jolly in no time.

And despite the Christmas origins, our prompts work for any holiday, so feel free to celebrate in a way that's true to you! We can't wait to see your character's traditions.

This week's prompts

Write about someone who is given a bird for the holidays but doesn’t know how to take care of it.

Holiday – 200 stories

Write about someone who gets proposed to five times on Christmas Eve.

Romance – 170 stories

Write about a drummer going to a Halloween party for musicians.

Halloween – 54 stories

Write about a young nobleman whose greatest wish is to become an Olympic long jumper.

Middle School – 20 stories

Write about a backup dancer who’s on tour and just wants some peace and quiet for the holidays.

Winter – 54 stories

Stories

“Two Turtle Doves” by Neveah Afternoon

Submitted to Contest #73

"Okay. What to do now." Seoul Bak had a birdcage with two turtle doves locked inside on the kitchen table in a lonely apartment, and she was trying to figure out what just happened. It was 8 p.m. She was getting ready to start her daily bath when someone knocked on the door. "God, why now," she groaned as she opened it. On the opposite side of the door stood Cene Parker, hiding something behind his back.Seoul and Cene were childhood friends and she had a crush on him ever since high school but lacked the courage to tell ...

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“You Know I Don't Like Yellow” by Charley Bardot

Submitted to Contest #73

I’ve been hiding under my table for 6 hours, 6 hours I have been cuddled up next to an iron skillet waiting for the perfect moment to make a run for it. Alex, someone I met on an online dating website about two months ago, gifted me a yellow Canary for Christmas, despite me mentioning that I had a fear of flying animals. Not to mention that the color yellow is the least appealing color on the planet. “Trust me, you’ll love it! The canaries are known to be beautiful singers! Don’t you love singing?” The moment that Alex gave me this ...

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“A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER ” by Blossom Odor

Submitted to Contest #73

24th December, 2020.Mama once told me, "good things come to those who wait, and only then can they be truly happy." I think I might have waited too much. Why? Because, my 'good thing' arrived this morning, and it wasn't exactly what I expected. I mean, I'm usually not that choosy, but, come on, receiving a bird for Christmas is where I draw the line, boldly. I take the little bird indoors, and, as if possessed, it begins to cluck loudly, and peck at my arm through the openings on its cage. I take a second look at the bird, and feel my eyes w...

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“Bird on the Loose!” by Nika Compani

Submitted to Contest #73

2020. A year Susan wouldn't forget. This was the year she got her first pet bird. She'd begged her parents for a bird, and she swore she researched how to take care of a bird. That turned out differently. Susan was ambitious. When I say ambitious, I mean it. She would always put herself up to do these insane tasks, and she never completed them. Like for instance, Susan had the idea to build the tallest tower in the world. Long story short, it ended up being six feet tall. Alright, back to the bird. When Susan got this bird, she leaped with...

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“Randy's Bird” by Anna Weber

Submitted to Contest #73

Someone who is given a bird for the holidays but doesn’t know how to take care of it. The glow of the fireplace warmed my face. Swaddled in blankets, the glistening lights of the tree behind me, I closed my eyes and let the moment sink into my mind. Every little problem melted away like the chocolate chips in my cocoa. A dusty photograph with an old wooden frame stared down at me from the wall. Smiling faces and rosy cheeks wrapped up tightly with red and green scarves. But reality gripped me with cold hands, and I set down the mug. When ...

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“BANGLED BEAUTIES” by Philip Ebuluofor

Submitted to Contest #73

The time was around 2:30pm, the sun was shining to out done competitorthe humans at the receiving end did not know. Pat was among the pupilheading home under the full weight of the gamma after school work.Suddenly, birds that will number about hundreds fluttered and scatteredfrom corn field that covers a great quantity of plots there. Pat wasmesmerised , he stood transfixed mopping at their receding figures. Hewas captivated by their colour, white, yellow, green, beautiful creatures. The corn field was not entirely corn field, but like biafr...

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“The Dove” by Nati Yohannes

Submitted to Contest #73

The Dove was so beautiful - One of the prettiest things Karen had ever seen. Gracefully flying through the prairie - She needed to catch that bird for her daughter, Eve. Eve was only 4, but she loved birds. This would make the perfect Christmas present. “Just a little closer,” said Karen, as she held the box just a foot away from the dove. “Got you!” she said. She had finally got the dove in the box. Trying for so long, she had almost given up. She laughed as she walked out of the field and to her car. She started driving to the pet store to...

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“A Pigeon In an Apple Tree” by Alex Acosta

Submitted to Contest #73

“I’m not sure I can accept this?” I said to my friend who appeared at my door on an oddly warm December day. “Come on man, it’s like the song. You know, the pigeon in the apple tree?” He said holding the cage with a pigeon inside up for me to look at. “Nate, first of all, it's a partridge in a pear tree, second, I didn’t even know you could even buy a pet pigeon. How am I supposed to take care of it?” I asked incredulously. I looked at the pigeon, it cooed softly as it looked at me sideways. “Look man, I can’t keep it at my ho...

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“Of Songs and Feathers ” by Brittany Smith

Submitted to Contest #73

The air was cold and crisp, the scent of pine and roasted chestnuts lingering in the air as Sari stumbled down the sidewalk, her shopping bags piled precariously high in her arms. Somehow every year Sari's To-Do List grew longer and the weeks leading up to Christmas disappeared like melted snow. The Christmas Calendar in Dreamer's Square indicated only 7 days left until Christmas. People from all over Wisconsin flocked to Dreamer's Haven for the week long Christmas festival and the International Birds Show. It was bright, colorful, noisy...

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“Workin’ on The ‘Bird” by Nigel Holmes

Submitted to Contest #73

“It’s inside the distributor, there.” Leaning under the hood, De’Veon used a long brown finger to point at the back of the air filter housing. All his fingers were long and brown, dark on the tops and a kind of coffee brown on the undersides with darker lines at the creases. They extended out from giant palms on the ends of his long arms, yet everything about the man was in proportion. He was just very tall, and lean with it. I remember when we brought the ‘bird home this time last year, the week before Christmas. From the passenger se...

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“Cold Bird Christmas” by Matt Keating

Submitted to Contest #73

Cold Bird Christmas by Matt Keating “Mutually assured destruction,” is not a phrase traditionally found in Christmas sentiments. Nick considered this omission by the carol composers to be unfortunate. He intended to notate this observation if he managed to survive the violent and rather capricious petulance rattling above the corner bookshelves. Nicholas was born old and without imagination. His toys were irrelevant. He was given a stuffed animal once; a lion he named Lion, but Lion was just a soft thing. Nicholas never spoke...

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“Witch's Familiar” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #73

Brilliant sapphire eyes met my own curious brown ones as I stared at the creature currently sitting on the wooden perch in the bird cage my academy mentor had dropped off earlier that day, along with the Eagle itself. The bird in question tossed it's dark head, the midnight colouring of it's feather glimmering iradescently in the sporadic glow of passing cars headlights. With a wave of my hand and a silent mental command, the kitchen windows shutters fell into place and plunged the room into darkness. For that split second before I telepathi...

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“WAPI” by Fatoş Ceren İnce

Submitted to Contest #73

Wapi 1 I regretted it as soon as I took off when I positively replied, immediately after he has asked if I could take care of Wapi. I have said that big ass fat “Yes, I’d be happy to” so obediently that I’ve realized so much later. What I am I supposed to do with this creature now. Of course, nothing! All the neighborhood has already been illuminated for about like two weeks ago. There were annoyingly merry children was making so much noise with their joyful songs on their mouths. Everyone has a plan somehow for now except me....

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“The Merry Bird” by Brandon Colbert

Submitted to Contest #73

The Merry Bird There once was a young man named Bruce, that had just moved out on his own. He wanted to have the best Christmas ever. He dreamed about it all year. Having all his family and friends, lots of food and of course lots of presents. He wanted to have such a great Christmas this year, that he went out of his way to make sure that he was gonna have a great Christmas. He bought lights to cover his house and decorated his yard with different ornaments. He was so busy decorating and cleaning up his house to be ready for Christmas, that...

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“A Not So Silent Night” by Caroline White

Submitted to Contest #73

“Bye, Davis,” I said with melancholy. “Hey, don’t worry, Kate,” Davis said over the phone, “I’ll be back to Denver in no time.” Davis was my best friend since birth. Our moms were roommates in college and we were born on the same day. Davis became a consultant a few years ago. Ever since then, he has been traveling the world. He is currently in Paris, France. Right as I hung up, the doorbell on my apartment door rang. As I slid off the couch, I heard a weird cawing sound. I opened the door, but I didn’t see anyone. I heard the cawin...

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$50

Prize money

498

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 25, 2020 EST

Won by Shawn Forno 🏆

Title: Burt Brain

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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