Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog

Menu

✕
CONNECT
Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites
BLOG
Success Stories
APPS
TOOLS
Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships
ABOUT
About Reedsy Terms Privacy

CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#86: Springtime Flowers

March 21st may be considered the first day of Spring by many, but Mother Nature doesn't always agree. Depending on where you live, the daffodils could be showing their sunny faces or still hibernating under frozen soil.

 

For me, it’s usually a mix. Here you can be wearing shorts one day and shoveling snow the next, but one thing is consistent: as soon as the weather warms up, I’m bursting outside to gulp down that fresh air and watch the world come back to life. This week, regardless of what the weather actually holds, let’s celebrate the season of rebirth and renewal. After all, in our imaginations the sun can always be shining and the birds can always be chirping!

🥇 Winner

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner

My wife chopped off the stems of these innocent white roses about two weeks ago. She put the dozen of them in her favorite glass vase and filled it up. She hasn’t changed the water once, and now it’s murky and growing algae. It looks like the Heather Farm pond that turned green that one year, except it’s not green. It’s just super dirty looking. She thinks flowers are pretty. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if they’re dead or alive; she just has to have them in the house.She made me go to the store and buy baby’s breath the other day...

182 comments 182 WINNER 🏆
Read story

⭐️ Shortlisted

“The Forest’s Heart” by Claire Lindsey

She took her first breath in a grove of towering aspen trees, under the shadow of a hummingbird’s wing. Her mother was the melody of the mountain stream and her father was the glitter of sunlight through the coin-shaped leaves. The forest cared for her, swaddled her in wildflowers and sustained her with birdsong. When she cried, the butterflies kissed her cheeks and dried her tears. She grew strong and fast, and in only a few years she was taller than the saplings that sprouted on the day of her birth.

107 comments 107 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Only a Change of Scenery (A Neo Kosmo Story)” by Josh C

Jenna opened her eyes to a small blurry, display blinking in front of her. Cold air swirled around her face and rays of red light jumped through licks of mist in the claustrophobic cryo-pod. The frigid air stung her nostrils and caused shudders along her body. Each twitch of a muscle added a new sensation as another synapse connected, her body slowly coming back online after 500 years of deep, dreamless, cryogenic sleep....

30 comments 30 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“The Eyes In The Forest” by Iona Cottle

The forest was bright and warm, the sunlight dappled across the leaf-covered ground in a way that evoked images of autumn holiday brochures and children laughing. There was a slight breeze rustling the upper branches, but down at ground level all it did was bring the warmth of the sun in from out in the meadows all around. For everyone not working, it was a weekend to head out and make the most of the last of summer, bef...

15 comments 15 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“Groundhog Day” by Amy Donahue

I smile when I see the slough of fresh earth, tossed down the bank, and the clear dark circle above it. Our groundhog dug out last night, or maybe this morning, but not yesterday, when the smallest of openings was still visible if you knew where to look. Asleep for months with no day or night, only the rhythm of the slowest possible heartbeat. Today was the day, to come back into the world. The woods are ...

5 comments 5 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

This week's prompts

Set your story at a park during a spring festival.

Spring – 83 stories

Write about a character coming out of a long hibernation (either literal or metaphorical).

Spring – 160 stories

Write a fairy tale about someone who can communicate with woodland creatures.

Kids – 169 stories

Start your story with one character pointing out the first sign of spring to another.

Spring – 108 stories

Write a story where flowers play a central role.

Spring – 280 stories

Stories

“Flowering Walrus” by Scott Skinner

My wife chopped off the stems of these innocent white roses about two weeks ago. She put the dozen of them in her favorite glass vase and filled it up. She hasn’t changed the water once, and now it’s murky and growing algae. It looks like the Heather Farm pond that turned green that one year, except it’s not green. It’s just super dirty looking. She thinks flowers are pretty. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if they’re dead or alive; she just has to have them in the house.She made me go to the store and buy baby’s breath the other day...

182 comments 182 WINNER 🏆
Read story

“The Forest’s Heart” by Claire Lindsey

She took her first breath in a grove of towering aspen trees, under the shadow of a hummingbird’s wing. Her mother was the melody of the mountain stream and her father was the glitter of sunlight through the coin-shaped leaves. The forest cared for her, swaddled her in wildflowers and sustained her with birdsong. When she cried, the butterflies kissed her cheeks and dried her tears. She grew strong and fast, and in only a few years she was taller than the saplings that sprouted on the day of her birth.

107 comments 107 SHORTLIST ⭐️
Read story

“The Garden” by Zilla Babbitt

Springtime in the garden always began when the pink azaleas started to bud. Dad would find them while checking the garden fence for rabbit tunnels and come inside with an armful of the tiny blossoms, ready to trim and slip into a Mason jar. The first year it happened, he came inside, his face flushed with excitement, a single pink bud the size of a fingernail pinned between his dirt-crusted fingers. Look, the azaleas are flowering, he told the both of us. Springtime. In the sum...

75 comments 75
Read story

“Forget-Me-Not” by Writer Maniac

He didn’t come outside yesterday. He didn’t wear his rubber-soled shoes and ridiculously large coat. He didn’t push his feet into the soil, savouring the satisfying squelch. He didn’t pick out the flowers that he liked the most and leave them on my front porch. The marigolds were crying. Their petals dripped of their loneliness and neglect, wanting his gentle touch and instead having to find it in each o...

160 comments 160
Read story

“Madness Among the Flowers” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“So what do you do when your personal values clash with those of your family, your friends, your loved ones, your society?”The classroom went silent. Expected. I gave the prerequisite wait time—counting the slow seconds needed for my high school seniors to digest my salient query. Their pensive expressions belied the fact that they were just digesting lunch. How can anyone teach a class immediately after lunch? They just want to go to sleep. I want to go to sleep. “T...

71 comments 71
Read story

“Orchids” by Nora Ouardi

Authors Note: Hey guys! I hope you'll enjoy this story. It's honestly kind of messy and unorganized, giving I wrote it in like 2 hours, but yea! I just got diagnosed with covid, so life sucks but enough of the sob story. So, without further-ado:He gave me flowers.Purple orchids, to be specific.They were my favorite.They reminded me of my mother, who died a year ago.Purple orchids represented admiration.I had that for him.Did he have admiration for me?If he did, I ...

68 comments 68
Read story

“Smile Again” by Writer Maniac

Once upon a time, in a land not unlike every other land, in a house not unlike every other house, there lived a young lad named Patrick.He lived with his ailing father and his wiry framed mother. He was closest to his father; Papa’s gentle authority having taught him so much and made up most of who he was.His father used to call him to his bedside every night and hold his small hands in his large cold ones. He used to make light conversation, and Patrick always held his breath, because he knew what was ...

16 comments 16
Read story

“The Hidden Fairy” by Nainika Gupta

“Parisa!” Jimmy yelled, running up the hill. The woman who had his attention was sitting at the top of a tree stump. She was wearing a light green shirt made from what appeared to be grass stalks but were probably just fabric, and blue pants more vibrant than the sky. Her arms and legs were crossed, and her face was turned up toward the sun. Once he reached her, panting, she cracked one eye open and looked at him with curiosity. “Yes?” She asked. He sat down in front of her and looked up with eagerness. “The others...

43 comments 43
Read story

“Serendipity” by Scout Tahoe

The field is wet. Irrigation seeps through my cleats and into my socks. My legs are sore from countless Youtube workouts. (They claim to give you abs. I am living proof that those instructor ladies get liposuctions every month or so.) Besides, I tried to keep up lacrosse by practicing. Throwing, catching, cradling. But at some point, there’s no point. Hector has already started practice. I’m half an hour late and the girls are still doing warmups. They’ve already got their protection goggles on. Their feet slip along the grass...

39 comments 39
Read story

“Bare Necessities ” by Nainika Gupta

*Nainika’s Note* Well, I don't know what this is. I tried a perspective I have never tried before, and I am not sure how well it worked, so let me know what you think! The bear yawned and stretched, her mouth gaping wide to show her long canines. A long-honed instinct had woken her up for the first nudge of spring, and she had awoken to the sweet smell of flowers pushing through the frozen earth. All through the winter, the bear had slept on, her metabolism ticking over just enough to keep her alive. Period...

55 comments 55
Read story

“Keep your head up” by Ari Berri

“Elliot...” I turn to my boyfriend, Jace. He’s on my bed, and was reading a book, but looking at me now. His blond hair falls in his face, and he blows it back. “Yes?” “Are you really going to do this?” I huff. “Yes.” “Okay...but there will probably be kids there.” “Even better!” I declare. “They need to be educated anyway. Now tell me, how do I look?” “Good.” He says.

91 comments 91
Read story

“Burn the Night ” by Nainika Gupta

“Aha, there’s a robin. I’ve won. It’s officially the start of spring.” Asmodeus crowed, pointing out the red-chested bird hopping on a branch of the tree over us. I harrumphed, crossing my arms, and sat back from my careful robin-sighting. “So?” I asked, subtly craning my neck to see the bird hopping onto the park bench next to us. The comfort of the black bench, warm from the slow steading sun, was a place to absorb the beauty of the park. The beauty of a joyful community at play. He poked me, and I squirmed away....

21 comments 21
Read story

“seventeen nights” by Amany Sayed

Red. Blue.Red. Blue…Lola watched as the lights of the police cars outside changed colors, accompanied by the deafening sound of the siren. Six in total sat idle in front of the station. She gripped her teddy bear’s arm and sighed. Stomps littered the hallway as people walked back and forth. Police. Suited men. Just regular people.Witnesses. She rubbed at the tight shackles on her tiny wrists, careful not to drop the stuffed an...

40 comments 40
Read story

“Cherry Blossoms” by 𝔼𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 ✳🏳️‍🌈

If you think I don't see you, you must be crazy. You're mingling in with the cherry blossoms like light through a window, refracting. You're the first sign of spring. It's like I know you. Every day, I glance out the window at 1:30 and see you there, running into the horizon. Is it part of a class? Or something else? "Pay attention, Kalmin," Mr. Gentry slaps a ruler across my desk with a despicable screech....

68 comments 68
Read story

“Flowers for Rose ” by Holly Fister

It’s eerie how time slows down during calamity, allowing your eyes to widen while your lungs forget their need for air, and then suddenly it spits you out in a new life, scarred and reeling. What do you hold on to?Friday, September 24, 2021 4:47p.m.The bus smelled stale and years of grime clung to the walls, but it could have been a prom night limo based on the way we were carrying on. Finally mask free, delirious from hormones and the intoxicating joy of skipping a whole day of school for a French play...

47 comments 47
Read story

$50

Prize money

804

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 26, 2021 EST

Won by Scott Skinner 🏆

Title: Flowering Walrus

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!

NEW VIDEO COURSE 🎉

How to Write a Novel

Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class and finish your first draft in 3 months. Learn more →

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢