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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!

This week's prompts

Set your story at a park during a spring festival.

Spring – 82 stories

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

Spring – 158 stories

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

Kids – 168 stories

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

Spring – 107 stories

Write a story where flowers play a central role.

Spring – 278 stories

Stories

“The Eucalyptus Tree” by Bonnie Seach

Submitted to Contest #86

"Ouch!" People were dancing and singing. Children were chasing each other and shouting. Dogs were chasing the children and barking. The band was belting out one of John Phillip Sousa's marches. The cacophony vibrated in my ears. It was painful. The park was decorated with flowers, balloons and ribbons. Why? It was the Spring Festival! It was surprisingly hot in Johannesburg, South Africa. I ambled over to the ice cream seller for a cooling cone. I looked up and up at an enormous tree that was sheltering a group of beer drinking reveler...

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“The Ferris Wheel” by Sean Tarzy

Submitted to Contest #86

“I feel good!” Martin Feldman sings at the dinner table. This all-too familiar display of musical buffoonery is greeted by a range of reactions. Martin’s only daughter, Samantha, fourteen years old and no stranger to embarrassment at the hands of her father, folds over and buries her head into her arms. Eugene, a 17-year-old spitting image of his father and always one to nurture the immature side of his dad, offers an appropriately screechy, comedic “HEYYYY!” Eugene’s dinner guest and date for the night, the beautiful Victoria Rossi, awkward...

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“Springtime Fancy” by Caroline Burkey

Submitted to Contest #86

“I just love the first day of Spring,” Willow said, looking around the park where everyone mingled. “Everything is waking up from winter.” “Plus, they say a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love,” Ivy giggled, her eyebrows wagging up and down. “Ivy, all you can think of is boys,” Rowan said, rolling her eyes. Ivy shrugged and said, “That’s life. Especially this time of year, when everything is being reborn.” Rowan shook her head. “Let’s just get to the rest of the group,” she said, walking toward the...

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“Among Them” by Christopher Cayen-Cyr

Submitted to Contest #86

Between two bricksOf the great wellA droplet dashesTo the ground.A lost phoenixAnd its flames swellFrom the ashesWithout sound.The Englishman quickly tore the inked page from his booklet and reduced it to a wad of paper, unworthy of his most pitiful work. A flat tweed cap tightly covered his head. With decisive swiftness, he threw it down the seemingly bottomless well in front of him. Catching one last glimmer of afternoon sunlight, the page vanished into the dark depths enclosed by the cylindrical wall of red bricks, agitating the rusty buc...

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“Springing Free of Guilt” by Colleen Logie

Submitted to Contest #86

‘I can’t believe it’s Spring already,’ Margie marvelled, walking into the garden and inhaling the smell of the freshly cut grass with relish. She held onto her sister’s hand, allowing herself to be guided towards the nearby bench. Sylvia gently helped Margie onto the bench and smiled at her excitement. ‘I’ve missed the whole of winter recovering from that darned accident,’ Margie lamented. ‘Fancy that!’ Sylvia laughed. ‘Well, it wasn’t the whole of winter, it just felt like it, with you unable to walk down the stairs and ringi...

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“The End of an Era” by Asmita Kodityala

Submitted to Contest #86

Preface: It has been 15 years. 15 years since I've lived in this house I call home. But I don't know why. 15 years ago, I had a family; a family who cared. I never had many friends, but they existed. What had I done to earn 15 years of hibernation? 15 years ago:I live in Manhattan, New York. No, not the super hotspot for the coronavirus, but the first place to go gasoline-free. That place. I'm graduating from school this year. After six long years, I can finally take my place as an adult in society. I had to stay in school for an extra ...

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“The Leather Bottle” by John Morey

Submitted to Contest #86

The Leather Bottle by John Morey © Copyright 2021 “There's a good spot over there, not far from the entrance.” John was pointing to the empty parking bay close to where diners were already filing into the restaurant. It had just opened. Clare made sure they left early enough to find one of the 'Disabled' bays still free. They were in luck. John, her husband, was still able to walk pretty well – on one of his 'good days' – but recently his Alzheimer's was becoming more unpredictable. Over the past five years, during which it seemed he...

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“Coffee-Colored Eyes” by Bethany Bacus

Submitted to Contest #86

Adelaide was usually more beautiful. She sat cross-legged on her scratchy, brown throw rug in front of her full-length mirror in a trance-like state. The reflection of the dollar store fairy lights that hung from her ceiling left a soft glow against the top perimeter of the glass. The bulbs were getting old now, so the light was gentle and warm and seeped through the darkness that surrounded her. She scooted closer to the mirror and watched as her eyes darted around her face, examining what she saw. Her pupils were dilated as she strained to...

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“Miracle Amidst A Truck Ride” by Jeromy Wensley

Submitted to Contest #86

Matthew 10:20 For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.Pete veered his head from the pavement ahead to me and said, “So, did you enjoy our road trip?” “Um,” I said, feeling despair and discomfort, “Yeah, Pete. It was a good trip.”A slight pause filtered the air for a short time as Pete rotated his head back towards the road ahead. From there, Pete’s eyes kept fixated on the upcoming road. “You sure?” Pete said, having concern in his tone.“Yeah, Pete,” I muttered.Pete pondered as the secon...

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“Blooming” by George Morales

Submitted to Contest #86

"Actually maybe you should go to bed at an appropriate time tonight, because you know ... you have the ability to do that, unlike myself. I don't need or want to talk to you when I get home. I actually want absolutely nothing to do with you." Message sent. "Why are we even together anymore? Is it just for Mary at this point? That's what it feels like. There's no real camaraderie, there's no affection to fall back on during tough times. There's not even mutual understanding between us. It feels like we've just gotten comfortable with the ...

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“It's Nice To Have A Friend” by Indi Jimenez

Submitted to Contest #86

Darren Wolf is the kind of man that runs in routines. He wakes up at precisely 6:30 in the morning, and the first thing he does after opening his eyes is fixing his bed. How he knows it is precisely 6:30 in the morning isn’t because of some alarm clock on his phone (his phone can only call his only daughter who lives a city away from him and when absolutely pressed, an ambulance when he needs it), but because of the sounds of his neighborhood that immediately tells his mind to wake up when he hears it. There’s the two high-pitched barks of t...

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“Stumbling Through the Darkness by Cara Fidler” by Cara Fidler

Submitted to Contest #86

It had been 6 months since Frank and I broke up after I found him in bed with another woman. Devastated, I ran outside, picked up a brick and threw it through the bedroom window shattering the glass. The pain was so excruciating it cut me like a knife. I stumbled to the car, adrenalin rushing through my veins. Shaking like a leaf, I put my keys into the ignition and peeled wheels out of there. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. The magnitude of the betrayal was suffocating and greater than anything I'd ever experienced. I drove ...

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“Springing out” by Bear Mac

Submitted to Contest #86

Old man winter had finally left, finally, thank god, it seemed like it was going to last forever. but he did leave and with it, a new coming out was going to occur, in more ways than one. The feeling, the sensation, the rebirth. We all have experienced the same feeling, the same freshness, and the same rebirth, but being reborn can mean so much more for some than others, a feeling of newness, and it occurs every year, nothing to get in its way and stop it, the way nature does every at this time of the year. For some people, it's nothing new,...

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“The Bug Test” by Al P

Submitted to Contest #86

“Please follow the light with your eyes. Mr. Allen, do you hear me?” The excited doctor asked. “Yes.” Coughed John Allen. Slow and groggy. The light was a little blurry but he was still able to follow the slow movements from the doctor. He placed the light into his white coat pocket and started delivering the status, “Most of your tests have come back and so far everything looks good. We will need to perform the Biometric Unilateral Gradient test tomorrow. The machine is down for some upgrades. Your memory will probably start coming in over ...

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“Awakening” by Matheus Souza

Submitted to Contest #86

To him, all days look the same, with very small changes worth mentioning. Slowly, his routine was turning firm, solidified in an adult and responsible stability. It happened right at the point when his hands used to hurt by how much he would practice his art, constantly writing, to the point of complete exhaustion. Before, there were pain every night, but his spirit was in peace and that internal fraction of the Man responsible to take care of his Inspiration looked satisfied. It was like a Bird, tired of flying, taking small and resto...

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$50

Prize money

797

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!

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