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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

“Crack in the Sidewalk” by Ernesto Bebe

Submitted to Contest #86

Oh, the many ways in which flowers are used. For decorating, for wearing, and for anything really. They can signify the beginning of a beautiful relationship. A boy, let's say his name is Micah, is walking down the street, birds singing their tune and the sunshine feverishly covering the sidewalk with light. He turns his head and sees a girl, roughly around 14, maybe? She was close enough to his age for him to stop and stare for a moment. Her blond hair looked even more beautiful as it glimmered in the sun. Her hands worked a sponge on her d...

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“Nutritional Aspects of flowers ” by Philip Ebuluofor

Submitted to Contest #86

Flowers were one of the plants that their usefulness cuts across the interest of all race from the day immemorial. Whites, yellow, black and red races were all in love with the plant. It’s of many species and symbolizes a lot of things depending on which one you are familiar with. When I was in primary school, I was living with a priest and the parish compound was almost the size of two football pitch. We were three boys then and there was division of labour. Watering the whole flowers that covered almost the whole parish compound begi...

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“The Rightful Owner” by Priya D

Submitted to Contest #86

The Rightful Owner Inside a florist shop.. Roses (the red roses): “Good morning!! I am bathed and decked up for this day. What a beautiful day, hope I get picked by a beautiful person. A man enters the store and spits out a gum and asks the seller to give him a bouquet “Seller: What kind of bouquet sir? Would you like to see around?” Man: “Anything. It’s for gifting. So give what people generally give for gifts.” Roses: “No..Not me..Not to him” Seller before picking the colour for roses, wants to confirm with the Man and starts to ask him. S...

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“Raw wounds” by NK Hatendi

Submitted to Contest #86

Heidi arrived at the meeting feeling very self-conscious. She was having second thoughts about whether it had been a good idea to accept the invitation as the guest speaker at the Women in Action club meeting, where she had been a member. Busi, the chairperson, an old school friend, was hard to refuse.As Heidi entered, she was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. The morning tea club meeting was jam-packed. With a few minutes to go, people were still milling absorbed in small talk and picking up their refreshments. Latecomers were hunting fo...

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“Ode to Ted” by R. B. Leyland

Submitted to Contest #86

This one’s a little bit different, more a good memory I want to share with you all and hopefully will cheer some people up. Enjoy! Edit: Realised too late the prompt said start the story with the pointing out of spring, rather than end. The sound of the phone calling reverberated through my car speakers as I cursed myself yet again for having the music too loud. Two beeps and it hangs up, opening the gate that bars my entry to the works yard. I do a lot of cursing in the morning, for multiple reasons. Always waking up just in the nick o...

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“Spring’s in the Error” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #86

Margaret didn’t notice when Jane first arrived to the print shop. Her sole focus was printing the flyer for her annual Shakespeare in the Park festival. They always did the favorite, ‘Midsummer’s Night Dream’. But Jane’s increasingly strident voice demanded attention. “You printed it all wrong,” she said to Greg, the manager. “Actually, I didn’t. I followed your instructions exactly. Look at the paperwork.” Jane slapped the table. “Who orders a flyer announcing, ‘Shakespeare in the Pork’?” “You did. Look.” He pointed to her signature at the...

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“Flowers of Tesu” by Arya ...

Submitted to Contest #86

The weather in spring has always capricious. The sun would shine warmly above and yet chilly wind blows below. Playing Holi on a spring day was being drenched from head to toe in cold coloured water and then afterwards slowly drying yourself under the sun before going back home. The neighbourhood park was bustling with people dressed in old clothes and pleasant smiles. Three stalls were set up in a small area for sweets, drinks and abir ( dry colour powder ). Colourful paper frills were hung, swaying with wind, all over the shops and th...

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“Stay And Wait For Spring” by Emma Rose

Submitted to Contest #86

-Trigger Warning: implications of an eating disorder-It was cold.Too early to be awake, too cold to be alive. I grumbled to myself and burrowed deeper under my sheets. I’d get up.Eventually.Probably not today, (maybe not even this week, come to think about it) but eventually.I tentatively reached to the windowsill, hand searching for my phone, fingers cringing in protest when they brushed against the icy glass. My hand quickly retreated back under the blanket. Nope.Too cold, it wasn’t worth it, though a part of me knew I should pro...

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“Ivy covered Aconite ” by Iris Bean

Submitted to Contest #86

I don't remember when it happened, and I don't remember if I was born with it. Maybe I was, I think it would make the most sense. Because how strange is it that whenever I feel a deep emotion flowers grow from the lining of my skin, echoing louder than the words I dare not to speak.How does one explain to another human that this happens, when the questions arise how do I answer what I don’t know myself? How do I explain that the garden growing from my skin is more intelling to what emotion I'm feeling than my own mind is?I often feel like a ...

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“Mother Awakens ” by Elizabeth Rose

Submitted to Contest #86

I felt it happen slowly, the awakening. It started with a single whisper in my head, a plea for help. Over time the single plea grew into a chorus then an army until finally it grew loud enough that I could no longer ignore it. So, I awoke my eyes, the creatures of the wind. All manner of winged animals offered me their sight; I was not pleased with what they had shown me. A new species had come to the planet and they were harming my children. They called the foreign aliens the Virtue. My chi...

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“Ursa Minor” by Abhik Mukherjee

Submitted to Contest #86

Even before I woke up, I could feel my heart beating faster. It was reassuring since this would be my first spring all alone. I did not have my mom beside me like the first five springs that I had woken up to.As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the familiar spectacle of a lush green valley that I longed so much before I feel asleep a few months ago. I rushed out of the den which I had so carefully selected last winter. I was so excited that I almost stumbled on a boulder which was exposed on the surface which was now devoid of snow.Let me ...

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“The Chosen Ones” by Maria Moore

Submitted to Contest #86

A greenhouse sits on four acres, of rolling hills, lined on either side, with Rhododendron, in Upstate New York. A man opens the door and calls out in a cheery voice:“Hello, my beauties, It's time for your morning feeding.”Methodically, the man, named Arthur Quagmire, dips his hands into an old, Tupperware bowl, which he had inherited, from his mother. He spreads diced, fish onto the soil, which shields the roots, of red roses, which he had, also, inherited from his mother. He uses his fingertips, to kneed the fish into the soft soil, ...

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“The Dahlia Show” by Gerald Daniels

Submitted to Contest #86

Father sat with his legs outstretched in front of the gas fire, his feet so close to the heat that the steam rose in a continual haze. He was still wearing his gardening clothes and the bottoms of his threadbare jeans were circled with mud which would eventually set solid and flake on to the carpet as he moved about the house. As he dozed his head flopped to one side, the light from the standard lamp emphasising the weathered skin of his face and the da...

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“Numb” by Ashley 💜

Submitted to Contest #86

The numbness surrounds me like a blanket, but this blanket is not comforting. On the contrary, this blanket restricts my every movement, my every thought. No, this is not a blanket, this is a straight jacket. I can feel myself ebbing away, losing the strength to fight the tight grip of depression. A sudden sadness envelops me: will I ever be free of this? It is immediately flushed away by the tiredness that takes its place. I'm tired of being tired.I look at my computer screen and try to focus on the words swarming across the screen, I'm rea...

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“NEW WORLD” by Deryus Snow

Submitted to Contest #86

DEVIL'S WIND: THE GREAT HAMATHANIt came without our knowledge, deadlier and scarier. So they kept us.They said we were the hope to humanity's curse. For a hundred years we stayed hibernated after the Devil's wind attacked.The devil's wind came along with creatures unknown by the men of science. So ancient lore whispered that they kept us here for the future.The whole of room Africa shrouded in Mist and hunted by devil creatures.For a hundred years the mist reigned along with the creatures and they won us.We lost to them, humanity's greatest...

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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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