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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#87: Fool Me Once

From trickster gods to office pranks, humans have long been fascinated by mischief and mayhem. There’s just something about breaking free of the rules of polite society and causing a bit of chaos that appeals deeply to our psyche.

This week, let’s embrace that playful spirit. Whether it’s someone being pranked or doing the pranking, there’s plenty of opportunity to dive deep into your characters’ motives and reactions. No joke — it’s time to break out the (metaphorical) cream pies and throw some anarchy at your protagonists.

This week's prompts

Write about a mischievous pixie or trickster god.

Kids – 206 stories

Write about someone who’s spent a whole year planning a big prank, and now they’re finally ready to pull it off.

Middle School – 75 stories

Write about someone who hates pranks and spends April Fools’ Day doing good deeds instead.

Holiday – 69 stories

Start your story with a big company pulling an April Fools’ prank that ends up going horribly wrong.

Holiday – 82 stories

Write about someone who goes to great lengths to avoid being pranked on April 1st, only to realize they had the date wrong and it’s already April 2nd.

Holiday – 60 stories

Stories

“The Dark Lord” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #87

The Yamuna gurgled under the moon. Crickets chirped in a rhythm. The dark leaves of the tree didn’t dare to breathe. The young maiden who was sitting under it had just then fallen asleep. She had been spending most of her time under it for the past few days. She looked forlorn. She talked to herself at times, cried and smiled in a way the heartbroken do. Other girls, her friends came to her many times and tried to console her, make her eat something and persuade her to come with them but failed. The maiden was neither fragile nor a conventio...

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“The Violet Mirror ” by Susan Vance

Submitted to Contest #87

I hate being poor, 13-year-old Oliver Moore thought after a cloud of dust he’d brushed off an ornate dresser sent him into a sneezing frenzy. Thirteen-years on this Earth, he’d known from a young age that his family struck its claim on the wrong side of the tracks. His father was in jail on drug charges, while his mother worked two jobs struggling to keep their apartment. They could have moved somewhere cheaper, but the two-bedroom apartment placed them in the Spring Ridge School District. Because most of the students came from the palatia...

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“My Little Wildflower” by Emma Louise

Submitted to Contest #87

The gravedigger felt bad for the little girl with the wild red curls. She wore a ragged brown dress, embroidered all over with vines and flowers, and clutched a quilt tightly around her shoulders as she looked down into her father’s grave. The gravedigger himself was shivering, but giving her the quilt that he kept in the shed with his shovels seemed the least he could do. He had four children with a fifth on the way, and could scarcely afford to put shoes on all of their little feet. If he took in a...

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“Dancing In The Woods” by Estelle Westley

Submitted to Contest #87

"Morning young lady and what is your name?" Abigail froze. Who said that! "It's me, Emma, and don't stand on me and break a wing!" Looking up at Abigail, with very big eyes, was Emma. Adorable in her green pointed hat, dancing and twirling in front of Abigail. She couldn't stand still. "Has the cat got your tongue, young lady?" Emma carried on. Abigail could not grasp what was going on. Am I dreaming? Am I really seeing this? Hearing this? "I'm sorry, I didn't see you. My name is Abigail." she felt silly and looked around to...

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“Don't Mess with Cupid's Work” by Fenris Fyre

Submitted to Contest #87

Ruse was Cupid’s lesser known, mischievous, cousin. He liked to amuse himself at the expense of Cupid’s couples. He, of course, wouldn’t act immediately. No, he would wait years, following them and learning their patterns. Anything that he could use to cause distrust, anger, and sorrow. Sorrow was his favorite. He had been following a particular couple for quite a few years. He had been watching them very closely as he knew...

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“Pixie Led” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #87

You probably haven’t thought of pixies since you saw pictures of cute little creatures in pointed hats and shoes dancing around a ring of toadstools in your childhood story book. That's how we've been illustrated on cereal boxes, cookie boxes and all kinds of tacky souvenirs and posters for years. It’s very annoying to see the way we’re depicted in popular culture. Humans are not the only one who get tired of being stereotyped. Allow me to explain. We are but one of many types of supernatural beings from the fami...

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“Trickster” by Tricia Shulist

Submitted to Contest #87

Ran wasn’t exactly sure when he first realized he was being spied upon, but now he was certain. This was confusing to Ran because it wasn’t always the same. He figured that if he was being followed or watched, the same person would do it. Or, for that matter, it would be a person.But that wasn’t the case. For the past few weeks he had that niggling feeling that he was being watched. Even when he was sure he wasn’t. Last week, though, when he was riding his bike to his grandmother’s house, he felt he was bei...

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“But Where Did Raven Go?” by Natalie Sherer

Submitted to Contest #87

Raven was just like her name, mysterious, dark, and evil. She didn’t do normal fairy things like talking to animals and magic spells to help people. She does her same routine every night, she waits carefully every night in front of the magic factory (where they produce all the magic dust for the fairies in her forest) until it has closed and all the worker fairies have left. Raven flies in front of the doors where the guards are, making sure to make a fuss for all the guards inside to come out. “Ms. Silverbell you can’t trick us again...

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“The April Fools” by Al Inkman

Submitted to Contest #87

Bill’s Journal Entry for 04/01/2021 If you’re reading this, congratulations! My name is Bill McKenzie, and somehow you’ve stolen my journal. Kidding!Anyway, I’m writing today because this is a joyous occasion for me, as this is the day… of fools.The one day in April I actually look forward to, as I can admit I’m something of a court jester, but more in the current era. I’ve been thinking this plan out since last April when my buddy Charlie thought it’d be funny to switch out my ice cream for mayonnaise. Seeing that stupid grin on his ...

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“April fool's day” by Julia Sara

Submitted to Contest #87

It was happening. I had waited a whole year for this. Finally, there it was, just a day left. I was ready, of course. Nothing could go wrong. I worked too hard for it to fail because of my carelessness. Tomorrow was April fool's, and I had the best, if not perfect, trick up my sleeve. The plan was pretty simple. Mom would go around walking around the neighborhood around 4 pm every afternoon. Quite dull, if you ask me. Our town is one of the most boring towns to exist, but she went walking, and as long as she was out of the house, I didn't mi...

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“REVENGE” by Write Doozy

Submitted to Contest #87

Uncle Jock was followed home by Sidney the clown. It wasn’t even busy. It was Xmas morning, and the streets were almost empty. Besides, who doesn't notice a man dressed in a blue and yellow silk jumpsuit, with size 16 shoes? Not to mention the wig. And face paint. Following you for four blocks. He wasn’t even particularly drunk. Uncle Jock that is, not the clown. The clown I assume was stone cold sober. He was working after all. He’s just an idiot. Jock, I mean. So it took him ‘til he got to the BBQ and opened the side gate, to rea...

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“rite about someone who’s spent a whole year planning a big prank, and now they’re finally ready to pull it off.” by Billy Mazyopa

Submitted to Contest #87

It was funny how one could spent more time planning for a prank, at least, not preparing for an entire year. It all started with a fraudulent plan, a prank idea which is not likely to raise a criminal offence, once committed while impersonating another without consent which is obtained, neither from the actual person nor any authority. The prank consisted of impersonating a famous celebrity by not only dressing exactly like them, but also copying or replicating anything close to their original celebrity lifestyle. The objective of the pr...

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“Fiddleback” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #87

“She is afraid of spiders.” “Lots of people are afraid of spiders. So what?” “Pranks only work on people who are afraid of things. Like, dying, nuns, spiders! They actually succumb to their own imaginative fear. People don’t act irrationally for the most part, when they like something, but when they don’t. Shove a cookie in someone’s face and they are just going to take a bite, not scream. See what I’m getting at?” “What’ve you got in mind?” That is how it began. She thought she saw a spider and dropped my Chic...

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“How My April's Fool Prank Made Me Single (And Helped Me Find True Love)” by Maria Moore

Submitted to Contest #87

Last year my boyfriend, on April's Fools Day, had his friends, in the local police department, to prank arrest me and I vowed to get even. The trumped up charge was embezzling from his company, which I've never worked at. So, I schemed for the whole year and finally everything is ready. He will wish he'd never messed with Malina Reynosa and if it's a bit over the top, then, he just might dump me.I'm sitting in the airport's security office, where my very best friend, Mark Summers, is watching the monitors and will radio to the rest of the se...

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“May! June! February! April?” by Emma Harris

Submitted to Contest #87

I had been told by Artemis that she thought she might've seen something she shouldn't have in a large, abandoned warehouse. Since I was the only person she knew that had a job dealing with illegal things, she asked me to look into it. It was really snowing on the roads now (Snow in April? Even the weather's against me) and I was worried about my little car but I needed to do my job and I figured it wouldn't take too long anyway. The culprit was probably not there anymore so I shouldn't run into anything too dangerous. Nothing but structural ...

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$50

Prize money

492

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 02, 2021 EST

Won by Catherine Hill 🏆

Title: Samill the Trickster

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.

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