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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

“Joy ride” by Michele Stigers

Submitted to Contest #87

Joy Ride Loki was having fun flying around the globe. It gave him much glee watching the people’s reaction as they looked up at him. Once in while he would he would breathe out fire and watch them run for cover. It made him chuckle. Soon there were post on the internet about the fierce dragon. Photos began to pop up of a green and black dragon. Eventually the military got wind of the stories. Colonel Rhodes was handed a message from headquarters telling him to take action dealing with the dragon. He finished reading and b...

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“The pixie goddess of sea waves back. ” by Shalini Perumal

Submitted to Contest #87

She waits for a moment of silence before she strikes. The tides are low, the sun is on an all time high and her resolve determined from under the sea. She can see the curves of the ship’s bottom making its lonely journey after intermittent sojourns, potentially to an island far away or long gone, while she gathered her sawdust before she would unleash her spell. It was a special kind of sawdust, reserved for the pixie goddesses of her tribe. She was Zaronga, the agile one, known to be extreme in tenderness and tempest when the mood and times...

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“Trickery” by Jean Bloom

Submitted to Contest #87

*this is not real, not cannon, only for fun* Dolos sat high on the oak tree, overseeing the small village he stumbled upon. The town was full of action with people wandering the square and many dealers shouting out prices. A small rustling sound was heard behind him. He turned his head just in time to see a blur of grey hurling at him. He fell from the tree knocking his head on the sun-tinted grass. "What the hell Apate." "Oh come on," Apate said rolling over to lay next to him. "That was hilarious." She giggled and punched Dolos in the shou...

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“Bitter-sweet poison” by Joao Pedro

Submitted to Contest #87

March 28th The crowd roared as he seamlessly produced a grey cat from underneath the black cloth that laid on his palm before making it disappear in the same way. Faith had become evermore scarcer over the years and, like the other Aesir, Loki had succumbed to the outskirts of memory, having to perform cheap magic in theatre pubs across London to survive the night. After the show, Loki sat by the bar, his now white flaky hair resting on the sharp wrinkles on his face, and signalled the bartender. “Redbreast. Neat.” “Make it two,” sa...

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“Who fools who? ” by MARIA PAPAMARGARITI

Submitted to Contest #87

The day I was born is not clearly defined. Not even today. Difficult as it may seem, this sad event accompanying my birth is totally reasoned. You see, on the day I was born, half the world followed the ten month calendar of Ancient Rome, whereas the other half had already adopted the Gregorian calendar, the one most people use all over the world nowadays. Now of course you may raise your eyebrows. How could something like that ever be possible? When was I born? Well, you guessed it right. I was born in a year, which lies approximately 4...

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“The Pranking Pixie” by Evie Joy

Submitted to Contest #87

In the tiny pixie village of Honey Lake, lived one pixie who loved nothing more than to prank others. Her name was Kat, and some might say her prank were her way of getting attention. And when your big sister is Rebel, a very powerful and beloved pixie, one would try to stand out as much as possible. But on the other some pixies say that the reason Kat is mischievous is because she was born one April first. Kat, had been playing so many pranks on the pixies that they have actually gotten used to it, they would make jokes and laugh at ever...

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“THE HUNCHBACK” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #87

THE HUNCHBACK She had that lucky charm, which she always carried with her, since a lot of years. She had found it, as a child, in the Easter egg. The upper part of that object represented a little man which wore a tight, a hat and a bow tie. That little hunchbacked man was laughing with a smile more malignant than malicious. The little hunchbacked made the horns with the fingers of one hand, while with the other it held a horseshoe. The lower part of the lucky charm was a red horn. She, Terry, had never ...

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“Olugwu” by Ene Tache

Submitted to Contest #87

Walking down the narrow path away from the village cursing myself for waking up so late, i took the left turn towards olugwu and hastened my steps hoping to get clean drinkable water since water from the nearby streams are rather salty... The walk to olugwu is a 5 miles walk..not something to toy with and if one eventually gets there late the whole water would become brownish from the constant and careless dipping of different clay pots into the stream by those that came earlier. It was a cold harmattan morning and the day was barely bright...

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“Dating is Tricky” by John Vincent Bahrenburg

Submitted to Contest #87

It’s not an easy time to be a god. Especially for a trickster god living on 49th street in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, currently receiving mail under the pseudonym of Mal. Nope, it wasn’t an easy time for me at all. You might have heard of me by a few other names: Māui, Anansi, Loki. You may have heard stories of princesses, god wars, and superheroes. You may have been a target or an innocent victim of one of my pranks, plots, or practical jokes. For that I’m sort of sorry, but when it boils down to it, that’s just who I am. I can’t help...

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“THE PROPHECY OF EIRE ” by Isabelle Roberts

Submitted to Contest #87

I zoomed through the field of dandelions, turning back to see the angry hoard of ladybugs scurrying after me. I couldn't help but giggle. Boy, oh boy, was it heavenly being titled as the troublemaker! Everyone already expected me to cause mischief and mayhem because apparently, that’s the only thing I'm good at. I looked back in front and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of Kiki’s angry glare. I came to a halt and hid behind Kiki, using her as a shield from the storming ladybug army. She peered back at me with a grumpy frown...

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“CHEPI AND A GRIN” by Adele Maree

Submitted to Contest #87

Teeth….sharp, crooked brown teeth framed in a mouth twisted into a thin grin. That’s all I saw before I moved. I imagine the breath escaping that mouth smells just as foul as the teeth look. Where I’m sitting now, resting, trying to regain some semblance of sanity, I try to recall the detail of that awful episode. Chepi is sitting an arm’s length away from me, trying to catch her breath. If it wasn’t for her scream and warning to escape, I think I might have been in more pain than just my wings and lungs aching right now. “What just hap...

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“Fox Run Road” by A.G Mitchell

Submitted to Contest #87

Mac stood staring at the brood of chickens, his face devoid of expression. The birds were neatly grouped in a v formation, with one large black hen standing in front. Behind them, facing the opposite direction, was a rooster. The cockerel sat solemn and silent, surrounded by patches of his own red feathers.One might think the rooster would be representing the flock. After all, that's the way it normally is, right? Whether it be in children's books, cartoons, or real life. In most places, roosters ordinarily "rule the roost," so to speak. Wel...

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“The cloak of Loki” by Tella Cordier

Submitted to Contest #87

The winter equinox passed two weeks ago. The sons of God gathered by the gates of heaven for olive tea. The cold winds started blowing between darkened clouds, leaving a slight whistle in the air. Micahel wiped his wet hair out of his face, the olive tea burned his lips. The grey mist surrounded the Archangels like a circle of air. Micahel looked out far and beyond, his voice clouded with many whispery voices.... all the human children calling to him. He never refused, it was his duty, given by God. The voice of God has become silent for man...

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“Sacrilegious Beginnings” by Aym Less

Submitted to Contest #87

I focused on the click-clacking of my laptop, uncut nails tapping fiercely. Each key snipped letters onto the essay I was working on. Usually I could enter a meditative state where I ignored everything, from my hunger to my bladder. But it was simply too difficult to focus when chunks of your own hair kept drifting down and scattering between the keyboard crevices.I took a deep breath before I said, “Will you stop cutting my hair? You do realize it takes a while to grow back, right?”“Eh? Does it really?” A luminous face popped over my right ...

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“It's Not Up To You” by Nicole Khomenko

Submitted to Contest #87

Our most regrettable moments come at rather unpredictable times, either when in the living room, eyes and lights all ablaze, tongues roaring and mouths spitting out whatever the fire burning in their brain feeds them, or in the little corner between strings of honeysuckle and sweet maple, when the sky presses down on you with humid hands as you blither out whatever little love confession you were holding in for the past month. Afterwards we may pound our heads against the wall or scream out some cries of indignation and exasperation, wishing...

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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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