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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 – 205 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

“Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me” by Risha Tevins

Submitted to Contest #87

It was paranoia that made him second-guess everything.The dark sense of dread that had been steadily building up in the pit of his gut for the past week or so finally burst forth into existence, as soon as the searing rays of sunlight first began to blister the skin of his cheeks. A puckering, bitter kiss of exaggerated proportions, but no less scathing for it.Routine had him shuffling along mechanically. His mood turned decidedly and viciously sour, already crafting the endless possibilities of the schemes that he might fall victim to. It w...

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“Nadir” by Aiman Anwar

Submitted to Contest #87

It’s Thursday and the sun’s piercing through the clouds for the first time in weeks. The sky is a deep cerulean blue and the cabbage patch in the backyard looks all good and ready to go. Nadir thinks all of this as he admires the view from the kitchen window, while calmly sipping his first-morning chai. He wonders that maybe today he should check on the other vegetables he’s been growing for the summers, as it’s been a while since he’s been outside with the weather being all dull and grey. Then he realizes he doesn’t remember where he’s put ...

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“Contemplating the cruelties of life” by Andrea Itt

Submitted to Contest #87

Isaiah always got hurt on april fools. He sometimes thought it would be easier to just go to the hospital first thing and ask for a full body cast. It wasn’t as though it was on purpose, it was always an honest (and extremely painful) accident. Someone doused him in water mixed with soap, it was all very congenial until he slipped into the street and got hit by a car. Cracked ribs and heavy bruising. Three months in the hospital. Another person was hiding in an alleyway and jumped out in grade A makeup pretending to be a zombie. He was...

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“Sophie the trickster” by Sophia Borer

Submitted to Contest #87

Sophie's favorite saying is, Fool me once and shame on you, but fool me twice and shame on me. So on April Fools' day, she makes sure to prank her friends at least twice and leave her favorite saying on a note for them as she skips down the hallway and clicks her tongue. She decided to prank Hester in the morning, Anadil in the afternoon, and Dot at night. The night before, Sophie had planned and plotted on how to prank her friends from the start to the end. The next day, April Fools' Day, Sophie waited until Hester left her dorm room and st...

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“Trixie Pixie’s Perfect April Fool’s Day Surprise” by Kay DiVerde

Submitted to Contest #87

You know what’s happening right around the corner, right? It’s the best day ever for jokester pixies like Trixie. What will her trick be this year? Trixie loved to play jokes on her friends, especially close to April Fool’s Day! Trixie never planned for her jokes to be cruel or cost her friends money. She just loved to be silly and make some fun for her friends. One year Trixie’s prank involved TV remote controls. Trixie would sneak into houses and hide the remotes under cushions and inside TV cabinets. Sometimes she put them in drawers...

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“ The Trickster of 2020” by Aaron Forkum

Submitted to Contest #87

It’d been one of those day. Not a single thing had gone right for me in 2020, and when I say not a single thing, that is not exaggerated. My mother lost her job (was forced out by a bunch of brown noser is technically more accurate), we sank pretty low financially. I was at a stand still and brain dead end with my novel (second draft, and only a whole lot of stress to show for it), my health was at a bad point in my life, and I had very little to look forward to at home. After I was chasing every mess at the company where I worked, and...

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“The Trickster ” by Starla Moore

Submitted to Contest #87

I wake to the sound of “Airy” the cock, pushing my quilt to the side of my bed I’m already yelling at his impatience. “Ima comin.” Groaning as I fill a pot with birdseed as I walk outside with my bare feet not even bothering to change into today’s kit. Airy seems momentarily satisfied by the seed I spread through the coop, although he’s quite the unpredictable one, often attacking without warning. As I feel the rest of the chickens, I keep a close eye on Airy. My mother’s got breakfast on, amazing how I can smell it over all the anim...

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“Little Punk and four Rag pickers....” by Heena Mahajan

Submitted to Contest #87

Wrinkled Skirt, her shirts cuff and collar's Dirt tangled hair knots, unpolished shoes nothing sort Punished in assembly prayers teachers scolding her for her outspread hairs her foster mother testing her luck her classmates calling her ugly duck.... After returning home she was dragged towards an underground room full of dust and fume full of spiders fear her heart filled with tears from a broken window she glared at the moon beside was sitting the owl on branches she zoomed he entered her room picked up little Punk flew away in another w...

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“Plan B No. 2” by Sandman Ten

Submitted to Contest #87

The street had been covered by an awful mass of tendrils and claws, eyes sprouted from the walls of nearby buildings, hands burst forth to grip random objects and ankles, and jaws filled with rows upon rows of rotating teeth opened up in the ground. Upon seeing these sights, I was gripped with horror that I can't even begin to describe. Not an ideal Wednesday. I hid behind a dumpster, terrified to the point of stupidity. Out of a random alley (that will remain intact for the duration of this attack), I saw a man in a bright red suit wal...

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“Wake Me When It’s Over” by Rich Conti

Submitted to Contest #87

They are so easy to manipulate. I don’t even have to touch them. They play with dolls in their dollhouses, but I play with their minds. All I have to do is plant ideas and watch the fun. A few of them know about me and blame me for what happens. They call me trickster, deceiver, or Lucifer. The problem is that I’m not to blame. I don’t have free will, but they do. I can’t help doing what I do. They have choices. They can choose not to harm each other. They don’t have to pillage, rape, conquer, and destroy. They could live in peace and harmon...

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“Brothers” by Emerald Woods

Submitted to Contest #87

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!" "Hiss!" "Woof!" A group of couples and animals cry out as icy water erupts from all the leaves, drenching them. I burst out laughing at them, as my brother, Ian flies down to me. "Wasn't that hilarious, Ian?! Did you see their faces?!" I said, in between fits of laughter. "Ryan, stop with the damn pranks and focus on blooming the park." Ian said. "My god, you're going to be the god of nature one day and you're still pulling pranks like some eight year old." He grumbles, flapping his insectoid wings against buds of flowers....

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“The Trial of the Magic Pixie” by Timothy Lawver

Submitted to Contest #87

A nervous hush hung over the assembled beings beneath the old Poplar tree’s roots. Seated at the head of the diminutive hall, bathed in the sunlight pouring through a gap in the growth, Dismuth the Wise presided, his steely gray eyes keeping watch. Standing between this imposing figure and the masses, Hargum the Wood Elf glared angrily at the figure seated in the middle of the room. There, on a simple stool crafted from an acorn cap, Ricky the Pixie twiddled his thumbs, swished his feet, and did his best to not make eye contac...

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“Human Fools” by Saint Lucifer

Submitted to Contest #87

“No, really, Satan. You are the worst!” Loki said with a contagious grin. “Me? What? Why? I didn’t do anything!” Lucifer looked up from his phone and wondered why he was laughing at him. It was the bi-centennial meeting of Gods in Valhalla, where Lokis Stepfather Odin was welcoming all 70 Gods, that really existed on Earth. These gatherings have always been a big celebration. Everything one wished for could be found there. The Nordic Gods were rehearsing their favorite battles of mankind. The more gore and bloodshed it included, ...

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“The heart of Mendax” by Sophie Alexandra Kraus

Submitted to Contest #87

The heart of Mendax The sun came up over the rooftops, peering its golden fingers over the world. At this time, few cars drove by on the generally busy roads. Mendax laid back against the cold wall, letting the first drops of sunlight fall on his face. If he listened closely, he could just overhear the sound of alarms nudging people awake, the birds starting to sing and the thousands of coffees being poured, something he would never understand, far too bitter for his tastes, too boring. He could already smell it coming from most apartments...

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“The Winner” by Victor Flute

Submitted to Contest #87

The Winner Puck is always playing tricks. He enjoys watching people become confused but he does not want to harm anyone. Have you ever got ready to go out, walked into the hall and found you car keys are not in the pot on the hall stand? You are sure you put them there when you came in – you always do. You look on the floor in case you dropped them and reach up to search your coat pocket taking a glove out of each pocket to search but putting them carefully back. You need to get going so you go and fetch your spare car keys fro...

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$50

Prize money

491

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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