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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

“Dam It, Tommy” by Timothy Lawver

Submitted to Contest #87

Dennis gripped and re-gripped the steering wheel. His eyes, strained and on the verge of tears, scanned the road ahead, watching each twisting turn. The old Ford surged with growls and relented with whines as its driver balanced urgency with safety on the narrow mountain road. The radio had long since gone to static but remained there, white noise of insufficient import. The old dam road took a broad turn out to the right along a cliff face scattered with bushes and weeds, curving out to crest the massive cement structure that...

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“The Last Laugh of the Chicken King” by Caitlin Faye

Submitted to Contest #87

Mr. Lufthansa was tapping his pen on his big, oily mahogany desk at the Royal Chicken Inc. headquarters. Mr. Lufthansa never knew what to do after lunch, but today was different. It was almost April Fools day, the day that would mark his new beginning and his escape from the scaly grip of chickens.Mr. Lufthansa started working at the local chicken factory when he was 14, raking chicken poop into big, neat piles in the hot Tennessee sun. He had hated the job, and he had especially hated the chickens. They smelled terrible, shed puffs of dirty...

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“Call Me Louden Dogood, the Bodhisattva of Necromancy” by Heath Trial

Submitted to Contest #87

To the Reader of All Superhuman Futures: I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is an illusion. My opening line is a paraphrase of the first sentence of Scaramouche, of course. I start this letter off with it for two reasons: one, it’s funny and thus appropriate for April Fools’ Day. Two, it’s true and thus pertinent to what’s about to happen to you. What’s about to happen to you? Why, you’re about to experience the greatest April Heroes’ Day surprise o...

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“Will I Ever See A Future?” by Zoha Yasir

Submitted to Contest #87

Where do you see yourself standing in the future, they ask? To them, I say, What are we doing to make a future? Everyone is caught up wondering what the future will look like, but have you ever stopped for a minute to think about what is being done in the present? If calling today a gift is why we call it the present and yesterday changes to history, what becomes of tomorrow? We live in a world of constant fear, wondering if we will live to see the light of tomorrow. No, not you. You aren't born into the families who are left to suffer the ...

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“The brothers” by Brooke Pfaff

Submitted to Contest #87

I wake up from a decent nights sleep. It wasn't the best because I spent my night mostly tossing and turning in anticipation of today, April 1st, also known as April Fools. I always hated this so called holiday. The idea of people setting up pranks that could cause hurt, disappointment, or anger. That's why I spend my April fools days taking the time to help people. I got out of bed tend to my normal morning routine by heading into the adjacent bathroom to take a warm shower to wake up and to brush my teeth, as well as my hair. Then I walk o...

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“Unconventional” by Svetoslav Gadelev

Submitted to Contest #87

The day was shining. The pranks start on the morning of the first of April. Mark got up and saw next to him the calendar which showed the day that everybody hates and loves. From the start of the day his mom said good morning with a biter smile shadowed by the sad and emotionless look on her face. She put the eggs who were cooking on the stove in his plate and looked in the plate as if it was some puzzle. Mark sat on the chair and happily ate his breakfast. He looked at his mom and said: “I know that it hasn’t been easy, but we shouldn’t be ...

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“It's Not About Me” by Stefania Liv

Submitted to Contest #87

It was this day again. The alarm clock rang, two hours before his shift started. To put it mildly, it was early. Myles got up and got ready for the big day he had ahead. After a quick breakfast – if you can call two cookies and a few sips of coffee breakfast – he tossed his bag to his car and instead of hop into it himself, he went across the street to Mrs. Lang’s house. Because, again, it was this day again. He inspected the porch very carefully, trying to find any clue that would lead him to a practical prank made by a teenager. Havi...

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“Just Change, Please!” by Christine Hungerford

Submitted to Contest #87

Milky’s Postal Service truck stopped with a lurch at the next mailbox. She grabbed some letters and the small white package, storing them in the metal cylinder. Shutting the door, Milky commented on the fact that every time she pulled a mailbox open, her jaw automatically dropped. But today was going to be a good day, she nodded to herself. She had a job, a house and even a small dog she dressed up every H...

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“Mischief and misfortune” by Iscah Palam

Submitted to Contest #87

Author's note: This story contains brief mentions of death and violence.. I have never really been particularly fond of pranks. Growing up I was always really sensitive towards any type of act with the slightest amount of mischief in them. All the way from the very beginning when my parents tried to “steal” my nose towards being fooled into believing that I’d turned invisible in late middle school, it has just not been my thing. Which is why it’s so ironic for me to land a job at Numine. You might just think that I should just shut up and ...

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“WeMischief ” by Kalyani Patra

Submitted to Contest #87

TITLE: WeMischief This is not the first time that WeMischief Company which was originally supposed to be named as WeChef Company did that again. But this time it was different. Mr Rewood the owner of WeMisch- sorry that’s Wechef, a food delivery company once hired a kid to suggest a fascinating name for their company and as a grand name, WeChef became popular. However, this all went well till that kid typed the wrong spelling on the official website without anyone knowing for whole two months. Since then this company became a perfect exam...

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“Doomsday(?)” by Nakul Smaran Ranjith

Submitted to Contest #87

I was in the conference room that day. The conference room had a type of nauseating aroma to it. Like it had been dipped in an immense pool of Clorox. Granted, that was a smell that I had gotten used to in the past few months. I squirmed in the new chairs that they had brought in over the weekend. The new table was supposed to have a modern design. But all it managed to do is make me hate the conference room. Our CEO said that “Change brings new possibilities. And new possibilities bring more headlines.” I had been a news anchor long enou...

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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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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