Menu

Prompts

Contests

Stories

Blog

Menu

✕

CONNECT

Editing Design Marketing Publicity Ghostwriting Websites

BLOG

Success Stories

APPS

TOOLS

Book Promotion Sites Book Review Blogs Booktube Channel Guide Book Title Generator Character Name Generator Independent Publishers Literary Agents Literary Magazines Pen Name Generator Plot Generator Publishers Directory Short Story Ideas Writing Contests Writing Exercises Writing Scholarships

ABOUT

About Reedsy Terms Privacy

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

“If Imps Ruled the World” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #87

Once there was a writer named Rafael Dieste, who was born in Rianxo in 1899. It's all right if you don't know or care where Rianxo is, but believe me, it's a nice little fishing village on the eastern Atlantic shore. Several really important writers were born there, so there must be something in the water.Dieste, whose mother was from Uruguay but with family from Brazil and Portugal, ran into some serious difficulties when the civil war began in 1936, but he managed to survive. What is relevant here, however, is one of his books, Dos arquivo...

Read story

“The dreaded day...” by Sima Igiehon

Submitted to Contest #87

Oh no, oh no, oh no. it’s 5:59 in the morning and I have just woken up. Waking up has never felt like such an issue before this time. Oh no, thirty seconds before the first buffoonery may take place. This day is dreaded, not just for me, for a lot of other people too. It is finally 6:00 and I am frantically looking around me for clues to the first act of tomfoolery, but there was no sign. Weird… I got into the bathroom and then looked around continuously for any clues as to who and where the hoax could be. All of the possibilities could co...

Read story

“Samael and the forbidden fruit” by Celine Aoun

Submitted to Contest #87

The silvery light was struggling to cut its way through the dense pine trees to reach the heart of the woods, where two barely distinguishable figures were looming in the dark: A frail, feeble body with delicate features cowering on the ground, shrinking back and failing in its attempt to disappear from the tall muscular predator circling her. Their voices lingering in the air above them before being carried away into the night, forcing the terrified animals back into their caves and dug up holes.“Where is it?” asked a gravelly calm voice.“I...

Read story

“Save the Date” by Layal Baydoun

Submitted to Contest #87

Meet Grandpa Michael, An old bloke with a grey motorcycle. He makes a living selling some vinyl, And at home, his word is final. At least, that’s what he believes, But Grandma Layla has a few tricks up her sleeve. With a sly smile, she turns to leave, Reminding him his grandchildren are near. Begrudgingly, he concedes. But deep down, he sincerely believes His grandchildren are plotting insincere schemes, That are sure to leave him displeased. To his dismay, This was no ordinary day. April first was here to say, &nbsp...

Read story

“Wait, what?” by Francis Daisy

Submitted to Contest #87

Pandemonium. Panhandle. Pancake. Pantomime. Pantyhose. Pandemic. Pandemic. Pathetic. That’s an apt word for me: pathetic. Or is it apathetic? I can never keep those words straight. I have absolutely no interest in going out today. Yet another March has passed. Another month ripped off the calendar. Now it’s only been fifty four weeks since I last left my house for something other than work. Fourteen months of quarantine. Plus or minus a week or so, maybe. I can wait another day. What’s another day? Yes, the sun is shining. The bi...

Read story

“Trixie's Lesson” by Trina Ann Pion 🍀🌹🍀

Submitted to Contest #87

There once was a pixie named Trixie Who loved to trick people all the time. She didn’t care who her victims were Despite knowing pranking was a crime. The Queen of the Cornish Pixies Declared pranks illegal after the fight They fought in the early nineteenth century With humans on one cold June night. Trixie would keep the pranks simple Making sure no one could detect her. She’d unscrew the diner’s salt shakers She’d switch all the salt and sugar. Then there were those warm days and cool nights When the old scho...

Read story

“April 1” by Varsha R

Submitted to Contest #87

It was 5:00 a.m. The alarm clock let out the scream, loud enough to wake the entire residents of George street. He freed from the blanket that covered him and shut the alarm. He checked his mobile phone on his nightstand. "It's April 1. The day has come Noah" he said to himself. "It's the day I had waited for so long." He put his jacket on for a walk along the street. It was cold and like every other day Jess joined him. "Good morning. You seem so happy today" she said. "Yeah. it's a big day. How about you joining me for breakfast?" He aske...

Read story

“Fools” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #87

Blake hated April Fool’s Day. Don’t fools run the place? They need a holiday too? The fact that his birthday fell on April 1st didn’t help its reputation. Thanks to his brother, Jeff, he grew up being his family’s April Fool. How many shaving crème or mayonnaise frosted cakes can one kid bite into and laugh? He never wanted to see another cake . Any mention of Marie Antoinette made him gag. Despite his parent’s efforts, Jeff’s ingenious pranks always succeeded. Blake admitted to himself, the hot fudge mashed potato sundae was inspired. And...

Read story

“Yéil Tl’éetl’i” by 𝕔𝕛 𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕩𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣

Submitted to Contest #87

North of the tallest peaks,In land dusted with snow,People of the Tides metIn the night with fire aglow.Young and old, near and far,The kwáans from all across,Found their way to the fireTo listen to storied love and loss.Faces around the flame dancedAs embers crackled and burst.The elders telling epic talesTo those with knowledge-thirst.Yet all know the Beginning,And how the world came to be.About the Great Spirit, the Raven,And the greedy Gull of the sea. For those who have not heard,Please listen fast and listen well.I shall speak it ...

Read story

“Kokopelli's Flute” by Diana Quill

Submitted to Contest #87

“It began in the middle of nowhere, with the birth of a Hero.” Seb’s ears perked, aware of how this story goes. Its timeline ends somewhere wonderful, but at the moment Kokopelli always begins his story, Seb is slapped by the recollection of that which led up to it. “Koko, don’t bother the children with that old story. What about that one with the magical seeds?” His long dreads shifted as he looked up at her. They were like great black vines, recently with veins of silver hair as well. He was sitting, back curved, his flute dang...

Read story

“APRIL FOOL” by Testimony Odey

Submitted to Contest #87

I will not be fooled. I will not be fooled. I write this over and over again in my diary. I hop down the stairs and tie my hair in a bun. I take a taxi down to my place of work. I greet the gate man with a smile as I enter and he tells me the company is having a very important visitor. I look at him and shake my head, so he thinks he can lie and play a little trick on me, he thinks he can deceitful tense me up. I sigh. No, I will not be fooled. I come very close and greet the secretary at the table. She quickly glances at me and re...

Read story

“Journey's End” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #87

It had seen like a good idea at the time. Well, either a good idea or a last desperate roll of the dice when the Eastern Eagles Line was on the point of losing its franchise to operate trains and be gobbled up by one of its larger rivals, though that was a phrase that implied it had any smaller rivals, which it didn’t. Of course, as the Creative Coordinator (who, credit where it’s due, thought the job title was pretentious herself!) Abigail Michaels, whom everyone called Abbey, yes, spelt like the monastery, pointed out, they would have to b...

Read story

“Scapegoat Of Workplace Bullying ” by Santosh Kumar Singh

Submitted to Contest #87

It was a height of prank never heard of by anyone about such disguisingly prevailing practices in any corporate industry where people occupying higher decision-making positions having 'superiority complex' misuses their authority to malign an employee's image and spoil his corporate career by exercising their respective lobby-dominance in their organization.When 'Dabloo' was issued 'Dismissal Letter' with Malafide Intention by Unprofessional, Inhumane and Cruel HR Department unethically after being exonerated by relevant concerned 'Complianc...

Read story

“Darkness Doesn't Bother Me” by Brooke Gardner

Submitted to Contest #87

I am known classically as the trickster god. Yes, sometimes I am mischievous, but I haven't really been malicious...that often. The giants are evil, but me, little innocent Loki, am only the son of a giant, and you don't always grow to be what your father was (just don't tell Thor or Odin). It seems my appointed job was to stir things up when things were going well. You're welcome. It's a type of action that one wishes to avert when telling an actor to break a leg before a performance. I'm a star. I'm a blessing in disguise. Honestly, I wa...

Read story

“A DATE TO REMEMBER ALL DATES” by Neel Anil Panicker

Submitted to Contest #87

"So that explains this slump_our women users are swiping left, right?”Three pairs of eyes locked eyes with one another; pregnant silence followed. Then, in a perfectly synchronised gesture, all turned their heads towards the centre, and mouthed in unison...YES.The single syllabic word hung in the air for a good sixty seconds, therafter.A deathly silence filled the lake facing gargantuan all glass heart-shaped conference room.The affirmation, uttered in a low octave, slowly faded away. Its echoes bouncing off the exquisite peach col...

Read story

Load more stories

$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.

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

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Adults Writing Prompts ⭢

Adventure Writing Prompts ⭢

Angst Writing Prompts ⭢

Character Writing Prompts ⭢

Christmas Writing Prompts ⭢

Dark Writing Prompts ⭢

Dialogue Writing Prompts ⭢

Dramatic Writing Prompts ⭢

Dystopian Writing Prompts ⭢

Fall Writing Prompts ⭢

Fantasy Writing Prompts ⭢

Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Fluff Writing Prompts ⭢

Funny Writing Prompts ⭢

Halloween Writing Prompts ⭢

High School Writing Prompts ⭢

Historical Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Holiday Writing Prompts ⭢

Horror Writing Prompts ⭢

Kids Writing Prompts ⭢

Middle School Writing Prompts ⭢

Mystery Writing Prompts ⭢

Narrative Writing Prompts ⭢

Nonfiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Novel Writing Prompts ⭢

Poetry Writing Prompts ⭢

Romance Writing Prompts ⭢

Sad Writing Prompts ⭢

Science Fiction Writing Prompts ⭢

Short Story Writing Prompts ⭢

Spring Writing Prompts ⭢

Summer Writing Prompts ⭢

Teens Writing Prompts ⭢

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts ⭢

Thriller and Suspense Writing Prompts ⭢

Valentine's Day Writing Prompts ⭢

Vampire Writing Prompts ⭢

Winter Writing Prompts ⭢