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

“A Favour For The Neighbour” by Barbara Burgess

Submitted to Contest #87

“John?”“What is it Lisa?”“Come and have a look at this post someone has put on Facebook today. It looks as if it is a local man. He says he does not believe in April Fool and so instead he wants to do some good deeds for people for nothing. No charge.”“And?”“Well why don’t we ask him to cut that lawn and clean up all that mess and clean up the yard too. You know it’ll never get done otherwise. Now is a good a time as any, don’t you think?”“I’m not sure.”“Well neither you nor I are fit enough to do it and that’s for sure. We could messag...

Read story

“96 Percent” by Dalia Navarez

Submitted to Contest #87

“Y’know, if a guy thinks he’s bad even though he’s actually pretty good: he’s an idiot.” Reese took a gulp out of something in a brown paper bag. “But if a guy thinks he’s doing good, even though he’s actually chunking some other guy’s guts out: he’s a freaking vigilante!”He took an A&W can out of the bag, crushed it against a wall, and threw it into a trash can across the hall. The can hit the rim and spinned about a million times before giving up, falling into the empty trash can with a metal clank of brown, syrupy splatter.“Ah, anothe...

Read story

“About Pecht” by John Del Rio

Submitted to Contest #87

Pecht had found over the years that he sometimes lost track of time. He knew that this happened to a lot of individuals. He didn’t think that this happened to a lot of people like himself; because technically, he wasn’t “people”.Now Pecht did not forget anything; ever. It might sometimes take him a moment to speak or act: because he was recalling so much and contemplating so many possibilities, but to outward appearances he could seem somewhat scatterbrained.Pecht was a Pixie. These days, it was exceedingly rare to encounter any sort of bein...

Read story

“Narrative” by Adam Wan

Submitted to Contest #87

“Who are you?” Kominato asked, eyes narrowed, his face stern, a bitter tone laid over his words. The young woman before him simply sat back, smiling amused, her expression telling of something mischievous in her intent, a spark of something in her eyes. She smirked, the smirk then turning to a grin. The hell’s with her? For the first time, she broke their eye contact, at once averting her gaze to the trees or the edge of the park, where the city arose beyond the fringe of green. The constant eye contact disconcerted him, making him deeply un...

Read story

“They'll Never Forget This April Fools......” by Aimee R.

Submitted to Contest #87

Em woke up to her alarm clock mimicking the twittering of hummingbirds. Her hair, still wound up in tight knots from staying up all night, was stuck in the bed covers. Yanking them out, wincing, she checked the time on her alarm clock. “April 1st.” she smiled. “Yes.” For the past year, Em had carefully planned a big prank against her horrible foster parents for payback. The time was 5 am, and it was earlier than any of her parents’ wake time. Slipping on her thinly sewed jacket and pulling back her black, bouncing hair she snuck out of...

Read story

“Raven Kills Everybody” by Kenneth Jackson

Submitted to Contest #87

Raven Kills Everybody People don't talk about it any more, about the first man to break the rules. Was he even a man at all? Perhaps, he was moreso a god, before the gods were ever conceived...a people who have been incarnated in the forms of celestial beings and ethereal creatures, the inspiration behind them all. Excuse me, as I sip my tea. Ah, yes, now, where were we. Well, as you know, in a time long ago, it was the Changing Times. Falcon had been soaring the skies all day, in search of his p...

Read story

“No Pranksters Allowed🚫🃏” by Jade Orien🍀

Submitted to Contest #87

Of course, out of all days, it's April 1st which means it's April Fools Day! I can't stand this day of the month usually I'm excited about the first of the months but when it's April 1st my blood starts to boil.I know you are wondering why do April Fools make my skin crawl? Well, it's because I'm from a town called "Trickery". I guess by the name you get a slight idea of what the town does.It's a town full of pranksters, who wait all year long for April Fools day to arrive so they can prank family and friends, sometimes even strangers.I'm t...

Read story

“A Sense Of Humor” by You'd Think A Writer Would Have A More Creative Name .

Submitted to Contest #87

2011 wordsRated PG; violence, blood, unsettling imageryPrompt: Write about someone who’s spent a whole year planning a big prank, and now they’re finally ready to pull it off.Author's note: I am not dead, so apologies if you got your hopes up.Disclaimer: The conversations concerning organisms from other planets, solar systems, and existences in this story have been translated.Kamusta shakes hir heads.“Please, don’t. I don’t think I can handle you doing this again.”“You are overreacting.”Hir hand rises above hir. It’s a beacon, attracting lig...

Read story

“A God's Rainbow Tie” by Luna Wood

Submitted to Contest #87

Welcome mortal. My name is Demara, goddess of tricks, innocence, and child play. I also dabble a bit with plants. (I have almost mastered the art of plants thanks to my tutoring from Demeter.)My brother is Ciione. He is the god of business, adulthood, and responsibility. He is always strict. He only wears sharp suits like the kind you would see on a boss of some company. He has a strict haircut for his brown hair. He looks completely opposite of me in my sundresses and flowy long pigtails.He does wear the rainbow tie I got him for his birthd...

Read story

“Human” by A. S.

Submitted to Contest #87

Humans are exhausting.Enough said, right? No need for an explanation, no need to elaborate. Because you agree, don’t you? It must boggle your mind that humans have enough space in their brains to worry about such tiny things. Seriously.Pick one, anyone. They are fanned out like cards in my hands. Parting around my fingers like grains of sand, or clay. I like that though, don’t you? That these humans are so easily molded by someone’s inconsequential opinions that they change who they are? That one. The one that your eye catches on, ...

Read story

“Sweet Sweet Revenge” by Lara Migounoff

Submitted to Contest #87

Exactly, 8 hours, 23 minutes, and 39 seconds till I release the ultimate prank: drenching the principal with ice-cold water! It's only going to be the best prank of all time! I can almost taste the victory already.You Don't Know Rotten RobertoNow, I know what your thinking; why on earth would you want to wet your principal? Well, you haven't met Principal Roberto. Nasty, despicable, unfair, and completely oblivious to his own attitude. It's time to teach that monster a lesson. Ever since the start of last year, I've been waiting fo...

Read story

“I'm not a liar” by Adanna Anita

Submitted to Contest #87

1st April, 2021 9:40am Dear Diary, And today is the first day of April, and on this day the day of lies is celebrated, and honor is given to liars! As this strange adjective increases more and more, more and more people adopt this adjective in their personalities, someone once had the original day to honor it by creating a day especially dedicated to these creatures. But living too long in a world created and based on lies, can become dangerous and harmful, both for those who lie and for those who pretend to belie...

Read story

“The Impractical Prankster” by David Brown

Submitted to Contest #87

Warning: an adult themed fairy tale As he stepped out of the Fey Woods and into the realms of men, Vexx examined the sword that the Pixie Council had presented to him by taking a few practice swings. In reality, the weapon was smaller than a human steak knife, but to Vexx, who stood a diminutive fourteen inches tall, it was a hefty longsword. The sun’s morning rays pierced the towering trees behind him, refracting through his gossamer wings to form a shimmering rainbow and making his shadow stretch out before him like a colossal spectral war...

Read story

“How Thintar Became King” by Emily Powell

Submitted to Contest #87

Gather around; I have a story that the gods love to tell, for it amuses them even more than we do. It is the story of Thintar the Trickster and how they accidentally found themselves crowned king of men. And begins as all good stories do with our little hero taking a bath;Thintar waded into the shallows of the universe and found they hated mud. It was a wretched edition to the cosmos, truly some of Asoi’s worst work. Not just the literal stuff -though that was terrible, but the metaphorical mud as well.The universe was saturated with metapho...

Read story

“Mischief's Ship” by Isabelle Saadatmand

Submitted to Contest #87

The ships roll smoothly through the waves in the distance, unaware of my little island. I would prefer to live on the mainland, and whether they know it or not, they’re my ride. I dip my hand into the water, and it understands, forcing the ships to turn towards me. The men aboard may struggle at first, trying to get their vessels to return to their original course, but I know they will not be able to do so. The sea prefers me. As the ships approach, I notice they don’t belong to any nation. These are pirat...

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 ⭢