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#88 Fairy Tale Truths

Did you know that April 2nd marks Hans Christian Andersen’s 216th birthday? Andersen’s work has been adapted and reimagined so many times it's become part of our literary DNA. In fact, it's hard to imagine the world of fairy tales without them. And while some were based on old folklore, many sprang from his own imagination — sometimes even incorporating details of his life and using the genre's fantastical trappings to write parables about his experiences.

This week we invite you to use your stories to explore larger truths. Whether you set them in a magical fairy tale realm or not, stories are a wonderful way to examine important ideas. So sit back, reflect, and prepare to let your imagination run wild through the forest.

🥇 Winner

No More Happy Endings

Winner of Contest #88 🏆

Once upon a time… …there was only war. She leapt up in triumph, blood dripped from her sword as she swung it down on the beast’s neck, hacking in a frenzy. She laughed. The taste of blood and sweet revenge urged her on in her manic slaying of the creature that had… No, no that wasn’t right. Once there was a girl who… …who had a monster in her, clawing at the surface every waking moment she… No! Not that either. There was once a little girl who… Who what? Tearing the page away and crumpling it into a ball, he threw it over his shoulder to j...

503 likes

162 comments 162

⭐️ Shortlisted

Even Princesses Need Haircuts

A.Dot Ram

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

Once upon a time, a princess lived trapped in a tower, where her hair grew very, very long. Only, not the stylish kind of long—the flowing, wavy mermaid tresses—but quadruple-split ends that crackled like dead flower stems when you touched them, because that’s really what happens when someone lives trapped in a tower without a haircut. The longer the princess stayed in the tower, the longer her hair grew. The distance between her good hair days also grew. It was either too frizzy or too oily, so that the princess started to feel more like a ...

112 likes

Feathered Fables

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

There once lived a quill-maker who carved fables into feathers. She dwelt alone in a wooden cabin, at the edge of a mountain range that jutted up sharply into the sky like teeth. She sometimes thought she lived in the bones of a great dragon which roamed the earth long ago, large enough to kiss the stars with fire.Each morning, she rose with the sun and went out into the woods to collect feathers. The birds knew her and flocked to her eagerly, for she fed them seeds and stories in the dim morning light. In return, they gave her preened feath...

66 likes

Princess Otilia and the Terrible Idea

Rachel Kenley Fry

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

“The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life.” –Russell M. Nelson Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Slater, there lived a beautiful princess named Otilia. She lived with her Prince Charming, Thomas, and her seven beautiful children. Her world required work and strength, but it also provided her with all the love she needed. Her life was full of laughter and joy, until one day, she was cast from her throne into a new world: a dark, treacherous, underground land called Grief. July, 1934 Tillie sat, gulping, stari...

53 likes

A gift of great worth

Kollyndi Rutledge

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

Princess Jade of Cainan knelt on the woven rug and grasped the old woman’s warm, crinkled hands. The hands shook in hers and the watery eyes steadily gazed into her own, pouring deep sadness into Jade’s soul. “He doesn’t remember me.” A flood of despair. A fierce love. The emotions poured into Jade. The wavery voice continued. “Sixty years we have lived side by side, serving our people, leading our family, enduring great loss and knowing greater joy.” The old woman drew a ragged breath. “It is all gone. He asks to go home. I cannot comfort...

29 likes

This week's prompts

Write a cautionary fable about someone who always lies.

Adults – 116 stories

Write a story about an ordinary person speaking truth to power.

Adults – 68 stories

Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable as part of a deal to escape the world they come from.

Fantasy – 190 stories

Write a fairy tale about an outsider trying to fit in.

Kids – 172 stories

Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.

Teens – 73 stories

Stories

No More Happy Endings

Winner of Contest #88 🏆

Once upon a time… …there was only war. She leapt up in triumph, blood dripped from her sword as she swung it down on the beast’s neck, hacking in a frenzy. She laughed. The taste of blood and sweet revenge urged her on in her manic slaying of the creature that had… No, no that wasn’t right. Once there was a girl who… …who had a monster in her, clawing at the surface every waking moment she… No! Not that either. There was once a little girl who… Who what? Tearing the page away and crumpling it into a ball, he threw it over his shoulder to j...

503 likes

162 comments 162

Am I good enough today?

【ↇ𝔸𝕂𝕆⇝𝔹𝔼𝔸ℝ 】

Submitted to Contest #88

Everyday you look at the mirror.You look but you don’t see.You don’t see your perfections.Because you’ve mastered the art of only noticing the imperfections.Because surely the flaws are the only thing others notice,Right?Others see you everydayIn the morning.In the evening.In every mood.And in every season.And they know you in ways you don’t. And never will.Listen to them Becausethey have seen so much that you haven’tLike the way you’re face lights up when you see each sunset every eveningLike the way you smile when your dog c...

128 likes

Even Princesses Need Haircuts

A.Dot Ram

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

Once upon a time, a princess lived trapped in a tower, where her hair grew very, very long. Only, not the stylish kind of long—the flowing, wavy mermaid tresses—but quadruple-split ends that crackled like dead flower stems when you touched them, because that’s really what happens when someone lives trapped in a tower without a haircut. The longer the princess stayed in the tower, the longer her hair grew. The distance between her good hair days also grew. It was either too frizzy or too oily, so that the princess started to feel more like a ...

112 likes

Bad High School Teacher

Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #88

They prepare no lessons, carry no papers, and instruct no one. They spit unrelated facts, regurgitate irrelevant dates, and monotonously spew textbook drivel. They strangle curiosity, stifle a love of learning, and murder both classroom discussion and critical thinking. Most egregiously, bad high school teachers spend far too much time at the photocopier, endlessly printing off soul-crushing packets that teach nothing, inspire no one, and offer no hope. Francis Boswell taught World History badly. She knew she did and she didn’t care. Th...

102 likes

One Day

Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #88

You’ll wake up in the morning and sleep at night. You’ll go to work, read sappy romance on Metro trains, and scream daggers at the radio. On sunny days, you’ll go on a walk and then eat a bar of chocolate afterward because that’s how you are.But that isn’t your story. The very meaning of “a story” can be controversial, but you won’t realize that until 2056, which is still an improvement since most individuals never get it at all. You see, understanding the future is like telling a story that hasn’t gotten written yet, and stories are words t...

100 likes

The Dream of Mr. Scarab

Dinendra AV

Submitted to Contest #88

It was a hot summer afternoon in June at the town of Savannohta. Savannohta is a small town that lied in the far east end of Africalia. It has a market at its centre and the roads were not so good compared to the city. With mountains blocking both the sides of the town, rain was a rare visitor to the town. All the animals were busy packing their baggage for a long vacation away from their home. Only if they departed now, the hotels and the lodges would be available and renting a room would be affordable. It was almost the 15th of June, and m...

96 likes

What's wrong with Happily Ever After?

Moon Lion

Submitted to Contest #88

For the seventh time, Max ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't stop feeling weird, unnatural, different. The makeup crew had definitely over-gelled his hair, and there was some ridiculous powder on his face that perpetually flecked onto his vest. He reminded himself that this was the final interview before they let the books sell themselves. "Coffee, sir?" Shannon, the weirdly attractive woman who had been harassing him all day, appeared at his side, offering yet another coffee. Max took it automatically and drank it, forcing a smi...

92 likes

Stand Up

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, a princess was yelling in the palace.“I don’t need servants; I know how to dress myself!”Diane pushed away the maids that were around her. The comment, however, was intended for her husband, Percival, whose focus suddenly went to the buttons of his shirt. It had been only a few days since she had moved into the royal palace. She had been convinced that when Percival had got down on one knee, he was just playing a practical joke on her. What would a dashing prince like him want with a peasant girl like...

89 likes

Starry Night

Maya -

Submitted to Contest #88

{Inspired by the life and works of Vincent van Gough as well as the song “Vincent” by Don McLean}Moonlight peeking through the dusty window, stars twinkling in the clear night sky, my brush on the canvas. The branches of a towering olive tree cast shadows across the dusty, wooden floors. Painted irises wind up from the ground, blooming into delicate petals of royal purple. My mind lost in the depths of my thoughts as the color spreads, consuming all white.Thoughts of The Wretched as my family calls them, of mesmerizing nights and rolling clo...

81 likes

Little Billy and the Bluebird

Kanika G

Submitted to Contest #88

Little Billy lived in a small village in rural Scotland with his family. Little Billy’s father owned two acres of farmland on which the family cultivated barley, wheat and potatoes. Little Billy’s mother gathered wood, cooked food, washed clothes and cleaned the house each day. Little Billy and his younger sister, Sally, went to school and helped their mother and father.One day, Little Billy’s father fell sick. He called Little Billy to his bedside.“Billy, my boy, I need you to go to town tomorrow. Can you do that?” he said.Little ...

70 likes

Fox

Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #88

Perhaps if all life was completely unable to tell a lie, we could learn to live with the truth.Alas, we can all easily mislead others from the truth, therefore leading us to be accustomed to using lies to benefit ourselves, often but not always hurting others on the path. Lies start out simple, and they spiral. If you are not careful, they boomerang back into your face and hurt you. If you are careful, you can end up saving yourself from numerous amounts of troubles. You could lie and say your paw hurts and be excused from hunting....

67 likes

All My Stars

Submitted to Contest #88

Noah grabbed his shoes from under his bed and hopped around the room, trying to put them on. He grabbed his brush at the same time and hopped around, trying to comb his dirty blond hair. Unfortunately, he tripped over his stack of textbooks and crashed into his bed. One shoe was half on, and the comb was stuck in his hair. He lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath before he heard his sister yell at him from downstairs. “Noah! The bus driver won’t wait much longer. Get your butt down here now.” “Gimme a sec!” he roared...

66 likes

Feathered Fables

Shortlisted for Contest #88 ⭐️

There once lived a quill-maker who carved fables into feathers. She dwelt alone in a wooden cabin, at the edge of a mountain range that jutted up sharply into the sky like teeth. She sometimes thought she lived in the bones of a great dragon which roamed the earth long ago, large enough to kiss the stars with fire.Each morning, she rose with the sun and went out into the woods to collect feathers. The birds knew her and flocked to her eagerly, for she fed them seeds and stories in the dim morning light. In return, they gave her preened feath...

66 likes

The Visitor in the City -Script-

Submitted to Contest #88

Act 1 Scene 1 - The Interview The interviewer is sitting on the left of Shane Carroll, holding the notes for this interview. She is dressed impeccably and doesn’t seem to have a hair out of place. Contrasting with her, Shane has messy hair and has the look of someone always rushing to another thing. Shane is fixing his microphone, which is giving him some trouble. Interviewer: You’re live, Mr. Carroll. Shane looks up, startled. His glasses are a little skewed and he has a harried expression on his face Shane: Oh-Oh, sorry. Can we sta...

61 likes

My Unfunny Valentine (Another Fractured Fairy Tale)

Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, back in the day, which was before the virus, I use to enjoy going out on the weekends to various clubs in the mystical, far away fairytale land known as Manhattan: particularly the comedy clubs. One such place, The Comedy Cellar, would bring in some pretty big-name comedians as headliners. Prior to the night’s star taking the stage for their set, there’d usually be three of four unknown acts, known as the show-openers, whose brand of humor was intended to warm up the room for the closing joke jockey. It was there at The Com...

60 likes

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Contest #88

This contest has ended. Thank you for your submissions.

$50

Prize money

621

Entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 09, 2021 EST

Won by Shannon Ethel 🏆

Title: No More Happy Endings

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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