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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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.

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 – 173 stories

Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings.

Teens – 73 stories

Stories

“His World” by Lavina Punjabi

Submitted to Contest #88

“She does not belong to our community. She can never be part of our Universe. She is an outsider trying to fit in. We are black magicians, sorcerors and above all, geniuses of the universe. She is an ordinary medium of our communication and oppression” commanded the leader of the black magician clan.“Don’t mix with her. Just play with her. She is just a game”, added others.He did not have any sword to kill but he still managed to damage her mind, body and reputation beyond any repair. Not by words, acts or deeds but by deception, he created ...

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“The Fairytale of Glenda Scott” by Matt Keating

Submitted to Contest #88

Glenda Scott was the product of violence, deceit, and one man’s almost immortal cruelty. Scott wasn’t her father’s name. Nor did it belong to her mother. It was a pseudonym given to her to disguise her identity. River was her mother’s name. She was sought and killed high up on a mountain by her husband, who did not father Glenda, but felt betrayed by her conception. Glenda knew pure happiness before her mother’s murder, and she would find it again, but not before she dis...

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“The Tale of a Woman with a Stone in her Womb” by Taz Tagore

Submitted to Contest #88

THE WOMAN WITH A STONE IN HER WOMB But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all beggars, the most impudent of all offenders, yea the very fiend himself – that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of my own kindness, that I myself am the enemy who must be loved – what then? Carl Jung This is a tale from long, long ago that was also told just yesterday…There once was a young woman named Tara, with skin so perfect, that her face looked like it was made of fine stone. Her mothe...

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“Mutt” by Eva Parker

Submitted to Contest #88

Arec was a simple young boy. He wished to be accepted by his people. His family and “loved ones” that he truly believed loved him in return. His only issue, Arec was a “mutt”. A child of both peace and chaos or in simpler terms, the Timelin’s version of an angel and demon. He was not accepted in either the realm of peace, the second realm, or the realm of chaos, the fourth realm. He was castaway left to die alone.It was never his fault. Arec had tried everything to be accepted. He tried cutting off his magnificent feathered wings. He tried s...

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“Sophia and the Kingdom of the Fairies” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time in the land of humans lived a young lady name Sophia who loved fairy tales and one day wished to travel to a magical land known as the kingdom of the fairies.The kingdom of the fairies is a magical land deep in the realm of lights. The fairies are the protectors of all that is good and magical. The kingdom as it is called is protected by the fairy dust and all those who enter the kingdom are enchanted by the fairies. Those who are not enchanted are not welcomed into the kingdom.Sophia who lives in the land of the humans is f...

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“Holly” by Sarah Ben Sabat

Submitted to Contest #88

Ever since Holly could remember, something had seemed off to her about the world. It was somehow too sharp and bright, while simultaneously, it was dull and colourless. She couldn’t put her finger on what was missing, on what was wrong, but the feeling never really went away, though it did abate somewhat when she walked outside in the wood or in the fields alone, left to her own devices. During those brief spells of time, she sensed a softening, soothing energy call to her, speaking, through the sound of the wind moving through the trees, of...

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“The Giant in the Room” by Alex Auclair

Submitted to Contest #88

They really must not get many giants in this part of the world, Eli thought as he sat in the rain; his head inside the classroom window and his body on the schoolyard lawn. He shifted his weight slightly to try and get his rump out of the puddle that had formed under him. As he did so his massive neck smashed into the old wooden window frame causing it to crack. “Can I help you Eli?” the potions teacher asked pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her crooked nose. “Oh. Um. No, sorry Mrs. Gradient. I’m just kind of getting wet from… well ...

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“All Frogs Need Friends” by Eliezer Altshul

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, there was a tadpole named Timmy. Timmy lived in a pond full of all sorts of fishes, like basses and trouts. They swam around the pond with their fins and tails. Timmy didn't have any fins, but he did have a tail that helped him swim around just like the other fishes. Timmy wanted to make some friends, so Timmy swam toward a school of fish. "Hello, my name is Timmy, Timmy the Tadpole," said Timmy to a smaller fish. "What is your name?" "My name is Susan, Susan the Small-mouthed Bass," said the fish. "Are you new around h...

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“AESOPUS EMENDATUS” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #88

I am writing this blog about the American writer Ambrose Bierce (1842- 1914) who has published many literary works. Here is a sampling from his DEVIL’S DICTIONARY: ABSCOND: To move in a mysterious way commonly with the property of another. ADAMANT: A mineral found beneath a corset. Soluble in solicitate of gold. ADDER: A species of snake so called from its habit of adding funeral outlays to the other expenses of living. ASS: “Hail holy Ass, the quiring angels sing;/Priest of Unreason and of Discords King!/Great co-Creator, let Thy glory shin...

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“Master Richard Alpin” by Aobh Macdonald

Submitted to Contest #88

"Ah, yes. Master, Richard Alpin. He was quite the character." I took a long breath as I slowly started to turn the page. "You mean- you knew him?" one of the children piped up, clearly very excited about the possibility that I might've once known this extraordinary man. "Well of course I knew him!" I chuckled. I watched as the child's eyes widened. I smiled, and focused my attention to the book. "This, here, is Alpin," I said, and turned the book to face the children, pointing at a beautifully illustrated picture of a man with a very long,...

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“A Skein of Fables” by Shalom Aranas

Submitted to Contest #88

A Skein of Fables I entered our local town’s bookstore and surveyed my children’s books lining a section at a corner where the children sat on yellow, soft pillow-like seats like mushrooms beneath them. They lolled, laughed and ran around while others sat quietly reading the books. These were moments I appreciated. The delight I had of bringing books to children for them to read. My illustrator, Maggie Dill, made them more magical with colorful drawings in pastel crayons which made the books more accessible to children, as though they ...

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“The Writer and the Elf” by David Dicaire

Submitted to Contest #88

The Writer and the Elf Once, there was a young man who wanted desperately to be a famous writer. He tried very hard, took courses, studied the craft and then wrote some very fine stories, but none of them ever made him any money. In order to pay his bills, he had to take a day job doing manual labour and really didn’t like it. The supervisor didn’t like him and gave him a really hard time. He thought of all kinds of situations where he would get her in trouble, but it never happened. So, he endured and kept wor...

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“Little Princess” by Hungara Gamelia

Submitted to Contest #88

( I accidentally posted this to the wrong prompt it meant to be for the “Write a fairy tale about an outsider trying to fit in” prompt)Her story lay gilt in goldHer eyes were as beautiful as a fresh cut roseShe had no heart with which to knowBut she knew with all her soul she hated the coldShe was a strange girlBorn of an age long agoA history of winds and curlsAnd a memory as faded as a photoThey say that once she shone like the starsThat her heart was kind and softThen the darkness cameAnd took her dreams aloftA war of blood and broke...

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“Silver Wings” by Samuel Cooley

Submitted to Contest #88

The first time Brazen told her, “I hate you,” Sylvia burst into tears. They weren’t the gentle kind of tears that flow down rosy cheeks like waterfalls in thin creeks. No, these were ugly, big, and loud, much like Sylvia herself. They collapsed from her eyes like boulders, heading an avalanche of salt water that Brazen flitted away from immediately upon seeing them. “I love you too, Brazen,” Sylvia chuckled, swinging one of the boulders to the side with a velvet gloved hand. Brazen turned so red that he could have hidden amongst the fibers...

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“Donly - Lies of a Lion” by Nancy Ball

Submitted to Contest #88

Donly’s father was shot by one of the hunters when coming home from another lion’s lair.Most lions do not have den’s but due to hunters being in their area, a lot of the Pride's were creating dens for their families. Lioness’s built dens for the expecting cubs.In Donly’s family, they had two dens. One for his mother and the cubs and another one to keep their dad while he was waiting to die, from the gunshot wound.Donly, the lion, feared becoming the leader of the Pride. He was the eldest son and his father told him he would be the leader of ...

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$50

Prize money

622

Contest 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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