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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

“The Visionary Author ” by Madie L

Submitted to Contest #88

Old John Davis sat at his computer every day, where incredible worlds poured from his head. His wrinkled fingers danced quickly over the keyboard and his grey hair flopped over his face. His wife used to always ask him if he could even see the screen in front of him, and most likely he couldn't. But it also didn't really matter. The words he wrote created a movie-like picture, flowing through the pages. The words themselves didn't matter, more the story he was telling. John would often get letters, detailing the gratefulness of a nation obs...

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“She Lives in a Tree Now” by Theresa Anna

Submitted to Contest #88

She lives in a tree now. It’s the only place left where she can get some peace and quiet. The windows of the little houses in the neighborhood wink and blink and flutter at her, their blinds opening and closing every time she walks past. Every time she bikes by. She is never alone. Even after Jed left and she thought she was going to have long silent hours to write, long hours alone with the noise in her head, with the words cramping her hand as she tried to keep up with her imagination. The words making her fingers stiff with pr...

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“Finding Nora: The Forgotten Fairy Godmother” by Elizabeth Bird

Submitted to Contest #88

If you’ve never heard of Leonora Blanche Alleyne, you’re surely not alone. But you will be richer for knowing her and the magic she cast. So stay a moment, and hear my tale of Nora, the neglected godmother of an enchanted world. Like me, perhaps your first taste of this world was The Blue Fairy Book, which in 1889 introduced generations to Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel and over 30 more. Or maybe it was the Red Fairy Book, from which you became acquainted with Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, or...

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“Persuing The Pipes” by Conor Thackray

Submitted to Contest #88

It was a miserable wet October night in 1301 when a cripple trudged his way into the market town of Durschtuck. He walked with a cane, and his feet squelched in the mud with an uneven rhythm. The watchman saw his shape on the road and raised a hooded lantern to turn its beam on the approaching figure. “Hallo!” He called out as the visitor squelched toward him. “Who comes?” The stranger raised his face, but its features were unclear in the deluge. He was tall and tried to walk with a straight back but even his long travel cloak could not disg...

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“Perfect Imperfections” by Bridger Kripke

Submitted to Contest #88

Quillon Kaley was supposed to be a bright, caring, open-hearted person. And she was, maybe just a different version. Because she had a secret. And this secret would bring her down, make her hide away alone in her apartment with nothing but a pen and a stack of paper. From age 14, Quillon had loved writing. Before that, her dyslexia had slowed her down in her class. She was known as the mostly silent, introverted, terrible handwriting girl. Even Quillon's best friend, Chloe, had deserted her like a bumblebee finally leaving a dying flower. ...

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“Mnemosyne, the Count, and the House On the Sea” by Metaxia Tzimouli

Submitted to Contest #88

Mnemosyne loves to dream. Her dreams love her too, so much, that they carry onto the light. Mnemosyne sometimes believes the images she dreams of she can see them appear before her. “Mama, look at that house on the island”. The house rises before them, on a patch of green rock, as if the sea had birthed it. It was of Victorian Gothic architecture, white, stretched onto three-wide floors, with a small window on top. The attic. That’s where I will keep all my books. Mnemosyne thinks but she has no time to give voice to her thought; her mot...

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“The Fable-Teller” by Nicole Hadlow

Submitted to Contest #88

Delphi, Ancient Greece, 564 B.C.They sat in the cool shadows cast by the Temple of Apollo and allowed themselves to rest. It had been many weeks since they had left their home, and like every day that came before, the boy was tired. “Wait here,” was the command from his father, a gem merchant from the island of Samos. Seeking water and food, the older man disappeared among the throngs of townspeople milling about the market stalls that fringed the temple. With a thirst that threatened to overcome him, the small boy distracted himself by pick...

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“New Wine in Old Bottles ” by Brenda Liddy

Submitted to Contest #88

Write about an author famous for their fairy tale retellings. New Wine in Old Bottles Angela Carter was born in Eastbourne in 1940. She has been described as one of the most brilliant and innovative writers of the 20th century. In 1979, she published The Bloody Chamber which was a collection of subversive fairy tales. She said that, ’I am all for putting new wine in old bottles, especially if the pressure of the new wine makes the old bottles explode’. She wanted to tell the stories from a feminist point-of-view. Cha...

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“Escape reality, embrace the fallacy” by Ella Salem

Submitted to Contest #88

Naturally I’m a cynic. The world is a dark, cruel place and anyone who hasn’t realized that has their head in the sand. I’ve gotten through my miserable life by writing stories of fairy tales. I write these stories to escape the truth of what life really is. It is how I’ve made my living, and I’ve been told that my stories are a true inspiration for so many. It’s made them believe in the power of friendship and the validity of true love. But they don’t realize that it’s all a lie. It’s nothing but a fable, a way to enter a different world to...

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“Her life isn't exactly a fairy tale” by AG Ieronimo

Submitted to Contest #88

Christine Cheng paced the length of her sparkling fifty-metre indoor pool, breathing in the heavy chlorine smell it emanated, her heels clip-clopping against the concrete floor. Her advisor, Catalina Carrillo stepped in, a concerned look on her face. “Are you okay Christine? You’ve been pacing for hours, surely you can sit down now.” Christine sighed and stepped out of the double-doored entrance of the pool, gratefully accepting the seat Catalina held out for her. She cradled her head in her hands and exhaled slowly. She was just so stresse...

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“Galene” by Lyn VJ Bennett Wilson

Submitted to Contest #88

TRIGGER WARNING: Stalking, and obsessional thinking are described in this story. Galene stood at the edge of the waterfall, crystalline tears falling from her eyes. For the second time in as many days, the merchant boat captain had been by, yelling horrible things at her. He said things that no real human male would say to any woman, let alone a woman of her status. He was crude and insulting. The words felt like a dagger to her heart. One of the 50 daughters of Nereus and sister-in-law to Poseidon, Galene was the Nereid ...

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“Lying In His Grave” by Michael Goodwin

Submitted to Contest #88

Lying In His Grave Michael Goodwin Phinneas Armstrong was a liar. Phinneas Armstrong was not even his name, truth be told. He had decided one day that his given name lacked the flair to which he was entitled. He therefore concocted a drawn out, contrived tale about winning the name in a card game in a faraway land. The townsfolk naturally believed him, for who would lie about their name? Phinneas Armstrong would, for Phinneas Armstrong was a liar. A liar not simply in demeanor nor action, Phinneas was a liar in ...

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“Liar” by Bekah W

Submitted to Contest #88

I’ve always lied to myself. Then again, doesn’t everyone at some point? Whether it be about their looks, maybe their ability to hold down a drink, anything. People lie about the smallest things. So why is my lie so big? “I’m fine.” My mother, who I refuse to refer to with a more endearing name, bore her gaze into the top of my head. Looking down made it easier to speak. “Are you sure, honey? You’ve just been so snappy lately, I just wanna make sure.” Hearing those words, out of her mouth, brought tears to my eyes. “I’m sure. Just stressed fr...

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“Letter to Myself ” by Tania .

Submitted to Contest #88

Trust me, trust us, you say every time, sugar sweet and sleepy. Everything will be fine—have you ever known me to lie to you? Have you ever known me to spread untruth? You say, I have never led you astray. And then you smile, showing your teeth, and you laugh, showing your tongue, and your words curl up around my neck like a centipede scarf, some warm, limp, many-legged thing, and I think, every time, oh very well, and it marks the beginning of my surrender. I have come to see you as a curse of sorts. Did you know? Despite the human ...

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“The Tree of Misery” by Ramon Martensen

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom with a king who didn’t seem to care all that much. Some of the very old people remembered a time when he was there for them when he was trying to make things better for everyone, but those times were long gone. Nowadays he just spent his time all the way up in his tower, far away from the people he was supposed to serve. And every evening, when the sun went down, the people saw him sitting there, all alone. They knew that the lonelier the king became, the more worries they would have. A lonely king is ...

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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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