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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 Secret Ingredient” by Elise Volkman

Submitted to Contest #88

At the edge of the wood in the province of Jade, a crooked little house leaned over the edge of the Ravine of Eid. A field of grass lay between the house and the woods, and in that field, a single cherry tree stood like a sentinel. It was early spring. Cherry blossoms fluttered through an open window and drifted lazily onto a wooden counter dusted with flour. The pink petals settled into Zahra’s mixing bowl and landed on her forearms like polka dots. She dropped the petals onto the counter and dug her hands back into the sticky mess of d...

8 comments 8
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“The others” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, Yeti was mean to Baby Bear. Yeti had a smile stitched onto his face, but when Sophie wasn’t around, Yeti snarled. It was clear he was one of the ones who didn’t act how he looked. He wasn’t a unicorn cat, a tiny penguin, or a beanie baby skunk; you always know what you’re going to get with one of those. Yeti was different, he lived with the others, but he was more of Sophie’s dad’s toy than Sophie’s. Whenever they played with the stuffed animals, Sophie’s dad was Yeti, and Yeti always STOMPED and SMASHED. This had a ma...

6 comments 6
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“The Truth About Tales” by Katelynn Laird

Submitted to Contest #88

        Many great storytellers have come and gone, each reimagining the classics and influencing entire generations’ perspectives on the “truth” of a tale, how a story should be spun. Each of these remarkable wordsmiths has managed to harness a subtle magic, introducing age-old epics to their latest audience. Walt Disney. Rick Riordan. Gregory McGuire. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. These will live on as masters of their craft, remembered for their unique approaches to stories we all thought we knew...

6 comments 6
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“In Defence of Happy Endings” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #88

Up until recently, Lesley Brownlow had been content to merely collect her salary, which wasn’t marvellous, but was enough, and to not over-think things. But it was a chance remark from one of her fellow students –or former fellow students, for it was now, disconcertingly, five years ago – on the Creative Writing MA that made her start to have these awkward moments of self-questioning and introspection. She was sure, or as sure as she could be, that Kelly had meant no harm. Kelly was one of those people who were generally credited with meanin...

5 comments 5
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“FAIRY TALE FAMOUS AUTHORS” by Opher 51 2022 REYES

Submitted to Contest #88

Chantel has adored marvellous stories with genuine difficulties and glad endings since she was a small kid.  She is a farm girl right now living in Small Town, USA, and cutting out a little metropolitan cut of nation living down south. She and her better half look to carry on with their lives basically and cheerfully and show their two redheaded kids to be purposeful about their days.  She is an essayist on a basic level who writes just now and then nowadays.  This previous year, I required stories. With each new misfort...

4 comments 4
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“Trickster” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #88

A long time ago, deep in the old forest, there was a small village. The villagers lived a simple life. The men set off in the early morning to do their daily labors, the women stayed home to cook and clean, and the children spent their days playing and exploring the forest. Though many of the villagers were quite content with their simple lives, one was not.  Young Hans was a boy of only ten. Though his life was comfortable, he found the monotony of the small village quite boring. Hans was a very naughty boy, and would often play tri...

4 comments 4
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“A Witch's Guide To Being Human” by Elizabeth Cat🌟

Submitted to Contest #88

STEP ONE: Understand and wear the common human fashion of that time. I shut my note book where I wrote all my notes down in. It’s a simple checkered spiral notebook, similar to the ones in the human world I suppose. I hear footsteps hit the cold stone floor of our cave. It must be Mom, she’s a witch like me. She must be returning home from one of her trips. My mother always goes on trips when she’s feeling uninspired. Mom is a writer she writes thick novels about magic and witchy adventures and sells them to the human world, I’ve r...

4 comments 4
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“Selkie Wife” by Rachel Loughran

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time, on a still night where the stars shone like diamonds in the endless velvet black and the moon was a dollop of cream in the middle of the sky, there danced upon a stony Scottish beach a family of Selkies, strange and lithe, with pale skin and large, shining eyes. They loved this quiet, wild place, with its treeless expanse of low grassland and the way the ocean wind swept over everything from one end of the island to the other. The ocean was their home, but Orkney was a holiday, a midnight adventure. They luxuriated in each ...

7 comments 7
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“An Unlikely Hero (Part 2. Memories.) ” by Phoebe DeNeve

Submitted to Contest #88

Piper laid in the mud, unconscious. Her mind couldn't seem to wake up, due to being lost in a fog of memories and flashbacks. -*- An 8-year-old pixie skipped happily next two other pixies; her mother and father. "Piper, stay close!" called the mother, as the little pixie began to chase a beetle. "I won't, mommy." Piper called back, jumping over a rock. As she continued to chase the beetle, Piper's foot caught on a root, and she rolled down a slop. "Piper!" she heard her father shout, as she hit the bottom. Piper's face, arms, and legs was...

4 comments 4
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“The Monster Inside of Me” by Emma Louise

Submitted to Contest #88

Content warning: this piece discusses mature themes of mental illness and negative self-talk with language. Beep! Beep! Beep!My alarm sounds like a disappointed child throwing a tantrum, or maybe the ominous wailing of a siren. There is definitely screaming involved, somehow.I don't open my eyes as my arm leaves my comforter and searches blindly for the accountability that is my alarm clock in hopes of silencing it. I should get up, I think, get dressed and be on time, for once. I try to stop my searching fingers, I really do, but the monste...

14 comments 14
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“A Modern Princess” by Sativa Schilber

Submitted to Contest #88

If you see me on the streets you might think I’m ordinary, normal even. If you do then you believe the mask, the lie if you will. Don’t worry you are not the only one. I have been deceiving people for almost 3 years. The perfect blond cheerleader, the honors roll student, I even had the perfect boyfriend for a while but that was before. Before what you might ask, well I’m getting there. Three years ago I was sitting at the lunch table with some of my friends, it was 8th grade. I thought I was on top of the world. Until she walked in. All of ...

6 comments 6
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“A Memory Of Qainyth (Exerpt)” by Eden Arbon

Submitted to Contest #88

Golden sun rays pierced through the yellow curtains that draped over the large window in Lady Aurellia’s room. The rays glided through the window as the large brazen sun rose in the distance, until they landed softly on Lady Aurellia’s face causing her to stir from her deep sleep. Grumbling and growling, Aurellia sat up and rubbed her eyes, still trying to drag herself out of her sleep. “It’s morning already?” Aurellia thought frustrated as she sat up , scooted out of her soft four-post bed, walked over to her large window, and looked ...

6 comments 6
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“THE FABLE OF LIE” by Opher 51 2022 REYES

Submitted to Contest #88

Have you at any point been compelled to lie to escape inconvenience and afterward heaped on significantly more crazy lies until you were squashed under your very own Jenga pinnacle duplicity? All things considered, regardless of how botched your life is, realize that you're composed contrasted with the one-man Coen siblings film who was Donald Crowhurst.  In 1968, exhausted by all the free love and simple admittance to hallucinogenics, The Sunday Times of London guaranteed the then-royal amount of 5,000 pounds to whoever cruised solo ...

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“The Kingdom of Golden Needs” by S. Asad

Submitted to Contest #88

"Princess Avery, your finery is freshly made, your golden earrings on your dressing table, and your other essentials are kept on your bed." The retainer spoke, solemnly. "Your Mother expects you to be in Gleam before 21 00."I showed warmth towards the very "freshly made" wine-coloured, silk gown with a skinny waist. I was sure it was longer than my height but I still clothed myself with it on the insist of the retainer, after he left.The scarlet sandals managed the length of the dress and this outfit became one of my favorites as the light r...

4 comments 4
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“His Smile” by Fay Winter

Submitted to Contest #88

I’m sitting in my seat, quietly watching my neighbourhood from my front deck. My half written book lies limply in my lap as I look around the quiet street, searching the world for the one sentence that continues to elude my brain, thus putting my writing on hold. How one sentence can be so hard to put into words, I don’t know. My neighbour that lives directly across the road from me comes out his front door, donning old green gardening gloves and a lovely smile. He brushes his soft brown fringe out of his eyes and waves at me as he notices m...

2 comments 2
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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!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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