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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 Castle of Light” by Neha Prem

Submitted to Contest #88

Once upon a time far far away, so far away, in fact, that not even a tiny bit of sunlight or moonlight reached this land, there existed a secret kingdom. You’re probably wondering how the people of this land lived without light. Now you see they did have light, they had the glow that was emitted from the Castle of Light. This castle was covered in sparkles of every imaginable kind and colour. The source of this light was the queen’s great love for her people and her caring smile. This light covered all the land spreading only joy a...

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“Definitely Now” by Melanie Emm.

Submitted to Contest #88

Sally Baxter stood outside the bookstore in the rain, hood up on her drab gray sweatshirt, her sneakers wet and her soul bleak. She was tired; tired of working so hard and having nothing, of going it alone all the time. There, inside, signing her latest best-seller, was her mortal enemy, Cassandra Lilly. Oh, that wasn’t her real name, and the woman in question used to be her best fiend. At one point, when she went by her real moniker, Debbie Patowski, she’d been quiet, and plain, and supportive of Sally in all she did. But that chang...

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“A Wednesday at the Park” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #88

“It is when your voice is shaking that you need to speak the loudest.” Sheryl had heard this and remembered it, but at the moment she did not believe it. Her uncle had been an activist who had worked through civil rights movements, protests against poverty and injustice, and continued to be respected and loved by people Sheryl never knew and may never meet, apart from certain school teachers who were curious about the family name: “Is he your…?” “Are you relations of…?” She looked down at the paper in front of her, her vision swimming a...

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“Escape to the Dream world” by Stories Are Fun

Submitted to Contest #88

Bella was a princess. She was the daughter of the king of Aristroconima. It was a kingdom which was a magical kingdom with skies that were always beautiful in the morning with birds singing in the air, lovely buildings in the city which were of multi colours and happy go lucky townsfolk who were always in good moods however poor they were and always keen and kind to happy strangers. Bella's father was the king of the land and was very wise and intelligent and unlike most monarchs he always listened to peoples ideas and was not ...

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“Viva la Revolution” by Echo Ruben

Submitted to Contest #88

“How does a kingdom run, with their mighty ruler gone?” Our revolution started off very small, with only me and five others who were brave enough to speak out against this tyrant. My name is Azarin Frioster and I started the revolution against King Giakja. We started in the deep grain fields which we sat in trying to hide ourselves from the world and any soldier who could hear us. At this point in the gigantic timeline, any person who dared to speak out got taken away and nobody knew what happened to them after. My friend Nesta h...

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“This Little Piggie” by Brianna Stilwell

Submitted to Contest #88

Bang. Bang. Bang. The sound wasn’t so much a knocking on the door as it was a pounding. Fists came down against the wooden door so hard she thought it might be ripped from its very hinges. She was curled up in the corner of the room, huddled up with her knees clutched to her chest. Her breathing was labored, racked with sobs, and her face was stained with tears. Her vision blurred, and all she could hear was the banging on the door. Bang. Bang. Bang. The banging was accompanied by a growling. It was a deep, throaty growl, and the vol...

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“An Heir of Shadow” by Elizabeth Inkim

Submitted to Contest #88

Long ago, in a kingdom that the sea had swallowed, there lived a girl named Carina. A princess of Mu, she was beloved by her people and all who met her, for she was gentle; a trait that the merfolk we not known for. Singing in a forest of kelp, she wondered what it would be like to ordinary, to not have everyone stare at her whenever she entered a room or opened her mouth. Surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish, she giggled softly to herself, watching them shrink away from her touch. In the bleak abyss of the forest, she lay sprawled on a rock, ...

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“Causality of Lies” by David Brown

Submitted to Contest #88

Arthur David Verity clicked the submit button on his electronic unemployment form for the week. Although it was technically true that he’d looked for work, he hadn’t really put his heart into it. He’d now been jobless for three straight months with no prospects in sight, so he did the next best thing: he plopped down on a soiled couch in his tiny unkempt apartment and flipped on the television. He resolved to spend his entire Friday afternoon glued to the boob-tube.As usual, the news network was the last thing he’d watched before going to sl...

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“Love Conquers All” by Greg Gillis

Submitted to Contest #88

Deep within the kingdom of Willowborough, lived a royal family. The King, His Royal Highness, Sir Charles III, was both respected by the townsfolk and feared by his enemies in far off lands. King Charles was a valiant knight who led his army of soldiers across miles of dangerous lands and eliminated many of the threats to his kingdom. His wife, Queen Beatrice, was a beautifully radiant woman with golden blonde h...

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“The Staircase” by Gerald Daniels

Submitted to Contest #88

For many years, maybe longer than I care to remember, I've stood sentinel at the bottom step, biding my time until I too will put my foot upon the staircase. The waiting has taken its toll on me, I'm fifty years older than my death and my body has aged beyond the point of my passing. But time stretches out before me, slowly unwinding itself until the moment when I feel I can forgive. But there are knots in its cord, little trickery's that tighten and weave in on themselves, slowing everything just when I think I have a clear run to the end. ...

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“Dream Come True” by Angelina Jeong

Submitted to Contest #88

Ariel started singing with her gorgeous, golden voice and Ursula started pulling the voice into a glass case. “Huheheuheheh,” Ursula’s evil laugh filled the ocean and right then, Ariel glowed brightly and her mermaid fins got replaced with two legs. Emma’s giant, glossy, hazel eyes were wide open, showing a little mix of confusion and anger. “Mother, why is Ariel trading her beautiful mermaid fins for ugly legs?” Emma stopped her mother from reading. “Oh, Emma, it’s just a story. This is something that won’t ever happen. It...

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“A Change in The Blueprint” by Naomi Pledgure

Submitted to Contest #88

Since the beginning of time, humans have been the only creatures to roam the earth. Well besides animals of course. Except humanity has never been that accepting of new things. They're afraid of things that are different. And god forbid you're something that they've been taught to hate. So when Alex learned that there was more to the multiverse than just earth she had to take the chance to escape. She had already known since the time that she came out that she wouldn't be accepted. And considering that she's already African American she wa...

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“The Spectator” by Eva Parker

Submitted to Contest #88

“Ms. Youngman! Ms. Youngman!” the reporters cried after me. I smiled at them kindly but pushed through the wall of people. “What gave you the idea for Little Red Riding Hood’s Dark Ending?” “Will there be a sequel to Snow White: The Blood Red Apple?” “When is Deathly Beauty being released?” “Ms. Youngman!” I shut my door locking it swiftly. I staggered back sitting down on the bench by my door. A wave of exhaustion rushing over me. These people needed to learn when enough was enough. I’d teach them that soon. I sighed taking off my shoes and...

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“Ask Me No Questions ” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #88

“Hi, I’m Jason.” He extended his hand. “The Argonauts are outside with the boat.” ‘Shut up! You dork!’ “I’m Jill…” She took his hand and glanced around conspiratorially. “Parking that thing must be a… pain.” He laughed at her joke. “That’s good. Not everyone gets it.” Ice broken. ‘Maybe this won’t be such an ordeal…’ They each paused, expecting the other to talk. The silence hadn’t yet become strained. He gestured to the hostess’ station. Jill said, “I never had a blind date with a person so legendary.” “Really? This is my first,” he lied...

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“Royalty” by Aiden Chu

Submitted to Contest #88

The crowd cheered in delight as the dragon tore off the wailing prisoner’s head, sending a geyser of blood into the air. The king and queen smiled in satisfaction as the dragon spread its leathery wings and roared as loud as a volcano erupting. Breathing a column of white-hot fire into the air, the dragon slammed the decapitated prisoner’s body into the air and swallowed it in one gulp. Arthur, the prince of the kingdom, discarded his cloak in disgust. His parents were killing slaves for sport! How he wished he could save their lives but eac...

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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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