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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#9: Little Women

On September 30th, 1868, the first volume of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was published. This December, 151 years later, the eighth(!) film adaptation of Little Women will be released in theatres. Suffice it to say, this book has stood the test of time and remains a favorite amongst readers.

In honor of Alcott's novel, this week's writing prompts are all themes and elements pulled from her seminal family drama. And don't worry if you haven't read the book or aren't too familiar with the March family — these themes are all universal!

🥇 Winner

“What Dead Songbirds Sing” by Sofia Lago

🏆 Winner of Contest #9

Toma discovers her childhood swing on the Sunday after she returns to Shiloh. It hangs limply from the cherry tree’s branch, creaking as it sways in the May afternoon. Around it, the grass is so tall it nearly hides the wooden plank from view. She knows it’s Sunday because she hears the church bells from the direction of town where the fisherfolk live, rolling up the inlet with high tide the way it did when she was young. My Dearest, she imagines writing as she sits. Splinters poke through her nightdress. The rope’s green now. The wood’s mak...

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Dandelion” by Adriana K. Maxwell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The old man was never good with names. Or kids. He is excellent at flowers. That’s why the bus stops in front of his garden. The neighborhood thinks it makes them more distinguished and tempts the children away from their electronics. Gives them “a real sense of nature” as if nature could be learned in the eight to fifteen minutes waiting for the yellow behemoth. As if gardening was as simple as “stick it in the ground, add water.” They don’t appreciate the art, the precision of sun and shade, the correct ...

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“Monster Under Your Bed ” by Khloe Crawshaw

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The flowers outside your window had died this morning. Maybe it was because you hadn’t watered them for the last four weeks. Truthfully, after work, you came home and sank into your bed without thinking about the flowers outside your window or the laundry on the floor. That motivation your co-workers had to keep up a beautiful house, attend every happy hour, and snap photos of their children playing in the garden wasn’t...you. So, much like your social life, the flowers had died. You fell asleep that night without a second thought about them...

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“Peace and love” by Fran Tracey

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The choice of songs comes as a surprise. Only, in truth, it shouldn’t. The song at the top of the list is one that evokes special memories. Memories that cause my ears to wince, although I can’t resist a smile at what I read either. ‘Meatloaf, cool,’ I say, keeping my voice light, bright, as though I’m in no way fazed. Mum was always tunelessly telling the world she’d be gone when the morning came at the top of her voice while washing up in a river, driving, wherever. We’d join in when encouraged to do so, but only reluctantly. And quietly, ...

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“Killer Blossoms” by K.B. Jensen

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

An extremely rare and late bloomer, the Palm of Casper is one of the most dangerous plants in the world. Experts say a single milligram of its beautiful, ivory blossoms is enough to kill five men. It’s the last flower you’d expect to find in an assortment of edible flowers on top of a wedding cake. The bride and groom certainly had no idea. It was rarely tested for in toxicology reports by medical examiners and its effects mimic severe food poisoning and can cause paralysis.When Henry nestled the narrow, vase-like flower among the other blos...

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This week's prompts

Write a story in which societal rituals and expectations play a key role.

Fiction – 18 stories

Write a story that focuses on the relationship between siblings.

Middle School – 57 stories

Write a story about someone whose lifestyle has changed and is learning to adjust to new circumstances.

High School – 34 stories

Write a story that uses flowers as a symbol.

Spring – 32 stories

Write a story about unrequited love.

Romance – 60 stories

Stories

“What Dead Songbirds Sing” by Sofia Lago

🏆 Winner of Contest #9

Toma discovers her childhood swing on the Sunday after she returns to Shiloh. It hangs limply from the cherry tree’s branch, creaking as it sways in the May afternoon. Around it, the grass is so tall it nearly hides the wooden plank from view. She knows it’s Sunday because she hears the church bells from the direction of town where the fisherfolk live, rolling up the inlet with high tide the way it did when she was young. My Dearest, she imagines writing as she sits. Splinters poke through her nightdress. The rope’s green now. The wood’s mak...

Read story

“Dandelion” by Adriana K. Maxwell

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The old man was never good with names. Or kids. He is excellent at flowers. That’s why the bus stops in front of his garden. The neighborhood thinks it makes them more distinguished and tempts the children away from their electronics. Gives them “a real sense of nature” as if nature could be learned in the eight to fifteen minutes waiting for the yellow behemoth. As if gardening was as simple as “stick it in the ground, add water.” They don’t appreciate the art, the precision of sun and shade, the correct ...

Read story

“For the Ones Who Weren't Chosen” by Anoushka Jain

Submitted to Contest #9

'I hope I’m not Weak!' Tulip whispered. Rose, smirking, unfurled her leaves, and in a sickly sweet voice remarked, 'Well I wouldn’t be surprised! The last one of your kind went Weak because she wasn’t chosen.’‘Oh stop it, Rose!’ Daffodil chided, her amiable nature getting the better of her. The Sunn Marigold and Marie Sunflower sisters, swaying gently in the breeze nearby, mild - natured, felt their leaves wrinkle with worry. Rose wasn’t to be crossed, they knew. ‘She snapped. The competition got to her. She just wasn’t meant to be the Chose...

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“If Wishes Were True, You'd Love Me, Too” by Christa Logue

Submitted to Contest #9

The boy I like has dark hair, hazel eyes, and a nice tan. His voice is deep and melodic. The sound of it sends chills racing down my spine. My heart always skips a beat when I hear his voice in the hallway outside our classroom and know that he is about to walk inside.I hear his voice in the hallway now and toss open a book on my desk, pretending to be busy. Pretending that I don't notice him as he strides into the room and slides into the chair next to mine. His cologne is light and subtle. I enjoy smelling it. It's soothing somehow.“Mornin...

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“Piece of Candy” by Maybe Jupiter

Submitted to Contest #9

If the world was a piece of candy, then the first thing that Rosie McQuentin would do, would be to eat it. She was awfully greedy. The men who secretly smoked next the forbidden alley agreed. The women with long blonde hair who always crowded around each other and squealed at everything, would certainly nod furiously without any hesitation. Little Johnny Parker from down the street would give a big thumbs up to that statement. Even Mr and Mrs McQuentin would sadly shake their heads and say that unfortunately it w...

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“Flowers” by Crystal Lewis

Submitted to Contest #9

I walked through the gardens as I did every spring afternoon, reminiscing on my life as I always did. There wasn’t much to life now, only memories. Today I turned 90. I was still fit, for an old bird, although one of my carers still followed me like a hawk, as young and as exuberant as the flowers surrounding me. I breathed in the heady aroma and drank in the warm sunlight. I was glad my eyesight had not dimmed so badly that I could not see at all without glasses, although shapes were slightly blurring around the edges. Still, in the gardens...

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“Thorns” by Maddie Logemann

Submitted to Contest #9

It was a tragic love after all, for him to end up lifeless in her arms. Blood was still warm on her lips, slick between her fingers, and it stained such a beautiful shade, like mulberry wine. It was easy to see why, without out it pulsing through his veins, beneath his skin, he had turned such an ugly, pallid grey. Still, that did little to dim her feelings, so she pressed a kiss to his cold cheek, leaving a stain behind, an eternal mark of her love, smeared in crimson blood across his face. That was after, though, and before was alway...

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“Labyrinth” by Holly Pierce

Submitted to Contest #9

The paper was quickly shoved into my hand, and I pushed it into my pocket. Nobody around me could see it, or the police would seize me. My home was just around the corner, and the moment I walked through the door, I opened the paper. Another flower, this time purple with a blue swirled center. I held it to a light bulb, and the encrypted message appeared. At ten o’ clock tonight, another group will be running away. I am unsure if I have enough courage to go this time, because the last time I tried I almost got caught. And the rest of my...

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“A Village Under the Purple Moon” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #9

1Marianne felt the eyes of the townsfolk upon her; hatred intermingled with fear. Although they’d never know it, the people of Maydale had played a role in their own demise.As she walked the muddy path, feeling the wet splatters caking her shins, she met their gaze. If they were to call upon her to save them, the least they could do was acknowledge her. She would not shy away from them. Many of the peasants dropped their stare or made the sign of the cross with their fingers. The latter would have made her laugh, had the circumstances not be...

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“Endless Ocean” by Holly Pierce

Submitted to Contest #9

The passing of time has no effect on the mind or body whilst embarking on an oceanic voyage. The seconds turn to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days. The food turns from plentiful to scarce, and filled with weevils. The water from clear and cold to hot and moldy. Maps become useless things as your compass fails to work in the proper manner. And still, you keep rowing. The marks you make on the board of the boat count the passing of days, and they show only a month has passed, but it feels like years. You’re stuck on this boat, wit...

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“Monster Under Your Bed ” by Khloe Crawshaw

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The flowers outside your window had died this morning. Maybe it was because you hadn’t watered them for the last four weeks. Truthfully, after work, you came home and sank into your bed without thinking about the flowers outside your window or the laundry on the floor. That motivation your co-workers had to keep up a beautiful house, attend every happy hour, and snap photos of their children playing in the garden wasn’t...you. So, much like your social life, the flowers had died. You fell asleep that night without a second thought about them...

Read story

“The Touch” by Samuel Blue

Submitted to Contest #9

In an instant, Rizzi Devlin was fighting for her life. Her whole universe was suddenly engulfed in water, Rizzi immediately knew she was drowning. The last image she recalled was standing on the old dock at Lake Travis, and now she was in total darkness in a world that was foreign to her. She was scared to death. When Rizzi was six, she was so afraid of the water she refused to take swimming lessons, and now her life was fleeting away a second at a time. Rizzi’s instinct was not to breathe, but the agony of running out of air was ...

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“Quit You” by Kelly Josephs

Submitted to Contest #9

At thirteen years old Calvin realises he feels something new for his best friend. Logically, he knew it was a crush, but that didn’t make it any less weird. He had never really experienced a crush before, of course he had noticed attractive people before, but he had never really felt anything more than mild appreciation for their good looks.Calvin watched his best friend from a distance. It was in that moment that he realised; he didn’t like this feeling at all. He felt gross and weird. It felt wrong to be romantically and physically attract...

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“Peace and love” by Fran Tracey

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #9

The choice of songs comes as a surprise. Only, in truth, it shouldn’t. The song at the top of the list is one that evokes special memories. Memories that cause my ears to wince, although I can’t resist a smile at what I read either. ‘Meatloaf, cool,’ I say, keeping my voice light, bright, as though I’m in no way fazed. Mum was always tunelessly telling the world she’d be gone when the morning came at the top of her voice while washing up in a river, driving, wherever. We’d join in when encouraged to do so, but only reluctantly. And quietly, ...

Read story

“Iris” by Laurentz Baker

Submitted to Contest #9

IrisArriving at the townhome of Frank and Alaina Macey in his Sunday best, a blue three-piece Alfani suit, with black Alfani shoes, dark blue shirt and a white tie, Orion would miss half of Sunday service for the third week in September. Orion states. “So, once again, a blue iris is left at the scene. Have you found the white iris yet.” “And who are you?” asks police Captain, Sierra Shaffer.“Orion Sunn. I ride along with various police departments around the metro area. I’m a writer.”“You mean a journalist.”“I freelance, ghostwrit...

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$50

Prize money

201

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 04, 2019 EST

Won by Sofia Lago 🏆

Title: What Dead Songbirds Sing

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.

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