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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!

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

“The Haunting of Charles Dean” by Thomas Roberts

Submitted to Contest #9

I can forgive myself for a great many things—cowards are good at looking the other way when they need to. But there's one thing I'll never forgive myself for, and after thirty long years it has finally come back to haunt me. Despite the fog of age, the events that transpired are still crystal clear no matter what I drink in an attempt to forget. I was seven at the time and my family lived in a cabin far from the city—I remember us driving for what felt like hours just to get necessities. The house was cramped, smelling of must from a bygone ...

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“The One” by Brienna Wallis

Submitted to Contest #9

My eyes filled with tears as the familiar sound of a flat heartbeat drifted through the air. I wish i didn't know what was going to happen next. I couldn't go through this again. we had to escape. The only thing left was to figure out how. How to escape our fate, our pain, our destiny. All things left up to us, all I knew is it wouldn’t be easy. My birth mothers passing was one of the hardest things for us to witness I was only eight years old and my little brother jack was 5. we immediately were placed into foster care....

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“Consumed Heart” by Simone Real

Submitted to Contest #9

I tapped my silver watch impatiently. “Great, just great. First, you’re late to pick me up, now my watch is broken.” I stared dead ahead at the snow-covered highway wrapped around the mountains. After a moment’s silence, I asked, “Well, what time is it?” “Eight-forty.” Brady, my brother, answered. “Just like last year.” I put my forehead into my hand. “We can’t be late for Mom’s Gala every year.” We had been driving to a Gala my mom hosted every Christmastime. All her close, rich friends came and donated money for families who were les...

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“Let's Go For A Ride” by Sally Jenkins

Submitted to Contest #9

The Sally Ann Tales: Let's Go For A Ride: Mom whose name is Eiko Mathison, is in the kitchen cleaning and washing dishes. She is keeping busy putting the house in order. She hears the noise the kids are making in the background. Dad whose name is Robert Mathison and everyone calls him Bob, is in the living room watching football on the big screen television. It is Sunday so he will be watching the football games all day long, changing channels in between commercials. He already watched the ten O...

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“Matters of Malarkey ” by Michael Williams

Submitted to Contest #9

“What flavor is that?” Holly asked. “I know, it’s not my usual, but every so often I like banana. Don’t you ever get tired of the same old strawberry?” Olga responded. “Nope. If we’re at Baskin-Robbins, their strawberry’s the best,” Holly replied flatly. “Just a matter of fact.” It was a lazy Saturday afternoon in ...

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“Hot Potato” by Jen Pendragon

Submitted to Contest #9

We sneak into abandoned places all the time. Well, Samantha and I do. Melissa hates when we do it, and she doesn’t even know we sneak in with backpacks full of beer. We’ve climbed the old water tower and we’ve left tags so many places…when we get back we always put a gold star on our old paper map of the town and now it’s mostly covered in this cloud of sparkly gold stickers like you’d get for good behavior in school, but this is like an anti-good behavior chart instead.Out of all of us, Melissa is the most “what it says on the tin”, I guess...

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“Puddles & Grilled Cheese” by Madeline Howell

Submitted to Contest #9

I tried to block out the plinking noise of the bathtub faucet dripping. It was raining, but not enough to drown out the sound of water on porcelain. I had to get a good grade on this assignment. Mom told me if I didn't pass this class I might have to repeat fifth grade.Tori followed me when I got up to close the bathroom door."I'm hungry," she said."Mom will be home in a couple of hours to make dinner. Do you want a snack?"She nodded and tightened her grip on the stained blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she followed me into the kitche...

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“A walk on the wild side” by Carolyn Bayne

Submitted to Contest #9

The sunset was beautiful on the horizon of the shores of the Caribbean. Now in their 60’s, the years had passed so quickly, and their children have flown the nest, leaving room for expansion, for the two of them to share their final wedded bliss together in paradise. This was their life, as I sat watching, through the lens of my camera.Watching the sea, rippling its waves as blue as the ocean, beckoning, a golden color revealing the fragments from the sky and giving off a slight chill in the air. He, wrapped his arms around hers. She, under ...

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“Back Under the Bridge” by Charles Burgess

Submitted to Contest #9

Back Under the Bridge The smell of smoke was stronger than the bat dung stench that Julie was used to in late afternoons. “Tom, do they have a barrel fire going near the park over there,” Julie pointed to the east side of the underpass were she and a friend named Tom were sitting on her sleeping bag, “not sure,” he answered. A man that neither of them had seen before came running from the park area with his torn flannel shirt on fire, screaming and waving his arms. Tom jumped up and tackled him and rolled with him in the dirt ...

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“ALF” by James Offenha

Submitted to Contest #9

I’m twenty-one and I’m surrounded by people in their 80’s, 90’s, and 100’s, but at least I have food, if you can call the stuff they serve us food. I do not want to be here, this was not my choice, but I am disabled and my legal guardians felt it would be best. At the meals I am surrounded by people I am not sure of yet. By the way, my legal guardian said this is my last chance. If I don’t make this work out, they’ll quit, I’ll become a warden of the state, and everything I have will be thrown in the trash can. So, I...

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“What Remains Unseen” by Aniela Humphries

Submitted to Contest #9

Helen stumbled into the hallway, knocking over the tall decorative table that served no purpose but to, “look pretty.” A purchase her mother had made, in an attempt to dress up Helen’s house. A lot of good that did her now. She didn’t bother to pick it up. The stumbling continued down the hall. Helen, with one hand stretched out in front of her, the other pressed against the wall, traversed the distance to the living room carefully, her fuzzy slippers shuffling along the hardwood floor. It’s no more than 20 steps. She always joked that her h...

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“The Kissing Booth ” by Shloka Vishweshwar

Submitted to Contest #9

Every year on August 24th, the last day of the summer holidays for most of the children in the village, there was a carnival. Everybody in the village would attend. This year had the exact same rides and booths as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that. Loud, festive music boomed over speakers, children darted from here to there in a wild frenzy, smells of freshly barbecued food wafted through the air, the usual dank and dreary streets were adorned with stringed lights and ornaments. The carnival was a place for unrest...

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“Generosity of Robin March” by Alka Mehta

Submitted to Contest #9

Robin March,John Brooke and Theodore Bhaer were friends since childhood and grew up together ,went to the same school and they all had same interests and hobbies it looked like they were brothers and not friends.They were from middle-class families and their parents had nothing much to give to them, so when it was time for them to earn money they had a plan to start a business of groceries .For this they needed a huge capital which was possible only after taking loan from banks , they went to many banks to apply for loan but their loan appli...

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“Family Killer ” by Alicia Perez

Submitted to Contest #9

I step out of the shower, wiping the fog off the mirror. I stare at the jet black hair clinging to my face, instead of my normal strawberry blonde hair. I smooth it back, wrapping a towel around myself. I glare at the unknown reflection staring back at me. The dark gel that covers my light brown almost blonde eyebrows is smeared, I take a makeup wipe, sliding it over. The gel comes off with ease. I throw it in the trash and quickly got dressed and reapplying a face of makeup. I walk out heading towards the smell of bacon. I see my fath...

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“Sheryl's Garden” by Rudy Uribe

Submitted to Contest #9

Joe started when the screensaver blinked on. He had been staring at the Quick books program for more than ten minutes without having touched a key or moved the mouse. He rose from his home office chair and made the fifty-foot walk to the kitchen. He wanted a cup of coffee, but he was out of coffee pods. He boiled some water and opted for a cup of instant coffee. The refrigerator was low on food but for a block of cheddar that was showing splotches of green mold. The container with the half-and-half was more than two weeks past the expiration...

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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.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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