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#90: Down to Earth

On April 22nd 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated in the US. More than 50 years later, this annual event unites millions across the globe, as we turn our attention towards climate action and building a safer home for ourselves and all life on Earth.

Earth Day provides an opportunity for each of us to reflect on our relationship with the planet — and what better way to do that than by writing about it? Whether you follow in the footsteps of the Romantics, who believed in the rehabilitating powers of nature, or the SFF giants whose dystopian novels have long forewarned the demise of Earth Prime, let’s join in the spirit of Earth Day and get closer to nature with this week’s prompts!

🥇 Winner

“The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary” by Nina Chyll

🏆 Winner of Contest #90

Content warning: terminal illness IMBIBITION: the absorption of water by a seed, stimulating the enzymes required for growth. They’re visiting the quiet grandparents when her father says, ‘One day, you’ll find me here, too. Nothing is forever.’ His voice sounds like it’s coming from under the ground, like he’s already training her for what’s to come. The girl is so small her feet dangle off the folding plastic bench. She stares at her grandparents’ names and oval photos in which they don’t smile, and then at the oak casting a shadow on their...

179 comments 179

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⭐️ Shortlisted

“Divine Bloodline” by Shannon McGill

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Divine Bloodline “How can you tell the Tree is a girl, Gran?” The shea butter applied to my scalp in neat little rows slid onto my forehead and mixed with beads of sweat as I sat on the front porch between my grandmother’s knees. Every Sunday, we took my braids down and washed my hair. Then Gran braided it right back up again, greasing my scalp as she went. I can’t imagine a Sunday that we didn’t spend together, managing the mane that fell past my waist. It took all day, but the best part was sittin’ on that porch, listening to her t...

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“The Kissing Tree” by A.Dot Ram

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Content warning: racist abuse, homophobia Dale + Eva, 1969 We heard them before we saw them—loud boots over the stones and their rowdy hee-hawing. We knew they were trouble based on that alone. Dale dropped his hand from my waist and took a small step backward. I hated how that was his instinct. I closed my eyes and willed the low-hanging branches to hide us, wished for them to pass by. They did not. I recognized Lucian Hardy as he poked his tow-head through the leaves into our sanctuary. Lucian and hi...

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“The Brave One” by Alex Auclair

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

CN: poaching Author’s Note: This fictional story was inspired by the very real women of The Akashinga. These female warriors protect the animals of Zimbabwe from poachers. Akashinga translates to “Brave Ones.” I have the deepest respect for these women and what they do. “If you so much as move a finger, I will kill you,” Tonderayi hissed. The man holding the gun froze. He thought this was his big payday; that killing the black rhino and sawing off its horn to be sold to the highest bidder would make him rich. He hadn’t heard the girl ...

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“Rooted” by H L McQuaid

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Content warning: racial violence, violence against women On a fresh spring day, a girl in a deerskin dress pushes me into the dirt with her small brown hands, hiding me from the squirrels and deer and mice who savour the taste of acorns. A voice calls out, “Nokomis!” `Her footsteps pad softly away. *** A taproot burrows deep into the soil anchoring me to the earth. A green sprout reaches toward the sun. When I'm a sapling, buds grow and unfurl into leaves, which turn from green to yellow and red, falling in a fiery carpe...

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“Choose Wisely ” by Scott Skinner

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Content warning: abuse I used to put my dirty socks on my brother’s pillow. I’d put them on top of the pillowcase so when he walked into our room he would see them lying there like dead fish. Then I got better, and to delay my gratification, I’d stuff them in the pillowcase. I’d always use my stinkiest socks - basketball practice, skatepark, rainy day - but my brother had a notoriously bad nose and never smelled them right away. Usually, a couple of days would go by while these foot condoms stewed in his pillowcase. He’d notice zits on his f...

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“The last Strawberries on earth ” by Georgia Papp

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

I first see him stumbling through the junk, tripping over jutting pieces, barely remaining upright as a Collector pushes him forward. He’s clearly not used to walking in the gear, his heavy boots catching on scattered debris, his shoulders hunched with the weight of it. His gloved hands keep reaching for the face mask, but he doesn’t have the dexterity to undo it as he goes. Luckily. Right before he reaches my sector, the inevitable happens. I watch in slow motion as he miscalculates a step and lifts his thick-soled foot too little, lurching...

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This week's prompts

Write a story that weaves together multiple lives through their connection to a particular tree.

Spring – 246 stories

Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.

Middle School – 94 stories

Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.

Science Fiction – 133 stories

Write about a community that worships Mother Nature.

Summer – 82 stories

Start your story with someone sitting on a crowded train and end it with them looking out over beautiful natural scenery.

Spring – 258 stories

Stories

“The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary” by Nina Chyll

🏆 Winner of Contest #90

Content warning: terminal illness IMBIBITION: the absorption of water by a seed, stimulating the enzymes required for growth. They’re visiting the quiet grandparents when her father says, ‘One day, you’ll find me here, too. Nothing is forever.’ His voice sounds like it’s coming from under the ground, like he’s already training her for what’s to come. The girl is so small her feet dangle off the folding plastic bench. She stares at her grandparents’ names and oval photos in which they don’t smile, and then at the oak casting a shadow on their...

179 comments 179

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“Mourning the Wrong Man” by Kanika G

Submitted to Contest #90

“... and then you push the shovel down with your foot nicely into the snow, lift and throw,” said Dmitry, illustrating the steps involved in digging a grave in the snow.Aisha shuddered as she glanced at the motionless body fifty feet away. She wondered whether it belonged to a man or a woman, old or young. It was hard to tell with the many layers of winter clothing, the gloves and the cap.“Let me dig for a little while,” she said to avoid thinking about the task she was involved in.“Okay, here you go.”Dmitry handed the shovel to Aisha and sa...

101 comments 101

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“The Truth of Life” by Bhavadharini Murali

Submitted to Contest #90

I planted you with my own two hands. I still remember the day. I remember the youth that I was, who ripped up the plants in my mother's garden. I remember getting caught by the old lady. She was old and frail - but something about her made me want to stand and listen to her. "Son," she said. Her voice was nothing like you imagined. It was firm. Her frail frame belied the steel in her. "You, in your ignorance, are ripping up these plants. Why?" "It makes me feel like God, having power over these plants. Knowing that I can rip them and do as I...

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“Divine Bloodline” by Shannon McGill

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Divine Bloodline “How can you tell the Tree is a girl, Gran?” The shea butter applied to my scalp in neat little rows slid onto my forehead and mixed with beads of sweat as I sat on the front porch between my grandmother’s knees. Every Sunday, we took my braids down and washed my hair. Then Gran braided it right back up again, greasing my scalp as she went. I can’t imagine a Sunday that we didn’t spend together, managing the mane that fell past my waist. It took all day, but the best part was sittin’ on that porch, listening to her t...

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“The Visible God ” by Rashmi Kumbhakarna

Submitted to Contest #90

From the beginning of calculation of time, humans have considered a power greater than themselves. Some have believed in the power, while others have found worshiping as a means to obtain their personal desires. We have been hardwired to believe in a force which is shy, mostly hidden from the human eye. For years I have questioned my unformed stance on religion. I tried to experience different philosophies, their comprehended versions, though often returned with an anticipated disappointment. The road to answers is uncertain, if not unr...

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“Dandelion Wishes” by Amiable Sorceress

Submitted to Contest #90

Nothing survives the air,Nothing except the tin metallic bones threaded through our heartsto help us breathe in tune with the skyWe’ve become machines, the blood parts of us belonging only to the airSometimes, I wonder if the air is already inside,clogging our minds with hopeless dreams of a shambled future. I don’t know how she laughs with the oxygen mask,tubes and wires and a cart attached to her tiny frameEach time she smiles, the fog shields her from her breath,but Ru always smiles and laughs,an emotion the rest of the world has for...

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“The Right Decision” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #90

Gaurav’s back was beginning to hurt. The rough texture of the bark was reassuring at short intervals of time but having sat on a branch for almost an hour now, it was beginning to poke at his back and legs, leaving scars he knew would stay. He would keep coming back again and again, and he would sit on that same branch in the same position, with his legs extended in front, and it would hurt later. It was good, good that he still felt something. Pain was better than feeling numb. The green leaves smelt fresh, even in the ...

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“The Kissing Tree” by A.Dot Ram

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #90

Content warning: racist abuse, homophobia Dale + Eva, 1969 We heard them before we saw them—loud boots over the stones and their rowdy hee-hawing. We knew they were trouble based on that alone. Dale dropped his hand from my waist and took a small step backward. I hated how that was his instinct. I closed my eyes and willed the low-hanging branches to hide us, wished for them to pass by. They did not. I recognized Lucian Hardy as he poked his tow-head through the leaves into our sanctuary. Lucian and hi...

Read story

“Staring at a Stranger” by Writer Maniac

Submitted to Contest #90

Kavya was staring at him again. The familiar aroma of tea and samosas, coupled with the stench of urine made up the entirety of her nasal journey. But she wasn’t concerned. After all, her visual journey was of much more interest to her. He sat in front of her as he had always done, his head leaning back and black hair covering his forehead, mouth slightly open, hands on his knees, buds in his ears and eyes closed, right hand holding a small camera. She always wanted to know what colour his eyes were. When he stirred slightly, her e...

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“Today is Not Meant to be Pretty” by Scout Tahoe

Submitted to Contest #90

Today is not meant to be pretty. Today is the day for a fight. Today also has no time for late-comers. Kiyoko makes this clear with her eyes like iridescent beetle wings and wild hand gestures. I navigate the tree she’s perched in like my childhood years on the monkey bars. When I finally bend my ragdoll-limbs into an acrobatic criss-cross-applesauce, she lectures me about native Arizona trees. I’m not listening. I’m surveying the beautiful sunrise projected like a utopian film over the Golden Canyon Golf Course bunkers. They’re su...

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“Grandma” by LORITHA CR

Submitted to Contest #90

GrandmaYet another busy day to get ready for the office. In a hurry, I checked again if I had locked the door. Will I get the cab, will I reach the office on time...? Did I switch off gas...? I haven’t yet read the last mail... Will my daughter like lunch today...? Will my husband’s presentation be liked by his managers..., Should I take the elevator or the stairs, My thoughts were endless. Sometimes I am amused how my brain can manage so many things? I rechecked if I had locked the door and took the stairs.Looks like the cab will be late so...

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“Clark and Lake” by Clinton Ernest Murphy

Submitted to Contest #90

“What now Agostania? What could possibly…” I stopped in horror as the lower half of her jaw exploded into my face and splattered on the wall behind us. The contents of this morning’s ten year old canned ravioli poured out of my mouth and onto the ground. The wall behind me exploded with gunfire as I dove to the ground. The front of my shirt was now coated with blood and vomit. The smell threatened to remove more of the contents of my empty stomach, if it could. I pushed myself to my feet as quickly as I could and dove behind the dumpster Ago...

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“Just another Easter Sunday on Easter Island” by Stevie B

Submitted to Contest #90

“Hey! How’s it going? My name is Tu’u ko Iho. I am one of an estimated nearly 1000 moai that were hand-carved from stone by the Rapa Nui people over 500 years ago. Our actual number, as concluded by a recent moai self-headcount, is closer to 887. My deep elliptical eye sockets, which were crafted by the native Rapa Nui, held eyes made of coral that they extracted from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and possessed pupils formed from either red scoria or black obsidian volcanic rocks. They stare stoically over the island toward the coast, and ...

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“moore hall ” by KED KED

Submitted to Contest #90

Muckloon Hill, Ireland 1923 Little Neasa, who her family affectionately called Nee, was in the garden taking a solitary lunch under the Blackthorn tree. As far as she knew, they were the only household for leagues that had one prominently displayed in the front of their estate. Her mother, skillful at feigning religious piety outside of the home, had instilled in young Nee a soft and clandestine devotion to the Old Ways and of Druids long passed. They would secretly honor their connection to the land and reverence for the na...

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“The Perfect World Pt.1 (The Spark)” by CarefreeChicken, The Overlord Of Reality

Submitted to Contest #90

PART ONE:The fire leaps and dances, reaching for the clouded splash of stars that glitter above us. Mamma combs through my short hair with her gentle fingers, her soft breathing the only sound that reaches me in the dark. One of my sisters sleeping faces is illuminated by a spurt of flame, and I notice how peaceful she looks, her worn face smoothed by pleasant dreams, or by the fragrance of the nearby water lilies. It happened only months ago, but it seems like years… It wasn’t gradual, not something for our great-great-grandchild...

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$50

Prize money

813

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 23, 2021 EST

Won by Nina Chyll 🏆

Title: The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary

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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