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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#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!

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

“Oh Tree” by Erika Crowley

Submitted to Contest #90

The bird’s enchanting melody lifted high in the midmorning breeze and echoed above him waking the world he sat in envy of. His brush would never capture the feeling of this moment, he thought, heartbroken. How could he immortalize what lived in his heart? Was the sparrow mocking him? Or was he cheering him on? He sighed and dipped his brush in the carefully selected mixture of acrylics. The copper tones should have been perfect. He closed his eyes and saw her. Maybe a touch more purple would make it right. He opened them again and gazed at t...

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“Discovery in the Wyldwood” by LM Konkel-Dixon

Submitted to Contest #90

Neri hugs her cloak tighter to her. "That woman is deranged. I don't care if she is a queen. She's deranged." She huffs. "Making us stomp all the way out in the Wyldwood just for... some cherry berry tart thing." There was a time when Neri's life was incredibly normal. She would have even called it boring. Then she inherited a manor from a relative she never knew existed and discovered that distant cousins from the 1920s were alive and well. Not only were they living, but they were the queen and her brother over the Court of Madness. "Oh, I...

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“Down the Endless Tracks” by Kat Sencen

Submitted to Contest #90

CHOO!CHOO!The locomotive whistles, a train’s usual high, but at the same time low sound, piercing the coal-smelling, dusty air as we take off down the tracks. We start out slow, then gain speed in the first thirty seconds. People are all around me, hoping we’ll get to Chicago for the Christmas Fair without any disturbances. I look out the window that I’m lucky to have a spot next to to see New York City’s brick buildings rushing past me. I can spot them in the distance as they're coming up, but they seem so far away. Yet before I know it, th...

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“Amethyst Dreams” by Felicia Fontaine

Submitted to Contest #90

“Have you ever experienced Déjà vu, Natalie?”That was the first question she asked her.Most evenings, after I finished my homework, I would make my way across the street to visit Violet. I had been to her house long before she moved in, and actually helped my father and uncle build it for her. She wasn’t safe living on her own anymore, so far away. So, we built her her own house that was close enough for family to help out when she needed it.My parents mentioned it would be a big help if I offered to help her around the house and keep her co...

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“Black Walnut” by Kathleen March

Submitted to Contest #90

There is, I am, a Black Walnut tree. in a small town in an eastern state, one whose name you don't need to know. I suspect I have been largely forgotten, but I am not quite correct in that suspicion because there is still one more who might remember. One other being who once leaned against my rough bark and clutched my fruit and leaves in her hands, breathing in. When the one who still remembers was still with me, she could still reach my branches and leaves. Now I am far too old and too tall for her to do that. Otherwise, she would still ...

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“School Haze” by Stephenie Domenico

Submitted to Contest #90

Jeremy slipped on his rubber coat and grabbed his gas mask off the peg by the door then yelled “Bye mom! I’ll see you after school!” before he finished fastening it over his face. “Don’t leave yet!” came the shouted reply. Jeremy rolled his eyes. It was the same thing every morning. He unclipped the mask and waited to see what she wanted this time. His mother came hurrying into the room with his bookbag and Jeremy blushed. He couldn’t believe he almost forgot his bag! “Thanks, mom” he mumbled as she kissed his cheek and she asked, “you...

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“There was only this” by Sam Stevenson

Submitted to Contest #90

I am perched on a sturdy branch high up in a Douglas Fir atop Pine Mountain. The sun is touching my face, and I am in a trance staring into the water that has formed a Bay in the valley below. I watch the circling hawks and turkey vultures, floating gracefully, spiraling with the wind currents. There! That one is Foose. “Foose!” Foose has a bigger body and wider wingspan than the other hawks. His coloring is a light brown. From my perch, I watch Foose hunt a fledgling. He easily catches it with his talons and comes over to my tree, choosin...

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“Leaves of Poetry” by Nadya Garza

Submitted to Contest #90

The sun has died for the two hundred and ninety-third time this year. The bloodstained sky leaves golden patches on the ground. The autumn leaves lie defeated there, but at least, they aren’t begging for color…they are soaked in golden. I’m sitting in the dry grass under the only oak tree in the graveyard, my thoughts escaping from the choking hold of life here in García. I wasn’t born here in this small Mexican village. I was born in the city’s laughter, but I was brought here to the dry tears of this village when I lost…the scraps ...

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“Acacia” by Hannah Dominguez

Submitted to Contest #90

When Ann was younger, her mom and dad would always fight. She didn't understand why they were fighting, just that both were always upset with each other, making her upset too.So when she came home from school, hear yelling in the kitchen, she would go directly to her room without greeting them, change clothes, and go out again.She would walk and walk the neighborhood, sometimes try her luck and jump fences with a sign that says 'No Trespassing.' Well, she was young, she didn't understand the meaning of the sign, so she ignored it.That's...

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“If Trees Could Talk” by Ruth Smith

Submitted to Contest #90

There's a tree in our yard. Pa calls it a silver maple. He planted two of them last week. He waters them daily, talks to them, nurtures them. He says they will grow big and shelter the house from the sun. I like the one closer to the house. It is about my height. I talk to it, too. The other one is taller, more like my older brother who picks on me. The trees are growing taller. The one near our house is taller than me now, and its trunk is the width of my leg. It is still my favorite. I enjoy looking at the leaves when they turn yellow in...

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“End of an Era” by Sjan Evardsson

Submitted to Contest #90

It was a warm, bright midnight in December, and time for my shift. The skies on the western horizon were tinged pinkish-orange, as they had been for nearly two months. I had a tall glass of water for breakfast, just like the previous day. Even after being in Antarctica for a year, it still shocked me how clean and pure it tasted. Unlike distilled water, which was flat and tasteless, this was sweet with a hint of minerals. How long can a person last without food, I wondered. A lot longer than they can without water. That was the only thing t...

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“If Only” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #90

He turned to look at her and noticed a familiar sadness in her eyes. He knew that the sadness was permanent. There was never again going to be a light of happiness or a glow of happiness that she once had. It seemed so long ago now. They are now in their 70’s. They are old enough to remember a different world, a world unlike the one they are living in now. The year is 2051. His wife, Sharona, can no longer open the windows in the morning to get some fresh air, there is no fresh air. Everything might look normal. The weather may look ...

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“Fragile” by Cole Lane

Submitted to Contest #90

***********************************************Hey all, this has been a crazy week and I couldn't write until Friday, so this was a quick one. There isn't a lot of action, it is just a simple idea, but my goal with these prompts is to hit the deadline, much like the real world. :)Thank you to the Reedsy community for all the support we all get here every week!***********************************************The thing about flowers is, they are blissful exuberance, even if it is only for a moment. They remind you to enjoy the small things becau...

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“The Bank Raid” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #90

Freezing water splashes over the bow of the boat and into my face, but I don’t dare take my hand off the side to wipe it away. The biting wind cuts through all the layers of my clothing and rags, and soon my bones are sore from the cold. Hargreaves leans over from where he’s clutching the rail next to me. “Makes a pleasant change, doesn’t it?” he laughs. “A change yes. Not so sure it’s pleasant.” The heat we were trapped in only a week ago seems like a distant memory, but at least my body didn’t ache so much there. I could also see the...

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“Drops of Hope (A Neo Kosmo Story)” by Josh C

Submitted to Contest #90

Squalor. That was the only way Cairo could describe the scene. Even at 11 years old it was apparent. Far from the gorgeous green fields and full, flowing rivers that had been promised, his family had arrived to a barren plain, skulking grey skies, and the only view an enormous concrete wall separating them from the European Federation of States.“Can you watch your brother please? Go meet your father, he should be coming home any moment.” Cairo’s mother called from the entrance of the temporary prefab shelter, one hand on her enlarged belly, ...

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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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