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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#92: Chiaroscuro

A meteor's dazzling burst of light, a sky faintly illuminated by a crescent moon, or a sidewalk lined by long afternoon shadows, the world is infinitely more interesting for chiaroscuro — the contrast of light and shade. More than that, the binary between light and darkness is one that holds great symbolic power (think yin and yang, Nyx and Erebus, good and evil).

With that in mind, this week’s prompts invite you to reflect on the way light influences a story’s setting, plot, or even its characters. Whether darkness means comfort and privacy or creepy echoing corridors, and whether light reminds you of clarity and safety or of blistering intensity, I’ve chosen prompts that give you freedom of interpretation. Happy writing!

This week's prompts

Write a story that begins in the light and ends in darkness, or the other way around.

Horror – 383 stories

End your story with a truth coming to light.

Horror – 184 stories

Set your story in a countryside house that’s filled with shadows.

Horror – 170 stories

Write about a character who thinks they have a sun allergy.

Summer – 117 stories

Write a story set in a city where the power suddenly goes out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Horror – 187 stories

Stories

“Storm Story” by Michael West

Submitted to Contest #92

Through the window, a thin, silver vein outlines the distant trees. Hovering above it is a blackness. Below, the trees shake from time to time because of the wind, or maybe fear? Noah hears a muted sound, like the rumbling of an angry train, as he sits in the living room of his Grandfather’s lake home, 23.4 miles West of Bemidji, Minnesota. On the TV screen is The Weather Channel. A tallish, busty woman is tracking the oncoming storm using an old-fashioned pointer, wooden with a black rubber tip. Noah loves the pointer. He thinks, “The poi...

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“Reincarnation or Resurrection” by Teresa Taylor

Submitted to Contest #92

“You will die, demon!” The prior held high his crucifix and chanted a prayer of salvation. “Fool,” Romulus scoffed, “your holy water and religious symbols are not strong enough to banish me. I will continue to prey on the people of this land long after you have perished.” ...

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“Lifeline” by Mia Manumit

Submitted to Contest #92

A yearning propelled me forward. Freezing water lapped over my toes and made me gasp. I hesitated. Resolutely, I took a deep breath and shuffled a few more inches in. The murky water eddied around my ankles, but I already felt like I was in over my head. What was I thinking?Over my shoulder, onlookers gathered on shore. “It’s a cold world out there,” they warned.The older ones huddled in their cozy blankets, staying warm and dry and safe. The younger ones built castles on the sand, watched the surf melt them, then started over.Yes,...

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“"Initiation into the spirit manhood" ” by Philip Ebuluofor

Submitted to Contest #92

When you are around 13 to 16 years, as a boy, some traditional cultures dress one like a magnet. That was exactly the situation I was in at that age. Some the cultures most guys at the age took part in, my family was not interested in such cultures. But what consumes ones thought, actions and speeches must have mattered to the person, if not, why do it disturb ones sleep?. It was so in my youths days to the extent that I usually walks miles to the village square, go to friends that were inclined to and took joy in discussing exploit...

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“In The Dark” by Serena Johnston

Submitted to Contest #92

When Kayla Nicole Morris was 10 years old, the electrical power of her whole city suddenly went out one overcast, dismal, happiness-dampening day, plunging the area into darkness so black, the darkest squid's darkest ink couldn't have been blacker. No one could explain it, and no one could prove that anything had happened, except for the obvious fact that there was no light, or that anyone had done anything to cause this major issue. That was a dreadful, scary, disturbing time, even for Kayla, a mature ten-year-old, 'going on 21', as her dad...

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“THROWING LIGHT” by Sivaram Govindaraj

Submitted to Contest #92

(This story is set on a small island state in the planet GAIA2 which is earth’s twin though backward by about 800 years and is still evolving.) Awake! For morning in the bowl of night/Has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight/I start a story I will tell you anon/Of a Chief which I now start upon. The Chief who was head of the island was tall wide and handsome. He was young too and was a law unto himself. That morning he was in his garden looking at the plants and flowers and the butterflies darting amidst them Hearing a noise he turn...

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“Darkness (TW Vent)” by Lunar Night

Submitted to Contest #92

“It’s like drowning, like watching a lifeless form of yourself slowly suffocate knowing surely whats going to happen, but you hate to admit it. On each dive deeper the pressure of the water becomes more and more unbearable. It feels like you want to cave in and break down. Like a submarine lost in uncharted waters, unable to see or navigate. You call out mayday, hoping for help, but help is so far away. Too unknowing of your particular situation. How one small thing goes wrong and destroys the ship. But that small thing could take days to ye...

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“Towards Twilight” by Angel Merin

Submitted to Contest #92

It was about the daybreak. Davey was confused about the place that seemed to be an orange field because it smelled orange blooms. He could barely see the beam of early sun through the crowd of leaves. It’s been 12 hours since he fell from the collapsed helicopter SE202 of the Southeast Army. He can’t muster up the energy to stand .He can feel each and every single joint of his body aching. He couldn’t recognize the place. The only thing he understood was he was somewhere in an island because he could hear the sound of the calm ocean. H...

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“REFLECTION ” by Shatobhisa Sen

Submitted to Contest #92

TW: violence Millie was almost ready for the dance when suddenly her phone started to ring. It was almost time for Kevin to pick her up. She took a peek on the cell screen while finishing her makeup. But it was not Kevin's name flashing on the screen rather it was an unknown contact. After hesitating for a moment she finally ceased dabbing the blender on her cheek and received the call. "Hello"-Millie answered it with a deep voice. The other side didn't reply anything at first. All she could hear was some loud panting, like someone was runni...

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“You Can't Draw in the Dark” by Elizabeth Atkin

Submitted to Contest #92

TW: violence, murder It was so, so dark. She couldn’t remember the last time it had been light. Not here, never here. Yet it was here in this house that she was stuck, with its creaking stairs that groaned and its peeling brown walls that sighed whenever the wind blew by, and its beautiful paintings made blurry and indistinct by their thick coating of dust. Here, in the shadowed room with heavy curtains closed, painted with pain and memory, she couldn’t imagine it holding anything but darkness and scars. Yet, it had held light, a long ...

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“Space Girl” by Natalie Day

Submitted to Contest #92

There’s a comforting breeze in the air when the sun begins to set. If softly dries my eyes and pulls me back home to that blanket my aunt bought me when I was six. The blanket is no longer soft, but it reminds me of the special herbal tea she always made whenever I started to cry. It came from a cardboard box from the grocery store, but a warm aunt-hug always hooked itself to the mug. The breeze fills my nose with the smell of the herbal tea so completely that I can almost taste it on my tongue. It whispers like the Harry James song on my gr...

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“Sunny Days ” by Gerald Daniels

Submitted to Contest #92

I've left my reading lamp on the lowest setting, with the flexible neck straight so that the lampshade directs a soft light at the ceiling. I'm leaning my back against a pile of pillows looking longingly at the locked doors of the wardrobe. As soon as the social worker left I'd slipped the key out of my sock and shut myself in for the night, but he came back into my room an hour later and caught me slumped like a dead dog (his words) on top of a pile of my old clothes. After I got out he'd made...

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“Ditzy Daisy🌞🚫” by Jade Orien🍀

Submitted to Contest #92

while my small body lays across the hospital bed I overhear my mother and the doctor discussing my procedure. I know that this might sound silly but I think that I am allergic to the sun. Google told me so. Ok, so let me take you back 2 hours ago. It was a nice hot day when my best friend Raina and I decided to go bike riding. You could smell the scented oil that our mothers spread on our bodies filling the misty air.The sound of our bike tires screeched every time we turned a corner on our block leaving the people staring at us with discomf...

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“Light on a Path” by Bonnie Clarkson

Submitted to Contest #92

Brian and Keith, sixteen-year-old friends, camped without adults for the first time. In the mid-afternoon, Keith drove his car to arrive at a clearing for their campsite. Camping for the last six years, the boys felt confident in their ability to find firewood and prepare a campfire. Keith and Brian each wore an old tee-shirt and blue jean shorts. To cool off, Keith pulled his shoulder-length brown hair into a short ponytail. He busied himself shifting his load of firewood, practicing showing off muscles with his tattoo. Brian prepared ...

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“When Your Candle Flickers Out” by Alya Kaikuahine

Submitted to Contest #92

Shadows. The place where darkness takes over the light. The place where monsters lurk and hide, waiting for the right moment. Shadows. The place where broken dreams go to die and fallen stars lose their light. They seem untamed, intangible, unable to control. But they listen to their master. They listen to me. Death lurks in every corner, right around the bend. But I also wait in every shadow, waiting for darkness to overcome the light of life. When your candle burns down to its wick and flickers out, Death is called. A whoosh. I l...

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$50

Prize money

1051

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 07, 2021 EST

Won by Nina Chyll 🏆

Title: On the Origin of Shadows

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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