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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 – 382 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

“Citadel of Light” by Kiera Lawley

Submitted to Contest #92

“Why is she so freaked out by the dark?” Shannon demanded. “Hell, I don’t know,” Jamie managed to reply with minimal sarcasm. “Maybe because she's lived in the Citadel her entire life?” “There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a blackout. It's not like there are dangerous–” “Stop lying Shannon! Have you ever heard of a blackout in the entire history of The Citadel?&nbs...

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“King of the Darkness” by Amy Jayne Conley

Submitted to Contest #92

An explosion in the distance. And then, darkness. The entire city seemed to plunge into nearly pitch-blackness, and with it, a silence. For a beat, only the sounds of cars in the streets weaving between the skyscrapers could be heard. The hum of electricity which had apparently served as an auditory backdrop to every resident in the city disappeared, in its place a strange, uneasy tinnitus. “For fuck’s sake!” came the curse from Bruno Jones, the detective inspector at Main City’s police department. H...

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“Trust once broken can't be healed” by Miss Kandulna

Submitted to Contest #92

MISE EN PLACE that's what she said. I hope I don't forget to mention y'all that this story starts with a girl joining the business school for her higher studies. The no 1 b- school actually, it was her first day to her school. She asked for the way to her classroom. She was just on time and sat in the middle row so that she won't be the one seated on the last,ofcourse she wanted to make some friends so by sitting at last won't help. She didn't choose to sit on the first because she wasn't the shining armour who placed first in her middle sch...

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“Under The Spotlight” by Kate Gratton

Submitted to Contest #92

“This is absolute hell,” Nate mumbled under his breath, shivering, as he sat on a wooden bench pressed up against the brick wall of the school in the courtyard. He scrolled through old instagram posts of the girls in his grade, completely bored out of his mind, and he pulled the hood of his navy blue hoodie tightly around his face in an attempt to block out the cold december wind from chilling him to the bone. Not like he wasn’t freezing already. Like most of the boys at his high school (except the nerds who actually wore ties), he wasn’t dr...

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“Thursday Thing” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #92

Author note: My mother recently passed away last week so I wrote this story to sort of help me to process this experience in some way.The night had covered the sky and the rain began to pelt the roof of the building. The thunder cracked and rumbled as if a mighty engine was suddenly coming to life and then stopped all of sudden as the echoes faded into the air.The sound made Ms. Smith wake up with a start. She found herself in a hard, plastic chair that was joined by a steel bar to other chairs. There was a television fastened to the ch...

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“Halloween” by Amanda Lieser

Submitted to Contest #92

I’m eighteen years old, sitting in the chair behind the hotel desk. It’s Halloween night. Tara told me that the night went surprisingly smoothly for a holiday. All of the guests have been checked in and the Mini Market has been fully stocked. I clocked in at 10:50pm on October 31st. I waved Tara out the door to her Halloween party while trying not to beg her to stay with me. The lobby is well lit and the TV plays a worn out sitcom, but I take comfort in the laugh track. Out of cowardice, I decide to head into the laundry room directly behind...

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“Strings Attached” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #92

Viola (her parents had loved string quartets, and she wondered if any brothers or sisters may have been called Violin or Cello) had been delighted when she won the first prize in the Short but Sweet writing competition. Well, okay, she might have been more delighted had she won the second prize, which was £250, as there were plenty of free creative writing courses online and she was borderline broke. But she told herself that would be ungrateful, and as transport and meals were included in the prize, it wasn’t going to be one of those infamo...

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“Falling” by Bri C.

Submitted to Contest #92

It’s like frolicking in a field of sunflowers. Like the fresh April rain. It’s pure bliss, clear happiness. The feeling of overpowering joy washes over me, like nothing can stop me. I watch the days go by with a smile on my face. I don’t think a second thought about anything I do. I carelessly do what I want, not worried about the consequences. The acts of the child I am. I play around with my family and friends, not a worry in the world. I don’t yet know of what lurks behind the corner. Day after day, year after year. I’m happy. I ha...

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“Alice and Patricia” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #92

Mum opens the door and clicks the light on, but the bulb doesn’t look like the ones at home. At home the lights are bright and white, except the night-light, which is warm and shaped like a bunny. This light is orange, and makes everything in the room look like it’s been covered in orange pop. If anything the shadows are stronger than they were before the light was on, stark dark contrasts to the sickly orange. “Here we are,” Mum says. “You get the whole room to yourself this time. A whole double bed! What do you think of that, Alice?” Mum...

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“Water Bubbles ” by Anna Tishchenko

Submitted to Contest #92

Arletta was made for the rain. Not for her the sunny bright cheerful days that her peers so enjoyed. Rain made her feel cozy and comforted even when she had to be out in it. For her, everything felt closer, within reach. She had discovered, when she was very young that if she sat quietly and closed her eyes, she could actually feel the water as it made its way from heaven to earth. As she got older, she would reach out with her thoughts to the highest peak of the thunder cloud. She would choose one individual drop and track it, feeling the r...

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“Sorrowful Wolves” by Phoebe DeNeve

Submitted to Contest #92

Trigger warning of suicidal thoughtsCreak!The sound was followed by the booming noise of thunder, as I nudged the door open. I was soaked from head to toe with rain water.I barely had enough energy to get to the kitchen table, and slump into the old wooden chair. "Daddy, don't leave me. I'm scared." my 13-year old daughter's dying words rang throughout my mind, and I rubbed my face with my sweaty palms.Sophie, my daughter, was all I had left after losing my wife 10 years before. "What am I supposed to do? My love is gone, my only source of h...

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“IRONY” by Pat Magbanua

Submitted to Contest #92

I saw my schoolmates gush over how splendid I look as I got off my Bugatti La Voiture Noire that was driven by our most trusted driver and the car itself was led by other two cars driven by bodyguards. I can't blame them if they look up to me that much, If you didn’t know me you’d probably think that I was a prince that was living the best life. I have the good looks, the money and I’m smart, what else could I ask for? They gave way for me when I entered the university, they were whispering nonsense to each other, and avoided my eyes as if p...

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“Once upon a time, Joshua Jackson was accused of stealing a million dollars and was also accused guilty of the offence, but the Court through evidence found out it was not true when finally, the truth came to light.” by Prince Brempong

Submitted to Contest #92

Once upon a time, Joshua Jackson was accused of stealing a million dollars and was also accused guilty of the offence, but the Court through evidence found out it was not true when finally, the truth came to light. There is a saying that Guilt as according to the evolutionary psychology is the brains way of making sure we didn't veer into behaviour that would leave us ostracized from tribes and other families. Also, nowadays, a little guilt is a good thing to not having any is a sign of sociopathy or narcissistic personality disorder entir...

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“the light that was never shed ” by Eva Yang

Submitted to Contest #92

He sat on the dock, legs hanging over on the edge of the lake. The moonlit surface reflected a beam of white that grazed his eyes. His feet swung back and forth, only inches above the shifting ripples pattering relentlessly at the shore. His hands were clasped in his lap, twiddling with each other. He stared fixated on the horizon, eyes on the ever moving silhouettes that danced about the night while the silent whispers of the wind sung their song. A crack of a twig disturbed the cool. A stray bird chirped, its voice echoing in the ravine....

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“A Fork's Life” by Michael Lewis

Submitted to Contest #92

A Fork's Life It's dark in here. So dark I can't even see the rest of my brothers and sisters lying next to me. But, of course, this is how it should be when one's living quarters are inside a drawer. Look at me clean and sparkling. And so, another morning begins as it has done for more mornings than I care to remember. I imagine prison mus...

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$50

Prize money

1050

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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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