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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

“My Beliefs, my Fears” by Adewuyi Aremu

Submitted to Contest #92

Everyone was asleep. Except me of course. A guest in the house, and I couldn’t sleep after a turbulent trip to the city. I was feeling sleepy, perhaps more than anyone else in this house, but I dared not sleep. Again and again, I opened my eyes and closed them back not just because I couldn’t figure out anything in the dark room, but also because I was being too necessarily nectophobic. Anybody in my shoes would be, given the mysteriously blatant noise that kept breaking into my eardrum. As if that was not enough, the booming was accompanied...

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“Luria Solis Aestas ” by Sara Blanch

Submitted to Contest #92

I do not think I am allergic to the natural light; I know I am... which is quite ironic considering that I am the...albeit, reluctant heir to the Summer throne. It is a peculiar situation to be in I know, which is why I figured that I needed to write it down. I figure that if I physically write down my thoughts, then they would begin to make sense to me...and perhaps if I can start to properly explain my situation, then my parents will not be so hasty in their medical treatments. The truth is, there is a wayward...illogical genetic abnorm...

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“power shortage during time travel” by Clinton Siegle

Submitted to Contest #92

Let’s be honest. My shrink told me I was dead and reliving past lives. Me? I think you all are dead. This story is about Katrina when it happened in 2003, not here in 2005. Silly, what do you mean? I mean, I have lived more than you have. When I cracked up in 2016, I was hit hard. Meaning I was sent to the shrink by my wife due to the number of things I was talking about. People think I am crazy. But what I am going to tell you was real for me. The shrink? He told me I was living past lives. I told him. I could prove he was dead, and that I ...

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“Darkness into Light” by Charisa Tullos

Submitted to Contest #92

Deep. Dark. No end. No light. Trapped in a bottomless pit.This was exactly what a seventh grade girl named Crystal was experiencing because her sister was about to leave for college.Crystal had been dreading this moment since she found out her sister was going to attend a school in Oklahoma instead of Virginia where their immediate family was. Well, most of their immediate family. Crystal’s older brother lived in Oklahoma ever since he began college there nearly four years ago. Besides him, all of Crystal’s family lived in Virginia because t...

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“A Glimpse of the Stars” by Silver Pen: Temporarily Inactive

Submitted to Contest #92

TW: Violence and graphic descriptions. She wheezed, dust gathering into her lungs as she dragged her pickax through the desolate mines. Sweat ran down her face in streams, tracing rivers through the sticky coal. She despised the mines. It was 2200, and people deemed worthless as she was were doomed to the sweltering, poorly lit mines to work until death. Rations were based on pounds of coal mined. She forced herself to drag her ax down the rusted metal tracks, the screeching grate of metal on metal echoing throughout the tunnel. Despite the...

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“The Dawn of Justice” by OPHOKE LEONARD

Submitted to Contest #92

Chapter 1 Before the back becomes so tired, nature never ceases to surprise the one carrying the load by easing it with a lighter one. No matter the difficulty in realizing that what is black is black; honey is honey not sugar, waiting for the day when the ears will only hear, the tongue to say only the exact of what it tasted, the nose to proclaim what it smelled; the eyes of the blind world will see again and walk in the light of justice. 40 years before the present, Lima was banished for the murder of her husband, D-Jero and she abandone...

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“The Sun and the Moon” by Annie Gray

Submitted to Contest #92

Lucy and Wyatt's father had an office full of unusual and rare items that drew Wyatt's curiosity. This curiosity often got them in trouble. She hated the room. "No, we can't," she tried to reason with her stubborn twin. "I need to see them," he answered and picked at the lock with tools from a kit he found online. It's amazing what a 12 year old could learn from the internet. With a twist of the nob the door opened. "Stop." She pulled at the back of his blue shirt. It didn't sto...

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“The Fisherman” by Steve Joseph

Submitted to Contest #92

WORDS 2,940 THE FISHERMAN "Yes Captain, yer wanted to see me." John was an old man who spent his life earning his living off the sea. He was not a well‑educated man but his natural intelligence had earned him the respect of his shipmates. He knew his trade well and he knew how to make money from it. "Yea, John," said his Captain. "Grab yourself a shot and sit down." John accepte...

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“Falling out of the dark, into the glass” by Shah Zaib Mukhtiar

Submitted to Contest #92

I opened my eyes, bending my legs against my abdomen and trying to reach out the blanket. Surprisingly, I realized it wasn’t my room. ‘M-mom Dad, is anyone there?’ my voice broke. It was completely dark. Running in different directions with tears rolling out of my eyes, I realized the room was endless. It felt like being stuck in the worst of your nightmares, but I had no choice but to accept the reality. I was crying louder for help when a bright light emerged before me. I ran faster to my escape and found myself amid a room full of mirrors...

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“Shadows of the Past” by Katelyn T

Submitted to Contest #92

When Jillian moved to the small town of Smithville, she was hoping for a new start. The house she moved into could only be described as having charm. She had rented it cheap. The home had two bedrooms, one bath, a small living room, a kitchen, and an attic. Since it was just her, it was more than enough house. The paint was chipped in places, the wooden floors creaked and were hazardously uneven in some places, and who knew the last time the foundation, electric, or plumbing had been looked at. Jillian knew the first time it rained, the roof...

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“Brilliant Truth” by Rebecca Thibodeaux

Submitted to Contest #92

Secrets are powerful things. They can offer hope, or destroy everything that someone has meticulously built. Everyone has secrets, and we are all fighting to protect this dark private corner of our soul. Hidden details affect every part of our existence, guiding our actions so that we can conceal that which lies in the shadows waiting to condemn. The problem is: what do you do when your secret is revealed? Does it defer its power to the person who now holds knowledge of your unspoken past? Does its power fizzle away, and yo...

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“Blood Stained Emeralds” by Moon Mason

Submitted to Contest #92

“Shit,” I yell. A bump in the road causes my coffee to spill over my legs. The burning is bad enough, not to mention that my favorite pair of pants is ruined with stains. I slam on the brakes in frustration. Normally this behavior would get me rear ended, but here in the middle of the woods, the only thing there is to hit are deer. I climb out of my truck and in a fit of anger, throw my mug to the ground smashing it. I rake the hair out of my face and hold my head in my hands. I let out a deep sigh. This trip has already been exhausting. I j...

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“Soulless” by Kat Mordaunt

Submitted to Contest #92

Light. It was everywhere. The sun beat down on Teslirin as she walked the streets, a ring of guards surrounding her and the four other Darkests, keeping them from running. That was pointless; where would they run? Every corner where the sun didn’t quite reach was illuminated by lanterns. There was no Darkness anywhere. The laughter of the young Brightened on the streets paused as the group of Darkests passed, the Brightened’s tanned faces practically glowing in ...

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“Illusions” by Robert Consiglio

Submitted to Contest #92

"The time may come when fantasy will become reality and reality shall become fantasy. Rare will be the person able to discern the difference.” -Author unknown “Good morning Jacob, did you sleep well?” says a brassy voice. Jacob Macpherson rubs his eyes and stares at the central control panel opposite him. He notes the time: 0600. “No, Max,” says Jacob. “I am sorry to hear that, Jacob. Would you like a be...

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“The Ultimate Paradox” by Rayney Day

Submitted to Contest #92

**Be nice to me, this is my first story** CW/TW: Suicide, self harm, sexual assault mentions 9:39am Everything was bright. Too bright. This world didn’t make sense to her. She sat there on the ledge, looking at her own fingers and seeing them, really seeing them for the first time. Shriveled, though she can’t have been any older than 16 (Although sometimes she wasn’t so sure). She was a monster. She knew that much was true, but somehow, for some reason, seeing it as true was the final break of the camel’s spine. A soda straw, but not...

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$50

Prize money

1050

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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