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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

“The City Gathering” by 𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖

Submitted to Contest #92

Crowds of all types of people were bustling outside the Brown Bear Coffee Shop in New York. People were yelling at people to move, people were silently on their phones. People were running, people were walking like turtles. And some people turned into Brown Bear to get a cup of coffee. “Hello, how can I help you today?” I asked a man who was staring at his phone, obviously working. “I’ll take a caramel macchiato.” The man replied, still lost in his work. “Okay. Anything else?” The man mumbled something under his breath but I couldn...

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“Known” by Claire Lindsey

Submitted to Contest #92

[Content warning: mental illness]She examines the pale skin of her arms, palms upward toward the light as if waiting for an offering. Her veins twist, intricate lines of shadows beneath papery white skin that hasn’t seen proper sunlight in weeks. She thinks about the blood flowing there, along those dark and treacherous paths, tumbling to and from the caverns of her heart.“Hey, where are you?” he asks, watching her from across a tangle of silver sheets.She rolls to her side to look at him. “Just thinking.”He knows her and he doesn’t. He know...

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“Where the Sun Can't Reach” by Sarah Nour

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #92

So much dark, as far as the eyes behind my goggles could see. So much silence, save for the inhales and exhales of my air tank. The only movement I can sense is my own: flippers swaying 1,500 meters above the sea floor, where the sun can’t reach.A cable connects my torch to the battery canisters around my waist. A more experienced marine biologist would tell me to turn the torch off, to better find the sea life I’m searching for: creatures lit up by their own biology. Creatures I might miss capturing on film.But I can’t read my depth gauge w...

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“Seeing In Black & White” by 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚝 ~

Submitted to Contest #92

There was a world where light didn’t exist; where everything was dark, so the only way you could see anything was by the highlights on the objects. Many people wondered about the existence of the highlights because how could there be highlights if there’s no light at all?One of our character’s names was Cara: a modest name for a modest girl.School was decent for Cara: it wasn’t super fun, as the dictators made sure of that, but her favourite subject was History because she got to learn about things that seemed unreal. She was a quiet, coy li...

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“The Truth Hurts.” by Shannon Ruane

Submitted to Contest #92

The Truth Hurts.As her husband Jacob opened the door for her, Rosalina climbed into their convertible. Leaving the hospital was frightening; the atypical rumbling noise from the car which barely started sounded like thunder hitting the couple. With no parking spaces near the entrance, the couple found parking spaces on the top deck. Out of order elevators forced the couple to run down/back up so they arrived for their appointment promptly. Traffic was significantly different in New Bark City compared with the traffic of Tree Town.Fatigue too...

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“Call of Light” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #92

The sun sunk behind the mountains as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their place. As the light surrendered, every color changed vibrant hues to tinges of charcoal. There were days I wondered what we gave in return for such gifts of divine magic; perhaps it is our love, perhaps we radiated it into space; perhaps that is our connection to creation beyond the borders of our world, our reality. Perhaps inside I too am gold, a bright flame that burns for another kind. For me, that was a thought as warm as any bri...

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“The Cottage ” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #92

My father once went to his Great-uncle’s countryside house. He went there with his cousin, and he was the only one out of the three to come back. He never spoke of them ever again; the police never found any bodies even though they searched the surrounding woods and that cottage thoroughly. Though the events of that summer caused him to lose his leg and some of his memories, he never once told me about it. And I had never been brave enough to ask about it. Until one night, when I was sitting at the dining table, mutinously eating my Bru...

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“Franklin's Key ” by Nainika Gupta

Submitted to Contest #92

Philadelphia, June 1752 The clouds were the kind of grey that would make any quarry rock proud, as if they were so pleased to echo the earth. All the grey, all that swirling water in the sky, condensation was bound to happen sooner rather than later. I peered out of my window, looking up at the impending storm. The sky darkened and I saw most people hurrying indoors, eager to escape the rain that would surely lash down in a few minutes. If I were most people, I too, would close the curtains and curl up beside the roaring fireplace with...

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“and then you said goodbye” by Maya W.

Submitted to Contest #92

The sun said goodbye to me And I laughed For the sun always says goodbye When the moon comes out And the darkness begins to loom It is the only moment When I can count on someone else When I can count on you For you will never say goodbye Not now, not in the past And not before Because it is in that moment When the sun says goodbye That suddenly, all is lost And only then Do you know that it can be found again Just before the morning The moon said goodbye to me And I cried For I had begun to care about that man Smiling from abo...

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“I Discover How to Stall Dying” by W.W. Skybelle (Inactive)

Submitted to Contest #92

Warning: Censored curse words, mentions of alcohol. Note: This is part 3 of a series. If you have not read the previous parts (“I Discover that Someone’s Going to Die” and “I, Kamara, Discover that I’m About to Die”), please look at my comment in the comments section for more information. This story is for anyone who laughed while reading this series. ~*~*~ BRANDON The sun shined inside my car in bright rays. I could almost imagine that with the rising sun, the day could begin anew, and my problems would vanish along with the darkness ...

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“Shadows and Stars” by TJ Squared

Submitted to Contest #92

In a deep, dark and lonesome place, the moon gave a little light to a darkened countryside. The grass was a never ending sea of pitch black, rippling in the soft breeze. The sky was magnificent as the stars adorned their mother. The breeze shifted slightly, as a child shifted uneasily. The sea of onyx grass stopped their appeasement to the hypnotic wind. The breeze grew stronger, lifting up hopeless leaves and twisting around endless tree trunks. The wind found its way to a little abandoned shack in the middle of a plain. The wind sized up t...

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“Daydreams” by Charli Britton

Submitted to Contest #92

From the beginning of time, there has always been one thing.Darkness.But with darkness, there was a counterbalance.Light.Many beings were born from these light and dark deities, but the youngest is the one that tells this story. Her name is Muse.—Flora is mothers favorite. She is so kind and compassionate. According to our mother, Flora is so perfect and treats every one of her siblings so nicely, and we should all follow her example.I would treat my siblings nice like her, but the thing is, I've tried that, it doesn’t work. Mother alwa...

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“THE LESSON OF DETACHMENT” by Feroz Tabassum

Submitted to Contest #92

Just like a ray of light , Ritzy had entered into the Sinha family when everybody had given up the dream of getting a heir who’ll be taking the responsibility of the entire property of the Sinhas. Ritzy’s arrival had filled the family with smiles. Being born in a rich and a well established family, Ritzy didn’t know what hard work is. She had got accustomed to the luxuries. Everyday, when she woke up, slippers were brought near to her feet before she stepped on the floor. Her clothes were brought from all over the world. Being the one ...

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“The death in dreams. ” by Nyx :)

Submitted to Contest #92

Maybelle ran through the woods. Tree branches scraping against her face. The floor cut her feet and gave her splinters. She ran through the forest trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her legs and the sweat and blood mixture dripping into her eyes. She didn't stop running. Not until her legs gave out.She collapsed on the mossy floor and hit her head. Her breathing began to get shorter and it was harder to breath. She started to see wight dots surrounding her. Pain rushed through her body. She tried to cry out in pain but nothing came out. ...

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“The Curse Of The Sun” by Radhika Diksha

Submitted to Contest #92

May 3rd, 1965. Greece.Lying on the warm sand, feeling the sensual yet soothing sun rays, smelling the humid sea air, hearing couples giggle, and dreaming of my childhood. My childhood was just like the sea, uncertain, stormy, and always uprising with problems. Still, I love to remember it, makes me realize the change in my life, lets me remind the good things; I have with me.I try to open my eyelids slowly, trying not to capture the harsh gaze of the sun, I scram through my picnic basket for my Laurel sunglasses. My fingers touch the soggy s...

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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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