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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

“power cut” by Wirda Bibi

Submitted to Contest #92

Adina was sitting in the lounge. All her books and copies were scattered around her. She could listen to her sister calling her but she ignored it. She opened a book and noted something in her register, then she took that book called physics again and start reading it. Someone passed by her, kicking her pouch which stumbled at the corner of the room. She didn’t care. She looked depressed as she opened her notebook, took the pen which was safely tucked inside it and started writing, while she complained to her dearest sister, Anna, who was si...

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“Symptoms of the Sun” by Fidelis Marine

Submitted to Contest #92

Why is it every time I go outside during the day I sneeze? No matter what building I come out of, no matter what vehicle I come out of, I sneeze upon entering sunlight. It's not just one sneeze either, it's two or three in succession. Oh, and no matter what, when I am outside in the sun, I change color! Now, if I just go out for a few minutes, it is not very noticeable, but the longer I stay out, the worse it gets. Depending on the length of time I am outside, I can range from pink to dark red, and I have witnessed others with the same ski...

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“In Broad Daylight” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #92

Sometimes I make lists. And those around me look on that with indulgence. It is something harmless for me to do. I make lists of things like cities with interesting sounding names (for some reason I am especially fond of Karachi and Malmo and Harare – I know a bit about the cities, but it is just for the sound of the names) or other words for walking – like striding or pacing or shuffling or strutting. I make lists either in the dim glow of a computer screen, or in perpetual twilight in a notebook with grey paper, crouched over it. I am quit...

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“An Autumn Night Tragedy” by Calee Douglas

Submitted to Contest #92

It was Autumn, almost Winter, and bitterly cold. Brandon and I sat across from each other inside his warm cottage, enjoying hot chocolate, and talking about his latest story. “I just can’t find the right motivation for my story’s killer.” He blurted out. “Well, people don’t just kill without reason. Do they?” “Maybe you’re right,” he started, thinking of what to say next. “But how am I supposed to come up with my murderer’s motivation if I don’t have any motivation?” “Very funny.” I chuckled softly and then looked out the window. The s...

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“The Deadly Truth” by Trina Ann Pion 🍀🌹🍀

Submitted to Contest #92

Drunken chatter and ear-splitting laughter filtered through the blaring music as I marveled at a diamond sprinkled sky, hugging myself. A warm buzz coursed through my veins from the shots of vodka my boyfriend begged me to take earlier that night. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but he was adamant about me having a good time, and convinced a few drinks would accomplish just that. I dreaded the idea of having a party for my twentieth birthday—especially miles up north, in a village where I knew only a handful of people. It had given me anxie...

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“Star-Shaped Pieces” by Keri Dyck

Submitted to Contest #92

I am an astronaut. I have just flicked the last in a well-practiced dance of buttons and levers while the voice counted off in my helmet. I am acutely aware of the scores of technicians doing the same thing in the office below. Some of them have fingers shaking and damp with sweat, while others are firm and cold in concentration. Mine are neither. I am prepared. But then the countdown ends, and I feel the shift in pressure. My body threatens to leave my innards behind as the shuttle begins to shake. I grip the arm rests of my chair, growing ...

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“Night Owl” by Rebecca Lefkoff

Submitted to Contest #92

Night Owl I don’t sleep much; never have. I remember Momma telling me to just close my eyes. “Little girls need their rest,” she would whisper as she slipped from my bedroom. But I would lie in my small canopy bed staring at the lilac ruffles above me and cry in frustration because I could not obey her. Eventually I realized that it did not matter, sleep is not all it is cracked up to be. Tonight, instead of tears of frustration, I lay listening to the night sounds of my house. Ben, my husband, lays next to me. As usual, he has twisted...

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“ Anne-Marie Fleming's Final Days By Jade Stouffer” by Karri Stouffer

Submitted to Contest #92

Dear Journal, 10 days I went to the doctor today to find out I have stage IV cancer. Just two months ago I went in and it was stage II. When I was young I faced cancer, and they did chemo. I thought I defeated cancer for good, but stage IV... I am a goner. I was supposed to be Anne-Marie, the girl who overcame cancer twice. The doctors tried chemo, radiation, you name it. Nothi...

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“The Orphanage is Drowning” by Anna Mosqueda

Submitted to Contest #92

The power went out at exactly 10:37, leaving us in complete and total darkness. I carried my bulky bed comforter and pillow to my brother’s room, easing between the cool floor and my warm blanket. I shivered in the silence. If only I knew how long the silence would last. *** When I woke up in the morning, the floor wasn’t cold, it was wet. From my surprise, I sat up quickly, sloshing the water that surrounded me. “Dixon!” My brother stirred on his dry bed, his breathing becoming normal as he slightly opened his eyes. “Dixon, there...

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“Pitch Black” by Marie Bishop

Submitted to Contest #92

*Warning* slightly rude joke towards the end. The gentle drip, drip drip of the liquid was the only sound in the room. Neil pushed his glasses up and leaned down to look at the amber liquid collecting in the bottom-most flask. “Experiment 345” he mumbled to no one. Every failed experiment had been another step towards a cure. He had to find a cure. Time was running out. Leaving the liquid Neil circled the small clean room. Five months he had been locked down here, while above him a virus like no other savaged the land. Families turning on ...

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“Leave A Light On” by Zoey Hailey

Submitted to Contest #92

*Zoey’s Note* Hey guys! So for this week’s Reedsy, I’m going to be discussing a topic that may be a little bit darker for most of you: depression. I’ve been coping with serious mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, social anxiety, and trauma since fourth grade, and I feel like I just need to spread awareness. This story is meant to help others who feel like they have nothing to live for and no one to turn to to assure them that they are not alone; no one is. At least one person is experiencing something similar t...

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“Snowpocalypse” by Michelle Price

Submitted to Contest #92

Elle was locking up for the night she was the last one to leave she had just set the alarm when the rain came she hurried down the street in the dark of 3am, which in the city was not that dark. As she entered her apartment she turned on the weather, it was noise. The man was talking about the storm lasting three days and becoming a wintry mix as the temperature continued to plummet. She picked up her cell phone and sent a text to her morning manager telling him not to come in due to the weather. Texans did not drive in this stuff well. T...

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“The Girl” by Alexa Mae Pecora

Submitted to Contest #92

"There were twelve of them," the girl swallows, her lower lip trembling. "And their faces?" Silence falls upon the room, seeming to be choking the girl. "No," her eyes flit from the floor to the man's awaiting eyes, to the limp rope in her hands, "the faces?" The investigator nods his head. He looks at me, obviously very annoyed. I gave him my opinion and told him what would be best, but he didn't take the advice that is of vital importance to this matter. "You look at me like it's my fault," I accuse harshly. "Well-"...

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“Love in the Darkness” by Katie Ingold

Submitted to Contest #92

***Warning: Some adult content***The whisper of skin against silk, a quiet gasp, a soft sigh. I listened for what I couldn’t see. Darkness surrounded me. A familiar friend—one who visited me often. The one I looked forward to as the blackness covered me. The one whose silky touch was nothing but a figment of my imagination. Or so they said.Every day, I watched the clock tick the seconds away. I willed the sun to move faster across the sky and lower behind the edges of the landscape. Waited for the last ray to wink out of existence and hide u...

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“Ana's Vow” by Hazel Marigold

Submitted to Contest #92

She didn’t know what she was doing until she had bitten her nails almost down to the bone. I couldn’t do anything but watch in horror as Giselle nipped at her cuticles, the aura around her more horrifying than I could explain in my mind. She needed a true distraction. That night, I drink my first shot of alcohol. Giselle is beside me at the bar, crying into her hands, and I wish I could hug her as she hiccups. “A-Ana, what am I going to do?” she wails, her voice barely audible over the roar of the music around us. “My parents hate me...

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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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