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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#97: Window of Opportunity

Windows let us see and be seen. These openings to the outside world (or the indoors world, depending on where you’re standing) have been so important in connecting our individual isolations during the pandemic. And beyond their presence in our daily lives, windows frequently feature in art and cinema: from Edward Hopper’s famous paintings of nightly urban scenes to films like The Woman in the Window or The Neighbors’ Window, glimpses into the lives of others have always been a source of wonder and curiosity.

Speaking of which, wonder and curiosity are promising feelings to tap into when you're responding to this week’s prompts. Apart from the literal gazing in and out of windows, you can also pass through magic ones, or develop a story around a window-related event. And if you happen to passionately loathe windows, I’ve got a metaphorical one for you to get creative with. Have fun!

This week's prompts

Start your story with a character looking out of a window in the middle of the night.

Horror – 340 stories

Write a story in which a window is broken or found broken.

Dark – 142 stories

Write a story that involves a magic window — or a window like no other.

Fantasy – 154 stories

Start your story with an unexpected knock on a window.

Dark – 138 stories

Set your story within a window of opportunity, when a character finally has the chance to do something.

Middle School – 144 stories

Stories

“When Wendy Grew Up” by Moon Lion

Submitted to Contest #97

Knock knock. I froze, staring at the window, feeling my eyes bug out of my head. The hell?I blamed the coffee, the late nights, and my dad's smoking while I was in the womb for this hallucination. I probably imagined-Knock knock! "Hey! It's me!"I groaned in annoyance while my panic melted away. "Seriously?" Sweeping aside the curtain, I quietly pushed the window up, glaring at the sandy, curly-haired boy who stuck his head in."Hey, Wendy, long time no see!" Naturally, he spoke as loud as humanly possible."Peter, shh!" I clapped a hand over h...

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“sweltering” by R E

Submitted to Contest #97

CW: sexual harassment The tension that morning was palpable. It was in the air, hanging overhead like the summer sun; unrelenting and angry and pushing you forward no matter how lazily you wanted to stroll. It demanded movement, and yet, that movement made you dizzy.That’s how it felt waking up. Gasping for air, sticky with sweat. Needed to move. The cold shower offered the briefest relief, but I was hot by the time I hiked up my work skirt.The cold coffee just made my insides burn with anxiety, stomach jumbling with the...

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“Stained Glass” by Kathleen Fine

Submitted to Contest #97

I bend down and pick up the pieces of broken stained glass from the sidewalk in front of the church. Six pieces. Red. Orange. Blue. Pink. Green. Yellow. Colors of the rainbow. I wonder if Miss Angie can help me put them back together again. I could put them in the window in my room. “Dolores, get in the Van!” Sampson calls from the driver’s seat. I look around to make sure no one sees me with the glass in my hand, unsure where to put it. I don’t want no one telling me I can’t bring it home. I realize I don’t have no pockets in my lavende...

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“10,000 Letters” by Thom With An H

Submitted to Contest #97

Getting a good view of the night sky wasn’t easy for Kenny. He had only one window, and if he was in his bed, the only thing he could see was the drab, gray bricks of the building across the way. Undeterred, every night, he would pull his mattress to the ground and place it in the only spot that afforded him a glimpse of the stars. There wasn’t much for Kenny to be happy about, but his nightly trip to his makeshift observatory always lifted his spirits. Kenny’s routine had become so automatic he was sure he could actually see ...

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“The Snow Globe” by H L McQuaid

Submitted to Contest #97

The shards of glass glint, ragged daggers on the bedroom floor, as the voices taunting dirty Chalkers echo on the warm breeze flowing through the shattered window. Yasmine tries to calm her racing heart as she slides out of bed and sidles along the wall until she reaches the blue, threadbare curtains fluttering in the wind. Poking a pale finger between the wall and curtain, she lifts the fabric just enough to scan the street. No sound, no movement.“What was that noise, Mama?”She turns to see Eyla, barefoot in her nightgown, walking towards h...

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“I Await Thee Ravens, Among The Briars” by Charli Britton

Submitted to Contest #97

The bird flies at me, it’s sharp beak pointed at my eyes. It lunges and I duck, screaming. It’s talons get tangled in my long, golden brown waves. As it tries to fly away, I can feel some hairs giving way and snapping, allowing the bird to get farther into the sky. I yank at my hair, trying to untangle the raven, but it’s beak stabs at my hand, and I feel something cool leak over my skin. A second later pain follows, and I draw my hand back, examining the blood that pools over my light creamy skin, the two colors contrasting, almost re...

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“Window of Dreams” by Echo Sundar

Submitted to Contest #97

I sit perched on the window sill. My legs stretched out, book in my lap. The house is quiet, the only sounds are the wind blowing through the curtains and the chirp of the birds. Tendrils of warm air curl around my legs and beg me to come with them to run free be free. I run my fingers over the stained glass window, the glass-smooth like water. No one knows what color the window truly is. It changes based on where you're standing. Sometimes cool deep tones of blue calm ocean colors, others fiery reds and oranges, and sometimes a little bit o...

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“The Window” by Tom D

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #97

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Derek sighed heavily as he watched the rain roll slowly down the window pane. Outside, dark shadows of passers-by hurried across the street, clutching their coats close around their bodies in a vain attempt to keep out the bitter November wind. Empty crisp packets swirled and circled, higher then lower, before collecting with used cigarette butts and sweet wrappers in the gutters. A black crow hopped shabbily on the damp paving slabs, calling out dismally. Derek pulled his own cardigan tighter to his thin,...

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“The Neighbour's window” by Sanju Vikasini

Submitted to Contest #97

The sun disappeared behind the clouds. The leaves in the trees rustled due to the chill air. The clouds grew darker. The stars were twinkling in the night sky. It was a beautiful night time. Macy was awake after a long nap. She got up from her bed and poured the tea from the kettle. Her hands were so weak enough to hold the kettle frimly. The bonfire glowed upon her loosened skin. Her white hairs displayed clear sign of old age. As usual, she sat on the armchair kept in the balcony. Macy's evenings are the same everyday. The love birds in th...

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“Driving In The Pink Rain” by 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚝 ~

Submitted to Contest #97

The glimmering stars in the sky winked back at me through the rain-smothered window, forming pretty constellations I could name by heart. Pitter patter. The drops of water tried to cling onto the pane of glass, falling to their impending doom. The flowers down on my porch looked like splatters of paint, like something I would’ve painted while trying to imitate Pollock’s art in class. Pitter patter. The rain was hard, thudding down on everything like a giant stomping on a village. The cars on the road zipped past, different people going on th...

171 comments 171

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“A Bit Of Everything And Nothing” by A J

Submitted to Contest #97

The night had let down her curtains. One could see millions of brightly lit stars at close quarters, twinkling and giving the impression of a beautifully choreographed ballet. But it was the moon who stole the show. The moon was more beautiful than even the stars around. Everything seemed exquisite bathed in the mystic moonlight. A cool summer breeze blew, ruffling the leaves of a nearby olive tree. I quivered, feeling the wind on the back of my neck, a gentle caress on my skin. Unaccustomed to the freshness, my lungs jerkily expanded as I b...

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“two women ” by Abigail Airuedomwinya

Submitted to Contest #97

The woman grunted and folded her hands on her laps. Then, she leaned in and she gave her piece of advice. "On the subject of love matters, stay away. No one of those men is good." The other woman smiled and shook her head. "I don't think so, Nora." Nora snorted and raised her hands. The group leader was still talking but Nora would not drop her hands. It was against the rules to talk when the leader was still by the window giving her speech but they knew Nora and they knew she would not give up. "Nora?" the leader closed her eyes for a m...

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“calypse ” by Jubilee Forbess

Submitted to Contest #97

she’s putting up her clothes when her brother walks into the room, but he doesn’t say anything, just picks up a hanger from her bed and twists it around and around until it’s not a hanger, not a shape at all, anymore. she wants to ask if he’s okay but she knows the answer is a solid no and so she chomps down over her bottom lip and her top teeth stick out like they belong to a rabbit, or a hamster, or a very old man named hector. her brother takes the hanger and wraps the wire, now wasted and outstretched, around his wrist once, twice, three...

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“The Queen Anne Window” by Jon R. Miller

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #97

Someone had left the window dimmers off. The vermillion daylight lit up part of the parquet flooring in the shape of the bay window it shone through. I walked up to the window and gazed down blankly at cubical houses and mist-canals, much like my grandmother used to. Three mystics entered my view. Chanting soporific hymns to guide her consciousness on its ethereal flight, they sauntered, single file, like quivering bundles of indigo fabric. They marked their ritual circumambulation of our residence by flicking random streaks of phosphorescen...

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“The Stars” by Esther :)

Submitted to Contest #97

Alone. The word strikes me as I wait alone by the windowsill. The midnight fog is already starting to roll in, covering the streets of Manhattan.Alone, like the single star in the middle of the vast sky. I consider writing a poem about the star, maybe even talking to it. But I shut those thoughts down. I shut off any remnant of my peculiarity. “Only fools talk to stars,” Someone once told me, then they’d go on and on about how the whole world revolves around them. But Mom did. She talked to stars, she talked to the s...

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$50

Prize money

921

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jun 11, 2021 EST

Won by Claire Lindsey 🏆

Title: In situ

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.

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