Your character picks up a fallen leaf and can’t believe what they discover underneath it. What happens next?

Posted in Fall on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 38 stories

“A Leaf Snowballs” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #118

Nadine wouldn’t have even noticed the giant leaf, yellow with brown spots like a gracefully aging banana, if her three-year-old son hadn’t recently become obsessed with the leaves on the ground during the walk home from her mother’s apartment when she picked him up in the evening. Yesterday he had spent ten minutes comparing shapes and relative sizes of yellow triangular ginkgo leaves and mastering the pronunciation of “gingko”. She wasn’t sure what type of tree this huge leaf had com...

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“MAPLES AND MEMORIES” by Joy A

Submitted to Contest #118

(TW: Bereavement and grief)With his face turned heavenwards and his right hand grasping a dried maple leaf, Andres struggled with his thoughts as he stood in their favorite park, under their favorite tree. How did it come to this?Only three hours ago, he was strolling through the park, humming a tune to himself as he enjoyed the gentle warmth of the Sun. Suddenly, his azure eyes spotted something on the bench that was under the maple tree Iris loved so much. He moved towards the tree, his eyes fixed on the brown item. As he got to the bench,...

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“THE TINY SILVER BELL” by Mara Masolini

Submitted to Contest #118

THE TINY SILVER BELL The leaf was settled, stretched out, with the tips of its lobes upright, on the bench , right next to her, who only noticed it when she get up. It was a five lobed maple leaf , whose predominant color was reddish, which had almost completely eliminated the green. It was autumn and under the trees, in the meadows, in the gardens, but also on the roads and the city streets there were many leaves , there were carpets of fallen leaves. That one, perhaps carried by the wind, lay on the bench as if it...

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“The Dying Season” by Shannon Ethel

Submitted to Contest #118

It’s still dark out when the call comes in. Some dog walker got a surprise on their morning jaunt, their prized terrier sniffing out a body laying a few feet off the street. The sun’s just peeking its rays out by the time Officer Blake gets out of the car, feeling a little tender from his 4:30 start and no coffee to comfort him.Muddy leaves practically carpet the sides of the road, colouring everything in muted browns. There’s a fine sheen of frost on the ground already, like winter decided autumn wasn’t dying fast enough for it. It's only j...

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“The Scattering” by Ben Rounds

Submitted to Contest #118

It was the sort of day that the native Vermonters of her youth would have described as crisp, and left it at that. However, Susan’s less taciturn spirit delineated, noting that it was chill to the verge of being cold, that the sky was as blue as a new robin’s egg and the air thin. It felt rarefied in her lungs and the deep breaths she took for the pleasure of nuance, inhaling the crushed leaves, unmown hay and deer musk which, taken together, almost constituted a potpourris, were a necessity as much as an indulgence. It was as...

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“Window Through Time ” by Marley Monroe

Submitted to Contest #118

These walks through the park a few blocks from our apartment had become the thing I treasured most the past few months. As time had gone on, Amber and I had forgotten how to exist in the same space. It was as though the connection between us was a foreign language we were both slowly forgetting, but neither of us were willing to admit it was happening. Each day, she grew harder to read. Where once I knew how she was feeling with a simple shift in her breathing or a hidden smile tucked away in her voice, now she could be writing her feelings ...

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“Under The Oak Leaf” by Karen Gendusie

Submitted to Contest #118

Karen J. Keim 4668 N. Spring Dr. Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 805-819-1333 kjgendusie@gmail.com November 5, 2021 Writing Contest C.2024 words Fiction entry Under The Oak Leaf by Karen J. Keim Dead /ded/ the state of no longer existing; without breath, perhaps still with some brain activity; no longer a threat; of zero value; the moment of the greatest darkness. It was a crowded Saturday morning at O’Leary’s Bean and Pub. No surprise to her, she allowed a tall man leaving to hold open the door for her to en...

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“OPPORTUNITIES” by Alyson Hutchinson

Submitted to Contest #118

CW: Death. I kick my feet through the piles of dead, April leaves. They crunch under my feet, the crackling noise scratching an unreachable part of my wounded soul, offering a little relief. My friends have begun referring to me as hopeless. I bet Sean’s friends aren’t bartering for him to leave the house. No, he seemed plenty fine when he packed his bags, no warning and walked out of our engagement, our house, our life. Walked out on me. I huff and trudge further down the path, I’d only gone on this walk to escape my mother, who I had moved...

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“Sea Scales” by Dakota Nugent

Submitted to Contest #118

Risk walked along the coast of the abandoned coastline. Her boat and fellow crew-members were far back at where they made landfall. On their way back to their homeland, the lookout had spotted an unfamiliar island in the distance. Despite traveling this route for years, the Captain had admitted that he’d never even seen such a place. The trees were tall with wide, fan-like leaves that swayed in the gentle wind. The second Risk had set foot on the island, it had felt like the temperature had been raised significantly. Still humid beyond belie...

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“The Ruby Red Leaf” by Chuck Canady

Submitted to Contest #118

The Ruby Red Leaf “Dad, where is he?” my six year old son whined? “I don’t know, Tommy. But we will find him.” I glanced over at him. “We will find him,” I repeated. We had been driving around the neighborhood for hours. My old truck was dangerously low on gas. I was exhausted and stiff. If we happened to find our missing dog, I wasn’t sure I would be able to get out of the truck to get him. But I was certain I wouldn’t have to – Tommy would be out of the truck in a flash. He and the dog woul...

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“ALOHA TREASURE” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #118

Leaning against the car, I was still quite taken with surprise on finding such a treasure. The golden bracelet I held reflected the sunlight, glimmering with a rainbow of colors, as I kept turning it. There was a name interestingly imbedded across one area around the bracelet with what seemed to be jet black enamel. The lettering was an Old English style design quite common centuries ago. This mystery piece of jewelry was something I had never seen before because of its intricacy but I could tell it was an heirloom due to the aged patina qua...

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“Selvana” by David Fyne

Submitted to Contest #118

Mother says my brother is sick. The stones, cut slate, are set firm into the earth; they do not budge as I race towards the town of Bayle. To either side of me runs the wall. It is crumbling, but still high. My footfalls are mostly silent, but they are enough to startle a raven into flight. The leaves, though turned for autumn, have yet to fall from the trees. Filtered through them the morning’s light is honey-colored, dripping into puddles on the forest floor. The crisp air sears my windpipe and squeezes m...

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“Orange Hook Moss” by Pako Dunwhile

Submitted to Contest #118

Chloe listened to her footsteps as she walked through the wooded area. She reveled in the peace being in her home away from home. As a combat veteran, the forest preserve's serenity offered a reprieve from the memories of her overseas deployment. From the position of park supervisor, she maintained a more thorough familiarity with the grounds than anyone. Chloe accepted the important responsibility of preserving the park’s natural splendor. She surveyed last night’s unexpected storm damage, one that caught local meteorologists off guard...

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“Flying in Fall” by Lola Borchardt

Submitted to Contest #118

The rain had stopped and there was a slight mist. I shivered and pulled my jacket tighter around me. My breath steamed in the cold late fall air. I hurried up wanting to get home quicker. Suddenly I was flying through the air, my blonde hair tickling my face. I landed in a pile of leaves. I opened my eyes and there was a purple glowing leaf. I sat up and picked it up and suddenly a bunch of wind burst out of the ground and it was purple. Then it stopped. I walked shakily to the lake. I looked at my reflection. “ Oh god.” I muttered. My norma...

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“The Leaf” by Vanesa Carballea

Submitted to Contest #118

Stephenson passed his hand over the cold iron seat of the park bench littered with leaves. Settling back, he occupied the middle section and stretched out so that no one would be compelled to sit next to him. The dreary day juxtaposed to the joyful park goers with all their enthusiasm over the first authentically autumn day of the season made for a perplexing scene. He tilted his head back and stared into the overcast sky, breathing in deeply until his whole world became gray. The laughter of children and barking of dogs was drowned out ...

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Your character picks up a fallen leaf and can’t believe what they discover underneath it. What happens next?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 38 stories

“A Leaf Snowballs” by Maria Avisal

“MAPLES AND MEMORIES” by Joy A

“THE TINY SILVER BELL” by Mara Masolini

“The Dying Season” by Shannon Ethel

“The Scattering” by Ben Rounds

“Window Through Time ” by Marley Monroe

“Under The Oak Leaf” by Karen Gendusie

“OPPORTUNITIES” by Alyson Hutchinson

“Sea Scales” by Dakota Nugent

“The Ruby Red Leaf” by Chuck Canady

“ALOHA TREASURE” by Debbie Curtin

“Selvana” by David Fyne

“Orange Hook Moss” by Pako Dunwhile

“Flying in Fall” by Lola Borchardt

“The Leaf” by Vanesa Carballea

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with “Today’s the day I change.”

Write about a character, animal or human, who is reborn as something totally different.

Write your story from the perspective of an outsider watching something or someone change.

Set your story during a sudden change of season.

Contest #118

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

205

Contest entries

140

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: