Write a magical realism story that takes place in the Wild West.

Posted in Fantasy on Mar 1, 2021

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✍️ 51 stories

“The Pouch” by Joseph Larsen

Submitted to Contest #24

In the spring of 1870, Larry Blackmore was arguably one of the worst pool players in New York City. He had gotten the bug shooting pool on the table in the back of Johansson’s dry goods and religiously lost his 5-cent allowance every week until he graduated to playing in Darby’s pool hall where he lost every dime he earned working as a stable boy at the local livery. It became a tradition. Paid at 5pm, broke at 9pm. I mean to tell you, this kid had no stroke. He could no more put together a string of balls than fly to the moon....

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“Rhyolite Remembers” by Rachel Judd

Submitted to Contest #24

The violent inward swing of the batwing doors caused every head in the saloon to swivel towards the entrance There was no fear or anxiety in the dozen of so eyes that came to rest on Deputy William Dillinger’s serious face, only burning curiosity. Rhyolite was a peaceful town, after all. Distractions were a hot commodity. Dillinger’s eyes met those of Father Wyatt Hardin who sat alone in a corner with his tattered King James. “The Sheriff’s awake Father.” A salacious smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He paused a moment, his tee...

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“The Iron Guard” by Ed Willey

Submitted to Contest #24

Al exited the hotel at 11 am on the dot. He was very particular about his punctuality. He tucked the medallion that hung around his neck out of sight beneath his shirt and stepped down off the wooden veranda on to the main street of Colby.Al enjoyed his job, but things had got more complicated in recent years. And much more dangerous for sure. Being an ‘Iron Guard’ — so-called thanks to the ‘Iron Horse’ trains whose cargo he was to protect — paid well, but many he’d known had long since retired, and not always voluntarily. With fewer folk on...

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“Dragon Fruit” by Isabel Rocha

Submitted to Contest #24

The terrifying noise of hooves along the rocky road belonging to the Beckers' court became closer and closer. "Goddamn it they're ganging on us, Butch!" Austin, a bard from the east, shrieked. He could feel his impending doom but, what would it be? Beheading? The electric chair? Maybe even torture. "It's fine ok? I got this!" Butch said as he closed his eyes, soon after which a stampede of wild mustangs came riding beside the unruly couple. Butch chanted something in a norse language and the horses dispersed behind them. Austin seemed to be ...

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“Lily's Travellers Inn” by Judy McIntosh

Submitted to Contest #24

Lily poured four beers and set them on the wooden tray. She made her way over to the table where the men sat. They were strangers in town and for some reason she felt a suspicion creep over her.''Nella, can you watch the guests for a bit? I'm just going upstairs.''She nodded at her boss with a knowing smile.In the bedroom, Lily stood before an ornate full length mirror.Suddenly, the reflection of this beautiful young woman morphed into a young boy. He was dressed like any other boy in town. He adjusted his soft cap and returned downstairs.As...

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“Wyatt Earp and the Medicine Man” by Rylee Elizabeth

Submitted to Contest #24

An armadillo curls into a ball and rolls away. Tumbleweeds sweep across the landscape. The sun is burning, nestled above the western horizon. The plains are barren, more likely to be called a desert. Dust is swept up in the wind and brought over the terrain before settling a few miles away. A Medicine Man makes his way through the unrelenting conditions. His skin ablaze after enduring the heat of the sun for many days, and sleeping on the sand for many nights. He is old, born with the earth, grown with the trees, and he will die with the uni...

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“The Passenger” by John Ash

Submitted to Contest #24

When the passenger, carrying a leather knapsack with the gold initials FK on it and a passport sticker showing the bearer was traveling from Prague to San Francisco, departed the train onto a rickety platform separating the tracks from a one-story, faded wood plank station, with no other buildings in sight, eerily identified by a sign hanging at a cockeyed angle, that read Desert^ion Springs; the “ion” added, to affirm what was plainly obvious. If a rattlesnake greets the passenger on the platform, but the passenger, not seeing the snake, g...

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“Artisan” by F. J. Talley

Submitted to Contest #24

Artisan We all saw him come in to town. All dressed in a long black coat, crisp white shirt and a tall top hat. I marveled at how white his shirt was, leading his cart around the dusty street. As he walked into town, he didn’t say much, just inquired about empty space among and by the storefronts, finally finding a spot he liked. The only person he talked to much was the sawmill man, Oscar. Oscar told us the man walked to his place and asked for just so many and so long of plain boards: didn’t tell Oscar what he wanted them for, and was...

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“The Hunter” by Jordan Ross

Submitted to Contest #24

The Hunter Dawn 7 AM two armed men stand outside an old abandoned town on top of a plateau. One Sherriff and one Bounty hunter. They have tracked a particularly dangerous criminal to this area. The town Is surrounded on all sides by a large sand stone wall with a large gate in the center. Its half destroyed as if one side of it has been ripped off.Sherriff maloy and the Hunter approach the gate slowly in anticipation of an attack. The Bounty that they are chasing is a Man known as “Calamity Sam” the gunslinging Warlock. He’s been a...

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“The Mercantile Shop” by Jessi Echevarria

Submitted to Contest #24

She looked up at the empty sky, lifted her hand to shield her eyes, and decided she would stop once she reached Salt River. She calculated she was a half day or more north of Goldfield, a major gold mining town. She could almost hear the river over the noise of her horse’s hooves hitting the rocky path, and she looked around to enjoy the last moments of solitude that the road provided.She clicked at Tumbleweed, and tapped her heels into his belly, “Only a little further Tum.” Tumbleweed’s ears folded backwards to acknowledge he heard he...

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“Miles Apart, but so close” by SKYLIAR CRAWFORD

Submitted to Contest #24

It started on that very day. The day the world was starting to change and everything around me seemed to go full throttle without any remorse for what was happening. It couldn't have been something so simple like horses going extinct or new ways of transport being found. No.It started with a headache that came to me out of no where. People around me whispering. It was shortly after that I realized that things around me were floating around the ground was shaking. The wood buildings around were starting to shift and fall apart. I didn't know ...

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“Ghost Town” by Chad Lehrmann

Submitted to Contest #24

Dry Hollow Arizona doesn't seem like much, and really, it isn't.About a dozen wooden structures line the only street in town. Most of them are vacant. The Sheriff's office definitely is. So is the clinic, the church, and the dry goods store. No one in Dry Hollow needs anything from those places. They are all dead.Most of them, anyway.The saloon is open- it is the honey to draw the fly into the trap. And it works well. Over the last six months, five of the West's top gunslingers have come to Dry Hollow to test ...

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“Red Ghost ” by ALLISON FRANCIS

Submitted to Contest #24

The town was silent as Decker Carr led his horse down the dusty street of Pistolcross. The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the canyon horizon. The wooden buildings seemed to have a red glow. Decker had patrolled the endless and empty desert for days. This was the first town he had come across. But where was everyone? As Decker traveled further down the street, he began to hear the uplifting sound of a piano coming from the lit building. He co...

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“The Ropes” by Geraldine Treacy

Submitted to Contest #24

THE ROPESby Geraldine Treacy “Have you lost your mind? Are you telling me you’re traveling across the country to meet a strange man you met over the internet who says he’s a realtor?” “Mom, trust me. I’ve got good vibes about him. We’ve been e-mailing for weeks.” The next day, with Mom’s words of warning relegated to my subconscious, I packed a bag and left my home in Pennsylvania for my fl...

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“Living One Target At A Time” by Lucy Yvonne

Submitted to Contest #24

Janet staggered in, the crooked, batwing doors banging behind her punctuated her dramatic entrances. A few heads looked up, hands straying from their powder compacts briefly in concern which soon morphed into thinly veiled annoyance once they saw that Janet hadn’t burst in because she had been distressed. Shaking their heads in exasperation, the occupants of the storage room returned to their business.Janet spared a single glance and then burst out,“I need Noel. Right now! Where is she?” Her hands tugged at her corset in impatience until she...

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Write a magical realism story that takes place in the Wild West.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 51 stories

“The Pouch” by Joseph Larsen

“Rhyolite Remembers” by Rachel Judd

“The Iron Guard” by Ed Willey

“Dragon Fruit” by Isabel Rocha

“Lily's Travellers Inn” by Judy McIntosh

“Wyatt Earp and the Medicine Man” by Rylee Elizabeth

“The Passenger” by John Ash

“Artisan” by F. J. Talley

“The Hunter” by Jordan Ross

“The Mercantile Shop” by Jessi Echevarria

“Miles Apart, but so close” by SKYLIAR CRAWFORD

“Ghost Town” by Chad Lehrmann

“Red Ghost ” by ALLISON FRANCIS

“The Ropes” by Geraldine Treacy

“Living One Target At A Time” by Lucy Yvonne

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story set in the dark recesses of space where the two main characters are often at odds with each other in humorous and comedic ways.

Write a sweeping romantic tale of two lovers who must overcome the horror of being hunted by an unseen foe.

Write a murder mystery with an amateur sleuth who must navigate a fantastical world in a quest to discover the truth.

Write a thrilling adventure of a special agent who is harboring a paranormal secret.

Contest #24

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

293

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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