Write a story in which the lines between awake and dreaming are blurred.

Posted in Fantasy on Jun 11, 2021

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✍️ 125 stories

“This Isn't Real ” by Brigid Mayer

Submitted to Contest #30

“If you take the pill, you will see him again,” The girl told me. I didn’t want to take it because I knew what the consequences were. I saw what the addiction had done to my mom. But I missed him more than I could handle and I was grasping at straws for survival. Ever since Alex was killed I have felt like I was losing my mind. He was the only one who wanted to survive this world with me. He was the only one who wanted to actually make it without falling victim to the pill and was I about to give that all up to see his face one m...

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“Six” by Brighton Muklebust

Submitted to Contest #30

I wander up past her throne and kneel down as I examine her nasty glare. The humming of the wind plays on repeat in the background, its sharp tune cutting into my brain. Her darting eye enters my soul paralyzing me, leadening the ambiance of the surrounding area. I stay on my knees, refusing to get up. She lingers above me waiting for me to make my first move. I don’t know her intentions or what she is hoping for. I focus my concentration back on the wind because it is more soothing than addressing my reality. Everything was striking me in t...

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“BLURRED REALITY” by Shirley Medhurst

Submitted to Contest #30

What am I to do? The door to the secret passageway I found earlier has vanished. I have already tried searching for the catch with one hand hidden surreptitiously behind my back whilst pretending to drink from my water glass. The entire painted wall is now a seamless solid panel. Access that way has been cut off! Whilst brushing my hair I use the opportunity to toss my head around, trying to appear nonchalant, but frantically scanning every corner of the room for other ideas. In the dark gloom of the night, outside the glass doors on the ba...

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“A Moment of Peace” by Ryan Lieb

Submitted to Contest #30

Darkness. Vibration. My consciousness filters in like grains of sand in an hourglass. I am floating (drifting) out to sea (off to sleep), a disembodied spirit travelling through cosmic space, and then all at once, I am whole. I cannot see (I can’t open my eyes) and I can barely breathe. The air is hot, thick, cruelly insufficient. I detect a mild sensation on my face. Pressure. My head is covered by a bag (I’m asleep on my stomach oh god I’m going to suffocate). Panic sets in, and I begin inhaling sharply, attempting to glean ...

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“A Spring Breeze in Winter” by Tori Routsong

Submitted to Contest #30

Corina woke up and her sheets, damp with cold sweat, clung to her body. Her dream still swam in her vision—the dizzying vertigo from the view off the bridge started to turn her stomach. She’d woken up right as she’d jumped, and yet she could still feel the wind on her face as she’d fallen. Her ragged breath echoed around the barren apartment. She couldn’t still her heartbeat, and she looked around wildly for Shoebox before remembering that she’d dropped her cat off at her new home yesterday before—wait, before what? As Corina closed her eye...

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“Sea the Moon” by Joshua G. J. Insole

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #30

The seagulls were weeping again. They had woken her from her sleep. It was funny, now that she thought about it. She’d also fallen asleep listening to their shrill pleas. It reminded her of the song her mother had sung to her as a baby. Sunset and sunrise, bird calls and bird cries.Simone rolled out of her bed, feeling the tidal roll of the world beneath her feet. Circles and orbs, circles and orbs, she thought, inanely, as she wobbled over to the window on legs that felt made of string. It’s all just circles and orbs. Or spheres. Is ‘sphere...

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“Mrs. Goodwin's House” by Gabrielle Gerstley

Submitted to Contest #30

She lived at the top of Toucan Hill in a mini mansion. The front entrance was designed with bushes in intricate swirls and a small fountain made of fish spouting curls of water. Quinn walked up the porch and rang the bell. Mrs. Goodwin answered in a long black silk robe which reached the floor. She hugged Quinn, purring Quinn’s name into her neck, sooo good to see you. The house was freezing. Mrs. Goodwin walked ahead of Quinn, her robe traipsing the floor, floating behind her. They passed the curved staircase adorned in a long red carpet, a...

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“Requiem Of The Split” by Amanda Chan

Submitted to Contest #30

Celeste was at her desk, about to doze off.The lecturer was talking about Thomas Hardy and John Keats. She knew nothing of poetry except for their names."Who was the person who broke off the yoke of slavery?"Celeste looked at her lecturer.She had no idea, but she would never admit it."Excuse me, what does that have to do with poetry?"One of her classmates raised his hand to ask."Five hundred dollars and twenty cents! Sold!"The cage was open, and the lioness pounced.She had been to the circus, and she was not ever going to return. On all four...

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“Corpse unscathed between worlds” by Kari Hyp

Submitted to Contest #30

You see me, that creature whom died committing suicide off the bridge near the pub. The creature whom-every twelve o’clock midnight- would creep ‘round the paved roads in agony. I was once human you know… Humans, humans. They betray their friends, stabbing them when they aren’t looking; they are so prideful as to storm their way out of the parking lot cause your ex-husband has cheated on you, but you’ve cheated on him also. What I ask is: why? Why would you out of all things in reincarnation, see ME. Me who’s left unscathed though I’ve been...

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“Searching San Saba” by Terrye Turpin

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #30

He chose San Saba because of Tommy Lee Jones. Two hours from their home in San Antonio, the place was a far enough drive to feel like a vacation. He pulled up the town’s website on his phone and showed Colleen, his wife, the images—a street lined with old-fashioned brick and stone buildings, pecan trees, a bridge over the Colorado river. “The hotel has a special rate for weekdays,” he said. “And there’s a winery nearby.” They couldn’t afford much more than that, Dennis Hardy had lost his job right after Christmas. Five months with no pr...

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“Lost in my head” by R. K.

Submitted to Contest #30

An automated voice tells me to step into the chamber. I enter, ducking a little to avoid hitting my head on the low frame. "Please stand still during this step, any unexpected movements will complicate the mind mapping process". I position myself so that I can remain motionless for the next five minutes. I am the last one remaining in my group to go through the machine so they will all be waiting for me to finish. I close my eyes as the buzzing noise closes in around me.What I and those ahead of me are doing today is vital for our survival i...

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“Wishbone ” by Dustin Softman

Submitted to Contest #30

A long triangular shadow had formed between the wall and the mirror. The closer I got the darker it became. By the time it was in arm’s reach the shaft had lost any discernible tone and the wall behind completely vanished. I reached out and picked it up. The shadow was surprisingly warm and soft to the touch, it reminded me of the old wishbones we used to leave out on the kitchen window sill to dry. It had that porous malleability of bone, it was strong but could be broken with enough intent. Nothing replaced the shadow, the area behind the...

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“Sea-dreams” by Mia Hunter

Submitted to Contest #30

On a Saturday afternoon, the doorbell rang loud and clear in the Stones’ residency.Suzanne, 18, was the only one at home and she rushed to the entrance.Her father hadn’t been home in a long time and that had her worried. Since no one visited the house anyways, Suzanne had every reason to believe that her father had returned.She opened the door with an expectant heart but was let down by the sight of two strangers instead. One tall and one short.“Hello, are you Miss Suzanne, daughter of John Stones?” Asked the taller, hefty guy. The short, fu...

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“A City of Stars” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #30

And then they spoke, saying: "Tell us about the lake."Problem being, he didn't much remember seeing one. He stood (or was it sitting, but suspended?) in the center of the room, feeling both lit and unlit, cast in darkness and at the same time basking in the brilliance of a thousand suns.And then they spoke again, and they said: "Tell us about the lake."He scratched his head and sighed. "Erm," he said. "Well, I . . . that is, it's, ah . . . it's deep. No, scratch that -- very deep. Right." He cleared his throat, his lips straining from the ef...

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“The Seed ” by Lola Rojas

Submitted to Contest #30

As I open my eyes, I am aware that I am standing in a garden. There is a house next to it, which I know is mine. I feel so comfortable out here that I decide to stay in the garden a while. I look up and I can see that the sky is many shades of orange and red. The sun is setting. It is dusk. The air feels warm like a summer day. I can feel the breeze on my skin delivering a gentle hug on behalf of my friend the sun. It wraps itself around me and says “I love you " before releasing me. I feel so content in this moment.&nbsp...

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Write a story in which the lines between awake and dreaming are blurred.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 125 stories

“This Isn't Real ” by Brigid Mayer

“Six” by Brighton Muklebust

“BLURRED REALITY” by Shirley Medhurst

“A Moment of Peace” by Ryan Lieb

“A Spring Breeze in Winter” by Tori Routsong

“Sea the Moon” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Mrs. Goodwin's House” by Gabrielle Gerstley

“Requiem Of The Split” by Amanda Chan

“Corpse unscathed between worlds” by Kari Hyp

“Searching San Saba” by Terrye Turpin

“Lost in my head” by R. K.

“Wishbone ” by Dustin Softman

“Sea-dreams” by Mia Hunter

“A City of Stars” by Arthur Tiberio

“The Seed ” by Lola Rojas

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which someone finds a secret passageway.

Write a story about someone who loses their cat.

Write a story about someone who receives an unexpected phone call.

Write a story about a character experiencing déjà vu.

Contest #30

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

357

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: