Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Posted in Fiction on Mar 10, 2023

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✍️ 41 stories

“The Captain and the Stowaway” by Max French

Submitted to Contest #189

A grizzled old sea dog with a long, grey beard peered down at the unexpected visitor that had somehow found its way onto his boat. "Ahoy there, ya orange devil," he growled suspiciously. "What shenanigans have landed you scurrying about my boat?"The fox gave a slight bow, its eyes glinting with mischief. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I've simply gotten lost somehow."The skipper relaxed his shoulders, sighing. "No need for apologies, but could you tell me how a critter like yourself got lost out here?""I was trying to cross the ocean;...

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“The Yellow Washcloth” by Carina Caccia

Submitted to Contest #189

A cloud of steam rises from the whistling coals as Zhen Chao screws the lid onto his water bottle. He returns to the wooden bench, folding his long legs beneath him, and the sizzle slowly dies away like the distant hiss of crickets. A drop of sweat trickles down his neck where it finds his chest, fine black hair dotted with white bean sprouts; his father also went grey in his thirties. In order to give you this life, he’d say, which was his excuse for everything, for his absence, further justified by his consistent return every Spring Festiv...

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“Yuki-Kitsune, the Snow Fox” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #189

Minokichi is a young boy who lives on a hillside farm in Shirakawa-go. Every day he leaves his slant-roofed house to tread over a mile to go to school in the village. All the farmhouse roofs are steep to help them withstand the copious amounts of snow Shirakawa-go receives every year. However, because they live so high up in the mountains, snow storms can spring up unexpectedly, quickly dropping several inches of snow. Knowing this, Minckichi’s father ensures his son always has some essential survival tools in his ...

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“If Only It Had Been Wind in the Bells” by Sage E. Seever

Submitted to Contest #189

(Sequel to, Might as Well Have Been Wind in the Bells) I stand peacefully in my grove of cherry blossoms, eyes closed as the petals fall on my face, soft and gentle as the morning breeze that blows them. I sway slightly, trying to become one with the environment. The soft green grass beneath my bare feet, the elegant trees surrounding me, even the simple home behind me. The furin ring out, clear and sweet across my domain, the sound easily caught in my vulpine ears. I turn swiftly around just as the warning chimes of my wind bells begin to e...

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“The Waitress” by Charlotte Hamlett

Submitted to Contest #189

It was a cold January evening. The spirit stood on the cliff in awe of the sunset that glittered above the evergreen trees. Hearing footsteps crunching the leaves, it jumped back into the forest. That is what Timon Knight, an intelligent nature lover, wrote in his diary that day. He was visiting Korea to relax, but also to learn about new creatures. Timon had no wife or children, but he didn’t need anyone else in his life for his one true love was Mother Nature. Eighteen years ago he earned his degree in wildlife biology from Harvard Univer...

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“The Cognac Remedy ” by Sandra Russo

Submitted to Contest #189

The 2011 Ford Fiesta known for its custom paint, The yellow blaze, sped into the parking lot and squeal to an abrupt stop in the Employee of the Month parking Spot. Gerald grabbed his lanyard with his key card attached and while heading to the security door, he clicked his key fob and securely locked the Yellow Blaze. A small portly man was standing beside the key swipe as Gerald approached. “Do you work here??” the man sharply demanded. “What do you think!” Gerald laughed as he swiped his key card and grabbed the door handle. “F...

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“Tricking the Fox Spirit” by Sally Bennett Boyington

Submitted to Contest #189

Dalnim the Moon Goddess sipped her tea as she gazed over the rim of the delicate porcelain cup at rough-bearded Odin. When the fragrant tea was finished, she said, “Your suggestion is working beautifully. The starry vault has not been so peaceful since the day the Fox Spirit came yelping into existence.” She smiled at the Norse god seated cross-legged on the other side of the ornately carved wooden table. “You give me too much credit.” Odin swigged his mead, then lowered the pewter tankard. Sticky mead dribbled down the tails of his mustach...

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“The Kumiho, the Fox Bead, and the Garlic Teriyaki Tempeh with Broccoli ” by Benja Catton

Submitted to Contest #189

*Some sensitive themes: violence, sexual overtones, alcohol use* Layers and highlights and lots of cleavage. The girl would probably have described her expression as “pouty” or “playful,” but to him it suggested lightly bearing down for a bowel movement. Ryan Huntsman swiped left. It’s definitely not her, he thought. He swiped left again. He hardly ever swiped right. His friends liked to tease him and ask why he even bothered browsing the options, but he thought there had to be at least one in this city. They thought the app was just eatin...

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“Tail As Old As Time” by Augustine Maddox

Submitted to Contest #189

“I will answer one question for you,” The girl lifted a finger for emphasis. “Today. Tomorrow, if you can find me again, you may ask another. In return, for each question, you will listen to one of my tales.” If I can find you? I thought wryly. Her shrine wasn’t exactly hidden. It wasn’t visible from the road, sure, but I wasn’t going to get lost trying to find it. Her offer was…intriguing. I was certainly curious about her. I’d discovered her shrine quite by accident, wandering around an old abandoned park. Imagine my surprise when I foun...

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“The ghost detective 2：Shadow of nine tails” by Will Chu

Submitted to Contest #189

People have long been afraid to walk or fish in the park because of the exhumation of bodies.Even the park rangers try to get out of here before dark.But crossing the park is the quickest way to get from school to the most residential street so many students take this route to save time.Frank walked through the wood. He was now halfway through.Suddenly, a white mist filled the trees.But Frank felt it instinctively. He did not dislike the smell.Snap.Behind Frank came the crack of a branch.He whirled around.In front of him, there appeared a sc...

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“Luck of the Kitsune” by Rachel Kimoto

Submitted to Contest #189

The day my obachan, my grandmother, died was the worst day of my life. She was my first and best friend and the person I ran to whenever life got complicated. She made me feel better, even when I struggled with my parents or did poorly in school. Even when I was bullied, she'd find a snarky way to turn it on the other person. I remember sleeping over at her house, and we'd stay up late watching movies, and she always made me hot cocoa with seven marshmallows. She said seven was my lucky number. I would tell her everything going on in my life...

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“Baijiu” by Eva Bernal

Submitted to Contest #189

She curled her tails around her body and sighed. The rain was heavy and clouded her brain. She tried all at once to be both warm and cool. While this was a summer’s storm, the cave in which she laid was chilly. She never was fond of the cold despite her heavy fur. She shifted now, nestling deeper into despondency. She closed her eyes and let the sound of the rain take her to dream. When the storm stopped a few hours later, the heat began to creep in, creating a slow warm mist filling the cavern. She yawned and began to break from her slumb...

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“"The Gumiho's Journey: A Tale of Love, Friendship, and Acceptance"” by Surbhi Arya

Submitted to Contest #189

Once upon a time, in the misty mountains of Korea, there lived a beautiful and cunning fox spirit, known as a gumiho. She had nine tails, each representing her strength and wisdom, and could transform herself into any form she desired. For centuries, she lived a solitary life, observing the world from a distance, until one day, fate intervened. The gumiho was out hunting when she heard a soft whimpering coming from a nearby clearing. Curious, she followed the sound and discovered a small human child, abandoned and alone. The gumiho approac...

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“Ashes to Ashes” by ML David

Submitted to Contest #189

The paw prints disappeared into the snow. They were buried beneath the falling flakes faster than she could chase them. Her own prints faded, too, as she left them behind. She'd taken off so quickly she hadn't thought to grab gloves, or a hat, or anything more than her coat. The tip of her nose tingled now as it went numb with cold. She couldn't find the fox. She trudged through the open fields of snow towards the neighbors’ land. There weren't many places to hide in these fields. Not a tree on the dusky horizon, no accepting arms ...

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“The Hen House” by Skye See

Submitted to Contest #189

It was a day much like any other when we discovered that a psychotic murderer was targeting our chickens. “I found her in the west field,” Minho said, his eyes shining with rage. He loomed over the three of us—our mother, Eunkyung, and me—and dropped a mauled chicken in the middle of the breakfast table. This was unfortunate for many reasons, but mostly because I wasn’t done eating. Eunkyung pulled her plate away and shot Minho a withering look. She hadn’t escaped the blast radius—a few bloody feathers dusted her shoulders. “What...

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Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 41 stories

“The Captain and the Stowaway” by Max French

“The Yellow Washcloth” by Carina Caccia

“Yuki-Kitsune, the Snow Fox” by Ralph Aldrich

“If Only It Had Been Wind in the Bells” by Sage E. Seever

“The Waitress” by Charlotte Hamlett

“The Cognac Remedy ” by Sandra Russo

“Tricking the Fox Spirit” by Sally Bennett Boyington

“The Kumiho, the Fox Bead, and the Garlic Teriyaki Tempeh with Broccoli ” by Benja Catton

“Tail As Old As Time” by Augustine Maddox

“The ghost detective 2：Shadow of nine tails” by Will Chu

“Luck of the Kitsune” by Rachel Kimoto

“Baijiu” by Eva Bernal

“"The Gumiho's Journey: A Tale of Love, Friendship, and Acceptance"” by Surbhi Arya

“Ashes to Ashes” by ML David

“The Hen House” by Skye See

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.

Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Contest #189

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

281

Contest entries

121

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: