Write a fable inspired by a relatable life experience (explaining the moral before or after the story, if you’d like).

Posted in Kids on Apr 7, 2023

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✍️ 16 stories

“Brodir Bear and the Grumble” by Hannah P. Simmons

Submitted to Contest #193

When I was young, we told stories around the fire, beneath the sky, seated in the lap of the Earth Mother. The cold wind teased our backs, but the warmth of the embers kissed our noses, and there was nothing else but the fire, and the story. In the darkness of the night, the voices carried a new magic that brought Brodir Bear, and Sastyr Mouse to life.Brodir Bear was big and strong. Brodir could find the sweetest berries, catch the quickest salmon, and fight the Snow Spirits with his long, dark claws. And when he stood back on his feet, and ...

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“The Town with No Teeth” by Nona Yobis

Submitted to Contest #193

There once was a town, not much known for ordeals, of people who had no teeth for their meals. No teeth for smiles or piles of food, no teeth to display their feelings or moods. It was quite a sad scene, these toothless folk, whose lives had all but gone up in smoke. Oh, they hadn’t always been toothless. At one time, everyone had a set of white teeth, strong chomping teeth, chewing gnawing teeth. Teeth to eat steak, and for veggies and fruit, teeth to eat cheeses while on their commute. And their teeth lo...

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“Own Your Swing” by Suma Jayachandar

Submitted to Contest #193

Once upon a time, in the dense forests of Western Ghats, there lived a grey langur, Giria.Giria lived with his troop. He had just been weaned off from his Ma. And was still learning to use his tail to balance himself.One summer evening, as he tore the tender green leaves from the jamun tree and chewed them with his eyes closed, and dreamt of a paradise where he could sit on a tree throne and be offered the succulent leaves on a platter, he was jolted by screechy alarms from his family. He too joined them and made a feeble sound. But wasn’t q...

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“The Kittens and the Cardboard Box (or Why Cats Can't Have Nice Things)” by Philippa Hibberd

Submitted to Contest #193

Once there were two kittens, a sister and brother named Licorice and Allsort. They lived in a comfortable little house with their pet human James, who doted on them, lavishing them with cuddles and kitty treats when they were good, yet also being firm and telling them off when they caused trouble. Since they knew of their cuteness and its effect on him, with their fluffy black-and-white fur as well as their large innocent eyes, they'd frequently use this to their advantage. When they knocked down houseplants, scratched the furniture, or got ...

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“A POX ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES - or - THE BIRD AND THE BUG” by Susan Catucci

Submitted to Contest #193

Percy was a Honeycreeper. A Honeycreeper is a small bird with a curved beak that is made for sipping nectar, a staple of the Honeycreeper’s diet. Percy had hatched, along with his siblings, Sunny and Samson, six days prior and were being taught daily lessons by their mother and father bird so they would be fully prepared when it came time to leave the nest.Percy had already learned how to proficiently extract nectar from flowers, whereas Sunny and Samson never seemed able to sip a satisfactory amount, so had to resort to foraging f...

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“The House Dog and The Stray” by Natacha Bertrand

Submitted to Contest #193

From his windowsill, House Dog was anticipating his companion’s return from work for the second day in a row. His bowl had enough food for another day; the water fountain was half full, and the home was otherwise empty. House Dog kept a watchful eye for the familiar brown loafers. He periodically noticed The Stray, though he was a vagrant, arousing disturbances every now and then, too clueless to remain unseen. Each time, House Dog’s gaze turned away from the commotion the filthy, emaciated creature caused. He had seen him up close once. The...

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“An Elephant and Her Sister” by Fatima Habib

Submitted to Contest #193

There once lived two elephants beneath the dense canopy of a mangrove forest. These two were born as sisters and they both lived under the care of their mother. “Mother” was what they called her because they knew that that was who she was, their mother, the one who had given birth to them. Aside from the fact, there really was nothing motherly about her. She woke them in the early morning, spraying them with cold water, trumpeting at them to feed her and keep her company, as if she were the child and they were the parent. She treated t...

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“The Tate Family ” by Kimberly Walker

Submitted to Contest #193

The Tate Family Has anyone ever asked for your help, then acted as if you were a nuisance? That is my co-worker Steven’s attitude on Thursdays when it’s time to count inventory. He loves to stand still with the clipboard, the inventory list, and a black pen and have you crawling over the materials to calculate the rolls and estimate how much thread is necessary for the rest of the week, month, and the end of the year. Instead of writing with a pencil because everyone knows you’re bound to find at least one or more items out of place and have...

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“A Pawsitive Revelation” by Ian James

Submitted to Contest #193

In the heart of a bustling city, nestled within the tranquil enclave of Purnama Park, there lived a dog named Steady. With his sparse fur, sluggish gait, and tendency towards confusion, he spent his days in solitary reflection within his owner's abode. For he believed that he was unworthy of the companionship of the other dogs in his neighbourhood, who seemed so much more glamorous, fluffy, and astute than he. They effortlessly caught flying frisbees and sprinted with great speed, leaving Steady feeling inadequate and alone.But one day, an e...

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“Arigata Meiwaku ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #193

Author's Note: This story contains some images of prejudice and violence against men of an alternate sexual persuasion. I was born in these hills near where Old Man River runs, but I always claimed that God did not complete me when I was in my mama’s belly. As I get ready to walk these halls for the last time, I remember thinking back on all of the painful memories of my youth. My daddy telling me that I’d never become a true man. He was right. I never did. But I somehow feel that I was not at fault, because the...

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“Little Chicken Grayfeather” by Heather Sidwell

Submitted to Contest #193

Once upon a time, there was a very talented little chicken by the name of Gray Feather.Now I’m sure everyone is familiar with that famous tale about The Little Red Hen. Well this is not that story. This story is about Red’s cousin, Gray Feather, so...let’s stay on track shall we?As the story goes, Gray Feather had heard all about how Red’s bread experience and how it had evolved. Sure, Red wound up eating all the bread, in the end, but she also wound up doing all the work too! That method, for Gray Feather, simply would not do.“I will ...

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“COOKIE CALAMITY” by Tim Frater

Submitted to Contest #193

COOKIE CALAMITY“You want them for this afternoon?”“If it’s not too much trouble.”“I’ll be a bit pushed for time.”“I’d really appreciate it and so would our members. To be truthful, I sort of let slip to some of them yesterday afternoon that I would ask you to bake your famous peanut cookies for our afternoon tea today and their enthusiasm for that idea was pretty overwhelming.”“Oh. How come you didn’t ’phone me yesterday?”“Yes, sorry about that. I had an emergency with one of my horses and it kind of slipped my mind.”“All right. I’ll get ont...

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“Kats Are Us” by Robert Radcliff

Submitted to Contest #193

Far, far away in the depths of space there is a highly developed planet.Featuring lush vegetation, clean air, with azure water and sky. This world has advanced technology and civilization compared to Earth.Vega is its name.The only occupants of this civilization are:Kats: clever feline-like beings, who have created what they consider to be a paradise. The Kats on Vega- in contrast to their diminutive Earthly counterparts -reach human heights and have kept their four-legged gait out of deliberate design.They communicate in a variety of w...

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“Nothing” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #193

As I get older, honesty becomes increasingly important to my soul. Recently my daughter commented on my "ruthless honesty". That gave me a strange feeling at first, but later I felt surprisingly good about it. I am willing to consider other people's feelings but in a genuine way. Not because it should be, or because people assume it is necessary. I've behaved like this for far too long. Way too long... I turned around, but I don't remember why. I also don't remember what made me turn around. I just did it: I turned around. I saw a woman on f...

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“Kindness is Free” by Someren Glen Retirement Community

Submitted to Contest #193

She clutched the steering wheel, and her knuckles paled. She could feel her pulse in her temples, and she wasn't breathing, as indicated by the vein popping in her forehead as reflected by the rearview mirror. She tried, she really tried to contain the anger and frustration that she had always felt lately. She tried soothing music, audiobooks, and a car diffuser…but the road rage always seemed to seep back in. She glanced down at her speedometer, 25 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. The cars in the other two lanes whizzed by so fast...

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Write a fable inspired by a relatable life experience (explaining the moral before or after the story, if you’d like).

Submissions are closed

✍️ 16 stories

“Brodir Bear and the Grumble” by Hannah P. Simmons

“The Town with No Teeth” by Nona Yobis

“Own Your Swing” by Suma Jayachandar

“The Kittens and the Cardboard Box (or Why Cats Can't Have Nice Things)” by Philippa Hibberd

“A POX ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES - or - THE BIRD AND THE BUG” by Susan Catucci

“The House Dog and The Stray” by Natacha Bertrand

“An Elephant and Her Sister” by Fatima Habib

“The Tate Family ” by Kimberly Walker

“A Pawsitive Revelation” by Ian James

“Arigata Meiwaku ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Little Chicken Grayfeather” by Heather Sidwell

“COOKIE CALAMITY” by Tim Frater

“Kats Are Us” by Robert Radcliff

“Nothing” by F.O. Morier

“Kindness is Free” by Someren Glen Retirement Community

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story inspired by the concept of arigata-meiwaku — a favor that turns out to be a nuisance for its recipient.

Write about somebody whose intentions are pure, but somehow always manages to do the wrong thing.

Write a story where someone insists on giving your main character a ride to the airport, only for their car to break down.

Write a story containing the words “it’s the thought that counts.”

Contest #193

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

186

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: