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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story in which characters are warned not to go into the woods.

Posted in Mystery on Feb 25, 2020

Submissions are closed!

Sorry, we are no longer accepting submissions. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

✍️ 108 stories

“Little Red Riding Hood” by Heidi Hanson

I am used to the chemical smell in the air. We all are. We all have to be. It coats our throats and hurts when we breath, but we fight through it. There simply aren’t enough gas masks to go around. We don’t have a choice. We need food. We need wood to keep the furnaces going.  Without the precious logs that others bring in, we would all freeze to death in the only thing keeping us safe fro...

18 likes 10 comments 10
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“Forests of Bone” by Joshua Insole

1“You remember where to shoot ‘em?”“In the head! Always in the head!”“Good girl.” He tousled her blonde hair. It was short and cropped so that it couldn’t get caught on anything. Short hair also meant that nothing could grab it very easily, either. “Did you remember to do it?”A guilty silence. Her eyes looked shiftily from side to side. She didn’t know what he was talking about...

13 likes 6 comments 6
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“The dark side” by Mariyam Ghafar

They say we all have a beast contaminated in our souls but the beast can come out, like William Golding said, “Evil is written inside of us and society is the only thing that can keep it in.” Nothing can stop it. Basically Good vs Evil, however evil can sometimes overtake.Streaming tears cleansed her red, wind-slapped cheeks. Few droplets remained, forgetting their way as the path was swept from beneath them, consequently blurring Rachel’s vision with waves of sadness only the broken encounter. The salty ...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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“The Diamond Pond” by Renée Chatelain

My people fear the forest.  Why?  I don’t know. No one in the village or in my family has ever told me why. All they say is “do not venture past the forest’s edge,” or “your fate will meet you if you traverse the forest’s domain.” Sometimes they simply say “you will die if you dare enter the forest; do not...

7 likes 4 comments 4
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“The blue-haired witch” by Marte Van der linden

Grandma used to tell me all sorts of stories before she fell ill. She told me about the witch who lived far away in the deep dark woods and would grant wishes. But only if you completed the tasks she set you. If you failed, she would cook you and eat you.I loved listening to those stories. Once, when I was about six, I declared that I would go and find the witch and ask her to give me wings so I could fly. But grandma grabbed my shoulders with her bony fingers and shook me until my teeth rattled. “Never do that!” she said. S...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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“The Man in the Woods” by Sarah Kreiger

She could feel him out there.   No, she couldn't see him, but he was out there in the woods, watching.   Standing out on her porch Macy stared out into those woods, holding her mug of tea tight in her hands. She was scanning the area where the trees lined up almost perfectly along her b...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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“The Woods” by Kaitlynn Flint

11/21/19No matter how many times they warned us, there was still a nagging feeling to go into the woods. To ignore their pleas, and walk in the dark forest. My friends and I knew about the lost children and the dead bodies. There were times when even my gut told me to never go near those woods. But, that nagging thought-that voice- that desire

4 likes 8 comments 8
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“What Became of Red Riding Hood” by Destinee Amber

Don't go in the woodsThe words pounded against her skull as she ran, stumbling over a stray tree root as she went. Ahead of her, drawing closer by the second, the forest's edge loomed. Tree branches waved in the air, beckoning her. Behind her, shouts of the mob chasing her echoed. Don't go in the woodsVillagers knew the story well: those who entered the wood beyond the east edge of the village never returned. Less suspicious folks believed they had simply found a better settlement somewhere else. The...

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“The Big Surprise” by Deborah Mercer

It was one of those days that seemed so close to perfect it was hard to know whether to glory in it or not quite trust it. The mid-morning May sunlight was clear and warm, but there was just a little breeze to stop it being too warm, especially when it was filtered through the burgeoning crowns of the trees just come into full, hopeful, rich springtime leaf and it made little dapples on the sandy paths in the woodland. To the left and right of the paths, in both shade and sunlight, the bluebells clumped together as...

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“Mango and Leif” by Natasha Arnold

An earthy aroma of hibiscus and chamomile filled Kodiak’s lungs. The insight civil servant observed the cafe and the peculiar characters within. Mango and Leif’s was a simple tea cafe, aligned in trinkets and an abundance of teacups. There was a quaint warmth within the walls, as if the whole room were a blanket.

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“Don't Go Into The Woods” by Adriana Maxwell

“Don’t go into the woods,” they said. Do not go under the emerald leaves, do not venture on the twisted paths. Fools see a shortcut; wise men went around. Strange things lurk there. “Stay in the light,” they said. The shadows move. If they catch you, if they touch you, they will steal your shape and leave you flat. “Don’t trust the beautiful,” they said.  Don’t look at their faces, beautiful women though they seem, or their eyes will trap you. Look behind. They have no backs. Hollow they a...

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“The Antics of Erik the Drunk” by Sydney Witkowski

Erik the Drunk was drunk again. By this point, the townspeople had stopped keeping track of how many times they had awoken to his intoxicated yelling in the middle of the night. They had stopped ushering their children quickly away from his crooked finger pointing and his twisted mouth laughing in their direction. They often saw Erik swaggering up and down the town’s dusty main street, pretending to face off with dragons or bandits or barter with invisible merchants, but a...

3 likes 2 comments 2
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“Fearless” by Eva Korosec

There is a tale going around in my village, old as time itself. It appeared one night, like a cold brisk of air at the coming of winter, groaning with pain and hunger of a ferocious beast, a grand wolf, that occupies the deep nearby forests. They use it to scare children into obedience, but not even the bravest men and women take it lightly. Should you go out of your way, the wolf will catch you. Should you talk to a dark stranger, it is an evil wolf in disguise.I know this, because I am the wolf.Some may wonder what goes th...

2 likes 3 comments 3
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“"Into the Woods: Out of My Mind" ” by Kate Hodnett

“Cassie??! Where are you??! Cassie! Seriously, come on out! This isn’t funny anymore!”  She trudged along on the newly fallen leaves, looking for any sign of her sister. Her dog, Maxine, close at her heels, “Go find Cassie, Max! Please!” the dog ran on ahead in the direction of the woods. “No, no. Anywhere but there…. Why, Cassie? You know better…” Jenny marched forward, begrudgingly, as if on...

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“All That Glimmers” by Maya Parker

The village of Yocca was nestled on the outskirts of the metropolis that was the Kingdom of Lacerron. Digg, fifteen seasons old, had only visited the bustling heart of town twice. Once to retrieve a parcel of cheese for her family. The second time was to receive the allotment of five golden lacs and one bag of dense millet. Grain was traditionally given to families who lost someone working for the palace. He was helping construct n...

2 likes 2 comments 2
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Contest #16

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Ended on 22:59 - Nov 22, 2019 EST

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Title: The Sackcloth Liar

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