Crystal Bloom
Austin thought the apocalypse was bad. But this was so much worse. One mistake, and the course of humanity would be altered forever. The crystal bloom would destroy everything. Everyone.
SHShannen H.
7 min readHorror
🌱 Bloom 🌼
JudgingFree to enter
Topic
Any genre and length on the theme of "Bloom"
About
This May, StorySloth invites you to submit a story around the theme "Bloom". Take that however you like. A first kiss, a bruise, a revolution, a rumour, a flower, a fever, a friendship that finally opens up after years of being closed. "Bloom" is deliberately open. We're not prescribing a genre, a tone, or a kind of character — we want to see what the word shakes loose in you. Upload literary fiction, horror, sci-fi, romance, fantasy, something that refuses to sit in any one category. What we're looking for is a story that earns its ending, a voice we can't put down, and a use of the prompt that surprises us. Entry is free, the winner takes home a £50 Amazon voucher, two runners-up each receive a £25 Amazon voucher (or equivalent in $ USD).
Prizes
✍️ £50 to the winner, £25 to two runners-up (or equivalent in $ USD)
Rules & guidelines
🌱 Free entry
🚫 No AI-generated or AI-assisted entries, please
📅 Submissions open until 31st May
Entries
Showing 20 of 161
Bumblebee
What happens when you feel stuck? What makes it worse the cage or that you are your own captor? Would you fly or sink into familiarity? I guess you won't ever know until you try
BBumblebee
3 min readLiterary Fiction
Marigold
A reunification of old school friends stirred with the feelings of sorrow and nostalgia.
AJAo July
5 min readDystopian
Fido’s First Spring
Fido the puppy explores the garden as he experiences his first Spring.
LLottie
1 min readAdventure
The End Of The Line
Bloom has always had an obsession with attaining the perfect body, but how far will she go?
NRNyeleti Rifuwo
8 min readLiterary Fiction
A Dance of Blood and Jasmine
A single moonlit moment at an abandoned temple brings Aarohi face to face with the demons that dance in the dark. Drawn into a conflict between a grieving stranger and an ancient nightmare, she begins to realise he is not a stranger at all. As buried truths stir, everything threatens to unravel—her past, his humanity, and the memories neither of them can escape.
LadyRhae22 min readFantasy
A Clandestine Gardener
Short play featuring two ex-neighbours Hazel and June discussing the untimely death of Martin, Hazel's husband.
Ccandlelightclub
8 min readDrama
The Tender Blooms
People say that dying for love is the most beautiful way to die. They aren’t wrong. It’s a beautiful death. Beautiful, but painful.
Nnikita
9 min readRomance
Late Blooming
Diana who is lost , confused, people pleaser. But life pull her down, after mental breakdown. She start glowing again.
MDMy dreamland 111
2 min readDrama
Red Strings
“Well, if we’re going to die, we might as well get drunk.”
Isabel Sofia Pias Diaz9 min readHorror
The Apple Tree
A short story where a young girl finds out a peice of information that changes her perception
AAlexandra
4 min readAdventure
Murder at Raven academy
It’s September 2000 and there’s been a murder in the small town of Darkwood . Hazel and her best friend Lottie have just started a new secondary school, Raven academy for girls. As tensions run high, Clara the head girl go missing. It’s down to Hazel and Lottie to solve the mystery.
JJohanna
4 min readMystery
Just Bloom
A poem featuring the prompt "bloom" It is about a teen girl battling with depression and finding hope in the flowers.
Sshantellsommers
2 min readDrama
Bloom
A poem featuring the prompt, "Bloom"
Sshantellsommers
1 min readDrama
The Painter on the Road to Tarascon
It's 1982 in Edinburgh and a painting thought to be a worthless copy turns out to be a genuine Van Gogh that was assumed to have been destroyed in World War Two! Two antiques dealers who are more used to dealing in Victorian candelabra than eight-figure priceless art have a task on their hands: can they make the trade of the century and get set up for life, or will they lose their nerve and face professional embarrassment in front of the cream of the international art scene? David meets Goliath.
James Paul27 min readThriller
Where's Your Fiery Temper?
Only 3 months in - what has Frederick done?
ALAbbie L F Horning
6 min readFantasy
Bloom
The healing power of gardening together, even long distance.
JJulia
2 min readMagical Realism
The Gardener of Past Lives
“The Gardener of Past Lives” touches the wounds haunting the carefully staged American suburban home of an Indian immigrant family. A daughter fades away as a mother sits with her own siblings around the kitchen table, while the father cultivates a garden worthy of his childhood envy.
Kkdz
7 min readLiterary Fiction
The Billionaire, the Doctor, and Five Tiny Geniuses
An aloof billionaire boss Arthur had a ninth degree karate black belt, a strict corporate contract to marry a mean fake heiress, and a terrible pollen allergy. Then he met Lily, a poor, witty clinic girl. They fell in love, got cut off, and moved into a tiny flat. Soon, Lily gave birth to genius quintuplets who manage budgets like adult CEOs! Turns out, a nanny swapped Lily at birth—she’s the real trillionaire heiress! Love and business officially bloomed!
SShraddha
21 min readDrama
The Story of Life
The girl on the meadow wonders about life and asks questions about her feelings. She and her friends — the eagle, the owl and later the hedgehog are enjoying the scenario of the beautiful nature and explore deep but understandable topics about life. Through the dialogue girl will come to a realisation.
LLenka
10 min readFantasy