Haruki Murakami’s stories start in ordinary places — a man making pasta, a woman walking her cat — and slowly slide into the surreal. His characters often don’t question the strange. They drift through it, searching for meaning they may never find. This contest invites you to write a story that feels like a dream remembered too clearly.

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Begin with something mundane. Then, little by little, let something surreal seep in. A missing shadow. A phone call from no one. A world that shifts at the edges. We’re not looking for horror or fantasy. We’re looking for a crack in reality — and a character willing to walk through it.

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• Start small. A cup of coffee. A missing sock. Let the surreal emerge like steam — slowly and softly.

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• Let your character accept the strange. Murakami’s characters rarely panic. They observe. They wonder. They wait. That calmness is part of the magic.

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• Use inner monologue to guide the tone. A lot happens in silence. Your character’s thoughts can drift, loop, or become detached from time.

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• Blend loneliness and mystery. Murakami’s characters often feel disconnected — from people, from jobs, from themselves. Let that feeling be the story’s gravity.

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• Avoid explanations. Don’t resolve the mystery. Let the strangeness be a metaphor, a symbol, or a shadow that simply remains.

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• End with ambiguity. The strongest entries won’t tell us what it meant — but will leave us with the feeling that it meant something.