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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

Write a story about someone witnessing — or trying to witness — a celestial phenomenon.

Posted in Adventure on Jan 5, 2024

Submissions are closed

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✍️ 38 stories

“The Purple Night” by Christiana Crawford

Submitted to Contest #232

The Purple Night happens the same time every year and it’s said to be the most beautiful of occurrences-so alluring that you would lose all your senses. That you would walk right into the fae realm.Most families had a space underground and spent the night there until morning. Strange occurrences happen during The Purple Night. People go missing, never to be seen again. The ones that eventually return have no recollection of anything at all. Not who they are or where they’ve been, nothing except The Purple Night.I was only ten when I decided ...

4 comments 4
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“Buy A Parrot Next Time” by Karen McDermott

Submitted to Contest #232

“You’ll never see it if you keep giving Keith all your attention.” I prodded at the koala plush my brother’s tiny fingers were fumbling with. T was going through an antipodean phase. Which was strange enough for a six-year-old whose peers wore screens as extensions of their noses, but stranger yet to name it ‘Keith’. I was hoping, praying, that tonight’s celestial event would out-strange both T and his toy. “Why are we here again?” T whined, cheerily thumbing Keith in his glassy black eyes. “For Lonergan’s Comet. For the hundredth t...

7 comments 7
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“Looking for the Light” by Carrie R

Submitted to Contest #232

Bev stared out of her Anchorage, Alaksa hotel window as night fell. She knew her chances to see northern lights would be better later, as the tour led them further north, away from the city lights.            She still couldn’t believe that she was here, in Alaska. She recalled the months before, planning and reviewing tour packages, the emails back and forth between her and a travel agent. She had read and reread the itinerary, imagining each location, forming ideas about how the t...

5 comments 5
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“Itty Bitty Kitty” by Joe Smallwood

Submitted to Contest #232

I was only looking for toilet paper.Then, three toilets flushed. One after the other. Automatically.“Stalling for time?” she said.“Before what?”I think she made a face. “What must happen…”“What must happen, where?”“You know! I’ve been talking about it all week!”“Cat got your tongue?” I laugh.#It’s a lineup down the street at my local exquisitely friendly elementary school.“Mama bears be picking up their cubs early?” I ask.“Will you get with the program?” she says. “Schools are getting out early! Isn’t it exciting?”Cars were lined up through ...

3 comments 3
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“The Great Hot White” by Edd Baker

Submitted to Contest #232

CW: Brief descriptions of violenceThe harsh winter wind had deepened in severity, the gushes feeling colder, and gaining force, each blow by feeling like a scorned slap against the boys now ruddy cheeks. He sniffed, pulling the snot back into his nose before it became icicles. He couldn't see ahead of him, or behind him, a raging tempest of white encompassing him. A faint orange glow emerged out of the white behind him, with it talk that was muffled by the wind. The boy knew he had to go faster. The boy looked at his father, who laid on the ...

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“Where is The Suzie-Q?” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #232

The fall weather was unseasonably warm, the sky cloudless, and the foliage on the upper slopes of Mount Katahdin was tinged with rust, so Baxter State Park, resplendent and remote, was overflowing with day-hikers and campers, everywhere abuzz with anticipation for the arrival of Konika’s Comet. Five plain white vans arrived at the Ranger Station carrying forty-three passengers, each with close-cropped or shaven heads, wearing androgynous black slacks and turtleneck sweaters, the mix of age and sex obscured by sameness. Sitting stiffly, ...

2 comments 2
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“Reedrascal's Astrolabe” by Cajek Veilwinter

Submitted to Contest #232

The court astronomer of Vulane - Reedrascal the Calculating - was a distracted old ferret with a long white beard and goggles that his young student thought made his eyes look ridiculous.  Vulane itself was not ideal for an astronomer, as the ever-present, rain-filled clouds that filled the sky had themselves been... altered somehow. Reedrascal was going to get to the bottom of that: perhaps with tonight’s astronomical event. “I-I do not precisely understand, Professor,” a little voice said behind the ferret as he went from one huge...

4 comments 4
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“the Darkness in the Sky” by PSI Rockin Films

Submitted to Contest #232

Years ago when I was a kid, my grandfather and I would sit out on the porch during those long January nights. He'd whip up some hot cocoa and we'd get all bundled up in our winter gear. It's still the best damn cocoa I've ever had. We'd sit out there for what felt like hours. He'd point out and explain constellations, and if we were really lucky - we'd witness the beauty that was the Northern Borealis; I loved every second of it. My grandfather was a man of science, a professor at the city's college. He loved talking about the stars and ever...

1 comment 1
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“The Encounter” by Michaela Beth

Submitted to Contest #232

It was colder than usual. I could feel the icy wind nipping at my skin. I shivered, then wrapped my fur coat tightly around my waist. Looking down the valley, I could see the faint glow of the village lights shimmering in the distance. The evening sun was setting to the west, where the peak of Mount Absard soared, casting a dark shadow across the valley like a blanket. We weren't allowed outside after nightfall - especially in the mountains. That's what my mother had told me.   As I lay down on the dusty ground to gaze at the twili...

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“Polor Opposites” by Christine LW

Submitted to Contest #232

You could say that Aunt Fran and I Mary Louise Stoker were polar opposites. Fran was straight to the point how blunt her words may sound. She was also mothers sister. Out living all her siblings. Looking at old photos of Fran in her heyday former model and actress. You could not imagine her as the old woman sitting in the arm chair. Tonight I had come to walk her terrier Rufus all white with brown over his left eye a trait with Jack Russels. At least Rufus was pleased to see me. Getting the lead we headed for the park opposite Thorn Cottage....

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“The Heavens Above” by Phil Browne

Submitted to Contest #232

The coldness ran through his body. His hands were balled into fists and shoved deep into the pockets of his coat. Jacob glanced around the crowd of people waiting in the evacuation area. Puffs of mist appeared from their mouths as they exhaled the ice cold air. He stamped his feet a few times hoping that the added circulation would create some warmth. He was still numb to the idea that he would be leaving this place. It was all he ever knew.           Jacob was born in the settlement of ...

7 comments 7
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“One Pale Ribbon” by Amalee Bowen

Submitted to Contest #232

My cheek is cold where it presses against the glass of the car window. I huddle deeper into my winter coat, trying to keep warm, but I keep my eyes trained on the night sky. I know that the northern lights are not like meteorites, where if you blink you’ll miss them. But I watch for the aurora the same way, regardless. We’ve already failed to see the northern lights seven times. It’s always the same. Every night I check the NOAA’s Space Weather Forecast, hoping that the green band will revolve around the globe and expand enough to cover...

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“Miracia” by Kai Moon

Submitted to Contest #232

Sage walked and walked. He kept on walking, against the cold, against the blizzard. The footprints he left in the snow were soon covered up, and he could hear no sound except for his own. There was no sign of life around, not even a single plant or tree. It was as if he had come to a deserted place. The ruins of an apocalypse, perhaps. But he had to continue walking. His journey was his only purpose of living.  He exhaled a series of white breaths, his body shivering to retain at least a little bit of heat. He was struggling to keep h...

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“The Last Voyage” by Paul Littler

Submitted to Contest #232

Please be aware, this story contains adult themes.            Constance at her table, stared out of the window of the ship, the wake the only thing visible in the darkness.  Lost in thought, she listened with half an ear to the conversation at the table next to hers. “Here’s to us!  Tom and Jack” said one of the men.            His partner was clearly not as keen on yet another toast, the fourth Constanc...

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“As Light Replaced Darkness” by Johanna Parry

Submitted to Contest #232

"Time to rise and shine" Jenna said to herself as she threw her covers back. She grabbed her pants from the floor and pulled them up her long legs. The air felt cold. Colder than usual. She poured herself a glass of water. Her stomach felt strange. Something was off. Glancing around her small trailer she tried to comprehend the body weirdness she was experiencing. The subtle anxiety grew. Jenna threw open the thin aluminum door. As her feet touched ground, her knees bent. Like a hunting cat she crouched, splaying her hands wide like antenna ...

4 comments 4
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🌟 Similar prompts

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Contest #232

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This week's theme: Polar Night & Northern Lights

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Ended on 23:59 - Jan 12, 2024 EST

Won by Jonathan Page 🏆

Title: The Lantern of Kaamos

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