Write a story about someone looking for a sign in a dark sky.

Posted in Angst on Jan 5, 2024

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✍️ 56 stories

“21 Degrees” by Cassie Escujuri

Submitted to Contest #232

September, 2023 - Hawaii, USAWhile washing the dishes, Grant looked out the back window at the warm Autumn night to see his teenage son, Isaac, staring up at the night sky, wearing shorts and sandals, having long changed out of his uniform. Frowning, Grant scrubbed at a glass. “Don’t schools hand out homework anymore?” From her place on the couch, Kalea looks up from her book to glance outside at Isaac. “He’s waiting for the northern lights.”Grant turned away from the window, giving his wife an incredulous scoff. “You believed him?”&nbs...

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“Cold Coats” by Jeffery Young

Submitted to Contest #232

It is cold and there is no avoiding that. No longer a chance of denying it. I cover myself in layer upon layer of clothing, donning thick jackets and sweatshirts, pants with thermal lining and tight-fitting boxers with the same. Mom taught me to leave no room for wind or air or breathing or any stray snowflake to enter into my little mobile cocoon. I wouldn’t be out of place in one of those Arctic Research stations. Smiling to myself, I wondered if I looked like the Michelin Man or perhaps a resurrected mummy. I hoped that Brendan Fras...

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“The Sky Inside” by Eric E

Submitted to Contest #232

Ella’s hand held the water pump’s handle; its metal was cool against her calloused palms. She started to work the metal up and down with a practised efficiency until water slowly dribbled into the bucket. It was the last one of the night - just enough to wash and make her mother some tea that she wouldn’t drink. As she continued pumping, her eyes looked upwards to the fading sky. There, in the back of her mind, was the thought that what existed in her dreams might become a reality. That recurring dream with a world of darkness and echoing he...

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“In His Footsteps” by S.E. Tomlinson

Submitted to Contest #232

[Contains strong language, violence, and substance abuse] A month before my eleventh birthday was when daddy would go to war for the first time. I understood why he was doing it, to a degree. But I didn’t understand why it had to be my dad, of all the dads out there—the man who had taught me to piss standing up, to shoot a bee-bee gun at a trash can, to shift gears in a manual transmission truck. Daddy and I had made a tradition of going to Andy’s Burger Spot in Briar. He would get me a banana milkshake and a box full of fries smothered ...

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“Nobody To Hold” by LaSady Heiner

Submitted to Contest #232

“I’ll always be right next to you.” She could see her breaths in puffs in front of her, one of the few things that were visible in the dark. Closing her eyes, she sniffled, making a face of discomfort. No, worse than that. One of loss and sorrow. Trying to hold back the tears, she opened her eyes, looking for something. For someone. Anything. A light in the darkness, a snowflake in the barren land, a hand to hold, a fire to sit next to. Instead, all she found was the chilling cold surrounded by darkness inside and out. “Don’t let go...

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“The Birth of an Angel” by Cynthia Crawford-Roach

Submitted to Contest #232

Lara left her shack on Ragged Ass Road and trudged along the snow-covered gravel towards Franklin Avenue. It was 8 a.m. but dark. Living in The Land of Midnight Sun meant amazing summers, like sitting on the deck of a pub and realizing its 2 a.m. when the sun dips behind the horizon. It also meant very cold, very dark winters. She met the honey-bucket truck as she turned the corner. There was only one proper house on Ragged Ass Road; the rest were shacks- or cabins as her grandfather insisted she call her abode-and each one had a hon...

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“Doomed From The Start” by Gia Pape

Submitted to Contest #232

My cheeks were still fleshy, my tint youthful and curious when I met you. Or rather beheld you. Only a glimpse of your Maui T-shirt was enough to tell me you were bad news, an honored member of the Snobbish and Idle Jocks of Corindale Middle School, a cult name I coined between myself and I. I knew, observing your handshakes and your amiable gestures toward your fellow douchebags, that you had it all: popularity (among students and teachers, though most weren’t fond of you), cool kicks, naïve little sixth graders gifting you their full atten...

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“Tangible” by カイリ

Submitted to Contest #232

"In Svalbard, a cluster of islands between Norway and the North Pole, night time can last for two and a half months. Living there during that time must feel like you're in a different world." Elaine sits in the window alcove looking up at the sky. Wearing a sheer nightgown with almost the same material as the curtains, she looks pellucid in the light of the full moon; as if she may very well disappear. She closes her eyes, basks in the moonlight, and she's gone. She's as far away as the stars. Ace slips from the bed and comes to sit across f...

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“The 5th Great Rivilius Conflict” by Dillon Bess

Submitted to Contest #232

Write a story about someone looking for a sign in a dark sky. This world has turned to darkness. Drayven stood knee deep in warm, weedy waters. He could feel the gentle tide pushing waves against his slick muscular legs, like a calming massage. But all was not calm. He let out a wet cough, his sparkling black eyes peered through the wall of smoke surrounding him. With his secondary protective eyelids engaged to protect his sensitive aquatic eyes, he took in the landscape around him as the smoke cleared. That which had once been his...

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“The Witch, the Chemist, the Shepherd, and the Stars” by Lucy Braginski

Submitted to Contest #232

Raffaelo shouldn’t have trusted the caravan atop the hill. He had only heard stories of curses coming from its depths, the woman inside rumored to be a witch some days, a demon on others. But Raffaelo was a desperate man, having chased his love, Julietta, from afar for much too long. A night after too many drinks led to a stupid, friendly bet of Mario’s doing, who was a jester at best and a fool at his worst. Mario said he was sick of seeing Raffaelo swoon over Julietta’s soft peachy skin, her delicate lips, the soft waves of her hone...

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“All We Are Trying To Do” by Alison Reed

Submitted to Contest #232

The old pick up truck sparkles with midnight frost as it passes under the few street lights dotting the desolate farmland road. Marty, in the passenger seat, feels like a popcorn kernel, bouncing on the pleather bench seat. The washboarded road combined with the lack of shocks makes for an unpleasant ride, no matter how slow his grandpa drives. But even if this ride were in a smooth toasty limousine, it would still be unpleasant. Grandpa Jack, his cheeks whiskery with the day’s stubble, guides the truck away from the dirt road and in...

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Write a story about someone looking for a sign in a dark sky.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“21 Degrees” by Cassie Escujuri

“Cold Coats” by Jeffery Young

“The Sky Inside” by Eric E

“In His Footsteps” by S.E. Tomlinson

“Nobody To Hold” by LaSady Heiner

“The Birth of an Angel” by Cynthia Crawford-Roach

“Doomed From The Start” by Gia Pape

“Tangible” by カイリ

“The 5th Great Rivilius Conflict” by Dillon Bess

“The Witch, the Chemist, the Shepherd, and the Stars” by Lucy Braginski

“All We Are Trying To Do” by Alison Reed

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story during polar night.

Write a story set in a world with a dying sun, or where light is a scarce resource.

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

Write a story about someone who has been tasked to keep a flame burning, surrounded by total darkness.

Contest #232

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

Write a story about someone looking for a sign in a dark sky.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“21 Degrees” by Cassie Escujuri

“Cold Coats” by Jeffery Young

“The Sky Inside” by Eric E

“In His Footsteps” by S.E. Tomlinson

“Nobody To Hold” by LaSady Heiner

“The Birth of an Angel” by Cynthia Crawford-Roach

“Doomed From The Start” by Gia Pape

“Tangible” by カイ リ

“The 5th Great Rivilius Conflict” by Dillon Bess

“The Witch, the Chemist, the Shepherd, and the Stars” by Lucy Braginski

“All We Are Trying To Do” by Alison Reed

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story during polar night.

Write a story set in a world with a dying sun, or where light is a scarce resource.

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

Write a story about someone who has been tasked to keep a flame burning, surrounded by total darkness.

Contest #232

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas:

“Tangible” by カイリ