Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.

Posted in Angst on May 5, 2023

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 107 stories

“Convergence and disappearance” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #197

Not that I'm going to tell you how old I am, but for the sake of putting this story into a timeline, I'm willing to add that I came of age in the nineties. Nineteen hundred nineties. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) I only put this in to avoid the miserable and endless whining that I never use a date to place the story. If you ask me, that's just a covert form of control - sigh. Is there a date mentioned with Snow White? Do you guys ask Clarice Starling about the dates she went to see Dr. Lecter? Not me. Anyway, my entry into adulthood was acc...

4 comments 4

Read story

“Sometimes We Get What We Need” by Webb Johnson

Submitted to Contest #197

Sometimes You Get What You Need I was the only one left aboard by the time the Greyhound’s droning engine throttled down and the passenger P.A. system squawked, “Redding. Last stop, Redding.” I rubbed my eyes, stuffed my dog-eared study manual into my backpack, pulled on my parka, and walked up the empty aisle while checking my phone for the time − 12:08 A.M. The driver said, “Good night. Watch your step.” Inside the terminal, I went to the food counter, but looking over the days-end assortment of wilted sandwiches and stale pastry, I sett...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Dragon Stone: Moonstone” by Gary Jefferies

Submitted to Contest #197

Dragon Stones,” Eldritch Mortain began, “are elusive. Scrolls allude to them and yet remain ambiguous.” Arch-mage lecture, An Introduction to Elder Law, Mythical Reality. Naz woke with a head feeling like he'd been on StormBringer the night before. Some fiendish brew Yish suggested he might enjoy back in the days of yore, a time before travelling with the Keep not yet fallen. Naz recalled that it was only a short time after he arrived after a mining disagreement. “Keep the seam tight and dig dee...

0 comments 0

Read story

“A Monkee to Die For” by James Flanigan

Submitted to Contest #197

In a Los Angeles suburb, twelve-year-old Molly McCarthy sobbed uncontrollably on the bed in her room. The volume of her sobbing was purposely turned up high — loud enough for her parents to hear and experience her sadness. It was a frequent event in Molly’s home and typically yielded results that met or even exceeded Molly’s expectations. But today, the crying was going about as well as the nascent year had gone for young Molly. 1968 had gone off the rails early. Molly had been sick for two weeks immediately after New Year’s Day with...

5 comments 5

Read story

“The Ravine ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

Submitted to Contest #197

Got my thumb out when a beat up old Ford pick up truck pulls off the side of the road. “Thanks.” I toss my duffle bag in the back. “Where ya headed to, son?” A grizzled old man asks as I climb into the cab. “Anywhere. Away from here.” I answer. “You runnin’ from that rehab place?” I can barely see the smile covered by a snowy gray mustache. “Yaw ain’t the first fella I picked up from that place.” “Milton Barkley Ten Step Program?” I bow my head ashamed that I had made up my mind to give up on my chance to walk the straight a...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Inescapable” by Denis Baldwin

Submitted to Contest #197

“Fate is an accident, like a bad car wreck on a freeway. One minute you’re in control, the next you’re careening off the rails, crashing head first into destiny. The only way through is through, no going back to who you were or where you came from. Things are different now. You’re different. No choice in the matter, just the way things are. But what if I told you there was a way to level the playing field? There is. We’ve discovered it here at The Institute.” “My name is Rich Huxley, founder of said company. You see, the Law of the Multiver...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Lily Escapes her Predetermined Fate” by Darene Staniszewski

Submitted to Contest #197

Once upon a time, in a small village on the outskirts of a bustling city, there lived a young woman named Lily. Lily was a beautiful and intelligent woman, but she was also born into a family that believed in predetermined fate. From the moment she was born, her parents had already mapped out her entire life - from her education to her marriage and eventual children. Lily was expected to follow this path without any question or deviation. However, Lily was different. She had dreams and aspirations that went beyond what her parents had planne...

2 comments 2

Read story

“A WALK IN THE SUN.” by George Levy

Submitted to Contest #197

Topic: A soldier seeks to escape his fate. Word Count-1,016 excluding title. Sergeant Preston did not feel optimistic. He fought Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart all the way to Gettysburg last year, boxed him in, and smashed him up. Then, General Meade transferred his veteran cavalry regiment to Sherman’s Army of Tennessee in the Atlanta campaign. Now, he struggled out here with General Joe Wheeler looking ...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Go” by Tom Campbell

Submitted to Contest #197

It was the nicest day any April could be expected to come up with. Villagers from all around the province poured into the ancient city of Zhangzhou to barter their millet, barley, wheat, pigs and sheep, for clothing, spices, tools, pottery and strong wine. Striding at the forefront of one such group was a brash young man barely twenty years old who looked neither left nor right at the sprouting greenery nor at the fluffy little clouds that gamboled across the bright blue sky like wayward sheep. The whisper went around that this was Yuan Tsen...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Man in the Mirror” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #197

A December-like chill overtook me soon after I began to feel my way along the darkened and, I thought, deserted, area of the Pokomoke State Forest. The sudden burst of arctic cold almost knocked me off my feet into the darkened abyss. I regained my balance just in time to avoid falling head first into the abandoned well. The frigid air blew up from the hole, not in the middle of winter, but in mid-June. Until I came in contact with the well sweat ...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Worth the wait” by Eline Pols

Submitted to Contest #197

"Honey, you don't have to do this," Alejandro said worriedly, grabbing his fiance's arm. "Yes, I do," Chase snapped back."But are you sure this is safe?" Alejandro asked concernedChase rolled his eyes at him. "Of course it's safe, I build the time machine. You trust me, right?"Alejandro groaned"This isn't about trust! Of course, I trust you! I just don't like the idea of my fiancé stepping into a death machine," he exclaimed in frustration."You are the most dramatic person I know. Now If you don't mind, I have a mission to accomplish," Chase...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Dreams of Escape ” by Patrick Druid

Submitted to Contest #197

Dreams of Escape Ten year old Kenny sat nervously in the passenger seat of the old, dingy, green 76 nova as his father drove on through the rainy night. He stared out the passenger side window at the gloomy night sky and the streaks of rain sliding down the window. Orange street lights lit the road at various intervals as the car sped onwards towards it's eventual destination. He barely breathed and didn't dare speak.He wondered when or if his nightmare would end and wondered also what he, a boy of only 10 could do about it all? Wa...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Last 24” by Kevin Ramey

Submitted to Contest #197

8:57 PM Within the cramped confines of my cell, I stood silently - a sentinel of misery and despair. For 23 long years, this had been my abode, devoid of any luxury or comfort. The roaches and mice that skittered around me were the only semblance of company I had. In the dark corners of my mind, I wondered if they were descendants of those that had greeted me on my first day. As the day of my impending execution drew near, I found myself unable to sit still. The meager possessions that remained, a final remnant of my worldly existence, w...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Zeroes” by Mark Camilleri

Submitted to Contest #197

“You know what he told me?” Timothy said, looking down at his small cup of black coffee. “I need to work more. And spend less.” I stared back at Timothy in silence, hardly surprised; he had spoken to several financial advisors, and they all told him the same thing. Many of them had met Timothy in coffee shops like the one we were sitting in right now. With cruel irony, the café’s sound system was softly playing ABBA’s “Money, Money, Money.” Tim and I sat in our usual spot in the café at a table tucked away into th...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Making a Difference ” by Ruby Zaidi

Submitted to Contest #197

MAKING A DIFFERENCE Do you ever get the feeling that you are starting on the wrong foot and that you are a centipede ? Well, that's the feeling l got when l entered my Chief 's office that day. I was six months into the Metropolitan Police Force and the Chief still regarded me as a sixth finger on one of his immaculately manicured hands. I had topped my class at the Police Academy, had several medals for martial arts, sports, even boxing but all that seemed quite irrelevant as far as the Chief was concerned . "You are ...

0 comments 0

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.

Fantasy – 61 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “I’m free!”

Dialogue – 60 stories

Write about somebody who wholeheartedly believes in fate, and views every little thing through the lens of predestiny.

Character – 22 stories

Set your story in a world where everyone’s decisions are made for them. One morning, your character wakes up, and chooses not to go to work. Wait…chooses?!

Thriller and Suspense – 18 stories

Contest #197

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Fate and Free Will

$250

Prize money

268

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 12, 2023 EST

Won by HR Pinches 🏆

Title: The Fate of Customer 12

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 107 stories

“Convergence and disappearance” by F.O. Morier

“Sometimes We Get What We Need” by Webb Johnson

“Dragon Stone: Moonstone” by Gary Jefferies

“A Monkee to Die For” by James Flanigan

“The Ravine ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“Inescapable” by Denis Baldwin

“Lily Escapes her Predetermined Fate” by Darene Staniszewski

“A WALK IN THE SUN.” by George Levy

“Go” by Tom Campbell

“Man in the Mirror” by Bob Faszczewski

“Worth the wait” by Eline Pols

“Dreams of Escape ” by Patrick Druid

“The Last 24” by Kevin Ramey

“Zeroes” by Mark Camilleri

“Making a Difference ” by Ruby Zaidi

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.

Write a story that includes the phrase “I’m free!”

Write about somebody who wholeheartedly believes in fate, and views every little thing through the lens of predestiny.

Set your story in a world where everyone’s decisions are made for them. One morning, your character wakes up, and chooses not to go to work. Wait…chooses?!

Contest #197

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

268

Contest entries

100

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: