Rayhan Hidayat

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jul, 2020

Stories (36)

36 Stories

10223 karma pts

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“Treasure Hunter Hunted” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #67

07/08/409323:37--We found it splack-bang in the middle of an asteroid cluster, suspended in the blackness like the corpse of a whale. I’ll admit, the hairs on the back of my head froze into quills when it drifted into view—it’s gotta be at least a thousand times bigger than our Wildcat, which Morena carefully maneuvered between chunks of floating debris as she scoured the star base for a breach.I got a good look at the name plastered on the rusted metal—Valhalla—each gigantic letter crystal-clear despite years of erosion and corrosion. If I ...

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“Virtual Reality Show” by Rayhan Hidayat

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #66

Mihara leaps into the air, barely escaping the fireball that should have vaporized her. It blooms into a screaming marigold below her, coaxing water vapor out of the marsh.It had to be Marshlands, she inwardly seethes as she splashes down in muddy water and tries to peer through the steam blanketing her vision. And of course I get matched with a pyromancer.“Once again, Rōnin avoids getting flame-grilled by the skin of her teeth,” broadcasts the invisible announcer. “Had she reacted one heartbeat too late, she might have paired well with some...

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“Overflowing” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #64

She’s crouched behind the main building, a dozen stray cats orbiting her world. It hasn’t been five minutes since the bell rang. Yun can splinter such a beautiful sight, or she can do the usual, pathetic thing and watch from a distance.I'm done being pathetic.Yun leans against the wall and prays that her token nonchalance doesn’t intimidate. “What sort of satay is that?”The cats scatter when Mirah stands, fingers wrapped around a skewer of grilled meat. Her glasses catch the beads of a gently-melting sky, but surprise manages to shine throug...

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“The Apple Of My Compound Eye” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #63

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful butterfly. She flapped her sapphire wings under a cloudy sky, hoping to find someplace to lay her eggs.She flew near and far, high and low, but she couldn’t find what she was looking for. She was about to give up when a patch of green appeared amongst the endless grey buildings.“I reckon that’s the perfect spot,” she decided.She fluttered down and was delighted to find a garden. An apple tree brimming with juicy leaves stood in the middle, and she was drawn to it like one of her distant relatives to a ...

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“Wingbeat” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #62

You don’t know where you are or how you got here, only that there’s a mangled body at your feet and a trophy the size of a bowling pin in your fist. You’re not sure which one tips you off that this is your handiwork: the splash of crimson stark against the gold of the trophy, or the fact that your gag reflex responds by adding more bodily fluids to the crime scene. Evidently, you’re fond of chili dogs.Like your composure, the trophy slides out of your grasp. THUMP. Going fetal sounds like a pretty good idea, but glass shards litter the floor...

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“Only Human” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #62

“A good Screecher is a dead Screecher.”—Commander Sigit, Year 4096After an eternity spent wiping the blood of two different races out of her eyes, the only thing Rani wants to do is melt into a puddle of numbness. The chrysalis before her can grant such luxuries; tailored to fit her proportions, it whispers sweet promises from against the wall like the mouth of a coffin.As if to remind her she doesn’t have all day to decide if it’s a good idea to suspend all biological functions for three-and-a-half centuries, a muffled explosion from somewh...

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“Rice To See You Again” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #61

You know that smell. Home after half a decade spent on the other side of the world, and you still know that smell.It makes a beeline for you from across the street, shoving aside the exhaust fumes of a thousand motorbikes and the stench of sewage baking under the sun. It scurries up your nostrils and thrashes about in your brain, evicting every coherent thought for the only one that matters. You sit back for the showreel playing in your skull:It starts with oil from the previous batch; the health-conscious would stoop so low as to use terms ...

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“Forevergreen” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #60

This again.Water, cradling me like a newborn. So soft. So soothing.So suffocating.Every time, as solemn heartbeats accompany my descent, I search the blueness. And every time, like a pair of ghostly wings flitting through the dark, my gaze lands on the lights dotting the surface.The surface that is a million lifetimes away, blurred by eternity but nevertheless… there. Calling. Signalling. Beckoning.More than anything I want to kick upwards, to tear the surface open, to have the lights and all their secrets wash over me.But my questions drown...

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“Leaf Them Alone” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #59

“You can’t go back.”“I must.”“It’s sheer madness, Your Excellency. At least allow a retinue of your finest soldiers to join you.”“No, my soldiers have seen enough. This is my burden, anyway. I will bear witness in their stead. And I will suffer in their stead.”“But, Your Excellency—”“Not another word. I leave at dawn.”🌱The man who once ruled the world hauls a solemn canoe across liquid sadness. There is an ache in his arms, but it is the sweet ache of action, of blood coursing through once-slumbering musculature. The salt on the breeze swarm...

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“Relation Ship” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #58

In this world, only two people matter.There’s you—to be referred to only as such, because Maya won’t call you anything resembling “Dad.”And there’s Maya, who is your everything.Maya will now take the lead, because she always takes the lead. But bear in mind that your role in this has left just as many scorch marks, if not more so.🚀The only thing that could ruin Captain Maya’s day is an asteroid field. It looks like the Cosmic Divinities must be tuning in, because lo and behold, that’s exactly what her ship blunders into.“Don’t just stand the...

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“Spare Hearts” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #57

You wake up and the world is gone.Instead, there are hills of scrap and a smog-choked sky and a face staring down at you.“Aaahhh!” goes the face. Whump! goes the body it’s attached to when it teeters backwards and lands among rusted slivers of things that were once whole. You are pleased to discover your audio detection systems are still functional.You appear to be on one of the numerous scrap hills adorning the land as far as your optical units can see. In fact, you are embedded in a slope, and there is all manner of dust and debris cloggin...

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“Mission Implausible” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #56

Note from HQ:As we have no desire to compromise the safety of our personnel, their real names are to remain undisclosed for the duration of Operation Zakarov. All undercover agents will be referred to as their given aliases henceforth. We hope you understand.Perhaps the only thing more lavish than Sergei Zakarov’s garden is his appetite. Yesterday it was Indonesian beef tongues braised in sweet soy sauce, recalls Neon Ladybird as she assumes her usual spot by her employer’s right shoulder. What will it be today? Something that hails fro...

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“Seacrets” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #55

“Can you keep a secret?” The words are tears dripping down her chin.“That depends.”A shout bursts through the trees. The lady tightens her grip on the cloth bundle. “Please. It will keep you safe too, if nobody finds out.”The fisherman gives his beard a contemplative rub, as if they have all the time in Segara, as if there isn’t a band of killers dragging blood and steel through the foliage somewhere too close.“Let’s see his face.”Arms trembling, the lady unwraps a portion of the cloth bundle to reveal soft eyes and all the purity in the rea...

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“Law & Order a Pizza” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #55

9-1-1, what’s your emergency?Hi, I’d like to order a pizza.Excuse me, ma’am? Did you say a pizza?Yes.You do realize who you’re calling, right? Yes, I know exactly who I’m calling. I’d like to order one large pizza with— If this is a prank call, ma’am, I am not amused. But if it’s not, I’m more than happy to transfer you to Papa John’s or Domino’s. No, no, don’t transfer the call.Is there an emergency, then? If not, I’m going to hang up. You are wasting precious time I could be using to save lives. A woman at your age sho...

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“Diemond” by Rayhan Hidayat

Submitted to Contest #55

Before we begin, dear reader, allow us to direct your attention to the following proverb:“Diamonds are beautiful and so is life, but only one of these is forever.”We regret to inform you that the origin of this quote has become obscured by the fog of time. Regardless, we deemed it a worthy introduction because it lends a certain measure of poetic elegance to the events to come.Please, don’t let us keep you. Enjoy the story.🔷Today, Leo Weinberg only has enough room in a head normally occupied with scheduling business dinners and piercing hang...

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Author bio

There’s a High Fantasy novel out there, screaming for me to finish writing it. Not sure when I’ll be posting again. Thanks to everyone for making my writing journey worth every heartbeat. You know who you are 😉 It’s been a fun ride. - - My winning story 🥇 has been featured on the delightful Katie Kanning’s brand new podcast! Listen to it here if you're down: https://bio.link/katiek - - Stories that are very dear to me (I’ll love you forever if you leave your thoughts on any of these): ❤️ tiny piscine heart 💚 Shell 💙 Heart to Beat 💛 A Sky Filled With Freckles 💔 Crush ^Really wanted these to get the judges’ attention 😔 - - Humans are cruel. They are also beautiful.

Winning 1 story 🏆

Contest #100

mie goreng – read story

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #98

there’s plenty of fish in the graveyard; there's plenty of ghosts in the sea – read story

Contest #66

Virtual Reality Show – read story