Start your story with people arriving at a special ceremony.

Posted in Character on Aug 16, 2024

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✍️ 33 stories

“Guilty Party” by Derrick M Domican

Submitted to Contest #264

Two and a half hours after touching down in Innsbruck and boarding the SUV that waited to greet her, Amelia Carver’s overnight expedition came to an end at a squat, crumbling structure in the rugged terrain of Saminatal Valley. From Dublin to Austria to Liechtenstein, from 12am to 6, from civilisation to desolation, and she still didn’t know if it was worth it. Looking at the building, little more than an abandoned mound of concrete, it was difficult to see how it could be. She hadn’t accomplished anything of note since last year. She w...

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“Ceremonia de Amor and Destiny's Dreams” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #264

The bow of the clipper ship Destiny’s Dreams plunged, sliding down the towering wave while the boat's stern rose in the air.The stormy waters of Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America, surged and splashed over the bow and across the deck.Soaking wet sailors grasped the railings and riggings to avoid being swept away.Despite the struggle, they felt confident they would survive the gale force winds and wild seas.Passengers inside the ship held onto the hull structures while it tilted.Captain Alfonse turned the steering inside the whee...

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“Commencement” by Trudy Jas

Submitted to Contest #264

I’m still a bit hung over and cotton-mouthed when the Uber driver stops a block or so from the auditorium and convinces me to leave the airconditioned comfort of his car. Traffic is at a standstill while hundreds of cars are creeping up the hill to snatch whatever parking spot they can find or create.With a dramatic sigh, agreeing that walking up that hill will be quicker, though less comfortable, I fall in with smiling twenty somethings. No doubt they are slowly broiling in their long black polyester gowns while holding a precariously balan...

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“Father of the Bride” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #264

Maggie settled down in the reserved pew, second from the front. Listening to the organ prelude, she smoothed and re-smoothed the skirt of her new dress. Dove gray or pearl gray, she couldn’t remember what she’d finally decided on. Keep it together, she reminded herself. Do not embarrass your daughter. This day was about Sasha and Devon—those two gung-ho, madly-in-love young folks. She adjusted the pin of her corsage, an ebullient display of lily, chrysanthemum, and baby’s breath.“Go ahead, turn around, have a look,” a familiar quiet voice wh...

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“Linked” by James Scott

Submitted to Contest #264

The aisle stretched longer than the last time Savarin had stood at one’s end. It’s exponential scaling was a testament to the enduring power of the love he shared with Destry; the radiation of which had encompassed so many others in its warmth, that they had needed several extra rows of chairs brought in. Each and every one of these people deserved their seat at this new ceremony. Savarin surveyed the distance between him and the double doors at the other end of the carpeted runway, forged between the walls of white folding chairs and adorne...

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“A Trip To The Country” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #264

(some violence to animals)The drive leading to the house must have been a mile long, at least. It was as straight as a die, affording an unashamed view of the estate’s grandeur. On both sides, immaculate lawns stretched away into the distance, punctuated here and there by mossy stone statues of indeterminate subjects – possibly animals. And there up ahead, at the vanishing point, the mansion itself, imposing even from a distance. Behind and in front of us, other limousines swept along in an impressive caravan, neither rushing nor dawdling, r...

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“The Crafting of a Prophet” by KA James

Submitted to Contest #264

The rains came often enough in the spring, always in mid-afternoon, but lasted not long enough and were usually too violent to be of any real benefit. Full of wind, lightning and loud with booming thunder, the brief but torrential downpours often managed to wash away soil more than provide any real saturation to the fields. The blistering sun always followed the storm, drying and cracking the now muddy top layer of claylike earth.The village had been in slow decline now for years, weather patterns changing as is their ilk. The previous winte...

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“Coming Around Again” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #264

November has snuck its way into the landscape and Summer is a memory that still hurts in the telling. Deathly Winter stalks the unsuspecting days, just a little further along the path of life, and the idea of rebirth is just that. An abstraction that does not yet belong in the world. There is a chill in the air, but it is not yet cold. The old church is draughty and the gutless heating pipes fight a losing battle against the belligerent rock foundations. The modern world is of no interest to this ancient place. The old stone bones are about ...

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“Their Villain” by Justin J. Harris

Submitted to Contest #264

Their VillainBy Justin J. HarrisFrom hundreds of winds above Josephine stared down toward the cromlech through the scope of her rifle counting the series of torches bracketed to each column. “Nine,” she said. A fire for each member of the council. The lit torches signaled that the ceremony would soon begin and The Nine were arriving. All but one of them, anyway.The body was at the center of the cromlech draped in a ceremonial white cloth with a red fringe. Four vertical dots on the left and five on the right were stitched into the cloth...

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“Don't Do This To Me” by Michael Mackenzie

Submitted to Contest #264

Rhys stood beneath the bright chandelier in the threshold of his parent’s mansion, staring though the windows wondering how close he was to a liquor store when he caught a glimpse of two men standing on their driveway, peering into the house. “Rhys,” Abigail said, tapping him on the shoulder, her thin fingers pressing against his shoulders. “This is bad Mom,” R...

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“The Gathering” by Marianne Knight

Submitted to Contest #264

Sabina lay still and silent, fingers clawed into the coarse bough for balance. Luminescent vines scalloped from branches above, shrouding her tree hideout in a camouflage of shadows. She needed to know, needed to see, but could not risk being caught. The Balfort forest was forbidden territory to the villagers. Legends and stories passed through generations hinted to its glowing beauty. But all knew the dangers, wandering souls who ventured beyond its woodland border did not return. Subdued voices blended in a hushed chorus of whispers as th...

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“Something Blue” by Keith Menendez

Submitted to Contest #264

Seravina Rebus posed before an ornate long mirror in the master bedroom on the villa’s first floor. The ivory Bohemian dress flowed perfectly around her athletic build. The Tasanaris had graciously allowed her to use the room to get ready. A distant church bell chimed twelve times. The ceremony would finally begin in thirty minutes. Seravina smiled as the reflection revealed two members of her new family. Mrs. Hemingway, the groom’s adopted mother, fiddled with the final touches of Vina’s dress, while Emmy, Too...

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“one ticket for the souls of the damned ” by Seni Meni

Submitted to Contest #264

The muffled snarls got louder when the guests filtered in. The wood creaked from the stress of the ghouls pressing against it. These sounds were still audible, even under the jolly marching band positioned along the docks; even under the clink of champagne glasses. As the water spat on the shores, the city folk spat back at the boat behind their decorated masks, held up by a stick between gloved fingers. The dress-code was black: black like the dammed souls banging on the oak. It was suitably mocking. It was suitably fitting. The city folk w...

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“A June Weddomg” by Mindy Reed

Submitted to Contest #264

Chapel of the Lake weddings are mostly performed by Mary Ann Feebley for the traditionalists. Another officiant, who simply goes by the name of Elvira or Ellie is for the liberals and/or non-believers. Ellie’s legs and arms are wrapped in tattoos, varying from the typical skulls and flames to the more absurd, including a pair of eyes on her shoulder blades, and something unrecognizable around her belly button. She also proclaims to be sexually fluid. On this particular June day, Mary Ann was seated at the patio just outsi...

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“The Happiest Day of Their Life” by Asa P

Submitted to Contest #264

Oh what a glorious occasion. Today is a day of wonderment. Our place in the divine order is confirmed today……… A celebratory tune filled the streets for miles around. Words filled minds with amazement while the jaunty tune a childlike gayness of the spirit. The Ceremony of Alignment came but once every fifty years. But the preparations took up the preceding quarter of a century. The preparations began with the selection process, not of the poor unfortunate soul who will become the main attraction, but of the mother. The message with th...

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Start your story with people arriving at a special ceremony.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 33 stories

“Guilty Party” by Derrick M Domican

“Ceremonia de Amor and Destiny's Dreams” by Kristi Gott

“Commencement” by Trudy Jas

“Father of the Bride” by VJ Hamilton

“Linked” by James Scott

“A Trip To The Country” by PJ Town

“The Crafting of a Prophet” by KA James

“Coming Around Again” by Jed Cope

“Their Villain” by Justin J. Harris

“Don't Do This To Me” by Michael Mackenzie

“The Gathering” by Marianne Knight

“Something Blue” by Keith Menendez

“one ticket for the souls of the damned ” by Seni Meni

“A June Weddomg” by Mindy Reed

“The Happiest Day of Their Life” by Asa P

🌟 Similar prompts

Center your story around two people who meet at a wedding.

Write a story in the form of a speech (or multiple speeches).

Write a story from the POV of a plus-one.

End your story with someone saying “I do.”

Contest #264

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

295

Contest entries

108

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: