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

Posted in Character on Jan 5, 2024

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✍️ 84 stories

“Descent of a Flame” by Connla Mullan

Submitted to Contest #232

I have been tasked to make the pilgrimage from Drummanor peak to the depths of the Killnirin forest with little more than a satchel with some provisions, my cloak, clothes and my lantern. The monks of the peak have warned me of the dangers within the forest, not just of beast or man but of the mind. Within this cursed place of whispers and shadow, colossal trees intertwine their branches, creating a dense canopy that casts an impenetrable shadow below. In this land of perpetual twilight I must keep my wits about me, remain true to my goal an...

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“The Torch of Man” by Nicholas Thomas

Submitted to Contest #232

A barren landscape stretches for miles ahead; an unforgiving desert which was teeming with life a mere decade ago. This phenomenon had been spreading across the globe at a frightening pace as the atmosphere itself dissipated into the cosmos around them. What is left of the human race now lives in dark bunkers deep below the surface as they breathe synthetic oxygen and consume vegetation that was grown in a lab, but it is becoming increasingly aware among the people that their supplies wil...

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“Light in Time of Darkness” by Chris Pye

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #232

Here's a word: Entoptic. It means that what you are seeing is entirely within your nervous system, your brain. It's not 'out there'. You've experienced it: Before you go to sleep; when the curtains are drawn and the lights out, and the room is totally dark. Stare into that darkness and watch the brilliant spots and sparkles wandering in the air. Only, they aren't in the air. Now rub your eyes and watch the fireworks; the streaks of blues and bursts of orange. The scintillating world that isn't there. Now imagine you're in a cave, a rea...

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“The Flame's Guardian” by Maddy Jensen

Submitted to Contest #232

It was cold. So cold I could feel my fingers and toes turning purple. My body felt sluggish and my brain was clouded. They told me it would be easy. That I would be safe. They lied. I had believed them so easily and they crushed my trust beneath their heels. I opened my eyes to total darkness. There was no light and there hasn't been since I was left here. I was so tired of the cold and dark but I was not allowed to leave. I was put here to guard the Flame of the Hearth. A burning flame that held no warmth. A flame that was...

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“Phoenix Feather” by Maria DiFranco

Submitted to Contest #232

"Just remember," the wizard said, his fingers burning with a warm fire, "no matter how much the darkness may try, it cannot put out a light." "But other things can," Teo said. His hands were smaller than his mentor's, and he cupped them together to receive the wizard's light. His mentor smiled. The fire lit up his teeth and dark eyes. "But we can stop other things," he said. He lowered his hand, dropping the magical fire into his apprentice's palms. Teo gasped at the heat, then laughed. "We cannot stop darkness," said his mentor, "but it can...

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“An Easy Game ” by Zinat Abdullah

Submitted to Contest #232

12 people stood on the flanks of the cobblestones. Each on their own marble altar. All except one stood on their grave. The one who would walk, maybe hobble, or possibly stumble out of the door and embrace the natural light that the sun gave, bask in its warmth, and smile to its delight. Each one hoped that they would be the one and only person who would walk out alive. As the stone altars lowered, Catalina’s heart started off to the pace of the marching band, the beats becoming faster and faster, her heart almost shattering as t...

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“Enkindled” by J.B. Redel

Submitted to Contest #232

The gate is weakening.Hush. He still has time.He hears us now. See how he flinches?Yes, but he has time still. Have patience. Eldric paused in his task, allowing his trembling hands to set the fist-sized lump of wood on top of the pile of completed figurines. Creating the small talismans was usually easy and required little to no thought. For some reason, he couldn’t figure out how to finish his most recent creation. The voices were only making it more difficult. Out of habit alone, he glanced toward the eastern wall of the cavern ...

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“In Tenebrosity” by Sahrel Row

Submitted to Contest #232

In silence they sat. Huddling close around the dying embers of their makeshift bonfire, they uttered no words, unless the frantic chattering of their teeth could be considered speech. Slowly, slowly the fire waned, shrinking, cowering from the ever-encroaching darkness. The sounds of distant twigs snapping, leaves rustling, gentle snow falling, falling, dampening the earth and whatever otherwise suitable kindling the party may have been able to use filled the air. Eldest, youngest and neither, intruders of the night-shroud's kingdom, the do...

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“Night in the Garden” by Sydney Fisher

Submitted to Contest #232

Stories were told of a land where there was light, bright rays of warmth that speared the sky. Myths of when the lady moon would dance across the night sky, forever leading her lover, the sun, on a merry chase and how the sun would warm the day with his love for his forbidden lady. Those stories were told to children as they lay tucked in their parent’s arms, memorizing the feel of the warmth and protection found there. She remembered those tales of wild gods and creatures of night that danced across frozen planes of ice and stillness. She r...

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“Three Seconds” by Kathryn Hamer

Submitted to Contest #232

Don’t leave the light. Don’t pay attention to the noises. Chances are, they’re harmless. Most of them, anyway. Don’t turn around. If you have to turn around, do so for no more than three seconds. It’s been three hours. It feels like days. When you spend all your time staring into a flame, a funny thing happens. You begin to go blind. Your sight is so consumed by the flickering dance of light and heat that all else seems to fade into blackness. It doesn't help that all else actually is blackness. Don’t leave the light. And if yo...

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“1898 at the Lighthouse - The Hero Puppy ” by Kristi Gott

Submitted to Contest #232

“Where was that beacon? He should be seeing it flash by now.” Captain Alfonse Belanger knew this patch of the Oregon coast was called “the graveyard of the Pacific.” In the fading light, he scanned the rugged shoreline for the flash of the lighthouse beacon.*****Miles away, off the path to the Mystic Lighthouse high on the bluffs, the lighthouse keeper lay partway down the side of the cliff after losing his footing on the wet, slippery path.Joseph saw the darkening sky and turned, trying to reach a rocky handhold, so he could pull ...

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“Candlelight” by Brenna Herzog

Submitted to Contest #232

The windowpane was cracked to begin with. Just a small chip, one that Eliza had grazed with the tips of her fingers when they'd first arrived at the cottage. It was just one of the many oddities that added to the charm of the mountain retreat. That, along with the bright yellow kitchen and creaky floorboards. Now, she stared at the window, wide-eyed. Cupping the feeble flame of her candlestick, she brought it close to the window. The stool she sat on groaned with the movement. Eliza might as well have shouted for how loud it seemed in the si...

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“Candlelight Vigil” by Jessica Thrasher

Submitted to Contest #232

The tomb door slammed shut behind her. See you at sunrise. Annalise repeated her little brother’s goodbye into the still, musty air with visible breaths. Each time, she found the words a bit more comforting and a lot bitterer. Of course, he would say that. This was not his duty. She clutched the candleholder tighter and pushed forward into the dark. With each step, plaques bearing the names of her ancestors were illuminated and quickly shrouded again. She barely paid the ones nearest to the door any mind. Their births and deaths were long...

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“Blurry” by AP Legal

Submitted to Contest #232

She awoke to silence, complete silence. Usually there was a cry of a baby, a scrape of a kettle, or a stomp of a boot. But today, she awoke to complete silence. Her vision had been getting worse and worse, and even being a child, she knew nothing good would come from her depleting vision. Still, she stayed positive and helpful around the house. She searched the best she could for signs of life, for a sign that she was not alone. Sometimes her parents would stay out searching for food, grazing the fields for materials, but today felt differen...

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“Keep Your Hand on the Stove” by Sue Hunter

Submitted to Contest #232

CW: This story contains themes of suicide and suicidal ideation. Read only if you are in a good place. The suicide hotline is 988.The room was filled with the smell of metal and the rushing torrents of blood swirling around infinitesimal tubes. There was a pounding in every space, a rhythmic thump that was both harsh and soft, beautiful and overwhelming. Mucus, bile, and fluid invaded every millimeter of the void. Everything was covered in warm liquid. Electricity danced across the tubes and wires and muscles, carrying information across the...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 84 stories

“Descent of a Flame” by Connla Mullan

“The Torch of Man” by Nicholas Thomas

“Light in Time of Darkness” by Chris Pye

“The Flame's Guardian” by Maddy Jensen

“Phoenix Feather” by Maria DiFranco

“An Easy Game ” by Zinat Abdullah

“Enkindled” by J.B. Redel

“In Tenebrosity” by Sahrel Row

“Night in the Garden” by Sydney Fisher

“Three Seconds” by Kathryn Hamer

“1898 at the Lighthouse - The Hero Puppy ” by Kristi Gott

“Candlelight” by Brenna Herzog

“Candlelight Vigil” by Jessica Thrasher

“Blurry” by AP Legal

“Keep Your Hand on the Stove” by Sue Hunter

🌟 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 looking for a sign in a dark sky.

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: